MANILA, Philippines – A hairdresser has won the labor case he filed against celebrity hairstylist Ricky Reyes.

In 2014, Renato "Rene" Nocos had accused Reyes and Reyes' business associate Tonneth Moreno of discrimination and unlawful termination, saying that he was fired after he disclosed that he had tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Last week, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) ordered Reyes to reinstate Nocos, and pay his back wages and benefits as well as attorney's fees totaling P615,313.06.

Labor arbiter Joanne Hernandez-Lazo said Reyes and Moreno transferred Nocos to a salon branch that was about to go bankrupt after they learned he was HIV-positive. Nocos was never given any assignment after the branch closed.

"HIV illness is not highly contagious and it is not transmitted through touching, hugging, sneezing, coughing, eating or drinking common utensils or being around an infected person. Thus, the means by which they (Reyes, et al) tried to protect their other employees and customers unduly trampled upon the rights of the complainant (Nocos)," the NLRC decision said. 

Before his termination, Nocos had already been working at Ricky Superstyle Color Salon for more than 10 years.

He filed a case against Reyes and Moreno on March 3, 2014, after he was fired on February 28, 2014.

Nocos also filed separate complaints against the two for alleged failure to remit his Social Security System (SSS) and PhilHealth insurance premiums.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the organization that assisted Nocos, released a statement on Sunday, February 7.

"There is now a good reason for me to strive harder and get my life back, confident that justice shall reign supreme... This victory is an encouragement for those HIV-positive human beings like me who are fighting for respect and dignity," Nocos said in the statement. 

"Deep in my heart, I'm praying for NLRC to dismiss any appeal. And I'm praying for enlightenment for my boss Mother Ricky," he added.

Ricky Reyes Corporation previously denied Nocos' allegations, saying that it would not allow such discrimination to occur. – Rappler.com

ONCUPINAR, Turkey (UPDATED) – Turkey said on Sunday, February 7, it would not abandon thousands of Syrians stranded on its border after fleeing a major Russian-backed regime offensive, as aid agencies warned of a "desperate" situation.

Tens of thousands of people, including many women and children, have been uprooted as pro-government forces backed by intense Russian anti-rebel air strikes advance near Syria's second city Aleppo.

"Turkey has reached the limit of its capacity to absorb the refugees," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told CNN Turk television.

"But in the end, these people have nowhere else to go. Either they will die beneath the bombings... or we will open our borders."

"We are not in a position to tell them not to come. If we do, we would be abandoning them to their deaths."

Turkey's Oncupinar border crossing, which faces the Bab al-Salama frontier post inside Syria, remained closed Sunday to thousands of refugees gathered there for a 3rd day, an AFP reporter said.

They waited desperately for the moment the gate will open, as Turkish aid trucks delivered food inside Syria.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey was ready to open its gates to Syrian refugees "if necessary".

Carrying what few belongings they still have, Syrians queued in the cold and rain in squalid camps near the border, waiting for tents being distributed by aid agencies.

Others are reportedly sleeping in the open, in fields and on roads.

'Hospitals bombed'

The medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said camps for displaced people in northern Aleppo province were overwhelmed.

"From what MSF can see the situation in Azaz district is desperate, with ongoing fighting and tens of thousands of people displaced," said Muskilda Zancada, head of the group's Syria mission.

"We are still conducting assessments but so far have seen problems with lack of space to accommodate people, and insufficient water and sanitation in many areas."

It said 3 MSF-supported hospitals had been bombed in recent days although the extent of the damage was unknown because their proximity to the frontlines made access too difficult.

More than 260,000 people have died in Syria's nearly 5-year-old conflict, which involves a tangled web of mainstream rebels, Islamists, jihadists, Kurds and pro-regime forces supported by Russia and Iran.

More than half the population has been displaced and hundreds of thousands have tried to reach Europe, sometimes paying with their lives making the risky Mediterranean Sea crossing.

The European Union on Saturday, February 6, said Ankara was internationally obliged to keep its frontiers open to refugees, while also pressing the Turkish government to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe.

A Turkish official said the Oncupinar crossing was "open for emergency situations".

"Seven injured were taken to Turkey on Friday and one on Saturday for treatment at Turkish hospitals," he said.

Syrian government forces have closed in on Aleppo city in their most significant advance since Russia intervened in September in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Regime troops advanced Sunday towards the rebel town of Tal Rifaat, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Turkish frontier, a monitoring group said.

It is one of the last rebel strongholds in northern Aleppo province and government troops are just 7 kilometers away, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Food crisis

Syria's mainstream rebels are now threatened with collapse after the regime severed their main supply line to Aleppo city.

Opposition forces and roughly 350,000 civilians inside rebel-held parts of the city face the risk of a government siege, a tactic that has been employed to devastating effect against other former rebel bastions.

"As supply lines to East Aleppo are nearly cut, MSF is worried about an impending food, water and fuel crisis in the coming weeks," said Zancada.

