Local News 7

Mango's Local News and Info

Archive 7

August 2002 - January 2003

Note: These articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Management, Staff and Employees of Mango's.

Minors working in several nightspots in the Fields Avenue tourists entertainment district
Philippines News Agency
Friday, January 3, 2003 11:03 PM

Angeles City, Jan.3 (PNA) -- The series of discoveries of minors working in several nightspots in the Fields Avenue tourists entertainment district has led to a plan to move the processing and issuance of working permits and licenses from the city health office to the city hall. Acting Mayor Ricardo Zalamea said that the move is now being studied and will be decided soon to stop the anomalous issuance of working licenses to minors.

Zalamea said that Janet Lazatin, assistant secretary to the mayor and chairperson of the city council's subcommittee on the welfare of children, proposed the transfer after reports that young girls were found working in the bars in the Fields Avenue area in Balibago. Reports showed that from late November until Christmas eve, at least five minor girls were found working as dancers in Fields Avenue bars during rescue operation of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Angeles City Police Office (ACPO).

Recently, Chief Insp. Erlinda Tullao, ACPO Women and Children's Protection Desk (WCPD) chief, found two girls aged 14 and 17 working at the Club Camelot. The girls presented to police documents and work permits issued by officials from the city health office.

Supt. Jimmy F. Restua, ACPO director, ordered the filing of charges of exploitation of minors against Club Camelot owner Terrence George Matthews, of 6703 Erika St, Sunset Valley, Angeles City. Rea A. dela Cruz, manager of Club Camelot and resident of Mountain View subdivision, Angeles City was also named in complaints filed by the NBI.

Similar charges were filed by Edilberto S. Marcelo, NBI complainant lawyer, against Thomas Glenn Jarrel, G Spot Bar's Australian manager and supervisors Shirley B. Delbo, and Rita L. Samudio. The NBI said that the club managers were arrested after foreigners from the International Justice Mission (IJM) were able to take out, allegedly on bar fines, three girls from the Club Camelot and G Spot bars.

The accused were detained for one week at the NBI Central Luzon Regional Office and released after posting bail of P56,000 each.

Senior Abu Sayyaf member nabbed
Thursday, January 2, 2003 Posted: 6:13 AM EST (1113 GMT)
Philippines security forces in Zamboanga claim to have apprehended a senior Abu Sayyaf member

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) -- A senior member of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group was captured in a southern Philippine city Thursday, a military spokesman said. Merang Abante, who carries a million peso (US$18,800) bounty on his head, was captured by members of the army's intelligence and a special police task force near the port city of Zamboanga, said Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, spokesman for the Southern Command. Abante was being interrogated, Lucero said, giving no other details.

The Abu Sayyaf seized three Americans and 17 Filipinos from a resort in May 2001 at the start of a kidnapping spree that victimized more than 100 people. One of the Americans, Guillermo Sobero, was killed by the rebels and another, Martin Burnham, died during a rescue operation. Burnham's wife was wounded but recovered by soldiers.

The group is holding four members of the Christian sect Jehovah's Witnesses and three Indonesia tugboat crewmembers kidnapped last year. It has also been blamed for a series of bombings in Zamboanga late last year that killed 12 people, including a U.S. Green Beret, and injured more than 200 other people.

A six-month joint U.S.-Philippine counterterrorism exercise last year has been credited with breaking up the al-Qaida-lined group and tracking down its key leaders. The United States has included the group on its list of foreign terrorists and has indicted ten of its top leaders and members.

BAGUIO, the Philippines, Monday, Dec. 30 (Reuters) - In a surprise announcement, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines said today that she would not seek a new term in 2004 elections, citing the negative effects of political infighting. Mrs. Arroyo was elected vice president under President Joseph Estrada in 1998. She took over the top job in January 2001, when he was ousted during a wave of popular disgust over corruption and cronyism. Mr. Estrada is now on trial on corruption charges.

"If I were to run, it would require a major political effort on my part," she said in a speech in this northern city. "But since I am one of the principal figures in the divisive national events in the last two or three years, our political efforts would result in a never-ending divisiveness." "In view of all these factors," she said, "I have decided not to run for president during the elections in 2004."

Mrs. Arroyo announced her decision amid growing concern among business interests about the country's economic prospects in the face of a raging national budget deficit, poor tax collection efforts and perceptions of increased lawlessness.

"My reading of the political winds tells me that the 2004 elections may well go down in history as among our most bitterly contested elections ever," Mrs. Arroyo said. "This is because of the deep social and political divisions that we now have."

With her decision not to run, Mrs. Arroyo said she felt "relieved of the burden of politics." She added that she intended to devote the last one and a half years of her presidency to strengthening the economy and encouraging business activity "that is unhampered by corruption and red tape in government."

Twelve die in Philippines ambush
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Posted: 9:37 PM EST (0237 GMT)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Suspected Muslim rebels ambushed a Canadian company's workers in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing 12 and injuring 10, the military said. It was the second deadly attack on Mindanao island this week. On Christmas Eve, a bomb made from an 8 mm mortar shell filled with nail fragments exploded outside the home of a town's mayor, killing 17 people.

It was not clear if there was a link between the incidents, which occurred roughly two days and 100 miles apart. The military blamed both attacks on rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). But rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied any involvement, saying "We don't kill innocent people; besides, the MILF is currently negotiating peace with the government."

The isolated, impoverished southern Philippines is home to Muslim guerrillas fighting for self-rule in this predominantly Christian island nation.

But the area is also populated by Muslim tribesmen armed with unlicensed weapons, and clan fighting and personal conflicts abound. In Thursday's attack, dozens of Filipino employees were ambushed by gunmen as they rode in Zamboanga del Norte province.

Police say the MILF had been extorting money from the workers' employer, the Calgary-based mining firm Toronto Ventures Inc. Pacific. The Catholic charity Caritas-Philippines says the Canadian mining company has been harassing tribesmen opposed to mining operations on their ancestral lands, where many of their dead are buried. Company officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

In the Christmas Eve attack in Datu Piang, a small town in Maguindanao province, authorities said Thursday they have detained four suspects. A local army commander blamed MILF rebels, although the regional police chief said initially it was possible that clan rivalries had prompted the attack.

MILF spokesman Kabalu said his forces pulled out of Zamboanga del Norte in June after government troops killed a key leader of the Abu Sayyaf, a smaller but more violent Muslim group linked with al-Qaida. Guerrillas from the communist New People's Army also operate in the area, along with the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF.

Some military and government officials have accused the MILF of supporting the terrorist activities of the Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for kidnapping and beheading foreigners and Filipinos. MILF leaders have denied any links. The Muslim insurgency began three decades ago. Peace talks between the MILF and the government were suspended in October but are expected to resume next month in Malaysia. The two sides signed a shaky 1997 truce.

Earlier this year, the United States sent more than 1,000 soldiers for a joint U.S.-Philippine anti-terrorism training exercise in the southern Philippines. It has been credited with helping Filipino troops break up the Abu Sayyaf and track down key leaders. The six months of maneuvers ended in July, and only about 270 U.S. soldiers stayed on. Most are stationed in Zamboanga for a humanitarian mission on nearby Basilan Island, once the center of Abu Sayyaf operations.

Philippines foreign tourism grows by an average of seven percent in 2002
ANGELES CITY
Tonette Orejas, PDI Central Luzon Desk

The number of foreign tourists who visited the Philippines this year grew by an average of seven percent Ending a four-year downtrend, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon said on Saturday. Records from the Department of Tourism showed a total of 1.85 million foreign arrivals from January to Dec. 21 this year. This surely "indicated an upturn," Gordon said, from 1.78 million last year.

"We have recovered," he pointed out, noting that since last May, the figures had consistently gone up despite advisories issued by several foreign embassies discouraging travels to the Philippines, and amid extensive media coverage of local violent incidents. The DOT reported various percentage increases in tourist arrivals compared with last year's figures for the same periods: 10 percent in May, June and July, 5.7 in August; a rebound to 17 in September, 36 in October, 23 in November, and for the first half of December, 14 percent.

"People from all over the world are beginning to look at the Philippines again," Gordon said when asked what these figures meant. Local spending by the foreign tourists reached an estimated minimum of almost $2.5 billion. If all services for transportation, food, lodging, and souvenir items were factored in, Gordon said, this could even amount to nearly $8.5 billion.

Illustrating in terms of employment opportunities generated, Gordon explained: "One tourist equals one job, practically. And the money went directly to the masses -- taxi drivers, farmers, fishermen, guides." Without citing figures, the DOT chief declared that domestic tourism also grew because of the "holiday economics" policy of President Macapagal-Arroyo, and promotions by local officials, especially in Bohol, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu.

