MANILA, Philippines – A full moon will be seen on Christmas day, a rare event that has not happened in about 4 decades and won't happen again in nearly two decades. 

"Not since 1977 has a full moon dawned in the skies on Christmas. But this year, a bright full moon will be an added gift for the holidays," according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

"This rare event won’t happen again until 2034. That’s a long time to wait, so make sure to look up to the skies on Christmas Day," it added.

NASA, a United States government agency, has a spacecraft orbiting the Earth's moon to investigate the lunar surface. – Rappler.com

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis offered a Christmas message on Friday, December 25, of mitigated hope for an end to the world's conflicts, backing recent accords on Syria and Libya and praising those who shelter migrants.

"We pray... that the agreement reached in the United Nations may succeed in halting as quickly as possible the clash of arms in Syria," he said, while urging that "the agreement on Libya be supported by all."

Delivering his Christmas message from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the 79-year-old pontiff touched on several other conflict zones, including Iraq, Yemen, the DR Congo, Burundi and South Sudan following a year of violence and suffering that forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

The pope, addressing tens of thousands of pilgrims in the sunny square, also decried "brutal acts of terrorism, particularly the recent massacres which took place in Egyptian airspace, in Beirut, Paris, Bamako and Tunis."

After a year that saw more than one million migrants reach Europe, Francis praised those who shelter them, asking God to "repay all those, both individuals and states, who generously work to provide assistance and welcome" to them.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics also used the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) address to denounce the destruction of cultural heritage.

In a clear reference to the Islamic State group (ISIS), he said their "atrocities... do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples."

ISIS has launched a campaign of destruction against buildings and monuments that fall outside its harsh interpretation of Islam, ranging from Christian churches to Muslim graves, as well as ancient treasures like the temples of Palmyra.

Praying for the displaced to return

The plight of embattled Christians in the Middle East, especially where they have been threatened by the advance of ISIS, has been thrown into the spotlight this year, and in Iraq, the mood was sombre.

"We are praying for the restoration of peace and security and the return of the displaced to their land," said a worshipper at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, one member of a dwindling Christian community trickling in to churches.

She said 12 of her relatives lost their homes when ISIS took over Iraq's second city Mosul in 2014 and ordered Christians to convert to Islam, to pay a heavy tax as second-class citizens or face death.

In Bethlehem Thursday night, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land arrived for the traditional midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity – built over the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Travelling from Jerusalem nearby, the Jordanian Latin patriarch Fouad Twal would have had to pass through the Israeli wall that separates the two cities, with Bethlehem located in the occupied West Bank.

A wave of violence has led to a sharp decline in pilgrims visiting Bethlehem and the rest of the Holy Land this year, and only a sparse crowd was on hand to welcome Twal's procession.

In many countries across the world, Christians were fearful for their future, and some were even prohibited from celebrating the holy day.

Beijing's 'white Christmas'

Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was to deliver her Christmas address later Friday in which she will focus on the string of terrorist attacks that blighted 2015, according to excerpts released by Buckingham Palace.

"It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but... 'the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,'" she will say, quoting the Gospel of John.

A total of 130 people were killed in the November 13 attacks in Paris, while this year has also seen a string of mass casualty attacks in countries including Nigeria, Syria and Iraq. 

Meanwhile, weather around the world did not always cooperate with the "white Christmas" narrative, as East coast Americans shed their sweaters to enjoy soaring temperatures, while further south deadly tornadoes cut a swathe through rural communities.

But Beijing residents woke up to a white Christmas of sorts – the sky was obscured by thick toxic smog rather than snow after more than 100 million people across China had been warned to stay indoors.

Meanwhile, the Twitterverse enjoyed the offbeat story of Tim Peake, the first British astronaut on the International Space Station, dialling a wrong number when trying to phone home for Christmas, asking a woman, "Is this planet Earth?"

"I'd like to apologize to the lady I just called by mistake saying 'Hello, is this planet Earth?' - not a prank call...just a wrong number!" he tweeted late on Thursday. – Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere, AFP/Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, United States – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama – and their two dogs –  on Friday, December 25, paid tribute to US soldiers in a joint address wishing Americans a Merry Christmas.

The Obamas, who are currently on holiday in the president's home state of Hawaii, called for compassion and caring, and for the people of the United States "to come together as one American family."

"During this season, we also honor all who defend those values in our country's uniform. Every day, the brave men and women of our military serve to keep us safe -– and so do their families," said the president, a sentiment echoed by the first lady.

But there was also a light-hearted theme. 

"This is one of our favorite times of the year in the Obama household, filled with family and friends, warmth and good cheer," said the president.

"That's even true when I spend all night chasing Bo and Sunny away from the cookies we leave for Santa," he added, referring to the first family's dogs. 

"It's also my favorite weekly address of the year because I’m joined by a special holiday guest star: Mrs. Obama." –  Rappler.com

LAGOS, Nigeria (UPDATED) – "Tens" of people were killed in a huge Christmas Eve blast at an industrial gas plant in southeastern Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday, December 25.

In an emailed press statement, Buhari said he was "greatly shaken and shocked by such large scale loss of human lives in a single industrial accident."

The blast at the gas plant happened around noon Thursday, December 24, engulfing the southeastern industrial city of Nnewi in black clouds of billowing smoke and leaving some victims charred beyond recognition. 