But near Damascus, 35 pro-regime militiamen and soldiers were killed in a rebel ambush at dawn in the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.

Top diplomats from countries trying to resolve the conflict are set to meet again on February 11 after the collapse of peace talks last week.

Pope Francis on Sunday urged the international community "to spare no effort to urgently bring parties back to the negotiating table," and appealed for generosity to ensure the "survival and dignity" of displaced Syrians.

Syria has reacted angrily to suggestions that Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which support rebel groups, could send in ground troops, saying "any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin."

The United Arab Emirates said it was in favor of sending troops but that a ground intervention should be led by the United States, which is already spearheading a campaign of air strikes against the jihadists. – Fulya Ozerkan with Rouba El Husseini, AFP / Rappler.com

ALGIERS, Algeria – Algeria's parliament is expected to adopt a package of constitutional reforms Sunday, February 7, that authorities say will strengthen democracy, but opponents doubt it will bring real change.

Parliamentary group leaders on Wednesday, February 3, began considering the package, which is to be voted on by the lower and upper houses in full, rather than amendment-by-amendment.

The reforms are meant to address longstanding public grievances in the North African nation, and possibly to prepare for a smooth transition amid concerns over the health of 78-year-old leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The president and his inner circle have held a firm grip on power since 1999 and, as the end of his rule appears to close in, there are fears of instability in the mainly Muslim country of 40 million, a key energy producer.

The main political reforms will see the reintroduction of two-term limits on the presidency – lifted in 2008 to allow Bouteflika to run for a third time – and a provision requiring the president to nominate a prime minister from the largest party in parliament.

An independent electoral commission will also be established, the roles of women and youth will be recognized, and freedoms of assembly and the press explicitly guaranteed.

The Amazigh language spoken by the indigenous Berber population will also be recognized as official, alongside Arabic.

The reforms "strengthen freedoms and enshrine the separation of powers and the principles and values of the Algerian people", Ahmed Ouyahia, Bouteflika's chief of staff, said last week.

Critics disagree, saying the reforms are little more than a show and will do little to reduce the influence of the powerful elite, including Bouteflika's National Liberation Front (FLN) party and army generals.

Unlike many countries in the region, including its neighbors Libya and Tunisia, Algeria has been relatively stable since the 2011 Arab Spring.

But it is facing a range of challenges, including regular jihadist attacks, sporadic outbreaks of violence between Berbers and Arabs, and a precipitous drop in state revenues as oil prices have plummeted. – Rappler.com

BENGUET, Philippines – The traditional center of highland vegetable marketing activities at Kilometer 5 in La Trinidad, Benguet, is set to be turned into a commercial complex for the cutflower industry, evicting veggie farmers, traders and disposers in the process.

This is by virtue of a Notice to Vacate issued by La Trinidad Mayor Edna Tabanda, ordering over 3,000 farmers, retailers and vegetable truckers to leave within 30 days or by March 1, 2016.

The La Trinidad vegetable trading post was developed in 1980s and is considered by farmers as a landmark in the strawberry-producing town.

Tabanda issued her eviction order with an advise for the farmers and vegetable traders to transact at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), about a kilometer away from the old trading post.

The P600-million BAPTC was developed thru the initiative of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. The government vegetable trading facility was opened last year but has so far failed to attract its intended market – the farmers.

Alfredo Tugay, a farmer from the municipality of Buguias, Benguet, said they refuse to trade their cabbage produce at the BAPTC due to several reasons. Primarily, Tugay said they are not familiar with the flow of business at BAPTC and they heard that operational fees will be collected from the farmers – not a practice at the old trading post.

“Vegetable products will be screened for quality standards they said, unlike in the old trading post where traders will buy all,” he said.

The farmers refuse to transfer to BAPTC due to the P1 per kilo fee that will be collected by the management. But Ardan Copas, the operations manager of BAPTC, said the fee was not yet implemented as there was clamor to lower it to 50 centavos.

The management of BAPTC is now offering an operation fee of 25 centavos to be collected from farmers who will use the facility, but this will still be discussed by stakeholders, including the local government units.

Copas said since the facility opened, they have been trading 40 tons of mixed vegetables daily.

According to the Benguet Farmers’ Marketing Cooperative, as much as 1.3 million tons of assorted vegetables are being sold at the old trading post and are being brought down to Metro Manila and outlying provinces each day. – Rappler.com

CATBALOGAN, Samar – Civil society stakeholders in this province have formed an anti-electoral fraud group ahead of the May 2016 elections.

Members of the Church, academe, media, and the youth are behind the watchdog 'SamarVote 4Change,' which is calling for an end to vote-buying and other forms of cheating during the polls.

Fr Melvin Ojeda said they believe that local politicians will again use huge amounts of money to buy people's votes – a persistent problem in one of the country's poorest provinces.

"Despite the biggest clean-up campaign in the history of Samar politics, elections have always been dogged by allegations of corruption and vote-buying," Ojeda said.