Gordon said these "rekindled in the people the (awareness) that first, we are a beautiful country, and that second, tourism is the fastest way to get back into the game." He credited the end of the slump in the tourism sector to Ms Macapagal's "very good reputation abroad," the DOT's first-ever advertising blitz on international news organizations CNN and BBC, and aggressive promotions.

NBI raids shooing off tourists: bar owners
Sunday, December 22, 2002
By Dante M. Fabian

ANGELES - The entertainment industry is reportedly experiencing a slack in business due to the frequent raids by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Managers of bars in the Fields Avenue tourist entertainment belt explained that tourists have shied away from bars because of the raids on several establishments by NBI in late November. After the raids, NBI agents under the supervision of Atty. Samuel Fiji, acting NBI Central Luzon Regional Office (Celro) director, charged two Australians and three Filipina mamasans for violation of Republic Act 7610 known as the Anti Child Exploitation Law.

Reports showed that the NBI also filed cases of white slavery against the bar managers allegedly for allowing the girls to go out with customers in exchange for "barfines". They said that until now, the same NBI teams continue to frequent bars causing tourists to leave whenever the NBI agents reportedly arrive to check on the employment licenses and documents of female employees.

Bar owners blamed the ineptitude of city health officials in screening applicants after NBI agents rescued three girls aged below 18 years. A mamasan said that the owners and mamasans of Club Fantastic and G Spot bars could have been spared trouble from the charges of child exploitation filed by NBI against them if only the city health officials were strict in enforcing the age regulations.

Some mamasans revealed that city health officials themselves encouraged violation of the "No ID, NO Work" policy by favoring other bars by allowing their dancers to work even without identification cards due to lack of legal requirements. They said that this is often done in the case of applicants who had not even presented their birth certificates. They added that this is presently the primary reason why minors are able to find their way into employment in bars.

They said that the girls have filed their applications with the authorities at the Angeles City social hygiene clinic. They explain that city health officials have given their express permission for the girls to be allowed to work for one week even without the proper documentation. A mamasan said that four underaged girls rescued from the G Spot bar all carried work permits and health records issued by the social hygiene office.

This holiday season, it's not unusual to find fake merchandise and goods flooding the market, including tampered beer. Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) have arrested a man and his helper for selling fake San Miguel Beer (SMB) in Navotas, police officials said yesterday.

Caught filling San Miguel Beer (SMB) bottles with the brew of a rival company were Justino Cabral alias "Jack," 52, and houseboy Gregorio Texon, 17, both natives of Lagunoy, Camarines Sur and residing at Lot 35, Block 28, Phase 2 Area in Navotas. The suspects were arrested on the strength of a search warrant issued by Malabon-Navotas Regional Trial Court Judge Benjamin Antonio. Police nabbed the suspects at 1 p.m. last Friday.

Seized from the two were hundreds of cases, empty and filled bottles of SMB, both Pale Pilsen and Light as well as Beer na Beer bottles. Also confiscated were sacks of bottle crowns, brushes, a push cart, a manually operated bottle capper and an owner-type jeep (TFZ 979).

In a report, the Northern Police District Crime Laboratory Office said the seized specimens showed marked differences in physical properties, particularly in the condition of the crowns as well as visual clarity and the physio-chemical properties of the beer, including carbon dioxide and alcohol content.

George Illustrisimo, a former refiller at Cabral's clandestine "factory," gave the most damaging testimony and led authorities to the suspect's house. In a one-page sworn statement, Illustrisimo described in detail Cabral's operations at the ground floor of a three-story house on Dalag Street, Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas. "Ako ay nagsasalin ng Beer na Beer sa isang stainless container na may gripo at mula dito ay isasalin sa bote ng San Miguel. Bago takpan ay nilalagyan muna ng dry ice," the witness said.

He said the SMB crowns are then put in place using the bottle capper. He said the work is done by some eight to 10 persons everyday following the delivery of some 200 to 300 cases of the relatively cheaper Beer na Beer. Illustrisimo said the tampered products are then distributed to nightclubs, bars and stores, mostly in Malabon and Navotas. He positively identified Cabral as the owner-operator of the re-filling trade.

The suspects have been taken into custody for violating Section 170 of Republic Act 8293, or the Unfair Competition Law, and Article 40 of RA 7394, or the Consumer Act. Police sources said cases of tampered beer in their original bottles are being sold at much cheaper prices to fun houses, where customers, in their drunken stupor, would hardly notice the difference in taste. But one source said a manager of the affected beer firm reported to police that they have been receiving complaints from outlets about the difference in taste.

After some surveillance, police were able to pinpoint the source of the products to a house in Navotas. A test buy was conducted on Nov. 28 and the samples were submitted to the crime lab for testing and analysis. A search warrant was then secured leading to the arrest of the suspects and the confiscation of the products ready for distribution and sale to unsuspecting beer drinkers.

Authorities sack police official who leaked "unvalidated" information on a possible terrorist attack prompting embassy closures

Philippine authorities yesterday sacked a police intelligence official who leaked "unvalidated" information on a possible terrorist attack that prompted the closure of the Australian and Canadian embassies in Makati City late last month. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered the relief of Superintendent George Gaddi as Western Police District (WPD) intelligence chief for telling the two embassies about the supposed terrorist threat without clearing it with higher authorities.

This led the two embassies to shut down on Nov. 28, a move that angered the Philippine government which said the threat was exaggerated and the closures hurt the country�s image. Ebdane was quoted in radio interviews as saying he would recommend Gaddi�s dismissal from the service. He said Gaddi should have "validated" the alleged threat and relayed it through higher officers instead of informing the embassies directly.

It was not stated exactly what Gaddi�s warning was but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer earlier said the threat came from "Islamic extremists, fundamentalist people," who were "targeting specific nationalities," as well as the embassy itself. The European Union mission, in the same building as the Australian embassy, also shut down as a precautionary measure.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said in a statement that "the diplomatic and consular establishments are rest assured that every effort will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again." "I believe that this sorry episode is more the exception than the rule and that members of our intelligence community are, on the whole, competent and responsible officials," he said.

Ople also said he intends to strengthen the lines of communication between the DFA and the intelligence community. "What is important now is for the appropriate agencies in the government to ensure the proper coordination and validation of information in order not to create misunderstandings between the Philippines and foreign governments," he said.

PNP director for intelligence Chief Superintendent Robert Delfin said Gaddi violated protocol in the handling of sensitive intelligence information, such as the alleged threat against the embassies in Makati City. Sources said Gaddi may have leaked information to his foreign counterparts about an unconfirmed report that the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were hatching a plot to bomb the two embassies in Makati City.

Sources also said the information was relayed to Gaddi by a police informant, who said the information came from MILF and Abu Sayyaf members, but the information was not validated. Gaddi, 47, is a member of the PNP Academy batch of 1983. Prior to his assignment at WPD, he was assigned to the National Capital Region Police Office as assistant to the PNP deputy director for intelligence and the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.

Delfin also said Gaddi refused to acknowledge a memorandum the sacked WPD intelligence chief supposedly issued to his foreign counterparts � a document on which the Australian embassy based its closure last Nov. 28. Ebdane and Delfin�s statements regarding the relief of Gaddi bolstered statements made by Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo that there was "no basis in the intelligence information that led to the closures of the embassies."

Ebdane has also ordered WPD director Senior Superintendent Pedro Bulaong to look for Gaddi�s replacement and the PNP directorate for intelligence "to investigate the supposed unauthorized and unnecessary leakage of unvalidated information, which resulted in the closure of the Canadian and Australian embassies." As a result of the fiasco, Ebdane has begun reviewing the protocol on information sharing and said new guidelines will be issued to improve the system.

Meanwhile, Gaddi was described as a "gentle and mild-mannered officer" by the officers of the WPD. "Gaddi is a very responsible officer. I don�t think he would commit such security lapse," a ranking WPD official said on condition of anonymity. The WPD official also did not discount the possibility that Gaddi was a fall guy, "but, since the report was traced to (Gaddi�s) office, there must be a thorough investigation."

Another WPD official said Gaddi has "proven his worth when it comes to gathering intelligence information. He�s just good at intelligence networking, so everything will be done to remove him." The WPD official, however, refused to elaborate. Even Bulaong credited the WPD�s successful operations to Gaddi�s sleuthing skills. "WPD�s previous works and operations were successful because of timely information (Gaddi) gathered from the communit," he said.

A number of WPD officials and personnel said they hold Gaddi in high regard. Meanwhile, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. yesterday ordered Gaddi�s immediate relief. "The relief (of Gaddi) is the preliminary move that the PNP has taken preparatory to whatever final sanctions can be imposed upon him," Lina told Palace reporters.

