Chiang Mai To Host 14th ASEAN Summit Dec.15-18

Chiang Mai – The 2008 ASEAN Summit, which will include delegates from Burma, is to be held in the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai in December.

Previously, the 14th ASEAN summit was scheduled to be held in the capital city of Bangkok, but the location has now been changed to Chiang Mai's Shangri La Hotel from the 15th to 18th of December.

According to an official Thai Foreign Ministry Statement, the venue has been changed to Chiang Mai on account of its better climate.

However, speculation is rife that the venue was changed due to continuing anti-government protests in Bangkok.

"Though there are some protests in Chiang Mai against the government, the numbers of are not as many as in Bangkok and controllable. I think this is why they changed the venue," a Thai security official told Mizzima.

Hotel rooms have been booked for the summit's delegates at the Shangri La Hotel, the venue of summit, he added.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded on the 8th of August 1967, initially comprised of members Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.




Asean summit will move to Chiang Mai to avoid protests
PM gives no reason for change of venue

CHEEWIN SATTHA and THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL



CHIANG MAI : The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit will be moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai to avoid possible disruption by anti-government demonstrators.


Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat anounced the change of venue during a visit to Chiang Mai yesterday.


The meeting is scheduled for Dec 15-18.


Mr Somchai did not offer any reason for the relocation from Bangkok, although Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said later in a television interview that the cool weather in Chiang Mai in December made it the perfect city to host the gathering of Southeast Asian leaders.


However, a Foreign Ministry source said the main reason for the change was the government's worry that the continuing protests led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) could cause trouble for the event.


About 20 ministry officials visited Chiang Mai on Thursday to assess whether it could handle the summit, which will bring together several hundred officials.


Both Chiang Mai and Phuket were mentioned as alternatives to Bangkok, the source said.


Chiang Mai, the home province of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was chosen because it is a political stronghold of the People Power party, while anti-government factions were active in Phuket, the source added.


The summit is due to endorse the Asean charter, which is a road map for the future direction of the 10-member regional grouping, according to Asean Affairs Department director-general Vitavas Srivihok.


About 15 agreements will be signed during the meeting, he said.


When it comes into force, the charter will give the Asean secretariat more power in running Asean affairs.


The government is expected to ratify the charter next month after it is approved by His Majesty the King and published in the Royal Gazette, Mr Vitavas said.


Parliament has approved the charter and it has been forwarded to the King for endorsement.


Mr Somchai said efforts to solve the global financial crisis would be high on the agenda.


The Southeast Asian leaders will discuss strategies with their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea, and also hold talks with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.


Asian and European leaders met at the two-day Asia-Europe Summit (Asem) in Beijing which ended yesterday to discuss the financial meltdown, as it was affecting the two continents.


In 1997, Asean members, China, Japan and South Korea launched the Chiang Mai Initiative in the northern city to create a network of bilateral swap arrangements among the 10 countries hit by liquidity difficulties as a result of the financial crisis which started in Thailand before spreading to other countries.


The Asean leaders agreed in Bejing on Thursday that the multilateral reserve pooling arrangements under the initiative should be intensified, according to the Asean secretariat.


Asean also set up a working group with the secretariat to prepare financial issues for their leaders to adopt at the summit.


Mr Somchai said Asean, China, Japan and South Korea plan to raise an Asian fund of up to US$150 billion (5,250 billion baht) to tackle the global financial turmoil.


The Asian fund is the idea of Mr Somchai's brother-in-law Thaksin, when he was in power.


He said he will ask Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech and Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase to organise a meeting with those regional leaders to discuss the fund-raising in the summit.

30th CMMA 2008 winners

RADIO

Best Counseling Program:
Dr. Love (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN)

Best Public Service Program:
Sugpuin Ang Korupsyon (DZRH / CCP)

Best Drama Program:
Nagmamahal Manay Gina (DZBB / GMA)
Sugpuin Ang Korupsyon (DZRH / CCP)

Best Educational Program:
Konsyumer at iba pa (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN)

Best Entertainment Program:
Back To The Eighties (Monster Radio RX 93.1)

TELEVISION

Best Adult Educational/Cultural Program:
I-Witness The GMA Documentaries (GMA-7); Jay Taruc’s “Batang Kalabaw” and
“Sandra Aguinaldo’s Iskul Ko No.1″

Best Business News/Feature:
Asenso Pinoy TV (ABC-5)

Best Children’s Program:
Kids On Q (QTV-11)

Best Drama Series/Program:
Maalaala Mo Kaya (ABS-CBN)

Best Entertainment Program:
Day Off (QTV-11)

Best News Magazine:
Rated K (ABS-CBN)

Best News Program:
TV Patrol Central Visayas (ABS-CBN Cebu)

Best Public Service Program:
Wish Ko Lang! (GMA-7)

Best Special Event Coverage:
Simbang Gabi Sa ABC (2007)

Best Sports Show:
Sports Unlimited (ABS-CBN)

Best Talk Show:
Mel and Joey (GMA-7)
The Sweet Life (QTV-11)

Best TV Special:
Habilin: Ang Pitong Huling Wika ni Hesus (ABS-CBN)

MUSIC

Best Album, Religious:
Bukas Palad Hindi Kita Malilimutan (Jescom-Jesuit Music Ministry)

Best Album, Secular:
Isang Kinabukasan (Wency Cornejo/GMA Records)

Best Music Video:
Isang Kinabukasan (Wency Cornejo/GMA Records)

SPECIAL CITATIONS:

Best Entertainment:
(TV) Sharon (ABS-CBN)

Best Drama (TV):
Mga Mata ni Angelita (GMA-7)

Best Album, Secular:
H.O.P.E. (Star Records, mixed artists)

Best Album, Religious:
Rebirth (Universal Records, Gary Valenciano); Acoustic Recollection (Emmanuel Music)

Best Music Video:
Balik SaBayan (Star Records)

Best Entertainment:
(Radio) Wan Dey Isang Araw (DZAS-AM)

Best Business News:
(Radio) Sikap Pinoy (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN)
Radyo Negosyo (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN)

Best News Program:
Radyo Patrol Balita (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN)

Best Educational Program:
Sa Kabukiran (DZMM 630 / ABS-CBN);
Sulyap Kultura (DZRM 1278 Radyo Magasin & DZRP Radyo Pilipinas Overseas);
Art 2 Art with Liza Macuja (DZRH)

RP Observed Today For All Saints Day

The nation pays respect to its dead today, All Saints’ Day, in keeping with a Filipino family tradition spanning generations, in a celebration that has transcended political and economic storms to share precious moments in silence and prayers with loved ones who have gone to their eternal rest.


Former President Joseph Estrada will join ordinary citizens in today’s celebration after almost seven years under government detention. He will finally be able to visit the graveyard of his father, the late Emilio Ejercito, Sr., and his deceased brothers and sister buried in the family mausoleum in San Juan.

Estrada, during his detention, was not allowed to visit the family mausoleum and was not even allowed to attend the burial of a brother a few years back.

While Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares are almost bare of vehicular traffic today, cemeteries and memorial parks will be brimming with tens of thousands of families expected to pay homage to their dead. Austerity, however, has become the order of the day as Filipinos brace for hard times ahead due to the global financial meltdown.

Fast-food chains offering everything from hamburgers to hot dogs and chicken barbecues have put up stalls since early this week to take advantage of the human traffic, while ice cream and balloon vendors will be at every nook and cranny where little children and toddlers are found.

Grandparents, parents, and grandchildren will stream into cemeteries and memorial parks bringing with them bouquets of fresh flowers, candles, and food to last the day amid bumper-to-bumper vehicular traffic.

For generations, All Saints’ Day has continued to serve as a family reunion among relatives who, by tradition, faithfully keep vigil at the graveyard of their departed loved ones from early morning until after sunset.

The Philippine National Police has assured the public of a peaceful observance of All Saints’ Day with a big number of officers assigned in all the roads leading to, and inside cemeteries, while traffic cops will be in every corner prepared to give assistance to motorists.

Thousands of Boys Scouts and private volunteers will join policemen, doctors, and nurses to extend first-aid and other medical assistance.

Today’s celebration follows an ancient religious tradition of remembering martyrs who later were canonized as saints in accordance with Catholic liturgical processes held only at the Vatican in Rome.

In the Philippines, All Saints’ Day has become a deep-rooted family tradition handed down from generation to generation. While in Metro Manila it is observed on November 1, in the provinces, the visit to cemeteries is observed on November 2, or All Souls’ Day, which is also a Church holiday.

The steep rise in food and oil prices has forced the thinning crowds in supermarkets and grocery stores for today’s observance, paling in comparison to the multitudes some seven or eight years ago. Even in public and private markets, vendors were complaining of slow sales.

In the past, giant supermarkets, grocery stores, public and private markets looked forward to the week before All Saints’ Day as the opening bonanza of sales that would last until the Christmas holidays and the first days of the New Year. But not anymore.

According to a Makati supermarket clerk, "times are really, really bad, and we can only stare in apprehension to a bleak Christmas holiday sales if this week’s numbers are to be the barometer."

Even Metro Manila’s trendy flower shops and those in five-star hotels that always enjoyed brisk sales on Valentine’s and All Saints’ Day almost looked barren, with only a few orders for flower arrangements.

The popular Dangwa flower stalls in Dapitan, Manila has become the shopping hub of families where imported blooms and flowers from Baguio are sold at almost "a dime a dozen." Here, flowers are sold by piece or by the dozen, the arrangement left to the shoppers that afforded many families "bonding time and creativity".

Hard times or not, however, Filipino families would still take time off their daily chores on the first two days of November in keeping with the tradition of communing with their dead in prayers, sharing some precious moments of silence.

It is a time when millions take a page from their past recalling happy moments with their departed loved ones, letting them know they are not, and will never be, forgotten.


Venerate, not worship the saints, says Church


By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO


A Catholic Church official yesterday reminded the faithful to venerate but not worship the saints in view of today’s observance of All Saints’ Day.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Media Director, said celebrating the feast of the saints is not in any way worshipping the canonized sons and daughters of the Church since the honor is given to God alone.

"To worship a saint is idolatry. Catholics venerate the saints to honor them and to intercede for them," he said in a statement.

