Sulu Sultan's cousin arrested in Sabah

MANILA (1st UPDATE) - A cousin of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram has reportedly been arrested by Malaysian police in the island of Sabah, Malaysia.
Salib Asaral, the sultan's cousin, is currently detained in the town of Lahad Datu, where over a hundred of the sultan's followers arrived by sea last February 9 to claim the island.
The Philippines has sent a mercy ship to pick up scores of followers of Kiram who entered the Malaysian state of Sabah to press his territorial claims.
The "humanitarian ship" departed the southern-most Philippine island province of Tawi-Tawi before midnight and headed to Lahad Datu on Borneo island, where dozens of followers of Kiram have been locked in a tense stand-off with Malaysian authorities for two weeks.
The Filipinos have been holed up in a small coastal area of Lahad Datu town, where they have remained surrounded by security forces since February 12 as they pursue their claim to settle in the state, which used to be a part of the Sultanate of Sulu.
"As we have stated on countless occasions previously, we call on the entire group to go back to their homes and families, even at the same time, we are addressing the core issues they have raised," Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement on Sunday.
"Please do so for your own safety," he added.
Aboard the mercy ship were Filipino Muslim leaders, social workers and medical personnel, del Rosario's statement said, stressing that the government "was deeply concerned" about the presence of women among the group.
The Philippines informed Malaysia through its embassy in Manila of the move on Saturday, it added.
Del Rosario's statement said the group numbered some 180, with 30 armed escorts, although the sultan's spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, last week put the figure at 400, including 20 bearing arms.
Idjirani said the sultan had given the Filipinos his blessing to reside in Sabah and they were determined to resist efforts to expel them.
The Islamic Sultanate of Sulu once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the stand-off, as well as southern Philippine islands.
The sultanate leased northern Borneo to Europeans in the 1870s. While the sultanate's authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah.
Heirs to the sultanate still receive nominal annual compensation from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement. One of the demands from the sultan's followers is an increase in the amount of compensation paid.
Deadline extension
On Monday, del Rosario urged Malaysia to extend the Tuesday deadline for the Sultan's followers to leave Sabah.
He met with Malaysian Ambassador to Manila Dato' Mohd Zamri Bin Mohd Kassim to renew Manila's request.
The DFA said the deadline extension is needed to convince the sultan's followers to leave the island voluntarily.
"We had a meeting this morning and we want to know some details regarding what is happening as far as the Filipinos in Sabah are concerned. We are still hoping they will come back to us with official confirmation," DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said.
Del Rosario also urged Kuala Lumpur to allow the Philippine ship to dock at Lahad Datu to bring food to the Filipinos and fetch those who want to go home.
"The current plan is for that ship to be at the border. The Malaysian government will bring the Filipinos to Lahad Datu to our ship which will be anchored off the border," Hernandez said.
"We sent the ship to Lahad Datu on a humanitarian mission. We are deeply concerned about the presence of five women and other civilians in the group, and we urge them to board the ship without delay and return home," del Rosario said.
"We are getting mixed signals so we asked that Tuesday midnight deadline be officially confirmed," del Rosario said in a text message.
The meeting also tackled the situation of Filipinos in Sabah.
"We were trying to see how we could end this peacefully and expeditiously so we want also to be able to bring our ship close to Lahad Datu for the movement of the people there and to bring them back home and other civilians there. We are trying to convince them to board the ship and go home as soon as possible," Hernandez said.  -- with reports from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse

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Martial Law Victims to Receive Reparations

MANILA — Philippine President Benigno Aquino signed into law Monday legislation that would recognize and compensate victims of human rights abuses during martial law under former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Lawmakers spent 14 years trying to pass various forms of a proposal that would make the government recognize human rights victims of injustices under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Congressman Walden Bello says it passed this year because many legislators realized the victims were aging, if not dying, and had grown sickly.

“It’s great that we were finally able to muster the forces to get it through both Houses of Congress," Bello said. "Also, I think it’s very significant because the Philippines is one of the few if not the only government that has in fact designated reparations payments for human rights violations that have been admitted by its agencies.”