The fire raged for hours, gutting surrounding buildings and cars, with incinerated corpses later found face down in the smouldering rubble.

Nnewi resident Ilochonwu Prince, who lives near the plant, said he thought a house had collapsed when he heard the blast at around 11:30 am on Thursday.

"When there is a sound like that you run for your life, the volume was so high," Prince said to Agence France-Presse.

"It was the 24th, they wanted to buy gas that they would use with their families for Christmas," said the 26-year-old student, his voice shaking with emotion. 

"I saw four or five bodies that were dead already, the fire burnt them to ashes," Prince said. "Most of them there, they were people on vacation, and they are just gone like that."

He said no one knew what set off the explosion because "none of them that were there survived, now nobody has a good story of what actually happened."

Authorities have given varying tolls. 

"It was a huge inferno," police spokesman Ali Okechukwu told Agence France-Presse. "We have found six bodies outside the perimeter, two more bodies were found in the adjoining building, bringing the total number of casualties to eight." 

Okechukwu, who said a further six people were injured, added that an investigation into the explosion was under way. 

- 'Everything was burnt' -The gas-fuelled fire spread to a large surrounding area instantly, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman James Eze told Agence France-Presse.

"About 300 metres from the gas line all the plants there were burnt, houses from 400 metres away were affected, heavy machines too," Eze said, speaking by phone from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital where victims of the blast were taken for treatment. 

Eze put the total number of casualties at four, barring any missing people who were burnt without any trace. 

"The fire (was) so strong as to burn the bones into ashes, but nobody has come forward with a missing person," Eze said.

There were conflicting accounts too about the cause of the explosion and the authorities have not explained what triggered it. 

Some local reports said the blast occurred after a truck was off-loading butane cooking gas for customers stocking up on fuel for Christmas festivities. 

Others said it was set off when a leaking consignment of gas was being moved to the company dump.

"The cause is yet to be determined. A few people lost their lives. Some people suffered burns of various degrees," said Anambra state governor, Willy Obiano, who visited the scene of the accident.

A mainly Christian city, Nnewi is known as a busy hub for trading spare vehicle parts. 

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, deriving the bulk of its money through the commodity. 

Accidents happen frequently in the country, usually when pipelines are damaged by people stealing crude oil. 

In July, 12 people died and three were injured in an explosion while carrying out repairs on a pipeline in the Niger delta. 

Over the past decade, hundreds of people in the continent's most populous nation have been killed in explosions. 

The country loses an estimated 300,000 barrels a day to gangs that syphon crude from pipelines, according to the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. –  Stephanie Findlay, AFP/Rappler.com

DAMASCUS, Syria – Some 4,000 people, half of them jihadist fighters, will leave 3 besieged southern districts of Syria's capital at the weekend as part of a landmark ceasefire, sources told Agence France-Presse Friday, December 25.

Militants from the Islamic State jihadist group and its rival, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front, will reportedly quit the districts of Qadam, Hajar al-Aswad and the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmuk.

"An agreement was reached whereby 4,000 fighters and civilians, including members of Al-Nusra and IS, would leave" the neighbourhoods on Saturday, December 26, one government official close to the negotiations said.

They would then be transported to the northern cities of Raqa, held by IS, and Marea which is controlled by Islamists and Al-Nusra, the official said.

The second phase of the deal would see government institutions reopen in the neighbourhoods and "the necessities of daily life would be secured", the official said.

It will be the first time in more than two years that market goods have been able to be sent in to the three southern districts, which have been under a crippling government siege.

IS militants attacked the Yarmuk Palestinian camp in April, fighting Al-Nusra units there for control.

The jihadists then overran parts of Qadam in August after launching an attack from their base in nearby Hajar al-Aswad.

Their advance into Qadam had brought them closer than ever to central Damascus.

The ceasefire deal comes after two months of intense negotiations between Syria's government and district leaders, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one local leader in Qadam said that "every fighter will be allowed to leave with his family and one suitcase and his personal weapon".

- 'Larger reconciliation process' -The areas are already in the process of being demilitarised.

A Syrian army unit entered Qadam on Thursday to confiscate heavy weapons and military equipment used by the jihadists, a security source on the ground said.

Eighteen buses had also crossed into the neighbourhood in preparation for Saturday's evacuation, which would include "2,000 combattants, mostly jihadists", he added.

Local ceasefires have been implemented in other parts of Syria with varying degrees of success.

Typically, towns or villages under siege agree to a truce in exchange for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of wounded civilians and fighters.

A similar deal earlier this month in the central city of Homs saw 2,000 rebels and civilians leave the last opposition-held neighbourhood.

Mohammad al-Omari, a representative of Syria's reconciliation ministry, told Agence France-Presse that the "first phase of the deal will have a positive effect on Yarmuk and all of the southern areas".

He said he hoped a "larger reconciliation process" would allow some 1.8 million people to return to the southern suburbs of Damascus.

More than 250,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011, and millions have fled their homes.

A United Nations representative in Damascus told Agence France-Presse that the world body had no role in the negotiations or developments in the southern areas of the capital.

And Chris Gunness, spokesman for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, said it was seeking "further details" about the deal.

