Day: May 27, 2023

Tampering with documents when attempting to go out of the country will do a traveler no good, warned the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Saturday. Cases involving the use of counterfeit documents in recent weeks have alarmed and frustrated the BI, according to Commissioner Norman Tansingco. ‘These syndicates are issuing fake documents and sweet-talk our kababayan (countrymen) into agreeing to their illegal schemes,’ he said in a statement. ‘Never agree to these kinds of arrangements.’ At the same time, he reminded those seeking jobs abroad to transact only with legitimate agencies, such as the Department of Migrant Workers. On May 21, a male passenger bound for Bangkok, Thailand was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. He initially said it would be a leisure trip but a thorough examination of his passport showed a valid Malta visa but stamped “canceled.” Further interview disclosed that he was instructed to pose as a tourist and was indeed bound for the island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea, recruited by a relative. The following day, two women with counterfeit Kingdom of Saudi Arabia re-entry visas were stopped at Terminal 1. One of the two disclosed that she met her recruiter through Facebook and they were provided with the forged documents just outside the airport before their departure. Two more female passengers bound for Poland were likewise apprehended at Terminal 1 on May 23 with fake overseas employment certificates, likewise acquired through a Facebook recruiter. They said they paid PHP500 each for the fake documents. The BI plans to partner with travel agencies to strengthen efforts against human trafficking. ‘Combating human trafficking necessitates a collective effort from all sectors. It is a call for unity and collaboration among public and private stakeholders to eradicate human trafficking,” Tansingco said in a previous statement.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Needy residents of the Calabarzon region can obtain free medical and dental services from a clinic that is celebrating its 18th year with the launch of a foundation. Doctors and nurses of the Cavite province-based Wellpoint Medical Clinic and Diagnostic Center, Inc. have been going around marginalized communities in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon to provide medical and dental care. ‘The Wellpoint Foundation was established as the company’s corporate social responsibility arm,’ Dr. Mary Melodie Patos-Abram, Wellpoint president and medical director, said in a press briefing on Friday. ‘This is our way of giving back and for more people to experience our services.’ The Wellpoint branch at a mall in Bacoor has also expanded with cardiological, pediatric, and gynecological services. ‘We aim to become a one-stop shop for patients’ medical needs,’ Abram said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The government continues to win the war against insurgency and terrorism with the surrender of four Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members here and in two provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office director, on Saturday identified the four ASG members as Ahmad Mawali, Akmad Hassan, Sibar Asid, and Anting Addalal. The 30-year-old Mawali, a resident of Sitio Niyog-Niyog, Barangay Muti here, also yielded an M-14 rifle to police and military operatives here on Thursday. He is a follower of ASG sub-leader Marzan Ajijul, who was involved in the February 2017 ambush of a bus that injured eight passengers in Barangay Buenavista here. Rear Admiral Donn Anthony Miraflor, Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander, said Sulu-based Hassan and Asid, and Basilan-based ASG Addalal surrendered through the efforts of the Joint Task Forces (JTF) Sulu and Basilan and the BARMM Ministry of Peace, Order and Safety, also on Thursday. ‘They willingly turned over a significant cache of firearms and explosives, demonstrating their commitment to leave behind their militant activities,’ Miraflor said in a statement. The trio underwent a medical checkup at Camp Navarro General Hospital here and were turned over to JTF Basilan and Sulu for documentation and possible inclusion in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. Mawali was placed under the custody of the Joint Task Force Zamboanga for debriefing. All four received food packs as initial assistance from the government. Teenaged DI members arrested in Lanao Meanwhile, a key leader and three followers of another terrorist group, the Dawlah Islamiya (DI), were arrested while waiting for the arrival of their supplies in Lanao del Sur. Maj. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, 1st Infantry Division commander, said Saturday the four were arrested by troops of the 32nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Pabrika, Marugong town on Thursday night — Abu Rasas, 18, a leader under Fajarudin Pumbaya Pangalian, the amir (ruler) of DI-Philippines; Saidi, 18, brother of DI-Lanao sub-leader Abu Sham; and two others aged 16 and 14. Seized from their possession were firearms, explosives, and ammunition, including grenade launchers. Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, Western Mindanao Command chief, commended the soldiers and credited the tip provided by the group of Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander Esmail Cosain.

