32 killed following clashes in Philippines

COTABATO, Philippines - The death toll from the ongoing battle between Muslim rebels and state security forces in southern Philippines has reached 32, a military official confirmed on Friday.

Lt. Col. Prudencio Asto, the Philippine army's 6th division public affairs chief, said at least 27 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and five soldiers were killed in hostilities in Maguindanao.

"Eight other (soldiers), two of them junior officers, were (also) wounded. Our operation against the rebels continue," said Asto.

Loreto Rirao, executive director of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said 7,330 families from eight towns in Maguindanao province were displaced by the ongoing fighting.

The 1,000-strong BIFF led by Ameril Umbra Kato is the armed wing of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2010.

Kato, a former commander of the MILF 105th Base Command, was tagged as the mastermind behind the attacks on civilian communities in the southern Philippine province of North Cotabato in 2008.

He launched the attacks following the botched signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the government and the MILF peace panels.

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'Habagat' damages less than 'Ondoy' - insurers

MANILA, Philippines - Damages from the massive floods that hit Metro Manila this week appear to be "a lot less" compared with the damage wrought by tropical storm Ondoy in 2009, according to the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA).

PIRA chairman Pedro P. Benedicto Jr. said an informal survey of the organization's 83 non-life insurance companies showed the initial reported damage was not as severe as the damage caused by Ondoy.

"It may still be too early to say but so far we can say that the damage is a lot less than that from Ondoy," he said, in a statement.

Benedicto said the damages from the floods caused by "habagat" (southwest monsoon) would be well below the P11 billion in damages from Ondoy.

"Majority of the losses that we expect this time around would come from flooded warehouses, factories and malls. It would take at least another 2 weeks for these losses to be completely adjusted," he said.

While Ondoy caught many Filipinos off-guard, Benedicto noted that this time people learned their lesson and were prepared to deal with the floods. Ondoy made Filipinos more "insurance-conscious," he added.

"Many car owners who live in low-lying areas brought their cars to higher grounds. We saw subdivisions where cars were parked in the highest portion of the village to protect them from the flood. We know of some owners who simply availed of overnight parking in shopping malls just to be safe. For them the parking fee is cheaper than the price of repairing a flood-damaged car," he said.

"More people now are buying AOG (Acts of God) cover than before and more appreciate how important being insured is."

PIRA emphasized the importance of insurance in the Philippines, especially since an average of 20 typhoons hit the country every year.

"In a country like ours, being insured should be mandatory because it allows individuals and families to cope with natural and man-made risks. Without insurance, there can be no stability," Benedicto said.

Around 2.4 million people were affected by the heavy rains and flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The torrential rains, which began Monday evening and lasted until Wednesday, were caused by the southwest monsoon.

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JBC resets voting on CJ shortlist

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) reset anew its voting on the Chief Justice short list.

The JBC met this afternoon supposedly to cast its vote on the short list of candidates most qualified for the top judicial post, however, the voting was moved yet again to Monday, 11am, because the council failed to reach a consensus on the suspension or amendment of its disqualification rule.

Since the time of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. has been proposing for an amendment to the rule that disqualifies candidates to any judicial post and posts in the Office of the Ombudsman with pending criminal and/or regular administrative cases.

This rule is part of the Rules of the Judicial and Bar Council promulgated in October 2000.

Should this rule be relaxed, candidates for the Chief Justice post who will benefit are all public officials appointed by President Benigno Aquino III: Justice Sec. Leila De Lima, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairperson Teresita Herbosa.

De Lima faces three disbarment cases now pending with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Jardeleza has a pending administrative case in connection with his former post at the Office of the Ombudsman, and Herbosa faces a pending disbarment case filed in 2005 when she was still a private practitioner.

Tupas said the representative from the Executive Department, Atty. Michael Frederick Musngi, moved for the suspension of the rules which was met by several objections.

"There was a motion from the executive to suspend the rules... what is the decision of the council? Here, there was no censensus," Tupas said.

An issue which also failed to strike an agreement involved questions of integrity. Under Rule 10 of the Rules of the JBC, "[i]n every case where the integrity of an applicant who is not otherwise disqualified for nomination is raised or challenged, the affirmative vote of all the members of the Council must be obtained for the favorable consideration of his nomination."