"According to Christian beliefs, the saints continually pray for us and intercede on our behalf. As such, asking a saint for his or her intercession is perfectly legitimate and not idolatrous—in much the same way that asking a friend or a priest to pray for us is not idolatrous," the prelate explained.

While All Saints’ Day is simply a day to celebrate the lives of all the great heroes of the Christian faith, as well as the people’s deep communion with them, Quitorio said the observance still attains a profound meaning.

"All Saints Day attains a most profound meaning because of our belief in eternal life and in the communion of the saints," he said.

Quitorio, meantime, revealed that a plenary indulgence, a full or general pardon from the Catholic Church for one’s sins, may be gained by the faithful in the first eight days of November.

"The faithful may gain plenary indulgence by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead. On other days of the year, only a partial indulgence is gained," he said.

He said those who wish to earn plenary indulgence on All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2), would have to do three things: visit a church or oratory, pray the "Our Father" and the "Creed", and also pray for the intention of the Holy Father.

This day, known as "Undas" or "Todos los Santos," as well as the one before and after it observed in the country as All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween and All Souls’ Day, respectively, are traditionally spent visiting the graves of deceased loved ones, relatives, and friends to offer prayers and flowers and to light candles.

The day gathers families and friends who seldom see each other the rest of the year.

Originally known as the Feast of All Martyrs in memory of the martyrs of the early Church who died for their faith in Christ, All Saints’ Day has evolved into a solemn observance during which the Church remembers all who have died in the faith.

Pope Gregory (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome to all the saints and fixed the observance to Nov. 1. Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration to the Universal Church in 837.

Pope Urban IV said the celebration of the feast "supplies any deficiencies in the faithful’s celebration of the saints’ feasts during the year."

Meanwhile, people trooping to cemeteries this weekend, particularly in Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, must brace themselves for rainshowers due to a large weather system that is expected to bring widepread rains and thunderstorms in the next three days.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz, in a statement yesterday, said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will bring scattered to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms particularly over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

He said the rest of Luzon, particularly Northern and Central Luzon, will have "good weather conditions" except for some "passing light rains, mostly over the eastern section."

Cruz meanwhile said a low pressure area (LPA) may possibly develop by Sunday, Nov. 2.

"Formation or approach of a low pressure area on the eastern part of Visayas on November 2 is possible, which could bring frequent rains (over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao)," Cruz warned. (with report by Christina Hermoso and Madel Sabater)

Credit Information Law Signed By PGMA

President Arroyo signed into law yesterday the Credit Information Act which would pool credit information of borrowers to make it easier for banks to assess the risks of lending money to small businesses.


The President said the new Credit Information Act will help decrease the risks of banks in lending to small and medium businesses, and consequently decrease the premiums on loans given to small and medium businesses.

Mrs. Arroyo said it would also give entrepreneurs access to loans to expand their businesses.

"A credible and comprehensive credit information system run by the Credit Information Corporation will cut credit processing times and, therefore, lower transaction costs. It will reduce the risk of defaults with better credit information. It will reduce the credit premium charged by lenders and increase lending volumes. It will help expand the reach of credit to small and medium enterprises," she said.

"Let us continue to endeavor to help the ordinary Filipino stretch his paycheck," she added.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, principal author of the Credit Information Act, said the measure will make it easier for small and medium businesses to borrow money from banks even with little collateral.

"The main hurdle facing small businesses is that the banks don’t know them or their capacity to pay for the loans," Angara said.

Under the new law, the Credit Information Corporation will be established to receive and consolidate credit data and to act as a central registry of credit information that is vital in assessing the credit history and financial condition of borrowers.

Angara said the new law will lessen the reliance on collaterals in applying for loans from banks because banks would have access to the credit information and financial conditions of prospective borrowers.

The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will serve as ex-officio chairman of the new Central Credit Corporation, and the other members of its board of directors would be appointed by the President.

Rain Or Shine Upends TnT

Norwood, Mercado key Elasto Painters’ win

By Musong R. Castillo

MANILA, Philippines—Gabe Norwood and Solomon Mercado have been playing as good as advertised—and pretty soon, maybe get even better.

After helping seal Rain or Shine’s 104-96 victory over Talk ‘N Text in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night, Norwood was made to ponder on whether he had already shown everything he had to offer to the public.

“Not yet,” Norwood answered.

And it is a scary proposition for other teams considering that he and fellow super rookie Solomon Mercado have made people wonder out loud just how far the Elasto Painters can go with the talented duo leading the way.

“If we keep playing our game, then it would be tough for them (opponents) to keep up with us,” the No. 1 overall pick told scribes after the match that boosted Rain or Shine to its finest start in franchise history.

“Basically, if we stop playing our game (we won’t make the playoffs),” Norwood added. Rain or Shine has now won four games in an all-Filipino tournament for the first time.

So far, Norwood has been content to create scoring opportunities for his teammates, much like what he did against Talk ‘N Text Friday night.

“That’s just the way I have adapted to playing,” the 6-foot-5 former George Mason star explained. “Hopefully, I can continue to excite people. I’m having fun playing with this team.”

But that doesn’t mean his presence wasn’t felt offensively.

Mercado showed the way for the Elasto Painters with 20 points—including some very big ones—while Norwood added 16 points, including a rim-rattling follow-up dunk and two free throws inside the final 60 seconds which helped the Painters rise to 4-3.

Mercado capped his night with five straight points bunched in a 17-second span which made it 94-85 heading into the final 3:07. That was a solid enough buffer that the Tropang Texters couldn’t overcome, thus falling to 3-4.

“We’re not playing the smartest basketball out there,” Norwood said with a smile. “But we’re playing hard and it keeps us in the game.”

Talk ‘N Text fell for the second straight time in upset style after absorbing a 104-102 loss to Red Bull on Wednesday. Last night, the Texters trailed by as many as 21 points late in the third period, 79-58, before waking up and making a game out of it.

Mac Cardona tried rescuing the Texters by shooting 14 of his night-high 27 points in the fourth quarter. But Mercado and Norwood took turns in hitting the shots that hurt to settle the outcome.

“It was a test of character for us,” Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said. “We wanted to prove a point that we have good rookies in this team.”

The scores:

First Game

RAIN OR SHINE 104—Mercado 20, Norwood 16, Salangsang 14, Reyes 11, Arana 10, Isip 10, Tang 8, Laure 7, Ibanes 5, Dulay 3.

TALK ‘N TEXT 96—Cardona 27, Alapag 17, Peek 13, Castro 12, Carey 9, Ritualo 5, Allado 5, Dillinger 4, Reyes 2, Aljamal 2, Escobal 0, De Ocampo 0.

Quarters: 23-20, 59-45, 83-66, 104-96

22nd ASEAN Star Awards 2008 honor roll

Best Head of State/Government-Brunei Darussalam
Agriculture and Agrarian Oriented:Arthur Yap,Philippines
Communications:Leandro Mendoza,Philippines
Culture,Arts,and Heritage:Mohd Shafie Apdal,Malaysia
Defense:Gilberto Teodoro,Jr.,Philippines
Economics:Rolando Andaya,Jr.,Philippines;and Muhyiddin Yassin,Malaysia
Education:Jesli Aquino Lapus,Philippines
Energy:Angelo Tomas Reyes,Philippines
Environment and Natural Resources:Jose"Lito"Atienza,Philippines;and Douglas
Uggah Embas,Malaysia
Finance:Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah,Best HOSG,himself;and Vu Van Ninh,Vietnam
Foreign Affairs:Phan Gia Khiem,Vietnam
Health,Housing,and Rural Development:Vice-President Noli de Castro,Philippines;
Liow Tiong Lai,Malaysia
Home Affairs:Syed Hamid Albar,Malaysia
Information:Jesus Dureza,Philippines
Interior:Ronaldo Puno,Philippines;and Kowit Wattana,Thailand
Justice and Human Rights:Raul Gonzales,Philippines
Labor-Oriented:Marianito Roque,Philippines;and Uraiwan Theinthong,Thailand
Local Authorities:Zulhasnan Rafique,Minister for Federal Territories,Malaysia
New Cabinet Personality:Anongwan Thepsuthin,Thailand
Security-Oriented:S.Jayakumar,Singapore
Science:Maximus Ongkili,Malaysia
Social Services:Ng Yen Yen,Malaysia
Tourism:Joseph Ace Durano,Philippines;and Azalina Othman Said,Malaysia
Transport:Ong Tee Keat,Malaysia
Works-Oriented:Hermogenes Ebdane,Jr.,Philippines
Youth-Oriented and Sports Development:Ismail Sabri Yaakob,Malaysia;and Weerasak Kowsurat,Thailand
Officials with Ministerial/Cabinet Rankings:Eduardo Ramos Ermita,Philippines
Special Awards
HRH Princess Masna,Brunei Darussalam
Second Minister Lim Jock Seng,Brunei Darussalam
Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh,Lao PDR
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong,Singapore

Sultan of Brunei,Best Head of State,ASEAN Star Awards 2008

Profile of Sultan's life:

Coronation
01 August 1968

Titles
Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei
Prime Minister of Brunei
Born
July 15, 1946 (age 62)
Birthplace : Brunei

Predecessor
Omar Ali Saifuddien III

Heir-Apparent
Al-Muhtadee Billah

Wives
Pengiran Anak Saleha
Pengiran Isteri Mariam
Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim


Offspring
Al-Muhtadee Billah
Azim
'Abdul Malik
Abdul Mateen
'Abdul Wakeel
Rashidah
Muta-Wakkilah
Majeedah
Hafizah
'Azemah
Fadzilah
Ameerah

Royal House
House of Bolkiah

Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, GCB GCMG (born July 15, 1946) is the 29th Sultan of Brunei, the eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the previous Sultan of Brunei, and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit.





Personal wealth
The Sultan has a sizable private fortune derived from his total control over the national economy's finances and the appropriation of the state's sizeable oil revenues to bankroll his extravagant lifestyle. The Sultan's fortunes have fluctuated in line with oil prices since an estimated high of $55.63 billion in 1997, which made him the richest man in the world at the time.


Marriage and children
The Sultan currently has two wives, with Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha being designated his first wife. His former second wife, Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, was a former stewardess for the national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) whom he divorced in 2003, stripping her of all her royal titles. In August 2005 her place was taken by a former Malaysian TV3 presenter, Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, who is 33 years younger than the Sultan.

Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah is the crown prince and the Sultan's heir, the eldest son of the Sultan and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, his first wife. As of 2008, Hassanal Bolkiah has five sons and seven daughters with his three wives[1] .

By HM Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha:
HRH Princess Rashidah (born 26 July 1969)
HRH Princess Muta-Wakkilah (born 12 October 1971)
HRH Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah (born 17 February 1974)
HRH Princess Majeedah (born 16 March 1976)
HRH Princess Hafizah (born 12 March 1980)
HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik (born 30 June 1983)

By HRH Pengiran Isteri Mariam:
HRH Prince 'Abdul 'Azim (born 29 July 1982)
HRH Princess 'Azemah (born 26 September 1984)
HRH Princess Fadzillah (born 23 August 1985)
HRH Prince 'Abdul Mateen (born 10 August 1991)

By HRH Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar
HRH Prince 'Abdul Wakeel (born 1 June 2006)
HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah (born 28 January 2008)

Political role as Sultan

Under Brunei's 1959 constitution, the Sultan is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers since 1962. On March 9, 2006, the Sultan was reported to have changed Brunei's constitution to make himself infallible under Bruneian law.
Bolkiah is also the Prime Minister of Brunei, as well as holding the portfolios of Defence and Finance.

He addressed the United States of America, Iraqi Nations, and United Nations General Assembly on Brunei Darussalam's admission to the United Nations in September, 1984. In 1991, he introduced a conservative ideology to Brunei called Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) (or Malay Islamic Monarchy), which presents the monarchy as the defender of the faith. He has recently favoured partial democratisation. In 2004, the Legislative Council, which had been dissolved since 1962, was reopened.

His designated successor is his eldest son, Al-Muhtadee Billah.


Early years and education
He was born on July 15, 1946 in Brunei Town (now called Bandar Seri Begawan). He became crown prince in 1961 and sultan on October 5, 1967, after his father abdicated voluntarily. His coronation was held on August 1, 1968. Like his father, he has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, of which Brunei was a protectorate until 1984.

The Sultan received high school education in Malaysia's premier school Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, where he joined the Cadet Corps (Band). After receiving a private education in Brunei, the Sultan attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in October 1967 but returned home to be the Crown Prince few months before graduation, and has since received an honorary doctorate from a Russian university

His Majesty has also been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Oxford, England, UK and an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He also received a Honorary Doctorate from the Chulalongkorn University of Thailand.

In 2003, received Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanities and Culture by the Gadjah Mada University, UGM, Yogyakarta, Republic of Indonesia.

On the January 27, 2005, the Sultan was awarded and made an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore.


Motor cars
The Sultan is famous for his vast automobile collection. In 1998, the British car magazine Autocar published undercover photographs of the Sultan's cars, which included unique modifications of Ferraris and Bentleys. It has been said that he has at least 3,000 to 6,000 cars and has bought over U.S.$4 billion worth of cars. The number purchased by his business interests and the number actually used by himself and his family differ greatly. According to Guinness World Records the Sultan's personal private collection has 500 Rolls-Royces — the largest collection of that marque in the world. During the 1990s, his family accounted for almost half of all Rolls-Royce purchases, bulk buying slightly modified vehicles for diplomats and adding unique cars to their own collection. He also owns the very last Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, a 1992 state landaulette. Among his collection are the Porsche Carrera GT, Lamborghini Diablo Jota, Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110, Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Maybach 62, Jaguar XJR-15 and six Dauer 962's. He is also the owner of six models of the Ferrari FX, the original red show model of the Bentley Continental R, two fully operational versions of the Ferrari Mythos concept car, both of the Ferrari 456 GT Sedans, the only right hand drive Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR in the world, five McLaren F1's including both black LM models and three Cizeta-Moroder V16T cars. He also possesses a Formula One car as driven by every Formula 1 World Drivers Champion since the 1980 Formula One season, particularly the ones driven in the last race for each season. A prime example of this is Jacques Villeneuve's Williams FW19 which still bears the collision damage courtesy of Michael Schumacher in the 1997 European Grand Prix.

He has a special interest in buying one-of-a-kind concept cars, including the Bentley Java and Bentley Dominator 4x4, whilst leaving slightly more common race cars such as the Aston Martin AM3 or the modified Mercedes-Benz 300SL to his brother Jefri. The collection of vehicles was for the most part stored and serviced in five aircraft hangars, where specialist teams from the various manufacturers would maintain the collection.

The Daily Mirror (UK) reported on October 26, 2007 that the Sultan owned 531 Mercedes-Benzes, 367 Ferraris, 362 Bentleys, 185 BMWs, 177 Jaguars, 160 Porsches, 130 Rolls-Royces, and 20 Lamborghinis .

Other concerns
For personal use, the sultan has a Boeing 747-400 furnished with gold plated furniture with an estimated value of $233 million including $3 million on furniture, six smaller planes and two helicopters. He is trained to pilot the aircraft.

He also operates a $3 billion theme park called Jerudong Park, which in the past used to be free of charge. But now the theme park is closed for repairs.

Despite his personal extravagance, he has attempted to share the country's oil wealth. In a country mockingly dubbed the "Shellfare State", in reference to the significant influence of the Shell Oil Company[citation needed], Bruneians have free education and medical services. There are neither personal nor corporate taxes in Brunei.

His official residence is the Istana Nurul Iman, with 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and a floor area of 2,152,782 square feet (200,000 m²), undisputedly the world's largest palace.


Family feud
In February 2006 the sultan's legal feud with his brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah (in the media known as the "Playboy Prince", because of his lavish lifestyle), was settled in London's High Court. In a surprise move, the sultan agreed to drop all charges against Jefri, whom he in 2000 sued for embezzling £8 billion (US$15.4 billion) from the Brunei Investment Authority (BIA).

Controversies
In 1997, former Miss USA Shannon Marketic filed a lawsuit against the ruling family of Brunei for $90 million.[5] In the case, Shannon alleged that she and 6 other young women were paid $127,200 each for a modeling job in Brunei (whereas on the ABC news program "20/20", Marketic said she was supposed to provide "intellectual conversations" with visiting guests of the royal family). These other women include former Miss Teen USA and future Miss USA Brandi Sherwood, who was invited along by Shannon, and Miss United Kingdom runner up Paula Bradbury.

Marketic maintained that she and the women were held as "sex slaves" and were "intimidated and coerced into performing physically and morally repulsive acts of prostitution."[6] They were apparently ordered to dance for 5-6 hours every night at parties during which their bodies and private parts were groped and grabbed by men. During the dances Shannon was also allegedly abused verbally with comments made about her bare breasts.[7] The women were often told to go with a man to have "tea" with him and then had sex with him.[8] In her interview on "20/20", Marketic said that after 32 days of being held against her will, she managed to smuggle a letter out to the US Embassy; shortly afterwards, she was allegedly paid $10,000 and forced to fly back to the United States alone.[5] The case was thrown out due to the immunity of the ruling family as heads of state.[8] There has been no further investigation into this case although there are allegations both supporting and refuting her claims. Paula Bradbury separately sued the Sultan and won £500,000 in settlement.[9]

The king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf spoke well about the Sultan to the Swedish press after a meeting with him, creating a minor controversy in Sweden.


Honorary titles
The Sultan holds an honorary commission in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as an Air Chief Marshal.

He is also an Honorary Admiral of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, a title given to him by Queen Elizabeth II when he took the salute at the passing out parade of the 2001 summer term at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Royal Navy's officer-training school in the United Kingdom.

He also holds the rank of Honorary Colonel of SSG, awarded to him during his visit to the SSG headquarters at Cherat.

Strongest condemnation yet by bishops

Lagdameo: Arroyo corrupt, people are hungry

By Dona Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippines—The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has disputed the Arroyo administration’s claim of economic progress and condemned corruption in government.

“Twenty million hungry Filipinos will disagree with the proclaimed “ramdam ang kaunlaran (progress is felt)” with their own experience: “Ramdam ang kahirapan, ramdam ang gutom (Poverty is felt, hunger is felt),” Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said Tuesday.

“The benefits of the much-proclaimed economic growth are not felt by the masses,” the CBCP president said in a statement which he issued jointly with three other bishops and vocal administration critic, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Asked by reporters later if he thought that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was corrupt, Lagdameo unhesitatingly said “yes.”

Asked if the President deserved to be removed from power, he said “the answer should come from the people who see what’s happening in our country.”

Lagdameo told a press conference that the statement, which called for “immediate reforms,” was the product of “communal discernment” with Cruz, Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, Banga-Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas and Legazpi Bishop Emeritus Jose Sorra.

Social and moral cancer

“In the past few years up to today, we have watched how corruption has become endemic, massive, systemic and rampant in our politics. Corruption is a social and moral cancer,” said Lagdameo, who clarified that he was making the statement as the archbishop of Jaro and not as the CBCP president.

“In response to the global economic crisis and the pitiful state of our country, the time to rebuild our country economically, socially, politically is now,” Lagdameo said.

New government

“The time to start radical reforms is now. The time for moral regeneration is now. The time to conquer complacency, cynicism and apathy and to prove that we have matured from our political disappointments is now.

“The time to prepare a new government is now,” he said.

Villegas stressed that they were not calling for another mass revolt.

“We are making this statement because we believe that if we had been less corrupt we would be better prepared to face the impending global crisis. The problem of the Philippines is not population, the problem is corruption,” Villegas said.

Soul troublemakers

“We are not social troublemakers, we are soul troublemakers. We want to disturb consciences… then the change that we want in government and society will really come from within us,” he said.

Cruz said it was the “strongest statement” that Lagdameo had made so far during his incumbency, “the most straight language written, as straight as it could be.”

The CBCP has been divided over directly challenging Ms Arroyo over allegations of corruption.

In February at the height of the scandal over the aborted $329-million National Broadband Network deal with China’s ZTE Corp., the CBCP called a special plenary meeting but did not ask for the President’s resignation.

The CBCP instead “strongly condemned the culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political order.”