"Until cheating remains unchecked by more or less credible people from Comelec, the democracy of Samar will always be an endangered species, and the 'popular will' will be subverted."

In towns in the province such as Marabut, San Jose de Buan, Basey, Pinabacdao, Calbiga, Daram, Tagapul-an, Motiong, Almagro, and Tarangnan, there were reports of vote-buying in previous elections.

Grace*, 28 years old, said local candidates would have them fetched and taken to a resort, hotel, or house, where they would be pampered.

"As you go out from the place, you will be given envelopes containing money – the least is P2,000, or [up to] P5,000," she said in the local dialect.

32-year-old Alma*, meanwhile, said that months before the polls, some candidates gave teachers electric fans "for an unknown reason." Public school teachers serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs).

There were also reports of intimidation, harassment, and killings by private armed groups who work for influential candidates.

"'Open ballot' has long been practiced in our barangay. Private armed goons of incumbent local officials appear to supervise the operation," said 45-year-old Carlo*. "[Voters] are accompanied by a 'chosen poll assistant' to help you write the candidates and to be paid after you have voted."

As early as mid-2015, there were already cases of violence believed to be linked to the upcoming polls. Last May, bishops urged President Benigno Aquino III to stop the spate of killings.

Samar is included in the initial list of provinces identified as 2016 election hot spots by the Philippine National Police (PNP). It was also considered a hot spot in previous elections. (READ: Samar's long wait for salvation) – Rappler.com

*Names have been changed to protect the individuals.

ISABELA, Philippines – The anti-graft court sentenced to prison two former officials of Alfonso Castañeda town in Nueva Vizcaya province over two anomalous projects in 1999.

In a January 26 ruling, the Sandiganbayan Third Division found former mayor Alfredo Castillo Jr guilty of graft and corruption and ordered him to serve at least 6 years in prison.

Castillo and his accomplice, former councilor Andres Camana, were also sentenced to up to two years of imprisonment for falsification of public documents.

The ruling, penned by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, means the former mayor will be behind bars for at least 8 years. He has also been barred from working in government for life.

Financial interest

The decision said that prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman established evidence that Castillo was indeed listed as an incorporator and stockholder of the company which won contracts for two town projects.

"It is undeniable that Castillo... awarded the contracts for the construction of a gymnasium and the Lublub-Dibilit Road to Lotus Designs where he was a registered incorporator and stockholder," the 60-page ruling said.

Castillo, aside from being the mayor, also served as member of the Pre-Qualification Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC), an internal body tasked to ensure that all projects undergo legal procedures.

The Sandiganbayan said he had "direct financial interest" in awarding the projects to the company he co-owned.

The anti-graft court added that the projects did not actually undergo public bidding.

"Documentary and testimonial evidence indubitably establish that no public biddings were actually conducted for the construction," the decision read.

The two projects cost the government around P4 million ($83,701), according to disbursements signed by Castillo.

Second jail term

This was not the first time the anti-graft court decided to jail Castillo.

In October 2013, the Sandiganbayan Second Division found the former mayor guilty of 3 counts of graft, sentencing him to up to 12 years of imprisonment.

Two of the 3 counts of graft stem from the same dubious projects that the Sandiganbayan Third Division had ruled on last month.

The 2013 ruling said Castillo paid for the projects even though these were not yet finished.

It said the gymnasium was only 68% complete, while the road project was only 70% finished.

Castillo failed to attend hearings set by the court.

The former mayor was also implicated in the killing of his then-vice mayor, Cezar Lacanilao, after the self-confessed gunman tagged him as the mastermind.

Lacanilao, before his killing, was a witness in the graft case over Castillo's anomalous gymnasium project. – Rappler.com

$1 = P47.79

VATICAN CITY, Holy See – Pope Francis on Sunday, February 7, urged the world community to make every effort to revive the Syrian peace talks and appealed for unstinting generosity for civilians fleeing the conflict.

"I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to urgently bring parties back to the negotiating table," the pontiff said at his weekly Angelus prayer.

"A political solution to the conflict is the only way to guarantee a future of reconciliation and peace for this dear, suffering country," Francis said, before asking worshippers in St Peter's Square to join him in reciting the Catholic prayer "Ave Maria" for Syria.

The Pope also said he was deeply concerned about the plight of civilians forced to flee their homes as fighting raged.

"I hope that, thanks to generous solidarity, there will be the necessary help to ensure their survival and dignity," he said.

The Syrian peace talks were suspended on Wednesday amid renewed fighting on the ground, with advances into rebel-held territory by the Russian-backed regime in Damascus.

The negotiations were suspended until February 25.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura says he will meet in Munich, Germany, next Friday with countries that are part of an international group seeking a solution to the 5-year-old war. – Rappler.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Michel Martelly ended his presidential term Sunday, February 7, without handing power to a successor, in an electoral crisis highlighting Haiti's long struggle to keep democracy on track in the 30 years since the Duvalier dictatorship ended.