"Each member has a veto power, meaning, since it was raised by a member, the vote should be unanimous," Tupas said.

"On the motion to suspend the rules and whether these issues involving integrity, there was no consensus. We moved for a break, there was a long break in spite of that, there was no consensus was reached. We decided that it is time for us to reset this on Monday," he added.

The JBC assured the public that there will be no more resetting or extensions of its voting. The JBC initially set the voting on July 30.

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Philippines has 9.5M Twitter users, ranks 10th

PHOTO[/caption] The Philippines has once again been recognized as one of the world’s social media capitals, ranking 10th in the list of countries with the most number of users on website twitter.com. Data from social media monitor Semiocast showed that 9.5 million out of Twitter’s 517 million users were from the Philippines, placing the country in the 10th spot in the worldwide rankings, trailing Spain but ahead of Turkey. The feat was achieved despite the fact that only 30 percent of Filipinos have access to the Internet. The Filipino Internet user’s affinity with social media was nowhere more evident than at the height of torrential rains that inundated most of Metro Manila this week. “At the height of Tuesday’s intense rain and flooding all over the country, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos trooped to Twitter to spread critical flood information, as well as to mobilize rescue and relief operations,” Smart Communications, the country’s leading mobile network, said in a statement. “Even as the torrential rains rendered several families stranded and helpless, with flooded homes and without electricity, we saw how people found their mobile phones–and mobile Internet–especially useful to stay connected,” Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando Vea said. Smart said about 93.9 percent of the country’s Internet users were also active on social network facebook.com. Filipinos are able to access the Internet, Vea said, due to the availability of cheap mobile devices and affordable access rates. “This is certainly good news, but, frankly, not really surprising. Filipinos have always been active in social media and we are increasingly using mobile phones to tweet or post on Facebook,” he said. “With a strong and resilient network like Smart, you’re sure to receive every tweet, every update, and you can rely on your network not dying out on you when you need connectivity the most,” Vea said. The PLDT group, of which Smart is a part of, ended the first half of the year with 3.1 million Internet subscriptions.

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Use Of Seized PNP Rubber Boats

Upon President Benigno S. Aquino III’s request, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has allowed the use of 75 rubber boats for relief efforts being conducted by the government on victims affected by floods due to heavy rains brought about by South-west monsoon.

President Aquino, in a press conference after presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday, said that Morales had agreed to let the government use said boats even after these had been confiscated by the Ombudsman due to questions raised over their acquisition.

The rubber boats, which the Philippine National Police (PNP) purchased for P131.5 million in 2009, were confiscated after Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo questioned their acquisition.

The boats, together with 93 outboard motors, were found to be incompatible with the needs of the PNP and were thus deemed unusable. (PNA)

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PAGASA: Green warning up over NCR, heavy to intense rainfall expected

After noting heavy rainfall over northern parts of Metro Manila in past hours, state weather forecasters warned of possible "heavy to intense" rainfall over Metro Manila within two hours from its 5:30 a.m. advisory.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued a green warning for Metro Manila at 5:30 a.m., indicating moderate to heavy rainfall is to be expected.

"Moderate to heavy rainfall (10.0 to 15.0 mm/hr) was recorded over CAMANVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) and the northern portion of Quezon City while light to moderate rainfall (2.0 to 5.0 mm/hr) over the rest of Metro Manila," it said.

But it said moderate to heavy (7.5 to 12.0 mm/hr) rain is expected over Metro Manila "and at times heavy to intense (10.0 to 20.0 mm/hr) rains within the next two hours."

It advised residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to take precautionary measures and watch out for the next warning.

Earlier, Malacañang ordered the resumption of work in offices after citing PAGASA's "recommendations."

The Palace had ordered work and classes in Metro Manila and nine nearby areas suspended Tuesday due to heavy rain.