"As UNRWA is deeply concerned about their well-being, the agency is seeking from the Syrian government further details of any negotiated arrangements that will affect the humanitarian situation of civilians in Yarmuk," he said in an email. – Rappler.com

MADRID, Spain – Hundreds of African migrants stormed the border between Morocco and the Spanish territory of Ceuta on Friday, December 25, and two migrants drowned and 12 others were hospitalized, officials in both nations said.

The incident happened around 4:00 am near Benzu in the north of Ceuta with the migrants either scaling a barbed wire fence  or swimming across to the Spanish city located on Africa's northern coast.

About 200 migrants tried to swim from Morocco into Ceuta, local authorities in northern Morocco told the state news agency MAP.

Moroccan authorities intercepted 104 would-be migrants and recovered two bodies in the waters near the border post, they added.

The would-be migrants threw stones and used sticks against police, the agency said.

Red Cross volunteers in Ceuta treated 185 migrants who managed to get into the territory for injuries of different degrees, the organisation said in a statement.

Twelve of them needed to be taken to hospital to treat injuries such as fractured bones, hypothermia or symptoms of drowning, it added.

Red Cross volunteers also gave clothes and shoes to the migrants before they were taken to a temporary migrant detention centre in Ceuta.

Ceuta along with Melilla to the east are two Spanish territories on the northern coast of Morocco that together form the European Union's only land borders with Africa.

Spain fortified fences in the two territories last year in response to a rise in the number of migrants trying to jump over the barriers from neighbouring Morocco.

Last year 15 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean after dozens tried to enter Ceuta by swimming from a nearby beach.

Human rights groups and migrants said the Spanish police tried to keep them from crossing into Spanish territory by firing rubber bullets and spraying them with tear gas.

The Spanish government has since said that its guards are now banned from using rubber bullets to repel migrants. – Rappler.com 

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte visited before Christmas Day areas hardest hit by Typhoon Nona and turned over P11 million (about $233,000) of financial aid to various municipalities. 

On December 23 and 24, the presidential candidate personally handed over P500,000 each to 22 towns in Sorsogon and Oriental Mindoro.

The Davao City Council on Tuesday, December 22, approved a resolution granting Duterte the authority to donate the amount.

The beneficiaries in Sorsogon province are the towns of Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Irosin, Juban, Magallanes, Matnog, Pilar, Pito Diaz and Sta. Magdalena. The beneficiaries in Oriental Mindoro are the municipalities of Bacu, Calapan, Gloria, Naujan, Pinamalayan, and Pola.

Davao City was also the first local government unit which dispatched emergency and medical unit through its 911 program to Tacloban City and the Leyte Provinces in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.

The city also assisted Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley provinces after typhoon Pablo and Bohol after the 2013 earthquake. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Two days before she is expected to bring her case to the Supreme Court, Senator Grace Poe said she's hopeful that the Tribunal will act swiftly on her petition challenging the final decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) cancelling her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president.

"I assure everyone that I am still a candidate for president. Let us fight for genuine democratic elections, where Filipinos are allowed to choose their leaders," Poe said in a statement on Saturday, December 26. "The ambitions of a few should never be allowed to subvert the will of the majority."

Two days before Christmas, the Comelec en banc dismissed Poe's appeal to be allowed to run for the presidency in the upcoming elections.

Two Comelec divisions previously ruled to cancel her COC, and both decisions were upheld at the en banc with a 5-2 vote on the 1st division case, and a 5-1 vote on the 2nd division case. 

On the issue of Poe's citizenship, however, all the 7 commissioners were unanimous in declaring that she is not a natural-born Filipino, a requirement for a presidential run, contrary to an earlier decision by the Senate Electorial Tribunal on a different petition. (READ: How Comelec commissioners voted on Grace Poe case)

Poe's name stays in the ballot pending the final resolution of her case. (READ: EXPLAINER: What happens if Poe doesn't get TRO before printing of ballots?)

Poe's camp will file a petition before the SC on Monday, December 28, or 5 days after the promulgation of the en banc decision last December 23. They have 5 days from receipt of the decision to secure a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the SC.

Poe said she is confident the SC will uphold the right of Filipinos to a "genuine choice" in next year's elections, considering the "strong evidence" they will present in court.

The SC justices are on recess until January 10.

Citing Rule 7, Section 7 of the Internal Rules of the SC, Poe's camp said Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno "is empowered to act on urgent cases" and issue a TRO or a status quo ante orders without holding a session. (READ: What now for Grace Poe? 3 things to expect)

"Such reliefs, however, must be confirmed by the majority of the justices when sessions resume, which is on January 11 for the divisions and January 12 for the full court," the statement read.

The High Court will also hear oral arguments on another citizenship case against Poe in January. (READ: Supreme Court sets oral arguments on Grace Poe case) – Rappler.com

YANGON, Myanmar – Rescuers were searching through mud and rubble Saturday, December 26 after a new landslide buried workers in a remote jade mining region in northern Myanmar, the second such incident in just over a month.

The landslide took place on Friday afternoon, December 25 in Hpakant, Kachin State, the war-torn area that is the epicenter of Myanmar's secretive billion dollar jade industry.

"The rescue process has now started and we are searching for dead bodies but we can't tell the numbers yet," Nilar Myint, an official from Hpakant Administrative Office, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Local media reported as many as 50 people might have been buried by the debris.

