WASHINGTON: The deadly self-immolation of a US airman outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington over the weekend was “very tragic,” the Pentagon said Monday.

“It certainly is a tragic event. We do extend our condolences to the airman’s family,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

Aaron Bushnell, 25, an active-duty member of the US Air Force, set himself ablaze in front of Israel’s diplomatic mission Sunday afternoon in protest of its ongoing war in the besieged Gaza Strip, and US support for the offensive. He was taken to a hospital but died.

‘I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal,’ Bushnell said in a video recording that chronicled the fatal protest.

Bushnell can repeatedly be heard shouting “Free Palestine!” as flames engulf him before he collapse
s to the ground.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “following the situation,” Ryder said. Additional details are expected to be provided by the Air Force 24 hours after Bushnell’s family is notified.

An investigation remains underway.

Bushnell is the second known person in the US to have lit themselves on fire in protest of the war on Gaza. Last December, a person set themself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia in protest.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas, killing more than 29,690 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas-led attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85 percent of the territory’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genoc
ide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Tuesday announced that it secured a 400-megawatt interim power supply requirement following a successful Competitive Selective Process (CSP).

Meralco awarded the 400-MW Interim Power Supply Agreement (IPSA) to Limay Power, Inc. as it offered a total headline electricity rate at PHP6.2708 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), inclusive of value-added tax (VAT) and line rental.

The other bidder was Masinloc Power Co. Ltd., which offered a rate of PHP6.2957 per kWh inclusive of VAT and line rental inclusive for 195-MW capacity.

The IPSA with Limay Power will still be subjected to regulatory proceedings.

Once approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission, the deal will be effective until February 2025.

Earlier, Meralco first vice president and regulatory management head Jose Ronald Valles said in a briefing that the CSP for the 260-MW IPSA received no bids until the scheduled opening on Monday.

Valles added that distribution utility firm will be requesting for another roun
d of CSP for the 260-MW IPSA.

Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer Ronnie Aperocho noted in the same briefing that these interim power supply requirements are crucial in ensuring stable electricity supply during the dry season and the ongoing El Niño.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: The city government here has intensified its crackdown on boarding houses without permits to ensure they comply with building regulations and ensure the safety of tenants.

Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a memorandum on Tuesday, reminded barangay officials to submit a list of boarding houses, whether or not they have permits from the city hall for verification by the Office of the Building Official (OBO) and the Boarding House Commission (BHC).

To date, 52 boarding houses have been ordered closed due to a lack of permits in the Mandurriao, La Paz, and Jaro districts.

‘I just signed 12 more closure orders for boarding houses without business permits,’ Treñas said.

OBO head Mavi Gustilo, during their meeting Monday afternoon, reported that they have assessed and evaluated the status and conditions of 184 structures in three barangays in La Paz district together with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) since last week.

During the inspection, they looked for the building, occupancy, and business permits
and even inquired if they were registered with the BHC.

‘Our assessment is to ensure safety and if they comply with the minimum requirements of the National Building Code,’ Gustilo said in an interview.

The inspection in Barangays San Nicolas (Old Railway), Magdalo, and part of Burgos covered 70 residences and the rest are boarding houses and apartments; almost one-half are not on the list of the BHC, and only seven have occupancy permits.

Some 31 residential turned-boarding houses are also for immediate closure, while 79 need to comply with the requirements of the building office.

Treñas said upon serving the closure order, boarding houses have 10 days to comply with their requirements.

He added that they also consider providing financial assistance to help the displaced tenants.

‘We will come up with the amount as soon as we are ready, but we are already starting to talk about it together with CSWDO (City Social Welfare and Development Office). Anyway, 10 days is really to give the application time to
comply with requirements,’ Treñas said.

The BHC registered 2,312 boarding houses in the city in 2022 and 2,713 in 2023.

The commission also listed 16,262 occupants in 2023.

Two persons died after a fire razed a boarding house in La Paz district in Barangay San Nicolas on Feb. 18.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUTUAN: Despite returning home from evacuation centers, flood-affected residents in Las Nieves town, Agusan del Norte province continue to receive government aid.

On Tuesday, the Office of Civil Defense in the Caraga Region (OCD-13) sent 172 family packs, 735 bottled water, 499 boxes of hygiene kits, and 287 pieces of blankets for distribution to residents in different villages.

Flooding affected at least 14 communities in Las Nieves during the second week of this month as the Agusan River rose due to heavy rains caused by a shear line and trough of a low-pressure area.

The flooding forced 3,754 families or 14,331 individuals to temporarily take shelter in evacuation centers.

Sangguniang Bayan Member Avelina Rosales and Jover Manliguez, chief of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, received the additional relief goods from OCD-13.

‘The affected families are now settled in their homes, but these relief goods will help them as they are still recovering from the effects of the recent cal
amity,’ Rosales said in a statement on Tuesday.

She said the local government will mobilize its manpower and resources to immediately distribute the relief goods to the affected families.

Source: Philippines News Agency

WASHINGTON: The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday expressed concern over food security in the Gaza Strip.

“A severe food insecurity is looming in Gaza. The risk of hunger is increasing daily, as about 80 percent of the population already faces emergency or catastrophic acute food insecurity conditions,” Jagan Chapagain said on X.

Citing Palestine Red Crescent reports, Chapagain said more than a million children and elderly people in shelter centers suffer from the risk of dehydration, digestive and respiratory diseases, skin diseases and anemia.

“This is the harsh reality that people in Gaza face every day. I reiterate my call for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to facilitate the delivery of vital life-saving humanitarian aid,” he said.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 29,782 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of
necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85 percent of the territory’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: Philippines News Agency

SANTOS: Bulacan police conducted a series of intensified operations resulting in the arrest of a most wanted person (MWP) and several drug dealers, and confiscation of illegal drugs amounting to PHP157,000 from Monday to Tuesday morning.

In a statement, Col. Relly Arnedo, director of Bulacan Police Provincial Office, said on Tuesday that intelligence personnel of Meycauayan City police, together with operatives of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, Quezon Police Provincial Office and Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon), served a warrant of arrest to Marvin Maraña for two counts of rape with no recommended bail.

Arnedo said Maraña, a resident of Quezon province who is listed as a regional-level MWP of PRO4A, was nabbed in Meycauayan and detained at the city’s police station pending turnover to the court.

Meanwhile, 19 drug dealers were apprehended in a series of drug-bust operations conducted by the Provincial Intelligence Unit and Station Drug Enforcement Units (SDEU) of Pulilan, San Miguel, Hagon
oy, Malolos City, Sta. Maria, Bocaue, Norzagaray and San Rafael.

“These operations resulted in the confiscation of 46 sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated value of PHP157,080 and marked money,” Arnedo said.

He added the arrested suspects and the confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to the Bulacan Provincial Forensic Unit (PFU) for appropriate examination, while criminal complaints for violations of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, are now being prepared against them for filing in court.

“Reflecting the Bulacan PNP’s (Philippine National Police) unwavering commitment to reducing crime and ensuring public safety is guided by Brig. Gen. Jose S. Hidalgo Jr., PRO3 regional director. The success of these operations underscores our dedication and effectiveness in combating drug-related crimes and apprehending offenders,” Arnedo said.

Source: Philippines News Agency