According to Lina, Gaddi faces a maximum penalty of dismissal from the service if found guilty of leaking unvalidated and unprocessed information. He told The STAR that the DILG has been "quietly" conducting its investigations into Gaddi�s alleged breach of protocol. President Arroyo said Wednesday that the closures were based on "exaggerated information," and that the police official who leaked it should be sanctioned.

"We have to find out if this (breach of protocol) was due to (Gaddi�s) inadvertence. If that was deliberate, that will be determined during the investigations," Lina said. "Preliminary reports point to (Gaddi�s) involvement in this matter, but what is the level of involvement, what kind of involvement, what are the circumstances? Those aspects will have to be looked into more deeply. We cannot judge this on the surface."

Lina stopped short of saying that "politics" was behind Gaddi�s alleged leak, as there were speculations of possible links between Gaddi and former PNP chief, now Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Lina also announced he has set up a hotline at the National Police Commission (Napolcom) which the public can call to complain about "rascals in uniform" as ordered by the President.

The Canadian and Australian missions have not yet reopened but are carrying out their functions in other premises. The two embassies have reportedly said they will relocate and reopen at a safer location. Western diplomatic missions across Southeast Asia have sporadically shut their doors following a wave of threats linked to Osama bin Laden�s al-Qaeda network and its regional allies during the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States. Fears of new attacks have intensified since the Oct. 12 Bali terrorist bombing which killed nearly 200 people and a spate of deadly bomb blasts in the Philippines. Many Australians were killed in the Bali attacks.

On Wednesday, the Japanese embassy in Manila said it had canceled celebrations to mark its national day and the birthday of Emperor Akihito, for fear it might become a target of terrorists. The DFA has raised concerns over the Japanese embassy�s decision to postpone its reception for Japan�s national day and the birthday celebration of Emperor Akihito. DFA Undersecretary Lauro Baja Jr. conveyed the DFA�s displeasure over Japan�s action when Japanese officials visited his office Wednesday afternoon. Baja told the Japanese diplomats their action would adversely affect the Philippines� image. "I asked them if they considered the negative implication of their action on the Philippines."

The DFA undersecretary added that he had attended four receptions for national days over the last 10 days without any untoward incidents happening during that span of time. "Only Japan did and it even came after the successful (state) visit of President Arroyo to Japan." The Japanese embassy has announced it will be open on Dec. 17 and on Dec. 23, the actual birthday of their emperor, despite the cancellation of the reception.

RP not poor enough for more US aid
Posted:0:38 AM (Manila Time) | Dec. 11, 2002
By Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

MESSAGE from the United States to the Philippines: Sorry. You're not poor enough.

Government sources Tuesday said the United States has excluded the country from its new 7.9-billion-dollar anti-poverty aid program for developing economies. Malaca�ang, which had lobbied hard to receive additional aid from the United States after having supported the Bush administration in the international war against terrorism, had already been informed by the US government, the sources said.

The White House had created a corporation headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell to implement the three-year program, which would grant additional American assistance on top of the regular foreign aid coursed through the US Agency for International Development. The sources said 73 countries were pre-qualified to receive the additional assistance in 2004, the year the program starts, but only 10 to 20 will be selected.

"It is unlikely that the Philippines would be included in the first batch because we did not meet the poverty threshold of 1,435 dollars per capita. In short, we are not poor enough," said one government source. Per capita income, which measures average income, is computed by dividing gross domestic product -- the value of the total output of the local economy -- by the population.

In 2001, however, the Philippines' per capita income stood at 970 dollars. This year, it is estimated to reach 1,056 dollars. Dropping the Philippines from its list of beneficiaries, a source said, was the latest blow in the seemingly one-sided relationship of the Macapagal and Bush administrations.

In October, the United States cancelled some 30 million dollars of the 55-million-dollar package included in the Balikatan agreement. Now the Philippines has been taken off the list for the first batch of anti-poverty program beneficiaries. A source said the Philippines may be included in the second and third batches. But for this to happen, the country's economic conditions must first worsen.

Aside from per capita income, the other conditions set by the United States included just administration, investment in people, and promotion of economic freedom. On all three points, the Macapagal administration said it had met the requirements.

Australian nationals have started leaving the country on short notice from their government about "credible and specific threats" from Islamic extremists reportedly on a mission to carry out terrorist attacks against Australian interests here. "We were ordered by our government to leave the Philippines immediately for our own safety," said one of about 150 Australians who boarded separate flights of Qantas Airlines and Philippine Airlines bound for Sydney Thursday night.

The first group consisted mostly of embassy staff and their families, with a mixture of businessmen and consultants to Australian business interests in the country, including those involved in marketing and sales of Australian products. They said the notice was to go back home immediately, according to one Australian, for fear of another bomb attack similar to the Oct. 12 terror bombing in Bali which left almost 200 people killed, mostly Australian tourists.

In contrast to Australians, Canadians and those from the European Union were told to stay and avoid unnecessary travel. Australia, Canada and the European Union closed their embassies on Thursday as a security precaution against "credible and specific terrorist" threats from Islamic extremists. Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao and National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, however, questioned the credibility of such report.

Golez claimed his counterparts in the region indicated the reports of a possible terror attack on the two embassies remained unverified. "We (with other intelligence and security officials) have a continuous assessment, and there is no such specific threat," Golez told The STAR, without elaborating. He insisted that there is no such report of any direct and specific threat against the embassies.

"We gave them a piece of our mind and we said we disputed the credibility of their (Australia and Canada) report," Golez said. "There was no reason for them not to inform us in a reasonable amount of time and manner." Golez claimed the Australian ambassador informed Foreign Secretary Blas Ople around 12 hours before their embassy closed down.

"Proper procedures must be followed. This is a sensitive matter and it concerns us because of the supposed threat is said to be going to take place on Philippine soil," he said. Golez pointed out that the closing of embassies as a security measure on perceived threats was not an act of a friendly nation since the Philippines maintains "a very good intelligence community" to protect their interests.

Tiglao also expressed strong displeasure over the Australian and Canadian authorities who did not even explain satisfactorily nor give fair warning on what prompted them to close down their missions. "They should have shared such information with our intelligence services because after all, although the threat is on an embassy which is technically part of their sovereign soil, it is still within our borders, it means when a terrorist bomb hit or was targeting the Australian embassy, we're responsible too," he said.

Tiglao stressed the Philippine intelligence community is "not sleeping on their jobs." He also disclosed the plan of the Philippine government to put up an "embassy row" along Roxas Boulevard as part of the long-term security measures to help foreign embassies in the country to cope with terrorist threats.

Lawmakers led by Senators Manuel Villar and Robert Jaworksi also called on the Australian and Canadian embassies to make a full disclosure of the so-called specific threats. Sen. Loren Legarda, for her part, claimed the heightened fears on terrorism had been fueled by "the siege mentality that the government has unwittingly adopted."

Both Villar and Jaworski insisted that the two embassies should fully explain why they closed their operations without notifying the local security authorities of the threats. Villar, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, criticized the Department of Foreign Affairs for being "too kind hearted" in taking at face value the explanation of the two diplomats. "Hindi pwede iyong 'okay lang'! (It's not right to simply say 'Okay')," Villar said.

Villar lamented the action of the two embassies claiming it made the worst international impression of the country. "The CNN reports made it look like we were having big problems here. I even received calls from worried friends abroad on what was happening in the country!" he said. Jaworski, for his part, said the Australian and Canadian diplomats have the responsibility to inform the local authorities on the threats they receive for appropriate action.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon pointed out the apparent lack of coordination of the Australian and Canadian intelligence with their Philippine counterparts. Sen. Noli de Castro said it would be better for the Philippine government to determine the veracity of the threats. Sen. Ralph Recto, however, noted that the government would lose at least P2 billion in tourism from the closure of the two embassies.

But for Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, the closure of the embassies is no big deal. "The closure of these two embassies here is actually a show of weakness because instead if deflecting the problem, you make the terrorists win," he said. He cited the case of the United States where it closed its embassies in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. "But the US embassy remains open in Manila," Gordon pointed out.

Gordon emphasized that it is "business as usual" in the case of Philippine tourism. Despite the recent spate of bombings and bomb threats, Gordon said tourist arrivals in the country increased by 36 percent since October. Following the Bali bombings, tourists continue to arrive in the country increasing in numbers for the first time in four years, he said.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza also noted that the US still maintains their diplomatic mission in the country, notwithstanding the constant threat of terror attacks they receive. "There was bombing in Bali but they did not close their embassy there (in Indonesia)." He said more terror attacks are being carried out in other parts of the world than in the Philippines.