But a second official involved in the rescue operation downplayed that number.

"According to what officials from nearby villages have told us, just 3 or 4 people are missing at the moment," Myo Htet Aung, also from the Hpakant Administrative Office, told AFP.

"We have not yet found any dead bodies in the process," he added.

The same area was hit by a massive landslide last month that killed more than 100. Locals says dozens more have died throughout the year in smaller accidents. (READ: Grim search for bodies after Myanmar mine disaster)

The region is remote, with little phone coverage and poor roads making it difficult to obtain precise and swift data after such incidents.

Those killed in landslides are 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.

Demand from China

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 is 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.

Analysts say reform will be difficult given the entrenched military interests involved in the trade and the remoteness of many of the mines, some of which are in the hands of ethnic rebel fighters. – Athens Zaw Zaw, AFP/Rappler.com

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – On Christmas Day, December 25, members of the New People's Army (NPA) released a member of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade in Moises Padilla town.

Cirilo Bagnoran, 42, was freed by the Leonardo Panaligan Command of the New People's Army (NPA) at their detachment in Barangay Macahagay in Moises Padilla, 15 days after he was abducted in La Castellana town.

On December 10, 50 or so members of the NPA attacked the cock farm where Bagnoran works. The farm, at Hacienda Jamandre, Barangay Robles in La Castellena town, is owned by RPA-ABB leader Rene "Maco" Europa.

Europa was able to escape the NPA attack.

Both Bagnoran and Europa are tagged in the 2012 murders of Cristie Florendia and Elmer Macurba in different Negros towns.

Ka Heneroso Silong, chief of the People's Court of the NPA, said that the release of Bagnoran came after the latter was acquitted from all criminal charges. Bagnoran’s acquittal, he added, went through a process.

Bagnoran, an investigative team found out, was not part of the killings since he was confined at a hospital. He also did not receive any compensation from a politician to kill Florendia.

Bagnoran would later say in a media interview that he would be leaving the RPA-ABB since it is one of the conditions of his release. He also insisted that the NPA did not hurt him during his time in captivity.

Early this week, Bagnoran's wife, Mildred, and their children had sought the help of various government agencies and non-governmental organizations to help facilitate his release.

A serious illegal detention complaint against the NPA was filed by Bagnoran's family before the Commission on Human Rights on Monday, December 21.

On Tuesday, the family met with Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr to ask for his help. The governor also called on the rebels to release Bagnoran in the spirit of Christmas. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Here's good news for the riding public in Manila: restoration work on the Ayala Bridge have been completed. 

Jerick Casiño, deputy project manager of Frey Fil Corporation said the bridge repairs are done, including the construction of the “wall enclosure” that will prevent informal settlers from living under the structure.

Casiño said that as of December 21, construction on the bridge had been completed and workers were just dismantling platforms as part of the clean-up. 

Frey Fil Corporation and EEI Corporation, the contractors hired to retrofit the structure, built a wall enclosure made up of hollow blocks around the piers and abutments of the bridge.

As a result, informal settlers "will no longer have access to the mechanical features of the bridge," Casiño said, adding that they would have to destroy the wall to gain access. 

The mechanical features refer to the "piers and abutments" of the bridge where new dampers and bearing pads were installed.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the project contractors decided to seal the bridge to protect it from damage.

“We can't conduct an inspection under the bridge if there are people living there,” DPWH officer for the National Capital Region Ric de Vera said.

Bridge access

De Vera however warned that informal settlers could still have access to the structure if they used the manhole at the top of the bridge.

“We can enter through the manhole to check on the bridge. It was put up for maintenance purposes,” he said.

The wall enclosure was put up precisely to protect the bridge from informal settlers. Otherwise, personnel might have to return to check on the structure every now and then, De Vera said.

“The bridge has one year warranty so they have to come back for inspection,” he added. – Rappler.com

BEIJING, China – China confirmed the imminent expulsion of a French journalist in the first such case since 2012, accusing her of "flagrantly championing" terrorist acts in a statement on its foreign ministry's website Saturday, December 26.

Ursula Gauthier, a Beijing-based correspondent for French news magazine L'Obs, must issue a public apology for an article she wrote last month or China's foreign ministry will not renew her press credentials, officials told Gauthier on Christmas Day.

Her essay "flagrantly championed acts of terrorism and acts of cruelly killing innocents, triggering the Chinese people’s outrage," said the foreign ministry statement. 

Citing her failure to make a "serious apology to the Chinese people," the statement said: "It is not suitable for her to continue working in China." 

"China will never support the freedom to champion terrorism," it added. 

Entitled "After the attacks (on Paris), Chinese solidarity is not without ulterior motives," Gauthier's article spoke of China's anti-terrorism policies in the country's western region of Xinjiang, homeland of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority – many of whom complain of discrimination and controls on their culture and religion.

Xinjiang is often hit by deadly unrest and China blames the violence on Islamist separatists but rights groups point to Beijing's own actions as a driver. 

If Gauthier's press card is not renewed, she cannot apply for a new visa, forcing her to leave China.

"They confirmed that if I did not make a public apology on all the points that had 'hurt the Chinese people'... my press card would not be renewed and I would have to leave on December 31," Gauthier told AFP Friday.