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ANNOUNCEMENT:

Governor Espino hereby declares suspension of classes in all levels and work in all government offices in the province of Pangasinan tomorrow, August 8 due to intense and continuous rains in Pangasinan, La Union, and Benguet based on PAG-ASA forecast and relayed personally by DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. Pls be guided accordingly. - Provl Administrator Raffy Baraan

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Palace Suspends Classes, Gov’t Work In NCR, 9 Provinces

Malacañang has ordered the suspension of government work and college classes today in the National Capital Region and nine nearby provinces due to bad weather that has resulted in widespread flooding in these areas.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr signed Memorandum Circular No. 33 suspending work in government offices and classes in college level in NCR, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan.

Ochoa, who signed the circular at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, approved the recommendation made by Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to cancel work and classes due to inclement weather brought by the southwest monsoon.

Exempted from the work suspension are government agencies involved in delivery of basic and health services, disaster response, and vital public services.

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Floods hit Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) – Some parts of Metro Manila were flooded due to non-stop rains Thursday, causing heavy traffic.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported waist-deep floods in Quezon City, specifically along Maria Clara St., Araneta Avenue and N.S. Amoranto St. due to the overflowing of Talayan Creek.

Honorio Lopez Blvd., from Tondo Hospital to S. De Jesus St., was submerged in 12 inches of flood due to high tide and rainshowers.

Imelda Ave. in Pasig was submerged in 19 inches of water.

MMDA advised motorists to avoid Northbound EDSA as gutter-deep flooding at P. Tuazon tunnel caused traffic to come to a standstill. Flood control units has been dispatched to area, MMDA said.

Gutter-deep flooding was also seen in Maceda, España in Manila.

As of 6 p.m., no flooding was reported along C-5 road.

According to MMDA, traffic along EDSA-Roxas northbound is moderate, while southbound is moderate.

In EDSA-Orense, northbound (Ayala to Cubao) is having slow traffic, while southbound (Timog-Ortigas) is moderate.

In EDSA-Connecticut, both lanes are having moderate to heavy traffic, while Commonwealth-PHILCOA has clear roads. There are no reports of flooding along these areas.

Flooding in QC
Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said his city’s Risk Reduction Management Council is currently addressing the flooding problem in his jurisdiction.

"Like [Barangay] Roxas, sa may area ng Quezon Boulevard and Araneta Avenue especially now na nag-start ang mga constructions diyan and some areas pa sa Quezon City na I think are flooded," Bautista said in an interview on ANC’s The Rundown.

He added that motorists in Quezon City are also having difficulties because of the traffic caused by flooding.

"Traffic is really terrible now kasi naghahanap ng alternative routes ang mga motorists ngayon sa loob ng Quezon City. The [city's] Department of Public Order and Safety is doing their best to alleviate traffic in the area," said Bautista.

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Trucks deployed to aid stranded commuters as heavy rains cause floods in NCR

Thousands of motorists and commuters in Metro Manila were stranded Monday evening as non-stop and heavy rainfall caused floods in many areas, prompting the weather bureau to advise residents in low-lying districts to prepare for possible evacuation.

Students and office employees were stranded for hours on passenger jeeps and buses. Some took pedicabs whose drivers waded through floodwaters.

Traffic in Manila was snarled in many thoroughfares, with some irate drivers desperately trying to find routes that were not flooded.

Waist-high floods were reported at the Araneta Avenue area in Quezon City, C3 in Caloocan City, and some parts of Mandaluyong City, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). These streets were not passable to all types of vehicles.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Monday night deployed nine 6x6 military trucks to parts of Metro Manila to help stranded commuters.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte tweeted the trucks were initially sent to the Quezon City and the CAMANAVA (Caloocan Malabon Navotas Valenzuela) areas.

In Navotas City, the city government said trucks are going around major streets offering free rides.

Rescue teams were sent to Roxas and Santo Domingo districts for residents that need to be evacuated, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said in an interview with ANC.

Earlier, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned of heavy rain until at least Tuesday.

The announcement prompted many schools to cancel afternoon and evening classes on Monday, and local governments in metro Manila to suspend classes at all levels Tuesday.