WHAT WENT BEFORE
P728-million fertilizer scam



Philippine Daily Inquirer



MANILA, Philippines—In 2003, Marlene Esperat, then an employee of the Department of Agriculture’s resident ombudsman in Central Mindanao, filed a graft complaint against Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, then Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, and several others in connection with alleged irregularities in a P432-million fertilizer deal.

Esperat said the fertilizers bought were overpriced and procured through a negotiated contract instead of a public bidding.

Two months before the May 2004 presidential election, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a presidential candidate, accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, herself running for election, of “virtual vote-buying” by authorizing the release of P728 million to favored officials to buy farm inputs like fertilizer and pesticide for their constituents, as part of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani project.

Resignation

After the election, former Solicitor General Frank Chavez filed a plunder case against Ms Arroyo in connection with Lacson’s accusation. Chavez named Bolante as one of those who signed the papers for the release and disposition of the funds.

Bolante quit his post at the Department of Agriculture in September 2004, ostensibly because of his election as a director of Rotary Club International.

In the same month, the Ombudsman dropped Esperat’s graft charges against Yap, but declared as “sufficient in form and substance” the graft complaint against Bolante.

(Esperat, who later became a journalist, was shot dead in her home in Sultan Kudarat on March 24, 2005. Three men were convicted of her murder, but the suspected masterminds—officials of the agriculture department office in Central Mindanao already charged by the justice department—remain at large.)

In October 2005, the Senate committee on agriculture chaired by then Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. opened an inquiry into the fertilizer fund controversy. Bolante did not show up during the first hearing, and flew to Los Angeles hours before the second hearing on Oct. 26.

Magsaysay sought the help of the US Embassy and Rotary Club International in locating Bolante, who was also a no-show at the Nov. 17 and 24 hearings.

Bolante reportedly returned to the Philippines on Dec. 5, but was able to leave again on Dec. 11, days after the Bureau of Immigration put him on its watch list. He left on board a Cathay Pacific flight for Hong Kong en route to the United States.

Arrest order

On Dec. 13, the Senate cited Bolante for contempt and ordered his arrest.

In January 2006, he filed a petition to the Supreme Court through the Philippine Consul in Chicago, asking that the Senate be stopped from implementing the arrest order.

He said he was willing to attend the Senate inquiry, but again snubbed the Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 hearings.

In March, the Senate’s blue ribbon and agriculture committees released a report recommending the filing of criminal and administrative charges against Bolante and other agriculture officials.

The report also said Ms Arroyo should be “held accountable” for the mismanagement of the fertilizer fund.

On July 7, 2006, Bolante was detained on arrival at the Los Angeles International Airport on grounds of an invalid non-immigrant (B1/B2) visa. (A US court document given to the Philippine Daily Inquirer in September 2006 said the US Embassy in Manila cancelled Bolante’s visa upon the Senate’s request.)

Bolante was held at the San Pedro Detention Center on Terminal Island, 48 kilometers from Los Angeles, then transferred to the Kenosha Rehabilitation Center in Wisconsin.

Court battle

On Aug. 4, the LA-based federal judge reviewing Bolante’s asylum case granted his petition to transfer the case to an immigration court in Chicago.

Bolante testified before that court on Nov. 10, saying his life would be endangered if he returned to the Philippines.

It rejected his petition in February 2007, citing lack of proof that he was “suffering from a well-grounded fear of persecution.”

Bolante took the case to the US Court of Appeals, which also denied his petition on Aug. 27 this year.

He again experienced defeat on Sept. 3, when the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin dismissed his petition for habeas corpus.

On Oct. 23, the US Embassy confirmed that the US Department of Homeland Security had issued a “removal order” on Bolante, and that he could be deported anytime.

Bolante’s lawyer said his client had decided to yield to the order. Inquirer Research

UN's Ban To Address Migration Forum

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is scheduled to address some 800 government delegates from 163 UN member-states at Wednesday's opening session of the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).

Ban, who is from South Korea, is the second Asian UN secretary general to visit the country after U Thant of Burma, who was here in 1971 when he was conferred an honorary degree by the University of the Philippines.

UP will also confer Ban an honorary doctorate degree.

His visit to the Philippines, which is part of his four-country tour in the region this month, comes almost 30 years after the last visit of a UN secretary general; Kurt Waldheim was here in 1979 for UNCTAD V, or the Fifth UN Conference on Trade and Development.

After his opening address and press conference, Ban will be conferred the Order of Diplomatic Merit during his meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Malacañang Palace.

Ban's wife, Ban Soon-taek, on the other hand, is scheduled to visit on Wednesday the Aurora Quezon Elementary School in San Andres, Manila to observe a World Food Programme (WFP) project, the Food for Schools component of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Programme, which it implements with the Department of Education.

"The visit aims to highlight the support that the UN System in the Philippines has provided for the Philippines government to help attain the Millennium Development Goals," said the UN office based in Manila in a press statement on Madam Ban's schedule.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. Last year, it gave food to 88 million people of mostly women and children in 78 of the world's poorest countries. This year, it spearheaded giving out rice to the estimated 500,000 Mindanaoans who were displaced by renewed fighting between government forces and Moro rebels.

After Manila, Ban will travel to India, where he is slated to hold talks with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior officials. He is also scheduled to give a lecture at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and meet with Indian business leaders on climate change.

Nepal, which abolished its 240-year-old monarchy in May, will be the third country on the UN chief's itinerary. He is expected to meet with President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, other officials and members of the Constituent Assembly. He will also visit Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace.

Ban will then wrap up his Asian tour in Bangladesh, where he is expected to have meetings with President Iajuddin Ahmed and other top officials and to visit micro-finance, disaster reduction, and climate adaptation sites.

The eighth UN secretary general brings to his post 37 years of service in government and on the global stage. At the time of his election as secretary general, he was South Korea's minister of foreign affairs and trade.

Ban has long-standing ties with the UN, dating back to 1975 when he worked for his country's UN Division. He was eventually assigned to South Korea's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

According to the UN statement, Ban's advocacies include peace and security, climate change, human rights, nuclear disarmament, UN reforms, and development issues like migration.

Creation Of UN Migration Body Pushed

MANILA, Philippines -- To champion the rights of migrant workers, the United Nations must create a permanent office on global migration, various non-government organizations in the Second Global Forum on Migration and Development said Tuesday.

In a manifesto of concern, at least 20 NGOs from around the world said the new UN body would have the mandate "to initiate programs and keep track of efforts to protect the rights and interests of migrant workers amid rising cases of human trafficking involving women and children."

To stress the need for such a world body, the manifesto enumerated vital statistics related to migration: 1 in 35 people is an international migrant, the equivalent of this percent of the world's population; about 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, 80 percent of them are female and half of them are minors; and around 1.2 million children are trafficked each year to render forced labor.

At the same time, the NGOs urged destination countries to enact tough anti-trafficking laws; ratify the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; and enter into agreements with other countries to implement this and other UN and ILO (International Labor Organization) Conventions to protect the rights of migrant workers.

"We wish to lend our voices to millions of trafficked victims -- invisible, frail, and innocent hands that contribute to the world economy against their will. These victims are exploited, abused, and debased beyond belief by human traffickers, corrupt officials, and
callous employers," it read.

The signatories to the manifesto held up Canada as an example to other destination countries for maintaining a clear policy against charging placement fees on all foreign workers. Canada requires its employers to shoulder all recruitment and processing fees in behalf of foreign workers.

"We believe that looking after the rights and dignity of migrant workers must be a shared responsibility among nations, regardless if they are countries of origin or destination. Human trafficking signifies the return of human bondage in many shapes, ways, and forms robbing millions of human dignity, if not their lives," they said.

The NGOs attending the civil society days at the international forum that signed the manifesto include the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute and Visayan Forum from the Philippines, TIFA Foundation-Indonesia, Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association (SLANA), Migrant Health Association in Korea-South Korea, Red Internacional De Migracion y Desarrouo-Mexico, Economic and Social Empowerment of Rural Communities-Nigeria, General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions, National Domestic Workers' Movement, Migrant Forum-India, Fundacion Etnica Integral-Dominican Republic, and Sintras-Colombia.

More are expected to sign the manifesto before the day ends.

8 Bodies Inside MV Princess Recovered

SIBUYAN ISLAND, Romblon -- The recovery of the remains of passengers trapped inside the MV Princess of the Stars started Sunday morning, with the divers fishing out eight bodies.

Rodrigo Bella, project manager of the Harbor Star, the salvor company, said the eight bodies came from the economy deck of the sunken ship.

He said the retrieval operations might take at least two weeks, depending on the weather conditions. The bodies, officials of the NBI said, were in advanced state of decomposition as expected.

But Dr. Renato Bautista, the NBI official in charge of identifying the bodies assured the families of the victims that DNA samples could still be retrieved from the bodies for their identification, despite the remains’ advanced state of decomposition.

“There is no problem getting the DNA sample. We’re trying to get as much as bone samples as possible,” said Bautista.

DNA samples from the bone tissues of the bodies will be collected and sent to a DNA testing center in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. After a few weeks, the results will be sent back to the NBI in Cebu, where the remains would be sent for final identification and retrieval by families.

Bautista is appealing to families to present themselves to the NBI for DNA matching.

The Philippine Coast Guard said that of the missing 515 passengers, it believed that most have been in the sunken ferry.

The MV Princess of the Stars, the flagship of the Sulpicio Lines Inc., sank off Simbulan Island, Romblong, last June 21 at the height of typhoon “Frank.” Only over 30 persons survived, over 200 bodies were recovered from surrounding coastlines and over 500 are expected to be recovered from the sunken ferry.

The Board of Marine Inquiry has recommended the cancellation of SLI’s license to operate passenger and cargo ships for negligence.

Underdog Red Bull Trips San Miguel

GINGOOG, Philippines— The squad with the ultra-loaded arsenal just got a wake-up call from the team considered the unlikeliest to deliver it.

Red Bull came charging back from 12 points down to post a 114-113 decision of rock-solid San Miguel on Saturday that snapped the Beermen’s four-game winning streak in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup eliminations.

Listed as the decided underdogs coming into the road game at the Arturo Lugod gym here, the Barako dug deep and matched the Beermen’s up-tempo, high-scoring style to bring down a heavyweight for the second straight time and rise to 2-3.