Gauthier would be the first foreign correspondent to be expelled since the 2012 expulsion of Melissa Chan, correspondent for the English-language service of Al Jazeera.

The move has been met with widespread criticism from the French government, press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Gauthier's employer.

"France will remain committed to the defence of freedom of expression and information throughout the world," wrote French minister of culture and communication Fleur Pellerin Friday on Twitter in response to the news. 

Gauthier's article in L'Obs triggered condemnation from Beijing and a virulent campaign in the state-run Global Times and China Daily, as well as thousands of often violent and abusive comments from Chinese Internet users. Her photo was also published online.

While the domestic media in China is subject to strict control and many topics are taboo, the foreign media is free to publish on any topic. However, foreign journalists frequently complain of harassment by the authorities while conducting routine reporting. – Rappler.com 

MIAMI, United States – At the start of the Cuban revolution, Javier Llorens was one of thousands of children who left the island unaccompanied for the United States, thinking it would be temporary.

He is now 64 – and is still in the United States.

Like many of the Cuban children who headed to America as part of what is now known as Operation Pedro Pan, named after the fictional leader of the orphaned Lost Boys, Llorens tells of a bittersweet experience.

"It was very hard, but from a good perspective, I would not be the person I am today without having gone through this crisis," Llorens, now a dentist and married with two daughters, tells AFP.

Llorens began life in America in one of the shelters that was set up in Florida to receive some of the 14,000 children in an exodus from Cuba that began on December 26, 1960 and lasted until October 1962.

He left Cuba with his 16-year-old brother on August 15, 1962 – a date he says is etched in his memory.

"I remember having a rather bad cold with fever, but we had to leave – we had been making preparations for months and months. We needed to have courage," he said.

Llorens's parents made the difficult decision to temporarily part with their young children, fearing indoctrination by Fidel Castro's communist government, a fear that spread among other families in Cuba.

"When the government of Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959, everything changed. They started to strip people of their personal freedoms, they limited freedom of the press, they took away people's homes," says Eloisa Echazabal, who was 13 when she ended up in Miami on September 6, 1961 with her younger sister and three cousins.

"The final straw for my parents was when the government took over private and religious schools, and communism began to be taught in public schools."

A boy named Pedro

About half of the children who came to the United States were met by family or friends at the airport, according to Operation Pedro Pan Group Inc, which documents the stories of those who participated in the program.

The operation was created by the Catholic Welfare Bureau (CWB; Catholic Charities) of Miami at the request of parents in Cuba to provide an opportunity for them to send their children to Miami to avoid indoctrination.

The other half of the thousands of children were cared for by the CWB, under the direction of a young Irish priest named Bryan Walsh, at a network of temporary shelters in Miami and then homes in other US states.

After diplomatic relations were severed between the United States and Cuba in 1961, the CWB was authorized by US officials to notify parents in Cuba that visa requirements had been waived for their children.

This meant that Cuban children were able to travel by commercial flights to Miami.

Walsh first became aware of the plight of unaccompanied Cuban children when a Cuban man brought a 15-year-old boy to see him who had come to Miami to live with relatives, but the family had hit hard times and wanted to find foster care.

That boy was named Pedro and Walsh discovered there were many more like him – alone, and in a strange country.

Reunited

Echazabal went with her sister to an orphanage in the state of New York, where she later lived with a family.

"I remember it was not the happiest days of my life. It was hard to adjust to living in the orphanage," she says.

Nine months after coming to America, she was reunited with her parents. "I know others with Peter Pan who had happy experiences, and others who had worse experiences than mine. I'm not complaining – it's just the way it was," she adds.

Llorens had to wait five long years to see his parents again, and the reunion was not without its difficulties.

"It had been so long that they looked at me like the little boy who had left Cuba all those years ago, but I had been through a lot and had developed into a teenager who had become used to fending for himself for years," he says.

According to Operation Pedro Pan Group, by 1966, about 90 percent of children who were in shelters were reunited with their parents.

Echazabal, 67, says she has seen many in the program go on to make hugely successful lives for themselves in the United States.

"There are doctors, lawyers, engineers and mayors. All of those in Pedro Pan, we feel like siblings because this experience unites us," she says.

"Every time we meet, we talk about things relevant to today, but we always come back to discuss what we went through.

"There are more than 14,000 of us, and each had a different experience." – Diego Urdaneta, AFP/Rappler.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Candidates in next year’s general elections should set aside funds if they wish to campaign in rebel-held territories, the National Democratic Front (NDF) said Saturday, December 26.

Speaking on the occasion of the 47th foundation of the Communist Party of the Philippines, NDF Far South Mindanao spokesman "Ka Efren" said the permit to campaign (PTC) will give candidates access to rebel strongholds and to assert rebel authority in areas where “organs of political power” already exist.

In many areas in Mindanao and throughout the country, Ka Efren said they have established “parallel” governments and claimed they have earned the right to impose fees and other “revolutionary taxes".

Ka Efren declined to give “tariffs” of rebel PTCs, but candidates for provincial governors in Mindanao are said to have paid up to P1 million in past elections.

Candidates for senators in previous elections are also said to have contributed considerable amounts to the coffers of the Maoist-inspired rebel movement.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had earlier warned candidates against succumbing to the extortion activities of the communist rebels.