Martelly was able to leave office thanks to a last-minute agreement hours before to install a transitional government after prolonged protests that sometimes turned violent.

"During its long road to the promised land, Haiti will remember that a certain Michel Joseph Martelly, Micky for his people, loved, gave, built," he said during his last address as president.

Speaking before lawmakers at parliament in French and Creole, the outgoing president thanked those who accompanied him during the 5 years of his mandate. He also defended his family against accusations of embezzlement.

But he also acknowledged that history "will recall my failures, for which I take sole responsibility, among them the delay of presidential elections."

The electoral process was stopped after challenges from the opposition, which condemned an "electoral coup d'etat" masterminded by the executive power.

In the first round of presidential voting in October, Moise officially won 32.76% of the vote, to 25.29% for Celestin, who denounced those results as a "ridiculous farce."

A second round of presidential and partial legislative elections, initially set for December 27, was postponed indefinitely, preventing Martelly from handing power to an elected successor on February 7 as required under the constitution.

The vote, a runoff between Martelly's favored candidate Jovenel Moise and opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin, was called off following violence and opposition protests by demonstrators alleging that foul play had helped the government candidate take the first round.

What comes next?

After Martelly handed him the presidential sash, national assembly president Jocelerme Privert sought to reassure a population on edge.

The former pop music star's departure "does not halt the course of history, our history."

Lawmakers now have five days to elect an interim president whose mandate cannot exceed 120 days.

Privert himself is among the "serious candidates," according to several lawmakers, along with high-ranking Judge Jules Cantave.

The agreement sets a new election for April 24, with a new president installed May 14, though Privert has stressed those were only proposed dates.

"Personally, I think this time frame is short: 120 days to accomplish all that will be difficult, but I hope that the sense of urgency will benefit us," said lawmaker Jerry Tardieu.

The United States and United Nations welcomed the deal, which the world body's chief Ban Ki-moon urged parties to implement.

Ban "encourages all actors to promote measures aimed at fostering calm and stability (and) reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to extend its full support to the Haitian people in the fulfillment of their democratic aspirations," his spokesman said.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby, for his part, said Washington "welcomes the agreement... to ensure the continuity of governance and the completion of the ongoing electoral process." 

"Echoing the Core Group statement of February 6, we trust 'that all actors will keep the best interests of Haiti and its people above all other considerations,'" he added. 

A potential long-term power vacuum is the latest challenge for a country that is already the poorest in the Americas.

In reducing potential foreign investment, the political instability is also further increasing inflation, which hurts most the 60% of Haitians living under the poverty line. – Amelie Baron, AFP / Rappler.com

TAINAN, Taiwan – Two survivors were rescued Monday, February 8, from the rubble of an apartment complex in Taiwan felled by an earthquake, after being trapped for more than 50 hours.

One man was lifted out by crane, said Agence France-Presse reporters at the toppled Wei-kuan building in the southern city of Tainan. A woman had also been freed earlier according to rescuers.

Local media identified the man as 40-year-old Lee Tsong-tian – rescuers had earlier told how they had been trying to dig him out of the rubble for more than 20 hours but were unable to as he was trapped by his leg. 

Doctors had been sent in to assess whether removing his leg would help save him, but felt there was not enough room for the operation.

"Doctors climbed to the site to try to amputate his leg because it was stuck, but that did not work," Tainan mayor William Lai had told reporters before Lee was rescued. 

"Civil engineers have advised us to dig him out from the bottom of the structure and we are keeping on trying to get him out."

The woman survivor had been reached after rescuers heard her cries for help – but her husband and two-year-old child were pulled out dead, officials at the site said.

Emergency workers are searching for 5 other members of her family trapped inside.

There are still more than 100 residents buried in the rubble of the building which was toppled by a 6.4-magnitude quake Saturday, February 6. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The bodies of the 13 Filipinos killed in the hotel fire in Erbil, Iraq have all been identified.

In a Facebook post early Monday morning, February 8 (Manila time), chargé d'affaires Elmer Cato announced that the team from the Philippine embassy in Baghdad had already identified the victims' remains.

"The Philippine embassy has identified all 13 of our kababayans (countrymen) who perished in the Capitol Hotel fire in Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday," Cato said. "Now for the hard part: Conveying the sad news to loved ones."

The names of the fatalities will not be released until their families have been informed.

Earlier, Cato said the 13 Filipino victims – not 14 as earlier reported – were all females who suffocated as they were trying to escape from the blaze. Six others died.

Initial investigation showed that faulty wiring triggered the deadly fire. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III extended his greetings to the Chinese-Filipino community, which was celebrating the Lunar New Year– the Year of the Fire Monkey – on Monday, February 8, which was also his 56th birthday.

Acknowledging how the community's "dynamic heritage" had added "depth and vibrancy to our Republic's history," he also wished that their "talents and perspectives" will continue to contribute toward "a truly progressive and inclusive Philippines for all of our people."