It was the first loss in more than two weeks for the Beermen, who came into the contest owning a string of lopsided victories, the last a 29-point blowout of sister squad Barangay Ginebra.

San Miguel dropped out of a share of the lead with idle Alaska with a 4-2 card.

Gabby Espinas, the former NCAA Rookie-MVP who has finally found a home in Red Bull, broke up a crucial San Miguel offensive to pave the way for two Cyrus Baguio free throws with 14.1 seconds left for 113-110.

The under-sized center then grabbed a rebound off a three-point miss by Lordy Tugade on the other end, was fouled, then sealed the outcome with a free throw split, 114-110 with six seconds remaining.

“I think they’re the most talented team here and we are the least talented,” Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “This is the biggest upset we can achieve.”

Guiao got his inexpensive and much-maligned roster to perform well above par with six players scoring in twin digits and losing the rebound battle narrowly, 51-54, against the hulking San Miguel frontline.

The scores:

RED BULL 114—Baguio 17, Espinas 16, Cruz 15, Najorda 14, Sharma 14, Hubalde 10, Chan 6, Hrabak 6, Alvarez 3, Duncil 2, Ybanez 0, Membrere 0.

SAN MIGUEL 113—Hontiveros 19, Washington 16, Custodio 15, Tugade 15, Villanueva 13, Pena 12, Racela 10, Bono 6, Gonzales 4, Pennisi 2, Calaguio 1.

Quarters: 23-22, 61-58, 90-82, 114-113

World Leaders Vow United Front

Asia-Europe Meeting ends with Beijing Declaration
Asia, Europe leaders pledge united front

By BEN R. ROSARIO

BEIJING, China (Via PLDT) – Forty-five leaders of nations in Asia and Europe pledged to put up a united front in seeking solutions to the global financial crisis that poses a serious threat to their financial stability and economic development.


Concluding the two-day Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) here, the heads of state of 16 Asian countries, 27 member states of the European Union, the president of the European Commission, and secretary- general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Beijing Declaration on sustainable development as they vowed not to lose track of the other global issues such as climate change, food security, and regional security.

The Beijing Declaration reaffirmed the commitment of the member- nations to be guided by the principles and objectives on sustainable development set by the United Nations.

The participating countries vowed to take an active part in the Nov. 15 international summit in Washington, DC, as they asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to play "a critical role in assisting countries seriously affected by the crisis, upon their request."

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, together with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso presided over a press conference after the closing ceremonies of the biennial summit.

The four said the twoday conference had been very fruitful and vowed to take concrete actions to carryout the sustainable development and financial programs.

They said the participating countries in the meeting called for the strengthening of coordination and cooperation to "restore market confidence and stabilize financial markets and promote global economic growth."

They said it has become imperative for them to "handle properly the relationship between financial innovation and regulation, and maintain sound macroeconomic policy."

They recognized the need to improve the supervision and regulation of all financial actors, in particular their accountability.

The leaders stressed that the IMF and other international financial institutions should "bring into play their mandated role in the international financial system, to help stabilize the international financial situation.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said there were candid exchanges of views on food security, disaster preparedness, sustainable development, and climate change during the meeting. The leaders agreed to continue strengthening areas of cooperation.

Citing the concerns on financial meltdown aired by Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, and other Asian countries, Sarkozy said, " Europe would like to try and come up with a common position for a common response in this unprecedented financial crisis."

" We were very interested to hear certain Asian countries say they feel that global warming is a cause for concern. It is a cause of concern for Asia; then it is a problem for all of us," the French leader declared.

Bolkiah stated that as far as ASEAN is concerned, the meeting was the most important AsiaEurope Meeting they have ever attended.

Barroso noted that despite being wary about the financial crisis, " we did not forget other important issues – the challenge of climate change and the millennium development goals."

"Let us be clear. The financial crisis is not a reason to postpone our fight against climate change. We need to build on the consensus that were already reached in Bali. We need to agree on a comprehensive global agreement," he said.


Recession feared over poor economic data around the world


By ALAN WHEATLEY

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — Asian and European leaders closed ranks Saturday to try to bolster the confidence of shell-shocked investors fearful that the year-long global credit crunch is mutating into a worldwide recession.

Poor economic data around the world and another international barrage of corporate profit warnings and job cuts triggered a brutal sell-off in stocks from Tokyo to New York.

"The danger of a collapse (on financial markets) is far from over. Any all-clear would be wrong," German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said in an interview released Saturday.

"We are still in a dangerous situation. I am not going to mislead anyone and say we have got everything under control," he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

The worries of political leaders were mirrored in the markets.

Seventy-nine years to the day after the 1929 crash that ushered in the Great Depression, currencies experienced extreme volatility, while oil and other commodities tumbled on fears of plummeting demand that would accompany a slowdown.

Many analysts declared that Europe was in recession after private-sector activity in the euro zone’s economy contracted at the fastest pace in at least a decade and Britain’s economy shrank 0.5 percent in the third quarter, much more than expected.

"The euro area has entered a deep recessionary spiral," said Aurelio Maccario, chief euro zone economist at Italian bank UniCredit.

The financial crisis, set off by a US housing market collapse nearly 15 months ago, claimed another victim.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc agreed to purchase ailing Ohio-based National City Corp in a government-supported $ 5.6-billion deal that will create the No. 5 US bank by deposits.

National City has been crippled by its soured mortgage loans.

PNC was one of four regional banks that said itwould receive cash infusions under a $ 250-billion bank recapitalisation program that is part of the US Treasury’s wider $ 700-billion US financial services rescue package.

The Treasury, which has already committed half that sum to nine of the largest US banks, was studying how it could give relief to bond and mortgage insurance firms under the program, two sources familiar with the deliberations said.

Washington may also bail out the car industry. General Motors has intensified negotiations to buy Chrysler’s auto operations, but intends to seek US government support for any deal, people familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Citadel Investment Group, one of the world’s biggest hedge funds, reacted to market talk it had asked the US government for a cash injection by disclosing it has more than $ 10 billion in available credit.

The financial crisis has injected urgency into the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of 27 EU member states and 16 Asian countries. Meeting in Beijing, the leaders pledged cooperation to tackle the turmoil by taking "firm, decisive, and effective measures in a responsible and timely manner."

Thank You Number 1!

Here is the list of the No.1 rankings throughout the country

MEGA MANILA
ANTIPOLO CITY,MEYCAUAYAN CITY,and SAN JOSE del MONTE CITY(BULACAN)
Children's Educational(Kids on Q,Q11)
Educational(Ka-toque,Q11)
Gag Show:Nuts Entertainment,Shock Attack,Ogags(TV5)
General Talk Show(Moms,One Proud Mama and The Sweet Life,Q11)
Lifestyle Show:3R(TV5);and Living It Up(Q11)
Morning Show:Unang Hirit
Musical Variety:SOP
News Program:Balitanghali and TEN:The Evening News
Saksi(SJDM only)
Public Affairs:Hot Seat and Review Philippines(Aug.2007-Jan.2008)
Public Service:Imbestigador
Reality Show:Pinoy Records
Showbiz Talk Show:Showbiz Central,Juicy,and The Ricky Lo Exclusives
Variety Show:Eat Bulaga
TV Station:Antipolo(TV5 and Q11)
AM Radio Station:Antipolo(DZXL-RMN)
FM Radio Station:Antipolo(93.9 iFM)

LUZON:
TV
GMA-10 DAGUPAN
TV5 NAGA,BICOL
TV6 LEGAZPI,BICOL
TV11 SORSOGON,BICOL
DZEC 1080 DAGUPAN
DZBB 1548 DAGUPAN
CAMPUS RADIO BAGUIO
CAMPUS RADIO DAGUPAN
RW 95.1 FM PAMPANGA
DZEC 1260 LUCENA
KISS FM LUCENA
DWNX 91.1 NAGA
CAMPUS RADIO NAGA
Regional News Program:TV Patrol Northcentral Luzon(ABS-CBN RNG)
News Program:24 Oras(GMA)


VISAYAS:
TV(GMA-6 ILOILO;GMA-10 BACOLOD;GMA-7 and INTV-CCTN 47 CEBU)
RADIO:
DYKR-1161 KALIBO
DYVR-657 ROXAS
DYSI-1323 ILOILO and CAMPUS RADIO ILOILO
DYHB-747 BACOLOD
DYHP-612 CEBU and 93.9 iFM CEBU
DYWC-801 DUMAGUETE
DYDW-531 and 99.1 iFM TACLOBAN
DYRD-1161 TAGBILARAN
POWERFM ORMOC
REGIONAL NEWSPAPER:PANAY NEWS(ILOILO);VISAYAN DAILY STAR(BACOLOD);
NEGROS CHRONICLE(DUMAGUETE)
REGIONAL NEWS PROGRAM:Balitang Bisdak(GMA-CEBU)and Balita Karon(INTV-CCTN)
NEWS PROGRAM:24 Oras(GMA)
PRIMETIME DRAMA SERIES:Parola(INTV-CCTN)
PUBLIC AFFAIRS:Panghilabot(INTV-CCTN)

MINDANAO
TV(GMA-5 DAVAO;TV13 BUTUAN;TV12 GENERAL SANTOS;TV21 CAGAYAN DE ORO;TV8 SURIGAO DEL SUR;TV10 AGUSAN DEL SUR;TV11 and TV29 ZAMBOANGA)
RADIO:
DXRZ 900 and 96.3 iFM ZAMBOANGA
DXPR 603 PAGADIAN
DXDR 981 DIPOLOG
DXCC 828 and CAMPUS RADIO CAGAYAN DE ORO
DXIC 711 and 90.1 WOW FM ILIGAN
DXOZ 1494 OZAMIZ
DXDC 621;DZEC 1224 and 93.9 iFM DAVAO
DXMD 927 and iFM GENERAL SANTOS
DXND 747 KIDAPAWAN
DXKR 639 KORONADAL
DXMY 927 COTABATO
DXBC 693 BUTUAN
DXRS 1206 SURIGAO
REGIONAL NEWS PROGRAM:Testigo(GMA DAVAO);Dateline Zamboanga(TV11 Zamboanga)
REGIONAL NEWSPAPER:Mindanao Daily Mirror(DAVAO)

Stock Markets Summary-October 24,2008

PSEI-1953.49 down 42.43
All Shares-1260.86 down 23.30
Australia-3869.40
China-1839.62
Hong Kong-12618.38
Japan-7649.08
Korea-938.75
Malaysia-859.11
Singapore-1600.28
Taiwan-4579.62
Thailand-432.87



Share prices will remain volatile next week, even with the key index at three-year lows, as investors brace for possible global recession, dealers said Friday.