Increased rebel strength

Ka Efren meanwhile said the rebels in Far South Mindanao were able to form more new platoons. “We have increased our armed strength by 20%,” he said without disclosing the exact figure of their total armed strength.

From only 3 guerrilla fronts 5 years ago, Ka Efren said they now have 3 sub-regional committees, each with 3 to 5 guerrilla fronts.

A guerrilla front has at least one company of fully armed New People’s Army rebels, the armed wing of the CPP.

He added that they were able to launch more than 70 tactical offensives resulting in the slaying of AFP troops equaling close to a company of soldiers. Each AFP company has at least 120 elements.

NDF Mindanao spokesperson Jorge Madlos earlier said there are now 46 guerrilla fronts throughout Mindanao – up by 6 from last year’s total.

Madlos said this forced the AFP to deploy 60% of its combat units in Mindanao.

The CPP-NPA is strongest in the Davao and Caraga regions while also showing increased guerrilla activities in northern and central Mindanao and the Socsksargen area.

The CPP was re-established on December 26, 1968 when the breakaway faction lead by University of the Philippines professor Jose Maria Sison repudiated the old Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas headed by Luis Taruc and Jose Lava.

Three months later, the CPP established the New People’s Army.

From a ragtag guerrilla army with 35 vintage rifles, the communist-led NPA has expanded nationwide and are operating in at least 70 of the country’s 82 provinces. The AFP, however, claims it has reduced the armed strength of the NPA from a high of 20,000 in the 1980s to less than 4,000.

The CPP has been mum on the exact number of its guerrilla army, but former CPP chairman Jose Ma. Sison said the NPA has regained the strength it lost during the 1990s.

At its height, the CPP-NPA and its political arm were said to have 8,000 fully armed guerrillas. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – On the 47th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), military officials from the 4th Infantry Division (ID) described followers as bereft of idealism and dismissed them as nothing more than bandits and terrorists.

The 4th ID of the Philippine Army has operational jurisdiction over Northern Mindanao, including the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Del Norte, Agusan provinces, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Camiguin, which currently hosts the biggest presence of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The CPP is waging among the longest running communist insurgencies in Asia, if not the world.

Major General Oscar Lactao, commanding general of the 4th ID, described the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP, as terrorists involved in crime and human rights violations.

“In order for the CPP-NPA-NDF to project their existence, sowing threat is paramount for them to pursue their armed struggle. However, in a civilized society they already lost their ‘ideology’ because they shifted to banditry,” Lactao said.

Lactao said that National Democratic Front (NDF) Mindanao spokesperson Jorge Madlos or "Ka Oris" and Myrna Sularte or "Maria Malaya" and their sympathizers face charges of multiple murder, frustrated murder, kidnapping, exploitation and illegal position of firearms, explosives and ammunitions.

The NPA had over 40,000 members in the 70s but membership has reportedly dwindled to just over 4,000, particularly in Surigao, Agusan and Bukidnon.

Radicalized minors

Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, 4th ID spokesperson, said that recently, two minor students of TRIFPSS (Tribal Indigenous Filipino People School in Surigao del Sur) and ALCADEV (Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development Inc), were saved from NPA exploitation with the help of local authorities and officials.

“Their parents have pursued and filed cases against Jorge Madlos, including Genasque Enriquez, Secretary General of Kahugpungan sa Lomadnong Organisasyon sa Caraga (Kasalo) and 11 others, in violation of RA 9208 or the Anti-Human Trafficking in Persons Act and RA 7610 or the Child Abuse and Exploitation Act before the provincial prosecution sub-office in Lianga, Surigao del Sur last December 18, 2015,” he said.

Based on the accounts of the two minors, they were radicalized by their teachers in TRIPFPSS and ALCADEV and forced to hold firearms and kill people by the NPA terrorists.

Enriquez was once the third nominee of KaTribu partylist.

Lactao said that because of the NPA's shift to banditry, there has also been a downward trend in NPA Initiated Violent Incidents (NIVIs).

“Comparative data show that in 2011 there were 168 NIVIs and this began to dwindle to 153 in 2012, and before 2015 ends, there have been only 119 NIVIs recorded,” he added.

Martinez said that this can be attributed to the NPAs being captured with the help of civilians. Some have surrendered because they supposedly realized the “futility” of armed struggle. Records show that a total of 269 NPA members have surrendered and have been apprehended in 2015 alone.

“The decreasing efforts and deromanticized existence of the NPA is irreversible. Even if they will fight another decade or century, they will not win the war because people no longer believe in their failed ideology,” Lactao said.

Lactao thanked residents of Northern Mindanao for their trust and confidence in the Army, "especially in giving timely and relevant information for us to address the insurgency situation."

He added, "We urge you to continue the same support in 2016 for us to finally reach our goal of having a peaceful Northern Mindanao that is ready for further development.” 

The CPP has been mum on the exact number of its guerrilla army, but former CPP chairman Jose Ma. Sison claims the NPA has regained the strength it lost during the 1990s. Asserting its influence, the National Democratic Front said candidates in next year’s general elections should set aside funds if they wish to campaign in rebel-held territories. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the ruling of the Commission on Elections en banc disqualifying her, presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe took the chance to court Overseas Filipino Workers in Hong Kong.