Source: Philippines News Agency

A passenger who opened a door of an Asiana Airlines plane just before landing at an airport earlier this week has told police that he opened the door as he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the aircraft quickly, police officials said Saturday. On Friday, police detained the 30-something man for allegedly pulling the door lever after the plane’s door suddenly opened about 213 meters above ground right before it landed at the Daegu International Airport in Daegu, 237 km. southeast of Seoul. During questioning, the man told officials that he had been under a lot of stress after losing his job recently and that he opened the door because he wanted to get off quickly after feeling suffocated, according to police officials. Police plan to request an arrest warrant for the man for allegedly violating the aviation security law after additional questioning. None of the 194 people aboard the plane fell out or were hurt in Friday’s incident, but 12 panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty, and some of them were taken to a hospital. The plane was on its way to Daegu after departing from the southern holiday island of Jeju.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 has been hoisted over the eastern portions of Cagayan and Isabela provinces as Super Typhoon Betty maintained its strength, the weather bureau said Saturday. Betty (international name Mawar), which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 2 a.m., packs maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 240 kph. As of 11 a.m., it was tracked at 1,170 km. east of Central Luzon. TCWS No. 1 has been raised over Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Lal-Lo, Gattaran, Baggao, Peñablanca, Santa Teresita, Buguey, including Babuyan and Camiguin Islands in Cagayan; and Maconacon, Divilacan, Dinapigue, Palanan, San Mariano, Ilagan City, Tumauini, San Pablo, and Cabagan in Isabela. The affected areas may experience winds of 39 kph to 61 kph in at least 36 hours, or intermittent rains within 36 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. In the next 24 hours, the eastern seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas will experience moderate to rough seas, which may become rough to very rough. The northern seaboard of Luzon may also experience moderate to rough seas until the afternoon, and rough seas beginning Saturday night. Mariners of small vessels have been advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to the sea. If possible, they should avoid navigating in these conditions, PAGASA said. The bureau forecast monsoon rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon over the western section of Mimaropa, the Visayas, and Mindanao on Sunday. Betty is seen to maintain its strength for the next 36 hours to 48 hours, but a short-term intensification is not ruled out, PAGASA said. Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines flights PR 437/438 between Manila and Nagoya; and CebGo flights 6881/6882 Manila-Surigao-Manila, were canceled on Saturday due to the weather. Funds, relief goods ready At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Office of Civil Defense/National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMMC) assured they are prepared to respond to the effects of the tropical cyclone. DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said they have allocated more than PHP2 billion worth of relief assistance – PHP597 million readily available funds, PHP525 million quick response funds, PHP500 million worth of family food packs, and PHP819 million worth of non-food packs. Lopez said the population susceptible to inclement weather is estimated at 1.5 million, consisting of about 88,000 households or families, while there are 294,000 food packs for distribution for three weeks. Each food box contains rice, corned beef, sardines, instant coffee, and cereals. ‘We are here to provide assistance and ready to augment the aid from the local government units (LGUs),’ Lopez said. Early preps by LGUs Meanwhile, DILG Director Edgar Allan Tabell said LGUs have been preparing the entire week. ‘We have been coordinating with them as they are provided with information from PAGASA,’ Tabell said. He noted that some areas have also implemented preemptive evacuation. ‘In Batanes and Cagayan, probably today (Saturday), they will start preemptive evacuation and also in other areas in Northern Luzon,’ he said. Tabell advised the public to also look into the possibility of the ‘habagat’ (southwest monsoon) bringing more rain. Diego Mariano, OCD Joint Information Center chief, said they are in constant coordination with the police, military, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Coast Guard. The OCD/NDRRMC has a standby fund of PHP244 million. Esperanza Cayanan, PAGASA officer in charge, said Betty is expected in Basco, Batanes by Monday. Blue alert The province of La Union, meanwhile, is on blue alert (standby) status, along with the other provinces in the Ilocos Region. In a phone interview on Saturday, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office warning and dispatch unit chief Michael Angelo Dy Yaco said their equipment and personnel are on standby, aside from their information drive on social media, emergency rescue hotline 911 and evacuation centers. Agoo town issued an Executive Order instituting a liquor ban during the onset of typhoons, floods, torrents, and other natural calamities; Balaoan temporarily closed tourist destination Immuki Island; and San Gabriel likewise declared Tangadan Falls off limits starting Saturday noon.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The last phase of the oil spill cleanup in Oriental Mindoro will be completed within a month, Malacañang announced on Saturday. Communication Secretary Cheloy Garafil made the assurance after the arrival of a dynamic support vessel (DSV), which will be used to siphon the remnants of the 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil from the sunken MT Princess Empress at the Riviera Pier in Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Friday. The DSV Fire Opal, Garafil said, would finish the last phase of the cleanup, and the operations may take 20 to 30 days. “The DSV Fire Opal, which arrived at the Riviera Pier in Subic Bay Freeport Zone last Friday, will extract and transfer oily waste to a tanker, then dispose of the collected oil. Officials said the siphoning operations may last up to 30 days,” Garafil said. The vessel will sail from Subic on the night of May 28 and is expected to arrive in Batangas the following day. It will then proceed to the designated mission area, she added. Citing the report from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu, Garafil said the extraction would be done in 20 to 30 days. The operations will last a month, if weather conditions are “favorable,” she said, based on a separate report submitted by Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno. The DSV was chartered by the Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. and contracted by the Protection and Indemnity Insurance Club (P and I). In March, Marcos expressed hope that the cleanup would be done in less than four months. As of May 10, about 84 percent, or 62.95 km. of the 74.71-km. shoreline affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro province, have been cleaned up, according to a report transmitted to Marcos by Department of National Defense chief Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier this month. The OCD recorded a total of 6,801 liters of oil waste and 300,603.60 liters of oil-contaminated waste that have been collected through the efforts of various agencies and organizations, according to Galvez’s report. In March, the Japanese salvage vessel Shin Nichi Maru, a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), arrived at the port of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro and was immediately deployed to the mission area to help in the cleanup efforts. The MT Princess Empress was reported to contain about 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it ran aground in the waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28 due to engine trouble. It sank the following day. The Marcos administration has provided PHP516,873,483 worth of early recovery assistance to about 96,256 residents affected by the oil spill.

Source: Philippines News Agency