The new law sets aside $250 million to compensate victims or families of victims, determined by an independent panel, to have been murdered, tortured or suffered other injustices at the hands of law enforcement and the military of the Marcos administration.

The Marcos family continues to deny any human rights violations took place under Ferdinand Marcos’s rule.

Marie Hilao-Enriquez is chairperson of SELDA, a victims’ advocacy group that lobbied hard for the law. She was an activist during the martial law years and was thrown in jail where she gave birth to her first child. She escaped, but her sister was later detained and killed.

Hilao-Enriquez says the group is happy to finally be recognized by the government. But she says the fight is not over.

“This is a small portion of justice," she said, "the reparations and recognition because to us complete justice means the perpetrators should acknowledge the sins they have committed. They should issue an apology. They should be prosecuted for their sins.”

Money for the fund comes from part of the Marcos estate which allegedly came from ill-gotten wealth that was frozen by the Swiss government and returned to Philippine authorities.

President Aquino signed the Human Rights Victims Recognition and Reparation Act into law on the 27th anniversary of the bloodless revolution that catapulted his mother to the presidency and restored democracy. Aquino’s father, a vocal opponent of Marcos, was killed by unknown assassins during those years. 

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Simone Orendain

February 25, 2013

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US Ready To Disassemble Warship Stranded At Reef

With the Jascon 25 pipelay crane vessel now at the Tubbataha reef, a spokesman of the United States Navy (USN) said yesterday salvage personnel will begin disassembling and removing the stricken Guardian minesweeper as soon as possible.
Lt. Frederick Martin, the USN Combined Task Unit (CTU) Guardian public affairs officer, gave the Manila Bulletin a summary of their salvage plan.
He stressed though that "individual steps, such as when to begin disassembling portions of the Guardian, are decisions made by the on-scene salvage experts based on weather and conditions at the site."
According to the USN officer, "Jascon 25, a dynamic positioning crane, has arrived in the area. This crane does not need to anchor, so it is expected to be able to operate where the other crane, Smit Borneo, could not. It also has a higher lifting capacity, needed to remove some sections of Guardian."
"Once the Jascon completes the Philippine Customs process and aligns and tests its dynamic positioning system, weather permitting, Smit salvage personnel will begin disassembling and removing the Guardian with the crane," he said.
In an email to the Manila Bulletin, Martin also provided a rough outline of the current salvage plan, but made it clear that "it will probably change as it is executed."
"It  is important to understand that the plan is constantly changing and being refined as the operation continues. The salvage of USS Guardian is extremely complex, and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including weather and the continued structural degradation of Guardian itself," Martin explained.
Marine salvage is a dynamic operation and operational plans will need to be adjusted as circumstances change," he added.
When the dismantling of the Guardian begins, Martin said topside equipment will be removed first, followed by masts, funnel and other accessible equipment and portions of the ship.
"Throughout the process, protection of the environment and mitigation of environmental risk will be a significant consideration, alongside safety of personnel," he said.
"Next, once loose material has been removed, we expect to begin removing the ship's superstructure - the part of the ship above the main deck.  Sections will be cut free and lifted with the Jascon crane, again with consideration of protecting the marine environment," Martin said.
Once the superstructure is removed, heavy machinery and equipment will be removed from inside the ship.
The USN spokesman said they have already removed the fuel and most of the other hazardous materials from the ship, and will monitor the removal of this equipment to ensure any remaining material is appropriately contained.
"Once the hull is mostly empty, we expect to begin to cut it into sections that can be secured and lifted.  Our current estimate is that we will remove the hull in three sections.  The bow and stern will be removed as intact pieces; however, the middle section will need to be removed in a piecemeal fashion as the structure lacks the strength to lift intact," he said.
The ship will be disassembled using a combination of hydraulic and pneumatic saws, grinders, cutters, and other equipment.
As equipment and sections of the ship are removed, they will be transferred to a barge or deck of the crane for further work.
The spokesman said, however, that they have not yet determined the final disposition of Guardian.
"Again, this entire plan is provisional, and based on what we know of the current conditions.  As we conduct the operation, we may find we need to alter the plan, possibly significantly.  We are working to remove the Guardian safely, while minimizing risk to the environment, and as quickly as those other considerations allow," said Martin.
He also reiterated that the salvage plan continues to emphasize safety and protection of the environment.
"Throughout the operation the salvage experts will alter procedures as necessary to protect personnel and the Tubbataha Reef ecosystem," stated USN spokesman.