Poe, who was in Hong Kong with family to spend Christmas, supposedly chanced upon migrant workers in Central district on Friday, December 25, while walking with her daughter Hanna. 

“Alam ko naririnig ninyo ang mga kwento-kwento, kung na-disqualify na ba si Senator Poe, pero may proseso tayo sa Supreme Court. Sabi nila ako’y hindi Pilipino dahil ako’y batang nadampot lamang at hindi kilala ang aking mga magulang. Hindi naman yata makatarungan yun. Ang pinaglalaban natin ay tunay na pagbabago para sa ating bayan,” Poe was quoted as saying in a statement from her office Saturday, December 26.

(I know you've been hearing stories and wondering if Senator Poe is already disqualified. But we still have a process in the Supreme Court. They say I am not a Filipino because I am a foundling and I do not know my real parents. But that is not fair. What we're fighting for her is real change for our country.)

In the 2013 senatorial elections, which Poe topped, Hong Kong had one of the highest turnouts of absentee voters. It is also known for having one of the most active Filipino migrant communities.

Poe promised Filipino migrant workers she would not steal from the government’s coffers. After all, she said it is the OFWs who have kept the economy strong during tough times. 

“Makakaasa kayo na hindi ako magnanakaw at lahat ng kita ng gobyerno, bawa't sentimo ay mapupunta sa benepisyo ng ating mga kababayan. Iyan po ang palaki sa atin ng aking tatay na si FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr),” Poe said.

(You can count on me that I will not steal from the government. Each centavo will go to benefit of our fellowmen. That's how I was brought up by my father FPJ.)

One of Poe’s rivals in 2016 – Vice President Jejomar Binay – is facing corruption allegations over overpriced buildings and contracts in Makati City, where Binay served as mayor for decades.

“Alam ko po ang sakripisyo ninyo, na bagama’t masaya, marami rin kayong naiwan na mga mahal sa buhay sa Pilipinas. Salamat sa inyong tulong dahil kung hindi dahil sa OFWs, ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ay matagal nang tumiklop,” she said.

(I know your sacrifices. Although you're happy here, you also left your loved ones in the Philippines. Thank you for all your help because if it weren't for OFWs, the Philippine economy would have long collapsed.)

‘I know how it feels to live abroad’

Poe repeatedly relates her case to the experiences of OFWs, as a defense against citizenship and residency issues thrown at her. (READ: Poe courts OFWs: ‘We’re still Filipinos even when abroad’)

The senator told OFWs that she knows how it feels to be away from loved-ones as she, too, has worked abroad.

“Matagal din akong tumira sa ibang bansa, at naiintindihan ko ang inyong kalagayan. Kasama ng Migrante (partylist), ng iba nating mga senador na tumatakbo, itutulak namin ang mga makakabuti para sa OFWs – na bumaba ang fees nyo at yung mga kailangan nyo tulad ng health benefits ay matulungan kayo ng gobyerno,” Poe said.

(I also lived for a long time abroad and I understand your situation. Together with Migrante partylist, our senatorial candidates, we will push for what is good for OFWs – lowering of your fees and government assisting you with your needs like your health benefits.)

Poe, a foundling raised by movie stars Susan Roces and Fernando Poe Jr, left the country in 1991 after marriage to her husband Neil Llamanzares, a dual citizen of both the United States and the Philippines since birth. He was born in the US to Filipino parents. (READ: TIMELINE: Grace Poe's citizenship, residency)

In 2001, she became a naturalized US citizen and renounced Philippine citizenship. After FPJ’s death, Poe and her family decided to return for good. In 2006, she and all her 3 kids became dual citizens by virtue of Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Law. 

She then renounced her foreign citizenship in October 2010, before she took her oath as Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chair.

During the event in Hong Kong, Poe also took the chance to tell OFWs that she remains to be a presidential candidate even after the Comelec en banc disqualified her. 

“Hindi ko kayo bibitawan, magkakasama tayo palagi. Sa Pilipinas, kung kami ay mabibigyan ng pagkakataon, walang maiiwan,” Poe said.

(I will not let go of you, we will always be together. In the Philippines, if we will be given the opportunity, no one will be left behind.)

On December 23, or two days before Christmas, the en banc voted to cancel Poe’s certificate of candidacy for president and gave her only 5 calendar days, or until December 28, to secure a Temporary Restraining Order or similar writ from the Supreme Court. – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – Japan plans to propose a fresh fund to support former comfort women as foreign ministers from Tokyo and Seoul meet next week to settle a bitter row over a Japanese wartime brothel system, reports said on Saturday, December 26.

The one-day meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, will be held in Seoul on Monday, December 28, officials have said. (READ: Japan's top diplomat to visit South Korea for 'comfort women' talks) 

The ministers are to discuss "matters of mutual concern" such as the issue of women systematically forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II. 

The Japanese government is considering creating a new fund of about 100 million yen ($830,000) to help former comfort women, the Mainichi daily reported, while other media said the sum would be larger than that.

Tokyo also plans to propose that the two countries sign a statement confirming that the issue of comfort women is settled completely, the Mainichi and other Japanese newspapers reported. 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is aiming for a resolution of the lingering issue that has overshadowed diplomatic relations between the two East Asian US allies.