Following a closed door meeting with the diplomatic corps last night, Ople said the diplomats and their representatives have been briefed on the security arrangements on their embassies. "The meeting has further eased the burden of anxiety among the diplomatic community," Ople told reporters. For security reasons, Ople did not detail the security arrangements. He only said the Philippine Marines have been assigned to augment the security forces of the embassies.

Meanwhile, a top official of a leading Saudi business group also noted the efforts of the Philippine government to combat terrorism. In a statement, Addullah M. Al Hareky, vice president of the Mohammad Al-Mojil Group (MMG) which hired some 60,000 overseas Filipino workers, cited the diligence of Philippine police authorities in "checking all fronts" to foil any suspected terrorist activity. The Saudi business leader said "no corporate prestige may risk the safety of the Filipino people and your strong Republic."

Red light district lights dim over bomb threats
Posted:9:27 AM (Manila Time) | Nov. 25, 2002
By Jun Malig
Inquirer News Service

ANGELES CITY -- Bomb threats here have prompted police officials to temporarily close the bars and night clubs along the red light district of Fields Avenue, located just outside the main gate of the former Clark Air Base here. Senior Supt. Jimmy Restua, city police director, said his office has received intelligence reports that "a terrorist group" is planning to plant bombs in some bars in Fields Avenue.

The stretch of Fields Avenue and its nearby streets, where scores of bars and clubs are situated, are frequented by foreigners, mostly American and Australian expatriates, and Asian tourists. Restua said they started inspecting the establishments along Fields in Barangay Balibago on Saturday. He said the bars will remain closed until the police complete their inspection. Restua however did not identify which "terrorist group" was cited in the intelligence report. He said he would ask the Philippine Air Force's Special Operations Wing, particularly its K-9 unit, in Clark to help policemen search for bombs and explosives.

Vice Mayor Ricardo Zalamea said he would endorse a resolution to the city council to guide the inspection of all bars and clubs in Fields Avenue. The resolution would also order the police to tighten the security in the area. "There is a threat from terrorists and it is real. We can't just sit and wait until something bad happens. We should do preventive measures to avoid any untoward incident in our city," Zalamea said.

But some employees of establishments in Fields are opposing the temporary closure of their work places. "We don't know why they (policemen) are doing this. They said there are bombs but there is none. Some crazy people just want to create trouble by issuing bomb threats," a night club employee said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has asked local government units to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts with the police and come up with their own anti-terrorism strategies following a bomb attack on a karaoke bar in Zamboanga City. The bomb attack on the karaoke bar killed two people, including an American serviceman who was part of a US contingent of soldiers who were sent to Mindanao to help train Philippine soldiers on anti-terrorism tactics. The attack was followed by two more, another in Zamboanga City and one in Metro Manila.

In the second attack in Zamboanga City, at least six people were killed and dozens were injured when a bomb exploded in a shopping mall at the heart of the city. In Metro Manila, two people were killed and at least 20 were injured when a bomb went off inside a bus that was northbound in Balintawak, Quezon City. The attacks prompted tighter security around places frequented by people in urban centers and in areas considered high-risk to terror attacks.

Philippines Signs Agreement To Host Anti-Terrorism Forces
Washington Post
November 22, 2002
Pg. 36

MANILA --The United States and the Philippines, boosting anti-terrorism cooperation, signed a controversial agreement that will allow U.S. forces to use the Asian country as a supply point for military operations. The Philippines, a former U.S. territory whose own troops are fighting Muslim militants accused of being linked to the al Qaeda network, has been a vociferous supporter of the Washington-led war on terror.

But the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines this year and concerns about Manila's wider involvement in Washington's anti-terror campaign has provoked strong protests in the country, which asked the United States to vacate its permanent bases here in 1992.

The Philippines hosted more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers for about six months to train Filipino forces in counterterrorism, but has stopped short of allowing a permanent U.S. presence in line with its constitution. "The objective of this agreement is to enhance the effectiveness . . .of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. armed forces in the fight against terrorism," Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes told reporters.

Shortly after the signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), about 100 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila to denounce the accord and Washington's threat to launch military strikes against Iraq if it fails to disarm. "The MLSA will make the Philippines a staging area, transit point and recreation spot for U.S. troops in this dirty war," the protesters said in a leaflet.

The pact allows the U.S. military to set up storage centers for ammunition, spare parts, fuel, food and other supplies. But it expressly excludes nuclear or chemical weapons, as well as guided missiles and torpedoes. The U.S. Navy has a logistics base in Singapore.

The forces of globalisation are finally licking away at one of the more bizarre prohibitions in squeaky-clean Singapore. Local authorities have agreed to lift a decade-long ban on the importation and sale of chewing gum - but determined masticators will still need a doctor's prescription before buying the illicit confection.

Under the terms of a new free trade agreement with the United States, Singapore has been forced to relent on a ban that is estimated to have cost American gum manufacturers tens of millions in lost sales. In a compromise deal, chewing gum will be permitted in Singapore, but it must be sugarless, for medicinal purposes and approved for sale by "honest doctors".

"There's a compromise agreement between the two countries, where sugarless gum prescribed by doctors and dentists as having therapeutic benefits will be sold by pharmacists," said chief Singaporean trade negotiator Tommy Koh. "It was a difficult compromise, but in the interests of outstanding issues in the spirit of goodwill that exists between the two delegations, we were extremely ingenious."

US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick described the partial lifting of the ban as a "modest entry point" for chewing gum manufacturers into what was once an important regional market. Singapore imposed the ban in 1992 in response to the escalating costs of removing gum from trains, buses, public buildings and footpaths. There were even claims that subversive chewers were threatening to bring Singapore's underground rail system to a halt by jamming carriage doors.

Those defying the ban have faced fines of up to $1000, but visitors to the island state have still been permitted to bring in modest quantities of gum for their personal consumption. The move to ease the chewing gum ban was first revealed last week by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a visit to Washington to wrap up negotiations on the free trade agreement.

He said the US had been pressing for a complete lifting of the ban. "The issue is quite sticky, but it's not a deal-breaker," quipped the son of Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. Many Singaporeans and foreign residents of the city of four million have regarded the ban as one of the more excessive restrictions on life in a nanny state infamous for over-regulation.

While Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong recently debated lifting a ban on bar-top dancing as a means of shedding the country's straight-laced image, dancing in public can still earn a $5000 fine. Smoking duty-free cigarettes, owning a Playboy magazine and dropping the confetti from government parking coupons are also among a long list of activities that can attract hefty fines.

Investments in the Subic Bay Freeport rose by 63 percent to P1.86 billion in the first nine months of the year from P1.14 billion in the same period last year .

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Felicito C. Payumo said yesterday that the increase in investments "is a clear indication that despite the economic difficulty, the Subic Bay Freeport continues to attract investments, both foreign and local, to boost the local economy and snowball employment in the region."

He also said the Subic Bay Freeport offers an ideal place for investment, citing the strategic location, tax incentives, safe environment and skilled workers. Based on a report from the SBMA Investment Processing Department, there were 140 new business approvals which include 59 new lease agreements and 81 sub-lease agreements which are expected to generate P1.86 billion in committed investments.

Among the top three new investors are H.S. Tek Philippines Inc., SBFZ Petron Express Center, and Lithosteel Construction Corp. H.S. Tek manufactures, fabricates, imports, buys and sells wholesale precision parts and products for various computer related applications and other related products. The company plans to invest P49 million.

SBFZ Petron Express Center retails petroleum and other related products with affiliate businesses such as mini-mart, food and service center and plans to invest P32 million.

Lithosteel Construction Corp. produces and delivers ready-mix concrete products for construction and plans to invest P20 million.

Meanwhile, the Board of Investments (BOI) reported that it has approved new projects worth P350 million. The new investment approvals include the P203-million abaca pulp production of Pulp Specialties Philippines Inc.; the P147.7- million commercial fishing operation of BSJ Fishing and Trading Inc.; and the software development project of Astra (Philippines). PSPI plans to produce commercial abaca pulp grades to cater to specific quality applications. Abaca pulp can be applied in the manufacture of currency paper, tea bags, meat casing, electrolytic condenser, capacitor papers, cigarette papers and industrial filter papers.

BSJ Fishing and Trading Inc. plans to engage in commercial fishing using the purse seining method. It will use active gear and vessels above 20 gross tonnage and over 150 GT.

Astra, on the other hand, is a Japanese-owned firm that intends to design and develop customized or self-contained software systems and applications.

Poor Philippine Muslims See 'Rebel' As A Good Job
Los Angeles Times
November 15, 2002
By Ching-Ching Ni, Times Staff Writer

KASANANGAN, Philippines -- Abdul Mohammed Katar picked up a rifle and joined the rebels when he was 15. He says he had little choice because economic prospects for young Muslim men in the Asian nation with the most Christians are so bleak that the best job offers often came from the guerrillas.