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Stand-off between Philippine government and followers of Sultan of Sulu

Manila: A stand-off has occurred between Philippine government officials and followers of Sultan of Sulu who raided Sabah last week to pursue a Filipino-Muslim family’s claims over the territory which dates back to the 17th century.

“We are endeavouring to have the group [of Sultan Jamalul Kiram] leave Lahad Datu [in Sabah] peacefully and this remains to be a work in progress in coordination with the Malaysian government. We want this issue to be settled in a peaceful manner,” said Raul Hernandez, assistant secretary and spokesman of Manila’s foreign affairs department.

“What is important for now is for them to leave that area because this could affect existing issues we have including peace talks [between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation front or MILF which is brokered by Malaysia] and possible bilateral relations [between the Philippines and Malaysia, which are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean],” said Hernandez.

Earlier, Kiram confirmed that he approved the sending of 400 (not 300) Filipino-Muslims, including 20 armed men, to Lahad Datu district last week, to enforce his family’s ancestral ownership over the area.

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Top 10 highest-paying jobs in PH bared

The top 10 jobs, the statement said, are determined through the median monthly basic pay and allowances of time-rate full-time workers in non-agricultural firms with at least 20 employees.

1. Art director: P69,286
2. Geologist: P64,889
3. Aircraft pilot/navigator/flight engineer: P57,789
4. Mining/metallurgical engineer: P55,638
5. Computer programmer: P43,573
6. Systems analyst/designer: P42,112
7. Production supervisor/general foreman: P36,133
8. Actuarian: P35,480
8. Call center representative/customer service associate: P35,424
10. Statistician: P35,010

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Chinese New Year 2013 rings in Year of the Snake

Over 1.3 billion people in China and millions of Chinese around the world celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year – February 10, 2013 – today. It’s the most important of Chinese holidays, kicking off a celebration that lasts for 15 days and culminates with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2013, it’s the Year of the Snake. The celebration began yesterday in China (current time in Bejing here), but don’t let that stop you from celebrating. Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin.
There are several variations on the mythology behind Chinese New Year celebrations. Most are based on a ugly bloodthirsty monster named Nian that would emerge on the last night of each year to destroy villages and eat people. A wise elder advised villagers to scare the monster away with loud noises. That night, they set fire to bamboo, lit fireworks, and banged their drums. The monster, afraid of the loud noises and lights, ran away to hide in its cave. In another version of the myth, an old man persuaded Nian to turn its wrath on other monsters, not the villagers. Before he was seen riding away on Nian, the old man, actually a god, advised the people to hang red paper decorations in their homes and set off firecrackers on the last night of the year to keep Nian away. On the first day of the new year, the villagers celebrated, greeting each other with the words “Guo Nian” which means “survive the Nian”, a tradition that has continued to this day to mean “celebrate the new year.”

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World's largest croc 'Lolong' dies

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - The world's largest crocodile in captivity died on Sunday, February 10, in Agusan del Sur province, reports said.
The reptile, known as Lolong, passed away at 8.05 pm, according to Bunawan mayor Edwin Elorde.
A municipal official told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Lolong was found dead inside his pen by Dr. Alexander Collantes, a veterinarian at Davao Crocodile Park.
The reptile had not been eating his usual meal late last month, and its left stomach "ballooned" but the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Captured in September 2011, the saltwater crocodile measured 20.24 feet and weighed approximately 2,370 pounds.
Lolong was caught after a 3-week hunt involving around 100 people.
The croc, believed to be about 50 years old, was suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in Bunawan, and a 12-year-old girl whose head was discovered in 2009.
Lolong was confirmed by Guinness World Records as the largest crocodile in captivity in June 2012.
The record was expected to boost the town's tourism.
Here's what people on Twitter had to say about Lolong's demise:

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