The President himself is of Chinese descent.

Below is the full text of President Aquino's greetings:

I join the Chinese-Filipino community in celebrating the Lunar New Year. 

The dynamic heritage of Chinese-Filipinos adds depth and vibrancy to our Republic's history. Your contributions are as far reaching as they are varied; your unique culture has become part of our collective identity as Filipinos. Thus, the government is one with you in celebrating the Lunar New Year – one of the most significant events in the Chinese calendar. May this event enrich, highlight, and promote the qualities, values, and ideals that make your community a treasured component of our nation; may it embody the harmony and hope signaled by the turn of the year. 

The strong, resilient, and vibrant country that we are today is powered by our multifaceted milieu. Let us rejoice in the stable environment that has allowed us to harness this multiplicity of talents and perspectives towards our resurgence, and continue to foster it as a foundation of a truly progressive and inclusive Philippines for all of our people. 

I wish you happiness, prosperity, and good health for the coming year.

– Rappler.com 

SEOUL, South Korea – Official moves towards the deployment – fiercely opposed by China – of a US missile defense system in South Korea highlight the inherent dangers of disunity in dealing with North Korea's growing military threat, analysts say.

Hours after North Korea's long-range rocket launch on Sunday, February 7, South Korean and US military officials announced they would begin formal discussions on placing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) on the North's doorstep.

The rationale was a clear necessity to upgrade the defense posture of the South Korea-US military alliance "against North Korea's advancing threats," said Yoo Jeh-Seung, Seoul's deputy defense minister for policy.

Yoo's reasoning is hard to fault in the wake of the North's fourth nuclear test on January 6 and Sunday's rocket launch, which was widely regarded as a covert ballistic missile test.

"This nuclear testing coupled with the testing of ballistic missile technology ... was always likely to strengthen the argument that South Korea needs to bolster its missile defences," said Ben Goodlad, principal weapons analyst at IHS Aerospace, Defense and Security.

But beyond the strategic logic lies a diplomatic imperative, which suggests an eventual THAAD deployment may be less motivated by what North Korea is doing and more by what China is not doing.

China consequences

China is North Korea's main diplomatic protector, and both Washington and Seoul have been pressing Beijing to take a tougher line with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.

But China, wary of the consequences of a collapsing North Korea on its border, has resisted punitive sanctions before, and looks set to do so again as the UN Security Council debates its response to Pyongyang's latest provocations.

According to Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the founder of its North Korea website, 38North, frustration with China's stance has driven forward the possibility of deploying THAAD in South Korea.

"This is a way of sending a signal to China that what North Korea does has real consequences, including consequences for Beijing's own security interests," Wit said.

China's response to that signal was swift and unequivocally negative.

While it only managed a rather muted expression of "regret" over the North's rocket launch, it was quick to voice its "deep concern" at the prospect of South Korea introducing the US missile system.

Beijing's warnings

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said such a move would escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula, undermine regional peace and stability, and set back efforts to address the North Korean nuclear situation.

"We demand the countries concerned be prudent," Hua said.

China sees THAAD as a threat to the effectiveness of its own nuclear deterrent, arguing that it could be used to monitor Chinese missile launches as far inland as Xian in the northwest.

China is South Korea's most important trade partner and – in deference to Beijing's sensitivities on the issue – South Korea had, until now, declined to formally discuss bringing in THAAD.

Instead it had concentrated on developing an indigenous missile defense system for intercepting short to medium range ballistic missiles, using primarily Patriot-type interceptors.

At the same time, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has made strenuous diplomatic efforts to court China, building a personal rapport with President Xi Jinping in the hope of developing a genuine strategic partnership.

Ties have significantly improved as a result but, on the  key issue of dealing with North Korea, Park's diplomatic initiative has not achieved the desired results.

The net result, after the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch, is the opening of formal talks on THAAD deployment.

Disunity dangers

"It's a message to China that if you won't deal with North Korea, we will go our way," said Paul Carrol, program director for the nuclear disarmament and global security organization Ploughshares Fund.

"And clearly there's a danger there, because unless China and the US can get on the same page with a common approach to North Korea, there won't be any progress and the situation will only get worse," Carroll said.

"THAAD is partly about the US reassuring South Korea that it has its back, but at the same time there must be a broader picture discussion with China about how to handle North Korea," he added.

There is already a THAAD battery stationed in Guam and the other key US ally in the region, Japan, is also considering taking on the system.

"The pressure for the US to reaffirm and extend its deterrent protection to its allies is only going to grow, and there's a real potential for regional tension and instability there," said Wit.

"Instead of curbing North Korea's nuclear ambitions, we get an arms build-up instead," he added. – Giles Hewitt, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Vice presidential candidate Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo met with former president Fidel V. Ramos Monday, February 8, a day before the start of the national campaign period.

“In the meeting, Ramos shared his campaign experience in 1992 and offered Robredo some advice on how to woo voters as she visits different parts of the country starting tomorrow,” according to a press statement from the Robredo camp titled “Robredo wins endorsement from FVR.”