Much the same thinking led him to switch sides when a peace agreement with the government opened the door for some former rebels to join the Philippine army. Katar jumped at the opportunity, which he said didn't feel so much like a betrayal as doing the right thing for his family.

"Most Muslims are discriminated against and they can't find work," said Katar, 28, a sniper who admits killing former comrades in his new role as army sergeant. "I feel good because now I have enough money to support my family and I can send my children to school."

About one in 10 rebels has joined government forces, but that still leaves tens of thousands of Muslim guerrillas, said Henry Pungutan, 32, a former rebel and current army sharpshooter. "Most of my comrades are still up in the mountains; some of them have joined the Abu Sayyaf," he said, referring to a militant group linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Despite its relatively small Muslim population, the Philippines increasingly has become an important front in the global war against terror. Soon after a car packed with explosives killed 191 people in Bali last month, a spate of bombings racked Manila, the capital, and the southern island of Mindanao, where most of the country's Muslims live among a population that is predominantly Roman Catholic.

But the front is wider than domestic issues. Many of Al Qaeda's recent plots, including the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., have been traced back to terrorists who lived or worked in the Philippines. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan last year, radical Muslims with suspected ties to Bin Laden are believed to be moving their jihad to Southeast Asia.

Radicals hope "to establish a fundamentalist Islamic republic comprised of several countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and parts of Thailand and Mindanao," said congressman Prospero A. Pichay Jr., chairman of the committee on national defense. "They want to use the bombings to weaken the resolve of these governments, to destroy the leadership of these governments and to incite the Muslim communities to take up arms against these republics."

Steeped in a history of uprisings, economic disparity and political disenfranchisement, this archipelago of some 7,000 islands has become a fertile breeding ground for foot soldiers fighting a holy war. In recent years, bombings, kidnappings and battles have not only claimed lives but turned the Philippines into a country afraid of itself.

"For an average young Muslim man whose only future, being as ill equipped and poorly educated as he is, maybe a cargo handler in some port, joining the Abu Sayyaf is cool," said congresswoman Imee R. Marcos, daughter of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos. "They give you Oakley sunglasses, a gun, radio equipment and you belong to a brotherhood. If you die, they believe you end up in the garden of earthly delights, so what's the problem?"

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo repeatedly has denounced poverty as "the handmaiden of terrorism," but the Philippine government has been unsuccessful in solving the problem. In this dirt-poor Muslim area in the southern city of Zamboanga, the consequences of that failure are seen in broken shanties and battered lives. Village elders say as many as 90% of residents are unemployed.

"I have 14 children and 33 grandchildren," said 82-year-old Alpa Muallil At-Haj. "Only four of them have jobs, and they are living abroad." All work is hard to come by, but Muslims say Christians are preferred candidates regardless of qualifications. "My son is a licensed engineer, but when the employers look at his resume and see that he is Muslim, they just tell him to come back later," said a 52-year-old former guerrilla who did not want to give his name. "Two years later he still hasn't found anything, while less deserving Christians managed to land jobs."

It is a situation repeated in Islamic communities across the country, say Muslims. "That's why they join the rebels," said Shariff Jullabi, a former senior commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's biggest armed Muslim organization. It considers itself moderate compared with the Abu Sayyaf, a radical splinter group known more for its banditry than its philosophy. Although Jullabi broke with the MILF this summer to lead his own splinter group, he still boasts of an army of "100,000 moujahedeen."

"We don't have to recruit them, they recruit themselves," Jullabi said from his hide-out in Zamboanga. Officials don't buy that. "We are a poor country, we have to admit that," said Gen. Narciso Abaya in Zamboanga, who assumed his post as southern command chief on the day of a department store bombing in April. "But being poor doesn't mean you can violate the law. There are countries poorer than us and they do not do terrorist activities, so what kind of justification is that?"

Officials argue that they have devoted financial resources to fight poverty in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao -- which Manila set up in the mid-1990s to appease Muslim militants demanding a separate state in the south -- but Muslim leaders there apparently failed to take advantage.

"We put in so many millions of dollars for economic development projects, but it went to waste because of corruption and mismanagement," Abaya said. It's no wonder, authorities say, foreign militants have stepped up their recruiting in these poor Muslim neighborhoods.

Just up a dusty dirt path from Kasanangan village is the shuttered two-story building that once housed a charity organization run by Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, a brother-in-law of Bin Laden. Officials suspect Khalifa used the International Islamic Relief Organization as a front to supply money to Philippine rebels and build terrorist networks.

In return, the indigenous groups are believed to be merging their own causes with those of the global terrorist campaigns. "When the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped people in March 2000, their initial demand was for the release of the [1993] World Trade Center bombing mastermind, Ramzi Yousef," Abaya said.

The rebels, however, insist they have nothing to do with Al Qaeda. "We are not connected to the terrorist activities in the other parts of the world," said Jullabi. "Our objective is the regaining of our homeland." Regardless, Philippine officials say they are fighting a two-pronged war.

"Whatever is the category of these groups, whether it's Al Qaeda or a franchise of Al Qaeda, we have to fight it," said Sen. Rodolfo G. Biazon. "But the solution may not just be military. We need to address the economic, social injustice and political roots of the problems."

The Philippine Muslims, known as Moros -- derived from the Spanish for "Moor" -- make up only about 5% of a country of 80 million. They bear a proud tradition as descendants of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu, an Islamic kingdom that ruled the seas long before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

"We do not consider ourselves Filipinos," Jullabi said. "Filipinos are those who surrendered to the Spaniards. We never surrendered." The Moros have a long-standing culture of fierce resistance. At the turn of the last century, American colonial forces subdued the rest of the Philippines but failed to conquer the Muslim south. The adoption of the more powerful .45-caliber automatic was hastened by the army's desire to defeat the Moros.

No matter how impoverished and degraded, the Filipino Muslims kept on fighting, against the Spanish, the Americans and now Manila. Despite periods of peace and the creation of the autonomous region, life has improved little, fueling fears that splinter rebel groups are more likely to join forces with Al Qaeda.

"The problems in Mindanao haven't ended," Marcos said. "Unfortunately we are going to see a lot more violence."

US revises travel advisory to RP: Malaca�ang
Posted:6:04 PM (Manila Time) | Nov. 02, 2002
INQ7.net

THE UNITED STATES has revised its Oct. 23 travel advisory warning on the Philippines, Malaca�ang announced on Saturday. Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said the US State Department has recognized the government's efforts in trying to stop terrorist attacks in the country and expressed satisfaction over security measures being implemented by Philippine police and military.

In a statement, Tiglao said, "We welcome the revision yesterday by the US State Department of its Oct. 23 'travel advisory' to the Philippines, which acknowledged our government's efforts to deter terrorist attacks in our country. "American intelligence warned that such attacks would be launched, in the aftermath of the Bali, Indonesia bombings, in Southeast Asia by Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorists cells linked to the Al Qaeda."

Tiglao quoted the US State Department's Public Announcement on Friday as saying, "Philippine authorities have confirmed that they have put into place extra security measures�to deter possible terrorists attacks and to protect the public, including resident and traveling foreigners."

This Public Announcement, he said, supersedes the earlier travel advisory issued by the US State Department. Tiglao said there are actually two types of what are informally called "travel advisories" by the State Department. Travel warnings, he said, are issued by the State Department "to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country".

A Public Announcement is issued "to disseminate information about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term and/or trans-national conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers," Tiglao said. He said as of today, there are 25 countries that are in the US State Department's list of "Travel Warnings", or countries which it advises Americans to avoid travel to. The Philippines is not in this list.

But Tiglao said the Philippines is on the list of 17 countries that the US has issued Public Announcements on. A US Public Announcement on a particular country, he said, "essentially advises its citizens to exercise caution and vigilance when traveling to that country in the face of short-term terrorists or other threats".

The US issued a travel advisory on the Philippines following a series of alleged "terrorist attacks" in Metro Manila and Mindanao in September and October that have killed at least a dozen people, including an American serviceman, and injured over 100 others. The bombings have been linked to elements of the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front whom the government claims has links to the JI, the Indonesian-based terrorist group. The MILF, which is negotiating for peace with the government, has denied terrorist links. The JI has been placed on the United Nations terror list while the Abu Sayyaf has been declared a terrorist group by the US and Britain.

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The United States on Thursday warned of a high threat of terrorist bombings in the Philippines through the New Year holiday and urged its citizens there to take extra security precautions. The warning, issued by the US embassy in Manila, came as Filipino Marines and elite military units were deployed across the capital ahead of a long holiday weekend and follows last week's State Department advisory for Americans to avoid travel to some areas of the Philippines.