Japan issued a landmark 1993 statement that expressed "sincere apologies and remorse" to the women "who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women."

But it has long maintained that the dispute was settled in a 1965 normalization agreement with South Korea, which saw Tokyo make a total payment of $800 million in grants or loans to its former colony.

In its Saturday editorial, Japan's conservative Sankei daily called on the government to maintain that the dispute was settled in the 1965 agreement and assure that South Korea stop "rehashing" the issue as a diplomatic card.

Seoul is demanding a fresh formal apology and compensation for the Korean women.

The fate of the comfort women is a hugely emotional issue in South Korea and a source of much of the distrust that has marred relations between Seoul and Tokyo for decades. – Rappler.com

KABUL, Afghanistan – A 6.3-magnitude earthquake centered in the Hindu Kush jolted Afghanistan and Pakistan, damaging homes and leaving dozens of people injured just two months after a killer quake rattled the same mountainous region.

The tremor on late Friday, December 25, hit at a depth of 203.5 kilometers (126 miles), the US Geological Survey said, sending people fleeing shaking buildings into a bitterly cold night and prompting fears of aftershocks.

The epicenter of the quake, which was felt as far away as New Delhi, was in the remote Afghan province of Badakhshan, close to the Pakistani and Tajik borders.

A pregnant woman was killed when a boulder fell on her house in Peshawar and up to 50 others were left injured in the northwestern Pakistani city, officials said.

Initial information suggested at least 45 houses were damaged in Badakhshan where communication with remote, mountainous villages is typically slow, and 12 people were injured in the Afghan province of Nangarhar.

USGS had initially reported the quake's magnitude at 6.2.

In October, a 7.5-magnitude quake in the same region ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing nearly 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain.

For many in Pakistan, October's quake brought back traumatic memories of a 7.6-magnitude quake that struck in October 2005, killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5 million.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In Nepal, a quake in April and a strong aftershock in May killed more than 8,900 people. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – An ABS-CBN news team was ambushed on Saturday, December 26, by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Bangolo, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

Reporter Ronnie Enderes, cameraman Emilito Balansag, and driver Gary Montecillo had just covered the bombing of a tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and were on their way back to Iligan City from Ramain town in Lanao del Sur, when the gunmen attacked, ABS-CBN News said in a statement Saturday.

"According to our news team, the gunmen riding in two motorcycles started following them from Marawi City. One assailant fired at the driver's side, hitting the door and narrowly missing Montecillo. Another fired at the front passenger's side, the bullet grazing the lower portion of the door," ABS-CBN said.

All 3 were unharmed. ABS-CBN condemned the incident "in the strongest terms" and thanked the Philippine Army's 103rd Brigade for providing temporary refuge to the crew.

"We urge the authorities to investigate this ambush and bring the perpetrators to justice soonest, even as we vow to continue with our duties as journalists," the media company said.

Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ordered the Lanao police to investigate the attack and "ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

What happened Saturday "underscores the brazenness of armed groups to target even the media who are only out to do their duty," Hataman said in a statement.

"We stand with journalists and media organizations against these unacceptable attacks," he added. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Good tidings at the end of the year, as the ambitious monorail system for Baguio and La Trinidad just found a new backer.

San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SHMC) is interested in the proposed Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) system connecting Baguio City, particularly its central business district, and La Trinidad, said executive director Mila Rimando of the National Economic and Development Authority-Cordillera (NEDA-CAR).

Rimando said that SMHC, through its infrastructure arm, the Private Infrastructure Development Corporation (PIDC), is keen on supporting the project, with PIDC President Mark Dumol attending their recent briefing.

"After the near-completion of the TPLEX (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway), they are now interested in developing the tourism of Baguio," Rimando said.

She also said that the feasibility study for the monorail, which was assigned to the Department of Science and Technology-Cordillera (DOST-CAR), was already submitted to her. (READ: Monorail to ease traffic in Baguio City – study)

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo directed DOST-CAR to fast-track the feasibility study to help boost the local tourism industry and address traffic and air pollution in the area.

Rimando said that the project, initially budgeted at P1.4 billion, may cost as much as P5 billion, according to the DOST study.

The project is expected to cover the construction of the 5.2-kilometer railing system, from the Slaughterhouse Compound along Magsaysay Avenue in Baguio City to the Benguet Capitol in La Trinidad.

It also includes the purchase of coaches which is said to seat 120 passengers per coach. At expected six coaches per travel, the monorail has a maximum carrying capacity of 720 passengers per travel.

There will be at least 14 stops for the AGT route with two lines, the Baguio-Central Business District line and the Baguio-La Trinidad line.

The Baguio-CBD line will include stops at the Bonifacio rotunda, Center Mall/Magsaysay, Junction Harrison/Magsaysay, Abad Santos Drive, Junction Gov. Pack Road, UP Baguio, and Luneta Hill.

The Baguio-La Trinidad line, on the other hand, will have stations at Capitol area, junction to Strawberry Field, Pico-Puguis Road junction, Puregold, Bell Tower, Junction in Bokawkan, and the Slaughterhouse.

The study said the coaches are expected to accomodate 300,000 passengers for the Baguio CBD and 100,000 for the Baguio-La Trinidad route. – Rappler.com

Monorail image from Shutterstock