"We're still in the same marathon as other global markets," Astro del Castillo of First Grade Holdings told Dow Jones Newswires.

Investors continue to be "worried about the prospects of a prolonged economic slowdown," said Ron Rodrigo of DBP-Daiwa Securities.

The European stock markets fell sharply in early trading on Friday, shortly after the Manila bourse closed.

For the week to October 24, the Philippines composite index plunged 144.77 points or 6.9 percent to 1,953.49, a level last seen three years ago.

Average daily turnover for the week fell to about one billion shares worth P2.1 billion ($43.4 million) from 1.722 billion shares worth P2.612 billion in the previous week.

Santiago Warns Assasins

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago vowed to defend her reputation “to death” against any attempts to assassinate her character by the camps of either Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno or Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa.

Santiago issued the warning before leaving the hearing of the Senate foreign relations committee, which she heads.

The Senate is investigating retired PNP comptroller Eliseo dela Paz over an incident in Russia where he and his wife were briefly detained at the Moscow Airport after they were found with millions of pesos worth of euros, which they failed to declare as they were on their way back to Manila.

Dela Paz and several police generals attended an Interpol-sponsored forum in St. Petersburg from Oct. 7-10.

“Please don’t activate your pubic relations firms in what will become a very obvious attempt to assassinate our characters. We’re performing our duties and if you challenge us in that way, I assure you we shall rise up to your challenge and we shall let the stronger force prevail,” she said.

“I’m not referring to physical force. I’m referring to my moral force as senator elected by the Republic,” she said.

Santiago said she would not slow down even if her would critics use some corrupt practitioners in the media to attack her like what happened when she first investigated an anomaly within the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) during the time of former president Joseph Estrada. Puno was also the DILG chief then.

The anomaly Santiago was referring to was the alleged attempt to monopolize the drug testing services in the country.

“I will know where it’s coming from and I assure you gentlemen, you try again and assassinate my character it might be possible that I shall defend myself with [the full force of the law] that you can even dream of,” said the senator.

“I shall defend my reputation to the death. I challenge any of you, just lift a finger, lift the phone, call your PR persons, call character assassins and we shall see an ethics problem,” she further said


PNP mum on Dela Paz no show at Senate


By Abigail Kwok


MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) is mum on the absence of retired comptroller Eliseo dela Paz at the Senate, which is investigating him and his wife following their brief detention in Russia for being in possession of multimillion pesos worth of euros.

Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman, refused to grant media any interview but said that the PNP has no jurisdiction over Dela Paz because he was already treated as a “civilian.”

Bartolome did not issue other reactions and asked media to wait for the end of the Senate investigation into the incident.

Calls made to Dela Paz were left unanswered.

Members of the media tried to enter the quarters of Dela Paz inside the Camp Crame national police headquarters but were blocked by security in the area.



Senate orders Dela Paz arrest

But majority of probers need to sign warrant--OIC

By Maila Ager




‘MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 4) Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has ordered the arrest of former Philippine National Police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz after he failed to appear at Thursday’s Senate investigation into the incident in Russia.

Santiago’s directive came after the committee agreed to dismiss a motion filed by Dela Paz’s lawyer, Noel Malaya, to quash the subpoena issued to his client and his wife, which questioned the jurisdiction of the committee over the issue.

“Sergeant [Jose]Balajadia, in behalf of the Senate foreign relations committee have been issued subpoenas ad testifi candum and subpoena duces tecum to General Dela Paz, and his wife, and in view of their deliberate absent here, I command you, arrest him now and bring him here if possible,” said Santiago, chairman of the foreign relations committee.

Balajadia is the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate.

And to Malaya, Santiago said, “Counsel, you have a right to appeal my ruling to the Supreme Court,” which in a later interview, the lawyer said he would this Friday.

But Senator Pia Cayetano, officer-in-charge while Senate President Manuel Villar is out of the country, said that the upper House might not be able to issue the warrant just yet because majority of the members was needed to vote on or either sign the order before this could be effected.

Cayetano cited Section 18 of the Senate rules in which a vote or signature by the majority of a committee was needed to issue a warrant of against any person.

So far, Cayetano said, only Santiago, out of the 15 members in the committee on foreign relations, had signed the arrest warrant against Dela Paz.

While she believed that the majority vote was not an “absolute requirement,” Cayetano said she would have to consult first with Villar and the legal department of the Senate before acting on the warrant of arrest.

“To follow Section 18, mukhang ganun ang sitwasyon [it looks like that’s the situation],” Cayetano said when asked if the Senate could then not issue the arrest warrant within the day.

“But I like baka mamaya biglang meron tapos sabihin niyo, o sabi ni Cayetano [later there might be something and then you’ll tell me, but Cayetano said]…I’m only the OIC. I take my orders from the Senate President and again with the legal backing so we have to ensure na tama ang ginagawa natin [that what we are doing is right],” she said.

A six-page motion entitled “Challenge to jurisdiction with motion to quash the subpoena” was filed by the Malaya, Sanchez, Anover, Anover and Simpao Law Office just before the committee began its hearing at exactly 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The petition said the committee has no jurisdiction on the issue because it did not involve relations between states and it has no legislative purpose.

It also cited the lack of published Senate rules before conducting the hearing.

Santiago countered that her committee has jurisdiction over the issue as it involved relations between the Philippines and Russia.

Under the rules governing inquiries in aid of legislation, the senator said the committee was not bound by technical rule of evidence “unless the substantive rights of the person are involved.”

“What substantive rights of your client, General dela Paz, are involved? His right perhaps to self-incrimination. That is also dealt with in our rules,” she said.

“In our rules, you can’t invoke the right of self incrimination as a blanket defense to even appearing and testifying. He can only invoke it per question so he has to wait for the question to be asked, and then invoke it,” she said.

Santiago then asked Dela Paz’s counsel to explain his absence in the hearing.

Malaya said they advised their client not to attend the hearing to protect his rights.

“We had a discussion in a conference last night regarding to the steps that we have to take to protect his right, your honor and since we have filed this challenge to the motion your honor, we have deemed it best that we wait with the committee decision,” he told the committee.

Dela Paz’s absence angered Santiago.

“Sinasabi niyang [He is saying] I have nothing to hide tapos ngayon bigla na lang [and then all of a sudden he won’t attend]. Ano yun, nag-aartista ba siya nahimasmasan na siya [What is that, is he acting, has he been appeased]?” she said.

“Remember the rule -- he who is innocent is as brave as a lion. E di pumunta ka dito kung wala kang kasalanan [Then come here if you’re not at fault]. Ano ang tinatago mo na ayaw mong magpakita [What are you hiding that you don’t want to come here]? Ano ang gusto mong itago [What do you want to hide]? she asked.

Cayetano said Dela Paz should walk around with “fear” after he had caused a “national embarrassment” when he failed to declare the multimillion peso worth of euros in his recent trip to Moscow.

“He [Dela Paz] should fear. He should roam around with fear after what he did,” she said.

“If any of us knows that we’re in a foreign country and had created by our actions something that is, let me call it a national embarrassment, wouldn’t you be a little bit fearful, at least embarrassed, to walk around? I think you should. I think you should feel accountable,” she said.

“And if there’s nothing to fear,” the senator said, “I would think that the first, the normal reaction was to explain, wala ho akong tinatago, then I will walk around freely. Kung ayaw mong i-explain, parang meron kang tinatago [If you don’t like to explain, it’s like you’re hiding something].”

Present at the hearing were PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa, Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, among others.

Aside from Santiago, committee members present are Majority Leader Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Senators Manuel "Mar" Roxas and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Dela Paz was briefly held at the Moscow International Airport while returning home last October 11 for not declaring the 105, 000 euros or P6.9 million cash he was carrying.

He was part of the eight-man delegation for the 77th Interpol General Assembly held at St. Petersburg in Moscow from October 7 to 10.

Dela Paz had apologized for the incident but denied any wrongdoing.

He said he took the money from his P10 million cash advance bonded authority as a standby fund for the delegation.


House cancels Dela Paz probe





MANILA, Philippines -- The House of Representatives has cancelled its inquiry on the police general caught in Russia with millions of pesos worth of undeclared cash -- a move that some opposition lawmakers suspect was part of an effort to cover up those involved in the controversy.

The hearing was originally scheduled at 9 a.m. Friday under the committee on public order and safety.

Committee chairman Representative Rodolfo Antonino said the committee could not muster the required number of members to open the investigation.

But Bayan Muna partylist Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, who filed Resolution No. 843 calling for the investigation, said the cancellation was questionable.

"We now see the hand of Malacañang in apparent efforts to cover up the PNP euro generals controversy in the cancellation of the House probe on the issue," the legislators said in a statement.

"The House majority would not give its consensus to the minority for the committee on public order and safety to take the issue into its jurisdiction despite the sordid fact that what Dela Paz and company did to further sully the country's corrupt image in the international arena. The PNP leadership as law enforcers is again highly questionable since they are shielding their own law breakers that have brought the country additional shame," they said.

The resolution had directed the committee to conduct an inquiry "on the unusually large PNP contingent" to the Interpol meet from October 7 to 10.

The resolution has yet to be referred to the committee on rules because Congress was still on break. However, under the rules, the committee can open the inquiry on its own if it can muster majority members. In the case of the committee of public order and safety, 25 congressmen are needed to be present.

Antonino said it was difficult to gather the required number of congressmen because session was on break and this was the time that the lawmakers would go back to their congressional districts.

The Senate began its own inquiry Thursday, but retired comptroller Eliseo dela Paz, who is at the center of the controversy, did not attend, prompting Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairman of the foreign relations committee, to order his arrest.

Dela Paz and his wife were stopped at the Moscow Airport with at least P6.9 million worth of currency, way beyond the amount legally allowed travelers.

Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez said the police generals, especially Dela Paz had a lot of explaining to do to the public.