"Information available to the United States government suggests terrorist groups may be planning to attempt bombing attacks in public areas in the Philippines from now through the Christmas-New Year holiday period," the embassy said in a notice to US citizens in the country. "These areas include shopping malls and other public gathering places, such as cemeteries and night spots, in the Metro Manila area during and after the upcoming holiday weekend for All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day," it said.

The notice, made available to AFP in Washington by the State Department, said that embassy officials "judge that the terrorist threat to official and private Americans in the Philippines remains high." Authorities in the Philippines said earlier Thursday that the military had been placed on full alert for this week but President Gloria Arroyo assured the public that they could visit cemeteries and relax in malls without "fear of terrorist attacks." "I would like to assure the safety of our countrymen, that is why we have Marines guarding the malls," she said in a statement from the United States where she is now visiting.

It was unclear if the increased military presence would last beyond this weekend when millions of Filipinos troop to cemeteries for an overnight stay to commemorate their dead. However, the US notice made clear that the threat extended over the next two months. The embassy advised US citizens in the Philippines to "exercise special caution" in shopping malls and on public transportation and to avoid crowded places, such as nightclubs and bars, until the end of the year. It noted bombings and other attacks in the southern Philippines and Manila that have killed 23 people this month and reminded US citizens of recent terrorist activity in Southeast Asia in past weeks, an apparent reference to the deadly October 12 bombing in the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

"In light of recent terrorist activity in the Philippines and in the region, it remains prudent to assume that terrorists are targeting Americans or others in the Philippines," the notice said. The Indonesia bombing, which killed more than 190 people many of them westerners, has been blamed on associates of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network which US and other officials believe is stepping up operations in the region.

Some intelligence services believe al-Qaeda also has connections with the Philippines rebel Abu Sayyaf Group which has kidnapped and murdered a number of Filipinos, Americans and other foreign tourists since April 2000,Thursday's embassy warning was issued eight days after the State Department urged US citizens to avoid all travel to the central, southern and western Philippines areas of Mindano, including Zamboanga City and General Santos City because of the recent bombings.

"US citizens should also avoid travel to the islands of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Jolo" in the Sulu archipelago, the department said on October 23, adding that resident US officials and contractors have all been withdrawn from these areas.

Suspect in thwarted school bombing freed
By John Unson
The Philippine Star 10/31/2002

COTABATO CITY � A self-confessed member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who was caught allegedly rigging a powerful explosive inside the office of the Cotabato City State Polytechnic College�s dean recently, is now free on bail. Senior Superintendent Sangacala Dampac, city police chief, said they did not expect the suspect, Montaser Guiday, to be allowed to post bail because of the seriousness of the offense.

"Although no one was hurt in that supposed bombing because the local police and the Army�s bomb experts were able to defuse the bomb promptly, the attempt to explode it inside a government-owned school was something extremely bad," he said. The court allowed Guiday to post P60,000 bail for his temporary liberty.

Capt. Ferdinand Escalante, commanding officer of the Army�s 6th Ordnance and Explosives Detachment here, said the bomb planted inside the dean�s office was made of TNT with an intricate blasting contraption, indicating that the man who rigged it was well-versed in fabricating improvised explosives.

Guiday admitted during police interrogation that the failed bombing was a test mission for him after being trained, along with 59 others, in the handling of explosives in an MILF enclave in Central Mindanao. Guiday reportedly posted bail just days after 35-year-old Abdulbasit Usman, the primary suspect in the April 21 bombing of the Fitmart department store in General Santos City, escaped from the custody of the Sarangani police.

Usman was tagged by Ahmad Saluan and Nor Mohammad Umog, arrested leaders of the Abu Sayyaf�s Al-Ghazie extortion ring, as the one they hired to produce the homemade explosive they used in the Fitmart bombing. The blast, which left 15 people dead and 55 others wounded, was the worst ever in General Santos.

Dampac said he has fielded intelligence agents to monitor the movements of Guiday and restrain him from possibly carrying out another bombing in the city. "We cannot do anything about his release because his detention and supposed continuing prosecution is not within our jurisdiction. It is the court that has the final say on this," he said.

Senate passes dual citizenship bill, SPAV
Posted:11:05 PM (Manila Time) | Oct. 23, 2002
By Rocky Nazareno
Inquirer News Service

THE SENATE on Wednesday passed on third and final reading the bill granting Dual Citizenship and the Special Asset Management Companies Act (formerly SPAV). With only opposition Sen. Rodolfo Biazon abstaining, the Senate approved Senate Bill 2130 that is expected to benefit the more than 1.7 million naturalized Filipinos in the United States alone.

"Once a Pinoy, always a proud Pinoy,'' declared principal author Senate President Franklin Drilon. Under the new law, Filipinos who have already acquired foreign citizenship need only to present evidence that his or her father or mother is Filipino to be able to acquire dual citizenship.

SB 2130 amended Commonwealth Act No. 63 of 1936 which provided that a pledge of allegiance to another country would mean that a Filipino automatically loses his or her Filipino citizenship. The new law provides that natural-born Filipinos who have become foreign citizens shall retain their Philippine citizenship unless they freely renounce it under oath.

"We are glad to have fulfilled the aspiration of many of our countrymen who would have wanted to come back to our country and retire here,'' Drilon said. The new SAMC law would allow more than three billion dollars in foreign investments to pour into the country and inject life to the 600 billion pesos in non-performing assets (NPAs) of the banking industry.

On a vote of 16-2, the Senate approved Senate Bill 2116, formerly known as the Special Purpose Assets Vehicle (SPAV) bill. In hailing the passage of the first "landmark economic measure'' of the Senate, SB 2116 principal author Sen. Ralph Recto said the SAMC law "will provide equal incentives and equal application of the law to the borrowers, financial institutions (FI) and the SAMCs.''

Recto underscored that with the adoption of the SAMC law, banks would now be able to dispose and even realize some profit from their NPAs which comprise 18 percent of the total assets of the banking industry amounting to 600 billion pesos. The SAMC law provides incentives in the form of exempting the SAMC, FI and borrower from paying taxes in SAMC transactions including capital gains, value-added and documentary stamp taxes.

The new law also gives a 50 percent discount on the fees and charges on SAMC transactions like those charged by the Land Registration Authority, docket fees and all other registration fees. The House of Representatives earlier passed on third reading its version of the bill. Senator Aquilino Pimentel and Teresa Aquino-Oreta said they cast a negative vote because only those big businesses with unpaid loans to the government would benefit from the measure.

The bill defines non-performing loans (NPL) as loans and receivables whose principal and/or interest have remained unpaid for at least 180 days and the real and other property owned and acquired assets (ROPOA) as real and other properties owned or acquired by the banks and other financial institutions, in settlement of loans and receivables.

Philippine suspects caught building bomb
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 Posted: 8:37 AM EDT (1237 GMT)

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- Five men have been arrested as suspects in a series of deadly bombings in the southern Philippines, apparently while building a bomb for a new attack, officials say. The men, named by police as members of the Islamic guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf, were arrested Tuesday afternoon as they were allegedly constructing a device intended for a fourth attack in the predominantly Christian city of Zamboanga.

The suspects were flown to Manila Wednesday where, in a ceremony before the cameras of the media, they were presented to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo by Zamboanga's mayor. "They were virtually caught in the act of preparing for the next bombing," Arroyo said during a televised ceremony before the media. She added her congratulations to "the intelligence people" who had helped uncover the plot and track down the group.

According to the Philippine National Police Commission the men, all Filipino Muslims between the ages of 18-27, were arrested in a house surrounded by bomb-making materials and other items including a map of Zamboanga city. The group is thought to have been involved in three separate bomb attacks in Zamboanga.

Baggage ticket clue

On Sunday a Philippine marine died and 19 others were wounded when explosives packed inside a bicycle frame detonated outside a Roman Catholic shrine. Days earlier on October 17, two explosions in Zamboanga's central shopping district killed seven people and wounded 16.

According to police a baggage claim ticket from a department store where one of the explosions occurred was found inside the house where the five men were arrested. Police say they believe a bomb was planted in a bag and checked into the claim area, where customers leave their bags before shopping.

Another blast at the beginning of the month, also in Zamboanga, killed four people, including a U.S. Green Beret commando, and injured two dozen others. Speaking to reporters Wednesday Superintendent Eduardo Matillano, director of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said the men had effectively admitted to carrying out the attacks.

"There was an admission on their part that they were responsible for the bombing," he said, without elaborating.

Evidence

During the arrests police also seized two .45 caliber handguns from the men, a manual on making car bombs and a receipt for the purchase of the bicycle believed to have been used in the shrine bombing. Other items confiscated as evidence included a crucifix and religious pamphlets that police said were used for the shrine bombing operation, a bicycle tool, a map of Zamboanga and unspecified white powder in plastic bags.