It’s not clear though if indeed Ramos endorsed Robredo’s bid, as he has also been meeting with other candidates for the May 2016 elections.

Rappler checked with an aide of Ramos, who said that "Leni just visited FVR same as the other candidates. I am not aware of any endorsement yet."

The Camarines Sur representative is one of 6 candidates for the VP post. She's running under the Liberal Party, and is at 3rd place in the latest Pulse Asia survey.

The LP tandem is holding its proclamation rally Tuesday in Capiz and Iloilo. (READ: Campaign trail: Where the candidates are, Feb 8-14) – with a report from Bea Cupin/Rappler.com

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – A security guard assigned to the Negros Occidental capitol was removed from his post after he allegedly hit and kicked a mentally-ill woman outside the provincial government building.

The alleged beating and kicking was recorded by bystanders at the Capitol Park and Lagoon last January 23. The video was uploaded by “Gugma Pa More” on Facebook, and drew the ire of netizens.

Watch the video below:

{source}<div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3";  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-video" data-allowfullscreen="1" data-href="/bacolodnon.lines/videos/vb.100010787797318/176997042669888/?type=3"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://web.facebook.com/bacolodnon.lines/videos/176997042669888/"><a href="https://web.facebook.com/bacolodnon.lines/videos/176997042669888/"></a><p>May ari ta di concerned citizen nga nagpasa sakon sang video nga natabo sang January 23 sang isa ka GUARD sa CAPITOL LAGOON nga ginakastigo ang isa ka OLD WOMAN nga MENTALLY RETARDED. We know nga gina-ubra nyo lang ang responsibilidad nyo Manong Guard pero ngaa kinanglan ta manghampak kawayan kag manipa sang tawo, and take note ha, MAY DEPERENSYA PA SA PAMINSARON. I&#039;m sorry but against guid ko sa ginhimo ni MANONG GUARD!PLEASE DO SPREAD!- ADMIN BUSLOT</p>Posted by <a href="https://web.facebook.com/bacolodnon.lines">Gugma Pa More</a> on Thursday, February 4, 2016</blockquote></div></div>{/source}

The security guard was identified as Rolly Agasang, 38, of Barangay Vista Alegre in this city. He is from Pax Security Agency and had been assigned to the Provincial Capitol for 12 years.

Vinchito Magalona, chief security of the provincial capitol, confirmed that Agasang was dismissed on Saturday after the video of him manhandling the mentally-ill woman went viral.

He said they would refer the case to the Commission on Human Rights. They would also submit a report about the incident to Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.

Magalona said the security guard at that time had just finished cleaning, but the mentally-ill woman scattered the garbage and peed on it. The woman, who frequented the capitol, had been defecating and scattering garbage in front of the provincial government building.

When the guard reprimanded her, the woman hit his head with a stick. This also prompted the security guard to take the stick from her and drive her down the ramp – and this was the part allegedly captured by the video.

Magalona said they had been reminding their security personnel to exercise maximum tolerance and always treat the beggars and the elders with respect. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced on Monday, February 8, its plan to construct within the year a viaduct that would ease the traffic along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

To give way to the project, it said, motorists should expect changes in traffic flow along this major road that traverses schools and commercial establishments.

“It (viaduct) has 4 lanes – two lanes on both directions – and it’s almost half a kilometer long,” said Melvin Navarro, director of the DPWH office in the National Capital Region.

The viaduct will run from the C-5 Road area to the Ateneo de Manila University Gate 3 near Miriam College, on both directions.

Navarro also said that a two-lane concrete flyover will be constructed from C-5 Road turning left to CP Garcia at the University of the Philippines (UP), but the DPWH is still finalizing project details before a bid is conducted.

"We already sent our people to UP for negotiation because the project will take 8,000 square meters of its land," he said.

The DPWH has until March 24 to bid out and award the flyover project. March 25 is the start of the official campaign period for local positions, and the corresponding ban on the awarding of government contracts.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has blamed the heavy Katipunan traffic on the many U-turn slots and the high volume of trucks that pass through the road. – Rappler.com

Image of Katipunan Avenue traffic from Wikicommons.

TOKYO, Japan – Shocking images of a Taiwan apartment complex felled like a tree by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake have highlighted what is needed to build a structure that can withstand seismic shocks.

Like Taiwan, Japan is quake-prone – it suffers about a fifth of the world's most powerful tremors. It has used a mix of ancient and modern technologies to make its buildings increasingly quake-proof. 

Lessons have been consistently learnt and building standards subsequently raised in the wake of deadly disasters such as the 1995 Kobe earthquake, which killed 6,434 people.

When a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the shaking in Tokyo was violent. 

But buildings – including the nearly complete 634-meter (2,080 feet) Tokyo Skytree tower and other skyscrapers – survived intact.