According to tweets from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), city governments and the government-run PTV television, flooded areas in Metro Manila on Monday night included the following:

Manila:
- 8:17 p.m.: Recto Rizal Ave. in front of Philippine Rabbit, half-tire deep, not passable to light vehicles as of 8:14 p.m.
- 11:35 p.m.: R. Papa Rizal Ave Caloocan city. 37 inches, not passable to light vehicles

Caloocan City:
- 7:09 p.m.: Samson Road, Puregold Caloocan, 32 inches, not passable to all types of vehicles as of 7:04 p.m.
- 7:48 p.m.: Bonifacio Monument Circle towards McArthur; 25 inches, not passable to light vehicles
- 7:52 p.m.: C3 A. Bonifacio Waist deep, not passable to all types of vehicles

Mandaluyong City:
- 9:16 p.m.: Maysilo Circle Mandaluyong waist deep, not passable to all vehicles

Quezon City:
- 7:39 p.m.: Araneta Ave. Maria Clara; waist deep, not passable to all types of vehicles
- 7:43 p.m.: Biak na Bato Quezon Ave. Araneta, half-tire, not passable to light vehicles
- 7:44 p.m.: Elliptical Road Kalayaan, half-tire, not passable to light vehicles
- 7:50 p.m.: EDSA Balintawak northbound/MRT station knee-deep, not passable to light vehicles
- 7:52 p.m.: Commonwealth Ferria Rd. Eastbound towards Fairview, not passable to light Vehicles
- 8:11 p.m.: Quezon Ave., Araneta northbound and southbound, tire-deep, not passable to light vehicles
- 8:24 p.m.: E. Rodriguez Trinity to Delos Santos not passable to all types of vehicles

Makati City:
- 8:15 p.m.: along Dela Rosa from South Superhighway to Pasong Tamo, not passable at 20 inches

Malabon City:
- 6:45 p.m.: Tinajeros Dizon Ext. Aracity Malabon; knee-deep

Navotas City:
- 6:38 p.m

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Pagasa raises yellow alert over Luzon areas; more rains seen

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Monday raised a yellow alert over areas within the western section of Luzon, including Metro Manila, as the southwest monsoon (habagat) continues to bring heavy rainfall.



Pagasa weather forecaster Jori Loiz said that the yellow alert meant that flooding is possible in low-lying areas and areas near river channels in the National Capital Region, Pangasinan, Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro, and Panay Island due to moderate to heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon.



Moderate to heavy rains, he pointed out, may trigger flashfloods and landslides in mountainous terrain.



Loiz told the INQUIRER that rainfall in Metro Manila from 11 p.m. Sunday to 2 am Monday was measured at 31 cubic meters, which was relatively high.



The amount of rainfall increased water levels in several dams and rivers, causing flooding in areas affected by the monsoon.



He pointed out that the effect of the monsoon, which has brought rains and occasional gusty winds, may continue until Wednesday but a shallow low pressure area (SLPA) spotted 920 kilometers east of Northern Luzon might move nearer to the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and enhance the southwest monsoon.



“For now the southwest monsoon is being enhanced by the pull of Tropical Storm ‘Haikui.’ But should the LPA develop more fully, it might enhance the southwest monsoon and bring more rains,” Loiz explained, adding that the effect of the monsoon would depend on the behavior of the SLPA.



The southwest monsoon is moving northeast towards Haikui, which is moving westward towards southern Japan.



While the western section of Luzon will have moderate to heavy rains, the rest of the region and the Western Visayas will continue to have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. Other parts of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.



Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest will prevail throughout the country and coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Strong to gale force wind is expected to affect the seaboards of Luzon making the sea condition rough to very rough.



The weather bureau advised fishing boats and other small seacraft not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.

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De Lima leaves fate of pending cases to JBC

Denied twice of her appeal to have the disbarment cases against her dismissed, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said she was leaving her fate to the Judicial and Bar Council.

“I leave my fate to the Judicial and Bar Council, with the hope that… council allows each of the candidates’ bid for the post stand or fall based on their own respective merits,” De Lima said in a statement.

De Lima issued the statement after her appeal to dismiss the disbarment cases against her were rejected twice by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).

The most recent incident was on Monday, when the IBP denied anew De Lima’s petition to ‘summarily dismiss’ the pending disbarment cases filed against her.