Also found were alarm clocks and cell phones that police said could have been used to build timing devices and triggers for further bombs. Zamboanga officials said the apartment had been rented on October 9 and that up to nine people had been seen there at nighttime meetings. Several cell phones and alarm clocks were recovered, along with plastic bottles filled with gasoline.

The men are mostly from Basilan Island, off the coast of Zamboanga Island. Basilan is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf -- a group which intelligence officials say has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network. Earlier this year, about 1,000 American troops and Special Forces spent six months in the southern Philippines in counter-terrorism exercises aimed at helping the Philippine military fight the Abu Sayyaf.

Meanwhile, authorities say they have yet to ascertain who might be behind a bus explosion last Friday outside the capital Manila, which killed two people and wounded at least 19 others. Philippines investigators have noted that the blast had similarities to a spate of bombings in Metro Manila in 2000, now being linked to the Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiah -- a group also thought to have links with al Qaeda.

Police say they believe the bus bomb may have been set off using a cell phone as a triggering device.

Dick Gordon expects to "lure" tourists turned off by the Bali bomb blasts
Max Soliven's Column-Philippine Star
October 16,2002

The most laughable quote of the week, of course, comes from Desperate Dick Gordon, our unsuccessful Secretary of Tourism. Our reporter informs me that Gordon told the House Appropriations Committee yesterday that last Saturday night�s bombing in Bali could boost tourism arrivals in the Philippines. Aside from the obviously disgusting bad taste of such a remark at this time of agony for the Australians (who suffered the most fatalities by far) and the Indonesians, who�ve seen their national reputation go bust, not to mention the other countries who lost dozens of their own, Gordon�s self-delusion and fantastic flight of fantasy are beyond belief.

What does he mean? How can we possibly convince the Aussies who fled in panic from Bali and the rest of the terrorism-terrified world that our beach resorts and other tourist destinations are "safer" than Bali. Everyone on this planet, except perhaps in Darkest Africa or the Empty Quarter of the Sahara, has heard of the dreadful Abu Sayyaf, or the Moro rebels who cut off heads, or the New People�s Army insurgents, or, heck, the Ativan Gang, the Pentagon, and other troublemakers here. Shucks, even the pollution in Metro Manila. Or the bombings in GenSan, Zamboanga City, Kidapawan � and, yes, in year 2000, those blasts in Metro Manila.

Some are even aware of the fact that Ramzi Yousef, the al-Qaeda bomb-expert who was the first to attempt to blow up the World Trade Center in New York, spent months here to train the Abus and other Moro terrorist cells in Metro Manila in the art of bomb-making, and, in fact, hatched the Bojinka Plot to blow up the Pope and hijack American airliners in the Pacific to be aimed as bomb-carrying missiles at specific targets. Here is where the first intimations of 9/11 were discovered.

And Dick expects to "lure" tourists turned off by the Bali bomb blasts here? In his dreams.

Gordon mulls tapping Sayyaf rebs as tourist guides
By Cecille Suerte Felipe
The Philippine Star 10/09/2002

Coming soon: Abu Sayyaf guerrillas as tourist guides in what could be a "Survivor" series in Mindanao.

This novel idea was broached yesterday by Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, who said he intends to "convert" members of the notorious bandit group and prod them toward more productive pursuits. "I'll make them part of tourism promotion in Minda-nao," said Gordon, referring to the marketing program of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Gordon said Abu Sayyaf members carry out illegal activities, such as kidnapping for ransom, in order to provide for their families. His position virtually supported apprehensions of Foreign Secretary Blas Ople that poverty could give rise to more terrorism in Mindanao.

One of the most infamous capers of the Abu Sayyaf was the raid on Dos Palmas resort in Palawan on May 27 last year, in which the bandits abducted 20 Filipinos and foreigners, including a US missionary couple. The crisis ended only last June with the deaths of American hostage Martin Burnham and Filipina nurse Edibora Yap, and the rescue of Burnham's wife Gracia.

Thirteen months before the Dos Palmas caper, a faction of the Abu Sayyaf also raided the island resort of Sipadan in Malaysia. The victims, from several countries, were held ties in Sulu. Gordon, however, believes that if the Abu Sayyaf have the chance to work legally, they would definitely cease and desist from their kidnapping-for-ransom, beheading, and other unsavory activities.

As part of the government's effort to enhance investment opportunities and improve the tourism industry, the DOT and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) agreed to grant tax discounts to tourism development zones and tourism estates, which are also called "tourism economic zones."

Gordon said DOT would also support the establishment and operations of viable, world-class and environment friendly economic zones in suitable and strategic locations specifically in the countryside. In addition, Gordon noted that the tourism enterprise zone would also provide a "one-stop shop" to facilitate investment and eliminate costly, long drawn-out and confusing processing.

"It will make investing easier and lower the cost of uncertainty of interaction," he said.

Survey: RP slips down in corruption list
Posted: 11:52 PM (Manila Time) | Aug. 29, 2002
By Carlito Pablo
Inquirer News Service

CORRUPTION in the Philippines worsened this year compared to 2001, according to a global survey conducted by anti-graft watchdog Transparency International. Among the 102 countries ranked in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2002 (CPI), the Philippines' ranking slipped to 77th in a tie with Pakistan, Romania and Zambia. Last year, the country ranked 65th along with Guatemala, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

Transparency International's CPI reflects the "degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." The CPI is a "composite index" drawn from different polls by independent institutions that were "carried out among business people and country analysts, including surveys of residents, both local and expatriate." The highest score in Transparency International's CPI is 10.

For this year, the Philippines' CPI score was 2.6 based on 11 surveys used by Transparency International. In 2001, the country's CPI score was 2.1 based on the same number of surveys. In a statement, Transparency International said that 70 of the 102 countries ranked scored "less than 5 out of a clean score of 10."

These include many of the most poverty-stricken countries like the Philippines while countries with a score of higher than 9, with very low levels of perceived corruption, are predominantly rich countries. Finland ranked number one with a CPI of 9.7, with Denmark and New Zealand tying at second place with a CPI of 9.5. The country's number one ally, the US, scored a CPI of 7.7 and ranked 16th, while Japan had 7.1 and 20th in country ranking. Among Asian nations, Singapore did best with a CPI of 9.3, landing 5th in country ranking. Hong Kong had a CPI 8.2 and country rank of 14th while China, which now rules the former British territory, scored a CPI of 3.5 and was way back in 59th place. Bangladesh was at the bottom list with the CPI of 1.2.

Transparency International chair Peter Eigen had harsh words for "political elites and their cronies (who) continue to take kickbacks at every opportunity." "Hand in glove with corrupt business people, they are trapping whole nations in poverty and hampering sustainable development," Eigen said at the launch of his group's report in Berlin. "Politicians increasingly pay lip service to the fight against corruption but they fail to act on the clear message of TI's CPI: that they must clamp down on corruption to break the vicious cycle of poverty and graft," he also said.

"Corrupt political elites in the developing world, working hand-in-hand with greedy business people and unscrupulous investors, are putting private gain before the welfare of citizens and the economic development of their countries," Eigen added.

Some people just don't know when it's best to keep their mouths shut. Case in point was Philippine Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon's speech in New Jersey last Monday. Addressing a group of 4,000 Filipinos working in America, Mr. Gordon advised his countrymen to move back home where it is safe because America is a dangerous hotbed of terrorism. He went on to criticize American culture for having a corrupting influence on Filipinos who move there.

Any visitor to Manila knows that the Philippines has its own unattractive elements that corrupt Filipinos, and maybe one or two Americans as well. But leaving aside the secretary's morality argument, his other points are even more groundless. Last time we checked, in America -- unlike in the Philippine archipelago -- shopping malls aren't bombed and foreign tourists and business executives aren't regularly kidnapped and held for ransom. Beheadings aren't common in the U.S. either.

Perhaps worst of all was the bad taste shown by Mr. Gordon, especially as a representative of his government. Not far from the empty hole where the World Trade Center once stood, his attack on the U.S. smacks of ungratefulness to an ally and financial backer. In the last year alone America has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and has provided the superior technical and logistical support needed to combat the Abu Sayyaf terrorists rampaging the southern islands.

In bidding Filipinos to come home, the tourism chief neglected to mention the reason Filipinos live in the U.S. in the first place: There are job opportunities there. Sadly, most Filipinos abroad don't have the option of moving home because the laggard economy won't support them. The depressed domestic labor market has made the Philippines the largest exporter of skilled labor in the world.