"The big question is: what happened to director Dela Paz. He should tell all. He has a very good service reputation and has avoided controversy until, ironically, a few days after retirement," Golez said.

Cops Brace For Protests On Ban Visit

Cops brace for protests on Ban visit




MANILA, Philippines -- Police in Metro Manila have been placed on full alert from Thursday, days before more than 1,000 foreign delegates are expected to arrive here for the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao, National Capital Region police office (NCRPO) deputy regional director for operations, said in an interview that they are also on alert for “more than 1,000 protesters” expected to greet the arrival of dignitaries including United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon on Monday.

Police have planned alternate routes and contingencies in case protesters barricade the planned routes of the dignitaries, he said.

Also on Thursday, the police highway patrol group conducted a dry-run or “general simulation exercise” to “check our [security] system,” Pagdilao said.

“We are also expected to test our security plan and equipment for motorcycles for our highway patrol group,” he added.

Pagdilao gave assurances that “we are already prepared” for the arrival of the delegates to the four-day migration forum, who will come from more than 100 countries.

“We will ensure that the rallies will be confined in just one area,” he said, stressing that protesters must first secure permits before conducting parallel activities during the forum.

Activist migrant organizations will also be holding an alternative forum in Manila.

Pagdilao said the police will observe maximum tolerance in dealing with protesters.

ASEAN May Move Summit Venue in Bangkok

BANGKOK -- Thailand may move a key summit of Southeast Asian nations away from the capital amid ongoing political unrest, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.

The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is due to meet in Bangkok in December but alternative provinces are being considered following months of mass rallies by anti-government demonstrators who have occupied government office grounds in the capital.

"The government has looked at several options so it is possible that the venue may change," foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told Agence France-Presse. "But, so far, the venue is still to be as scheduled in Bangkok."

Local media reported that Chiang Mai in the north of the kingdom was under consideration as an alternative.

The protests aimed at overthrowing the populist government, and supported by the country's urban elite, have forced Thailand's government to work out of a disused airport terminal in recent weeks.

The 14th annual summit of ASEAN nations is scheduled to take place at a central hotel in Bangkok from December 14-18.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Stock Markets Summary-Oct.23,2008

PSEI-1995.92 down 97.09
All Shares-1284.16 down 55.78
Gainers-3
Losers-117
Unchanged-13
Traded-133
Trades-7045
Volume:1.847 billion shares worth 3.196 billion

Financial-523.86 down 18.82
Industrial-2337.20 down 95.07
Holdings-983.44 down 49.93
Property-609.97 down 37.09
Services-1205.04 down 58.34
Mining and Oil-3869.01 down 561.51

Stock Markets Summary-Oct.23,2008

PSEI-1995.92 down 97.09
All Shares-1284.16 down 55.78
Gainers-3
Losers-117
Unchanged-13
Traded-133
Trades-7045
Volume:1.847 billion shares worth 3.196 billion

Financial-523.86 down 18.82
Industrial-2337.20 down 95.07
Holdings-983.44 down 49.93
Property-609.97 down 37.09
Services-1205.04 down 58.34
Mining and Oil-3869.01 down 561.51

Arroyo To Cabinet:Run Pro-poor Programs

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered all
Cabinet agencies to draft employment and livelihood programs for the poor and the middle class to cushion the impact of the global financial crisis, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

Before she left for China on Thursday, Ermita said the President instructed him to meet with the Presidential Management Staff and assign a region to each Cabinet member to oversee the implementation of the projects.

Arroyo wants the programs prepared and tabled for discussion for the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday next week, a day after she returns to the country, Ermita said.

"The President has left instructions to the Cabinet to implement pro-poor programs in all regions. The generation of employment and livelihood opportunities for targeted income groups is the country's best preparation in thwarting the problems brought about by the global credit crunch," Ermita said in a news conference after the President's chartered flight left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"The programs that the President instructed to be drawn up will target not only the very poor, but will include the middle class, as well as those whose livelihood will have to be supported because of the financial and economic crisis that we have," he said.

Ermita said Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of
Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) would be at the forefront of the initiatives.

He said these agencies would tap their contingency funds or savings for the projects, but could avail of additional funds from the national government if necessary.

It was the latest measure announced by the Arroyo government to aver the
impact of a meltdown in the United States, which has sent shockwaves
around the world.

Arroyo has backed plans to increase the deposit insurance coverage to P1 million from P250,000, and the setting up of a P100 billion fund from the private sector and government financial institutions to allow government to realign infrastructure funds to social services when necessary.

The President has also announced a contingency plan for Overseas Filipino Workers, as well as an increase in the volume of palay (rice grain) that
the National Food Authority would be buying from farmers.

SLR five foils Coke,Duremdes

MANILA, Philippines—A freak play that left Dennis Espino wide open keyed an 83-82 Sta. Lucia victory over Coca-Cola which gave the Realtors their third straight win in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup and denied Kenneth Duremdes a winning coaching debut Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Sta. Lucia skipper found himself unguarded underneath after teammates Ryan Buenafe and Asi Taulava got tangled up during the inbound play and Espino scored on an easy stab that helped put the Realtors into a momentary tie for second place at 3-1.

Duremdes called the shots for the Tigers after the relief of Binky Favis, and the former MVP and member of the league’s 25 All-Time Greats did a great job until that odd play sealed their third straight loss for a 1-4 card.

“I’ll take that result anytime,” Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez later told reporters at the Araneta Coliseum press room. “Coke is a different team (under Duremdes) and I am glad that we got to face them after just having one day to prepare (under a new coach).

“But believe me, Coke will be a different team from now on and they will be very dangerous.”

Espino actually scored the Realtors’ final five points, all of them coming after a drought that lasted for more than five minutes and allowed the Tigers to open up an 82-78 lead after a Taulava free throw with 87 seconds remaining.

The winning basket with still 33.4 seconds left came after the Tigers bungled a chance to pad their 82-81 lead when John Arigo took a hurried jumper instead of buying some time first after a timeout.

After Espino’s crucial hit, the Tigers blew three attempts to turn the game around, the last a Mark Macapagal triple at the buzzer which rattled out and set off a wild celebration among the Sta. Lucia faithful.

Duremdes, the league’s 1998 MVP, did a good job in his first game in an interim capacity, ably rotating his players down the stretch.

But Alex Cabagnot fouled out going into the final two minutes and he had to make do without Taulava in the final 33.4 after Buenafe hit Taulava’s tattooed right calf muscle and sent the 6-foot-9 center limping off the floor.

It was the defending champion Realtors’ first win over Coca-Cola since the Tigers acquired Taulava more than a year ago.

Taulava went on to finish with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Buenafe scored 17 coming off the bench.

Espino actually made up for a horrid stretch when he missed at least three shots and had a traveling violation which allowed the Tigers to build that four-point edge.

The last time the Realtors made a basket was at the 6:20 mark, when Espino hit a layup that made it 78-75.

Espino himself broke the long dry spell, when he completed a three-point play off Nic Belasco with 45.4 left which put Sta. Lucia within 81-82.

The scores:

STA. LUCIA 83—Yeo 15, Espino 14, Williams 12, Omolon 12, Gonzales 9, Miranda 8, Aquino 7, Gregorio 4, Reyes 2, Mendoza 0.

COCA-COLA 82—Taulava 24, Buenafe 17, Belasco 13, Arigo 11, Cabagnot 8, Calimag 4, Telan 4, Rizada 1, Caceres 0, Baguion 0, Macapagal 0, Dimaunahan 0.

Quarters: 29-20, 46-46, 66-65, 83-82

BFAD Confirms Melamine In 2 More"Lotte"Products

BFAD CONFIRMS
Melamine in 2 more ‘Lotte’ products

22 other food brands safe


MANILA, Philippines -- Two more biscuit products of the popular Japanese brand Lotte have been found to contain the industrial chemical melamine, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) announced Wednesday.

Lotte B+W Koala Biscuit and Lotte Chocolate Snack Koala Biscuit tested positive for melamine, which has been blamed for killing at least four babies and sickening some 54,000 others who drank tainted infant formula in China.

Last week, BFAD said Lotte Strawberry Snack Koala Biscuit tested positive for melamine contamination.

BFAD on Wednesday also declared 22 milk-related products free of melamine, namely:

Angels First Love Barquillos Fresh Milk Wafer Sticks
Barbecue Candy (MM)
Darrys Milk Choco Candy
Golden Fuji Crisp Tomato Flavor Cracker
Golden Fuji Vegetable Flavor Cracker
Houshuang Winter Mint Candy (MM)
KZ Gundam Long Candy
Lipton Milk Tea (Original Flavour) -- product of Indonesia
Lipton Milk Tea (Vanilla Flavour) -- product of Indonesia
Nice Choice Pineapple Cake
OO Chocolate Bean Candy
Sandwich Biscuits (green wrapper, in Chinese characters)
Sandwich Biscuits (purple wrapper, in Chinese characters)
Sandwich Biscuits (yellow wrapper, in Chinese characters)
Sour Lollipop 2 in 1 (Strawberry, Orange, Pineapple)
Sweet Dart 8.8 Butter Bali Candy
The New Zoland Company Omilk Bonbon Yogurt Milk Soft Drops (grape flavour)
W.L. Sweet Dart Pines Milk Candy
W.L. Sweet Dart Royal Orange Candy
W.L. Yaahoo Cheese Biscuit
Zhongshan Meihua Galletas De Chocola Te Butter with Filling Cake
Zhongshan Meihua Good Taste Sweet-Smelling and Crisp Biscuits (Nutrition Health Foods)

Three other China-made milk products were earlier found to contain high levels of melamine and were banned from the market: Jolly Cow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (1 liter), Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk and Mengniu Drink.

With the latest results, BFAD has so far cleared 166 dairy products for sale.

Customs To Watch Out For Holiday Hams

MANILA, Philippines—With the approach of the holiday season, the Bureau of Customs on Wednesday said it would be scrutinizing imported ham and other meat products.

Ferdinand Tuason, BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service chief, told reporters that while meat is a regulated product, his office decided to examine all products in reefer or refrigerated containers.

“All reefer shipments would be placed under a 100 percent examination. All refrigerated commodities would be placed in our watchlist. This is part of our preemptive measures,” he told reporters.