Here is a look at advanced technologies that Japan uses to protect its buildings:

Basic steps to make a building quake-resistant

Resisting the force of a tremor is the most conventional way to protect  structures from earthquakes. 

That means basically reinforcing the walls and supporting columns. One often-seen example is strengthening bridges by wrapping their support columns with steel frames.

After the March 2011 quake, many schools reinforced their buildings by adding cross-beams to window frames, another example of that extra bit of strength that can go a long way to make buildings safer.

Special mechanisms for protecting skyscraper

Tall buildings can be constructed to absorb shocks from an earthquake. The idea is for the building to control the tremor rather than the other way around. Oil dampers – oil-filled cylinders that work like giant shock absorbers – are a key technology employed in Tokyo skyscrapers. 

When a powerful quake hits, such buildings are designed to sway like a pendulum so that the movement effectively absorbs the shockwaves.

The high-rise Mori Tower in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills development uses the technology. During the March 2011 quake, not a single glass was broken in a 50th-floor restaurant.

Fresh ideas

The latest idea is to "isolate" tremors, which means separating the building from the earth by measures including embedding absorbent rubber in its foundation.

"This mechanism is often applied to mid- and low-rise buildings lacking structural flexibility, such as condominiums, rather than high-rise structures," said Kenji Sawada, executive director of the Japan Society of Seismic Isolation.

By using "seismic isolation" technologies, the scale of tremors felt in the topping structure could be greatly reduced, experts say.

But Sawada also said: "It doesn't mean reinforcing building structure (with beams and steel frames) is an outdated idea. We should examine the structural nature of a building and apply these three types of technologies, depending on suitability."

Ancient knowledge

Japan has been dealing with earthquakes for centuries and technological principles from ages past are still valid – with one used in the construction of the Tokyo Skytree.

Parts of the 7th century Horyuji Buddhist temple complex in the ancient capital of Nara, including its 5-story pagoda, are the oldest wooden structures in the world.

The pagoda's central pillar is only attached to the top story, remaining separated from the four lower ones. This ensures the structure will be flexible when shaken by an earthquake.

"Thanks to the pillar, any distortion by an earthquake would be evenly distributed among the 5 storys, therefore preventing the shock from focusing on a single point and causing a break," Sawada said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine eagle population has an additional member with the hatching of an eaglet in Davao City, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) announced.

The eaglet, which emerged from its shell on Thursday, February 4 at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC), is the 27th hatched in captivity, the PEF said in a statement Sunday, February 7.

The bird hatched after 57 days of incubation, and the center said it "was able to hatch full term on its own without any assistance."

The yet-unnamed chick is "active and alert as it can already lift its head, sit and follow objects even at a day old," said PEF curator Anna Mae Sumaya.

It is one of two offsprings of the paired eagles MVP, a male, and Go Phoenix, a female. An elder sibling, named Sinag, hatched on December 7, 2015, the PEF said in the statement.

The PEF's breeding program started in 1987, and the newest addition to the list of successfully-bred birds is an "unexpected success."

PEF executive director Dennis Salvador also told Rappler that they "still cannot determine the gender of the new eaglet – it will take some time, after several months maybe."

"It will never see people but can be viewed through the CCTV," Salvador added.

The Philippine eagle – the country's national bird – is one of the rarest birds in the world, endemic to Philippine forests. It has the scientific name Pithecophaga jefferyi.

It is considered a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. – KD Suarez, with a report from Editha Caduaya / Rappler.com

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – Myanmar will not discover who its new president will be until at least mid-March, an official said Monday, February 8, as speculation swirls over who will serve as proxy for democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The cut off point for presidential candidate proposals will be March 17, Win Khaing Than, the speaker of Myanmar's combined houses of parliament told lawmakers Monday.

That means voters will have waited more than 4 months to discover who the new president will be after they delivered a thumping victory for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in landmark November polls. 

Suu Kyi is currently barred from top political office by a junta-era constitution because her children and spouse were foreign born.

The announcement prolongs anxiety over who will take over the presidency from outgoing general-turned-reformer Thein Sein at the end of March, as Myanmar looks to shrug off decades of military domination.  

Suu Kyi has insisted her party's sweeping victory gives her a mandate to rule "above" the next president.

She has yet to indicate her choice of proxy leader.

Observers see her reticence to name a candidate as a sign that she and senior NLD figures are locked in negotiations with the military to cut some sort of deal that might allow her to rule. 

Myanmar's army has an effective veto on any constitutional change and has publicly rebuffed all attempts at its alteration. 

"(The military) will never change their position," information minister Ye Htut told Agence France-Presse.

The former army officer, who is the spokesman for the outgoing quasi-civilian government, said the army will adhere closely to the constitution. 

Three presidential candidates will be nominated, one by each of the lower and upper chambers and one from the army, which retains 25 percent of parliament's seats. 

The new president will then be chosen by a vote of the combined houses, which are dominated by an overall NLD majority.

Suu Kyi last week said it was "not yet time to form a government", urging people not to be "anxious".