The IBP argued that their hands are tied, as it was the Supreme Court that ordered them to pursue with the investigation.

“It is unfortunate that the IBP opted to maintain its decision based on assumptions and not on the clear language of the Rules of Court on IBP investigations and Supreme Court decision and circulars,” De Lima stressed.

“Up to the present, neither the Supreme Court nor the IBP has come up with any resolution showing that indeed there has already been a prima facie finding of merit in the disbarment complaints referred by the court to the IBP,” she claimed.

Under Section 5 of Rule 4 of the Rules of the JBC (JBC-009), a person is barred from vying a post in the judiciary if he or she has a pending criminal or regular administrative case.

A disbarment case is considered as an administrative case.

Apart from De Lima, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., JBC member, told reporters on Monday that three other aspirants were facing the same situation on having pending cases – including criminal cases.

They were Chairman Andres Bautista of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairperson Teresita Herbosa.

To accommodate more candidates, Tupas hinted that the JBC may relax its rules by either suspending or amendmending some of its provisions.

The JBC is set to deliberate on Wednesday whether De Lima or other of the 20 chief justice aspirants can still be considered in the nomination process even with a pending case.

“I still hope that the JBC will see through the nature of the disbarment complaints against me as nothing but harassment cases, and which should not be used to disqualify me, and do the same for other similarly situated candidates,” De Lima said

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House to end RH bill interpellations, Senate faces own stumbling blocks on bill

After a meeting with President Benigno Aquino III on Monday afternoon, both critics and supporters of the reproductive health (RH) bill agreed to end debates on the measure and move the legislative process forward.

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada said about 180 pro- and anti-RH lawmakers reached a consensus to terminate interpellations on the measure, which have lasted for more than a year now.

The House of Representatives will therefore take a vote on whether or not to continue debates on the controversial reproductive health bill Monday afternoon

The House was originally supposed to take the vote on Tuesday, August 7.

“Wala naman kasing mawawala sa kanila [anti-RH lawmakers] if puputulin na ‘yung debates. They will always have the chance to oppose amendments. That’s why we decided to move forward,” he said in a phone interview.

The decision was reached after the lawmakers met with President Benigno Aquino III in an all-party caucus in Malacañang on Monday afternoon. Aquino had identified the RH bill as one of his priority legislations last year.

Tañada said the President appealed to House members to let the legislative process take its course on the controversial measure.

“All he was asking was for us to move the bill forward. He said he did not want the bill to end on debates itself,” the lawmaker said.

RH bill in the Senate

Meanwhile, the Senate’s version of the RH bill hurdled its period of interpellation last June. At least nine senators interpellated on the bill.

Senators Pia Cayetano and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, sponsors of the bill, were the ones who answered questions posed during interpellation.

However, the RH bill will still have to hurdle the period of amendments before the senators can go into a vote and approve it on second and third reading.

Once it is approved on third and final reading, it will be submitted to the House of Representatives for consideration. But since the House has its own version of the bill, either chambers may choose to adopt the other's version or reconcile their two bills during a bicameral conference.

After approval by the bicameral conference committee, the measure shall be submitted to the President for signing.

Senate to 'wait and see'?

But in an interview with reporters on Monday, Senator Franklin Drilon said the Senate should "wait" until the House acts on the RH bill.

"My position personally is we vote on the Senate version once the House would act on the RH bill. It doesn’t make sense. If they fail to pass it, what will we do here?" he said.

The Senate bill may have an even longer wait as RH Bill critic and Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III said that he will deliver a "turno en contra" against the bill possibly on Wednesday before the Senate goes into the period of amendments.

"It’s our turn, our turn to speak, they [those in favor of RH] have spoken for over a year, including the interpellations, it’s our turn to speak," he said in an earlier interview.

"It might take us 3 to 4 chapters to do it, but we’ll do it as fast as we can," he added.

Drilon, however, said that though it was allowed in the rules and is a parliamentary practice, this is the first time he's heard of a turno en contra made against a bill.

"Traditionally that is availed of in the budget debates. I have not in my 13 years here in the Senate have heard of a turno en contra in measures other than the budget," he said.

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