After coming under fire for the entry of melamine-tainted milk, chocolates and other by-products, the BOC has intensified its monitoring of other imported items such as canned goods, Christmas lights and toys suspected to containing chemicals hazardous to health.

He said the BOC will be taking a “pro-active stance” because the agency is often blamed whenever food products harmful to consumer's health find their way into the local market.

“We would be enforcing strict measures, even if there is no alert, on these commodities even if they are safe to ensure the public's safety,” Tuason added.

Tuason shrugged off instances in the past when the bureau gets blamed whenever other agencies discover food products that were smuggled or found to be hazardous to public health.

“They do not see the enhancements we have been making,” he said, adding that the job of monitoring the arrival of ham and other meat products, for instance, does not only lie on the hands of the bureau but also with other agencies such as the National Meat Inspection Service and the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

Tuason said his office would be working with the bureau's assessment and formal entry divisions in inspecting shipments of ham and other meat products, which usually come from China, Australia, United States and European countries.

Last month, three Customs agents were sacked from their posts after being implicated in an abortive smuggling of four container vans full of frozen pork and meat, misdeclared as mackerel and valued at P11.2 million, which came from China.

32.5 M Filipinos Stood Up vs.Poverty

UN CAMPAIGN
32.5M Filipinos stood up vs poverty


By Thea Alberto



MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has officially gained entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most number of participants in a United Nations-sponsored anti-poverty campaign.

“Stand Up Take Action” got 32.5 million Filipinos to join the three-day activity that was part of the UN's Millenium Development Goal campaign, said Dulce Saret, Campaign and Advocacy Specialist of the United Nations Millenium Campaign.

“No other country can come close to the Philippines as far as mobilizing the largest number of participants is concerned. But more than the numbers, the Stand Up Take Action campaign should result in concrete policy changes and actions that directly address poverty," said Minar Pimple, UN Millennium Campaign deputy director for Asia.

The Philippines registered the largest number of participants among UN-member countries that joined the campaign, with 35,264,652 people, as validated by auditing firm SGV.

Africa came in second with 24,496,151; Arab States 17,847,870; Europe with 951,788; Latin America 211,250; and America with 123,920, among others.

"This is part of advocacy campaign to call to action for everyone to do something to address poverty," said Saret, noting that it was not enough just to sign up for the program.

She said participants had to do concrete actions against poverty like planting trees, taking part in medical missions, pre-natal care, and feeding programs. The campaign also managed to unite religions for the eradication of poverty.

Ironically, the Philippines also holds a high poverty record, with 33 percent of the total population living in this state where they are earning only $1 per day, said Dolores De Quiros-Castillo, assistant secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission

October 31 Is Not A Public Holiday

MANILA, Philippines -- October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day, is not a holiday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Wednesday.

Instead, the Palace is leaving it up to employers to decide whether to allow their employees to go on half-day so that they could prepare for their annual visit

to the cemeteries the following day, Ermita said.

"No, it [October 31] will not be declared a holiday… However, you can recall that it has been a practice, if they [employees] can allow their workers to observe half day to prepare to leave for the province," he said.



Joel Guinto

PGMA Leaves Tomorrow To Attend ASEM Meeting in Beijing

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leaves tomorrow (Thursday) for a five-day trip to China to join 44 other leaders and delegates from Asian and European countries for the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) from Oct. 24 to 25.
The President will be in Beijing on Friday (Oct. 24) in time for the opening ceremonies of the biennial summit aimed at expanding and deepening dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between Asia and Europe.

From Wuhan in Hubei province where she will be meeting with possible investors in the Philippines’ promising automotive industry, the President will fly to the Chinese capital to build and buttress bridges with allies in Asia and Europe to address the global credit crunch.

The ASEM’s latest summit theme is 'Vision and Action -- Towards a Win-Win Solution.'

Held in the midst of challenging times, the meeting of the leaders from the two continents will hold a series of in-depth discussions on international and Asian-European regional politics, the economy, society and culture.

President Arroyo said earlier that the global financial crisis, among other major issues, will be discussed in the summit. She had urged developing and emerging economies “to unite and come up with a coordinated approach to cushion the impact of a collapse of highly developed economies.”

The President had proposed that the “ASEAN + 3” convene on the sidelines of the ASEM Summit to tackle the impact of the current credit crunch.

“ASEAN + 3” is composed of the 10 member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietman – and the three Asian countries to the north, namely, China, Japan and South Korea.

Founded in 1996, ASEM's members now include the ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat, the 27 nations of the European Union (EU), the European Commission; and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Mongolia and Pakistan.

Stock Markets Summary-October 22,2008

PSEI-2093.01 down 23.73
All Shares-1339.94 down 10.20
Gainers-24
Losers-65
Unchanged-34
Traded Issues-123
Volume:887.7 million shares worth 2.177 billion

Financials 542.68 down 6.90
Industrial 2,432.27 up 0.28
Holding Firms 1,033.37 down 4.52
Property 647.06 down 7.74
Services 1,263.38 down 22.58
Mining & Oil 4,430.52 down 102.00

Comelec-Pampanga Validates Recall Petition Vs.Among Ed

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here confirmed that the recall petition against Gov. Eddie Panlilio – “Among Ed” to his supporters – is valid in “form and substance” and endorsed it yesterday to the poll body’s central office which will decide on whether to hold a special election or not.

Provincial Comelec supervisor Temmie Lambino declined to comment on his recommendation on the recall petition, but sources from the poll body’s regional office said his recommendation “clearly indicated” his confirmation of the validity of the petition’s form and substance, as required by law.

“Otherwise, the petition would stop right at the provincial level,” one of the sources said.

Lambino, however, told The STAR that he preferred that the announcement on the petition’s form and substance be made by the Comelec, which still has to further scrutinize his recommendation.

This, even as Lambino clarified that a special gubernatorial election that could arise from the recall petition would cost P24 million if held in just one day, P37 million in two days, and P52 million in three days.

“I think (Comelec Chairman Jose Melo) was thinking of two days when he cited the P40-million cost of the special election for governor in Pampanga,” he said.

In a visit to Pampanga last week, Melo said his agency did not have P40 million to finance such a special election, but added local governments in Pampanga could pitch in for the needed funds.

Board funding

Apparently taking a cue from Melo’s statement, the provincial board has begun moves to allocate P25 million for the exercise. Panlilio though said he would veto this, adding there are more pressing concerns that need funding.

Vice Gov. Joseller “Yeng” Guiao, who presides over the board, said they would override Panlilio’s veto of their funding resolution which was already approved on first reading last Monday.

“It is not right for us to be half-hearted in our support. The support has to be all the way,” he said.

“It (P25-million fund) will be worth the investment based on the clamor of the 224,000 Pampanga folk who signed the recall petition,” he said, adding that the board has not been remiss in approving funds for Panlilio’s projects that were “justified.”

But election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, one of Panlilio’s legal counsels, said the board’s move would be “illegal,” as it would violate Section 305 of the Local Government Code that provides that public funds be spent solely for public purpose and payment of goods and services.

“For sure, recall is not for a public purpose but a partisan political act which is disruptive of public service,” he said.

Macalintal bewailed that the board “cannot raise funds to construct roads, schools and other public facilities but can easily raise P25 million for their own political interests.”

Recall poll timetable

Lambino said the recall petition’s timetable could be affected if Panlilio files a protest before the Comelec, explaining that the law allows recall polls to be held only up to May 9 next year, or one year before the next elections.

Lambino said his recommendation on the recall petition was submitted yesterday to Comelec deputy executive director for operations Bartolome Sinocruz Jr.

He said his action concerned only the form and substance of the petition, as the authenticity of the 224,000 signatures will be validated only after the Comelec confirms his recommendation.

He said Sinocruz has three days to study his recommendation before forwarding it to the Comelec en banc, which will then either confirm or reject the recommendation within 15 days from the filing of the petition last Oct. 15.

Lambino said form and substance refers to the petition’s compliance with the legal requirement for 10 percent of signatures of registered voters in the province.

It also refers to documentary requirements such as a certification from the National Statistics Office on the province’s voting population, a certification from the Department of the Interior and Local Government on when Panlilio took over as governor, and a certification on the P50,000 filing fee paid to the Comelec provincial office.

Loss of confidence

The Kapanalig at Kambilan neng Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan), headed by Rosve Henson, initiated the recall move against Panlilio, citing loss of confidence in his leadership.

The Kambilan submitted the petition to Lambino last Thursday with 224,000 signatures or more than 10 percent of the province’s nearly one million voters.

Should the Comelec affirm the validity of the petition’s form and substance, Lambino said he has 12 days within which to validate each of the 224,000 signatures with the help of municipal and city election officers.

He said additional personnel could be hired for the task. Once the signatures are authenticated, the Comelec would then schedule the special gubernatorial election, he said.

“Gov. Panlilio is automatically a candidate in the recall election and he cannot resign. Otherwise, he could be charged with abandonment of office,” he said.

‘Orchestrated’
In an interview, Panlilio said he would “do all I can” to block moves to oust him from his post.

He said he would file before the Comelec objections to the petition, citing alleged anomalies in the conduct of the signature drive as local government officials “orchestrated” the effort using government vehicles and other resources.

Macalintal insisted that the recall petition against Panlilio is “fatally defective” in form and substance.

He said, “All signatures sheets of those allegedly supporting the recall do not contain a brief narration of the reasons and justifications for the filing of the petition.”

He said this violated Section 8(d) of Comelec Resolution No. 7505 or the Rules for Recall dated June 6, 2005.

Macalintal said the petition “merely cited loss of confidence which does not comply with the strict requirement of the rules.”

“The procedure for recall election should be strictly followed. Thus, a mere statement of loss of confidence is not sufficient, as it cannot be considered as a brief narration of the reasons and justifications of recall as required by the rules,” he said.

Guiao plans to run

Meanwhile, Guiao said he finds nothing illegal or immoral with his plan to run in the special poll despite the move of the provincial board, of which he is the presiding officer, to fund it.

So far, only Guiao has publicly admitted plans to seek the governorship.

“There are already informal discussions among political leaders and civil society groups on who could be fielded as candidate against Panlilio,” he said, but declined to give details.

He, however, said he will run only if all of Panlilio’s critics would support his candidacy