The Nobel laureate, 70, met army chief Min Aung Hlaing days before her party took up its parliamentary majority on February 1 to discuss the transition.

As fevered speculation takes hold, broadcasts in state-backed media over the weekend appeared to suggest a breakthrough in talks, only to correct the report on Monday saying it reflected the personal views of some MPs.

Voters are keenly aware that in 1990 Myanmar's military simply ignored a landslide electoral victory by the NLD, ushering in a renewed and particularly brutal period of rule that lasted more than two decades. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Palace on Monday, February 8, confirmed that Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario is stepping down from office in less than a month.

In a brief statement, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr cited information from Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

"According to Executive Secretary Ochoa, President Aquino has accepted the resignation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario effective March 7, 2016," Coloma said.

Sources said Del Rosario is stepping down due to health reasons.

Under Del Rosario, the Philippines filed a historic case against China to settle a decades-long dispute between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The case is pending before an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. The Philippines expects the tribunal to issue a definitive ruling by this year. 

Del Rosario is also known for overseeing the evacuation of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from strife-torn countries in the Middle East. A hands-on diplomat, he even visited countries such as Libya to ensure the safety of Filipinos there.

A well-known businessman before becoming the Philippines' top diplomat, he has served as DFA chief since February 24, 2011.

Before heading the DFA, he worked as Philippine ambassador to the US from 2001 to 2006.

Born on November 14, 1939, Del Rosario holds an economics degree from New York University. The 76-year-old diplomat and his wife, Gretchen, have 5 children and 6 grandchildren, his profile on the DFA website said. – Rappler.com

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Dancers – some nearly naked, others in elaborate costumes – strutted into the final round of the Rio Carnival's samba championship Monday, February 8, capping a wild party that has helped Brazilians forget about Zika and other worries.

The 6 last samba schools were preening their spectacular feather headdresses and adjusting the shining G-strings and other tiny garments favored by lead dancers ahead of the all-night parades.

Another 6 rival ensembles had their turn through the night on Sunday, February 7, at the climax of a Carnival season estimated to attract 5 million people. A champion samba school will be announced Wednesday, February 10, closing an event that calls itself "the greatest show on Earth."

Some 70,000 fans cheered, sang and shook their hips overnight Sunday to Monday in the stands of Rio's purpose-built dancing stadium, the Sambadrome, as competing samba schools passed in a blur of feathers, glitter and flesh.

Extraordinary floats rolled down the runway, including a giant rat representing the 10.7% inflation hurting ordinary Brazilians in a sickly economy. Another float in the shape of a golden football had Barcelona FC and Brazil striker Neymar's father standing on top.

The outpouring of color, pounding drums, joyful song, and samba dancing helped the crowds put aside fears over the Zika virus, the economy and attempts to impeach President Dilma Rousseff.

"Despite the problems in our country, our people can't lose their love of partying. And whatever happens in our country, it's still the country of samba," said Luanny Victoria, 19, before heading off to dance in a skimpy golden outfit with vast green feather wings.

"People have to put those problems aside, at least for the 3 days of Carnival."

No Zika fear

Fear of catching the Zika virus from mosquitoes has become a national obsession in Brazil after a rash of babies born to infected mothers were found to have severe brain and skull defects.

Scientists have raised the alarm level with suggestions that saliva and blood could possibly transmit the virus. US health authorities say they have confirmed a case of Zika transmission in Texas through sexual contact.

But at the Rio Carnival, partygoers were determined not to let Zika spoil the fun.

Many said they were using insect repellent – a seemingly sensible step with so much skin exposed at the open air event. However, there were limits to how much they were prepared to stress. 

"I use repellant, but the truth is that Brazilians couldn't give a hoot about Zika. It's Carnival. We have hot blood and after the fifth beer, no one remembers Zika," said Marilene Borba, 67, who was watching the parades.

Serious about fun

Rio will become South America's first city to host the Summer Olympics this August and the Carnival looked forward to the event at its opening ceremony with a huge model of the Olympic torch.

One samba school featured Greek gods, gyrating judo fighters, men on bicycles suspended in the air, and in a nod to the Paralympics, a dancing and singing wheelchair contingent.

Certainly if organizing parties was an Olympic sport, Brazil's Carnival would sweep the podium.

Samba schools spend as much as $3 million on productions that take nearly the whole previous year to prepare, then just over an hour to perform. And although nearly the entire cast of several thousand is unpaid, the choreography would make Broadway jealous.

This year, hard economic times have hurt the Carnival industry, denting sponsorship and raising the prices of imported fabrics used to make costumes. In 48 Brazilian cities, the Carnival was cancelled altogether.

But Lucas Fernandes, a 17-year-old drummer, said he lived for this chance to parade in the Sambadrome.

"The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is something magical," said Fernandes, who practiced twice a week for 10 months to be ready. 

"Although Brazil is a country with problems, the Carnival brings us happiness." – Sebastian Smith, AFP / Rappler.com