In his litany of slurs against America, Secretary Gordon seems to have forgotten that America is the most important friend the Philippines has. After a century of partnerships, the two nations now are on the same side in the war on global terror. These facts weren't lost on the 4,000 Filipinos in Mr. Gordon's audience last week. They booed him off stage.

The meddling Catholic Church
Posted: 11:36 PM (Manila Time) | Aug. 21, 2002
Inquirer News Service

THE CATHOLIC Church should stop interfering in the government's population control program. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), hinted that the Church would campaign against politicians who would push for a more aggressive population control program. The contravida in the government's efforts to slow down the galloping population growth is the Catholic Church. It requires the faithful to use only the old and largely ineffective methods of birth control.

By the year 2010, the country's population is expected to grow to 100 million from the present 80 million. Geez! How can 100 million people be accommodated in such a small country? How can the country feed 100 million people on the already limited resources-resources that have been substantially reduced by dynamite fishing and deforestation? How can the country's labor market accommodate a big additional workforce when at present jobs are scarce?

The Catholic Church doesn't care a hoot whether the population reaches 100 million or 200 million. It doesn't care whether people will die in the streets of starvation and diseases. It doesn't care whether crime will go unabated as a result of the crush of a very large population. It doesn't care whether people will be driven to commit crime because they can't find employment. What the priests and bishops care about is that there will be a big addition to the Catholic Church by the year 2010. And that means a lot of money.

We'll never progress as a nation if government leaders allow themselves to be dictated upon by the Catholic Church, or any other church for that matter. Italy, a staunch Catholic country in Europe and seat of the Roman Catholic Church, was just like the Philippines decades ago. The Church dictated what policies the Italian government should adopt in vital issues like divorce and population control. But the Italian Parliament went against the wishes of the Church and passed laws on divorce and family planning. The Church could not do anything but go along with the Italian people's wish.

The Italians just followed Christ's injunction: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Leave spiritual matters to the Church and mundane matters to the government. As simple as that.

August 17, 2002
After 10 long years and a successful closure of all the nightclubs in the former red light district of Ermita, the Supreme Court finally declared yesterday that former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim's raids on these girlie joints are illegal.

Justice Antonio Carpio upheld the December 1992 ruling of the Manila regional trial court and the March 1993 decision of the Court of Appeals since the feisty mayor violated the rights of New Bangkok Club and Exotic Garden Restaurant. In a 13-page decision, the high tribunal likewise held that local chief executives don't have the authority to close down business establishments in the guise of inspecting whether there are violations in their business permits.

"Lim's zeal in his campaign against prostitution is commendable. However, there is no excusing Lim for arbitrarily closing down, without due process of law, the business operations of Bistro Pigalle Inc. (the clubs' owner)," the SC said. Bistro said Lim unilaterally closed down their operations even before their license could expire, stopped the staff's work, and refused to renew their license for 1993, without hearing them out and filing charges for any violation of any law.

"The mayor has no power to order a police raid on these establishments in the guise of inspecting or investigating these commercial establishments," the SC said, saying this job belongs to either the city health officer or the city treasurer. The SC also reiterated: "Lim has no authority to close down Bistro's business or any business establishment in Manila without the due process of law."

Subic Freeport exceeds first-half expectations
Posted:3:51 AM (Manila Time) | Aug. 05, 2002
By Jerry Esplanada
Inquirer News Service

DON'T be surprised if you see Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chair Felicito Payumo grinning from ear to ear these days. "The first semester of 2002 has been great. The Subic Freeport's performance during the first six months exceeded results during the same period last year despite the worldwide economic slump after Sept. 11," Payumo told the Inquirer on Saturday. That is why, the former Bataan legislator said, "the Freeport community is feeling good."

"We informed Malaca�ang about the good news the weekend before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (last July 22)," Payumo also said. Payumo disclosed he was "even more bullish about our second semester performance," citing the following indicators: Freeport exports totaled $701 million, an increase of nearly 50 percent over Jan.-June 2001 figures; P1.58 billion in new investments were committed, 150 percent higher than last year's figures; total workforce as of June 30 was 49,922, an increase of 29.1 percent; revenue collections were up by 19 percent to P1.56 billion; and, tourist arrivals totaled 4.5 million, an increase of 169 percent.

Payumo said he was "sure the Macapagal-Arroyo administration would be pleased with these indicators because while others were not so good, ours showed positive percentage changes." When interviewed, he credited the nearly 50-percent increase in first semester exports to the "opening of new manufacturing plants and the expansion of existing ones." "The last quarter production is traditionally higher, so we expect even higher results for the second half of the year," Payumo said.

When he assumed the top SBMA post in 1998, the Freeport's exports amounted to only $544 million. "The following year, they breached the $1-billion mark. In 2000, they totaled $1.23 billion. Last year, it dipped slightly to $1.08 billion. This year, our target is $1.5 billion. As of June 30, we're already in the $700 million level," Payumo pointed out.

Wistron Infocomm Philippines (formerly Acer), maker of personal computers and laptops, was the Freeport's top performer -- with exports of $580.6 million -- during the first six months of the year. According to Payumo, the company "closed down their plant in Europe due to the weak electronics market and consolidated their production in Subic, their most cost-competitive facility which, by the way, won over their Shanghai plant despite the low labor cost in China."

The Freeport's other top producers included Sanyo Denki, the Japanese computer parts manufacturer that exported a total of $21 million, while air-conditioner makers Taiwan Hitachi and wood processor Juken Sangyo registered $7.4 million and $6.4 million in exports. In his five-page report to Malaca�ang, Payumo noted that the Freeport was "on track with its job creation mandate, the core of President Macapagal�s poverty alleviation program."

"For nearly four years now, employment in the Freeport has been on the upend. From January to June, some 10,200 new workers were hired by locator-companies, bringing the total to 49,922, which is 29.1 percent higher than last year's figure of 38,650," he said. Last May, the President witnessed the inauguration of the $100-million production facility of Sankyo Seiki, a Japanese firm that manufactures micromotors for computers. Initially, the company committed to hire 3,500 local workers but later increased the number to 8,000 following an expansion move.

Including employees of SBMA and its subsidiary, Freeport Services Corp., the Freeport's total workforce reached 54,922, which was 83 percent higher than its peak employment level of 30,000 when it was still a US naval facility. During the first semester, a total of 81 new investments worth P1,581,956,629 were approved by the SBMA board. "That's a 150-percent jump from the P600 million in investments for the same period in 2001. The new investments covered manufacturing, trading, IT services, restaurant and other tourism-oriented operations," Payumo noted.

Japanese investors Juken Sangyo and Sankyo Seiki expanded their manufacturing plants as they leased additional space barely months after the start of their operations. From 4.7 hectares, Juken Sangyo now has 8.8 ha while Sankyo Seiki's area was increased to 9.6 ha from 6.6 ha. Payumo said he was "very pleased with the investor community who serves as our promoters and marketers because the investors are more credible, having been in Subic and the fact that they're still there and they're expanding, definitely a more effective advertisement than I can make." Meanwhile, "a temporary setback is now Reese Brothers Philippines, a call center, due to the financial difficulties besetting WorldCom, the mother company of MCI which happens to be the center's major client," Payumo disclosed.

Back to the good news. Payumo cited the hefty P1.56-billion remittance of the Freeport to the National Treasury. The combined collections of duties and taxes by the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue were up 24 percent from last year's P1.25 billion, he said. "It is remarkable that Subic Freeport was able to increase its contribution to the National Treasury while economic difficulty is felt everywhere. Equally remarkable was the assistance it provided to several neighboring towns and cities," said the SBMA chair.

For the first time since SBMA's creation in 1992, local government units directly affected by the declaration of the Freeport Zone got their 2-percent share of the 5-percent gross income taxes paid by business establishments operating in the Freeport. LGU developments funds were reverted back to the National Treasury during the "previous administration." A total of P30,994,135 in revenue share went to the towns of Hermosa, Morong and Dinalupihan in Bataan and Subic, San Antonio, Castillejos and San Marcelino in Zambales. An additional revenue share of P3.19 million went to the municipalities of Dinalupihan and Hermosa; Porac and Floridablanca in Pampanga, and the cities of Angeles and Olongapo, came from the Subic-Clark pipeline project of Coastal Petroleum. Funds given were in proportion to the length of pipeline traversing each town or city.

News and Info Current		News and Info Archive 11	12/04 - 12/05
News and Info Archive 10	1/04 - 12/04	News and Info Archive 9	7/03 - 12/03
News and Info Archive 8	1/03 - 6/03	News and Info Archive 7	8/02 - 1/03
News and Info Archive 6	3/02 - 7/02	News and Info Archive 5	3/02 - 2/02
News and Info Archive 4	1/02 - 11/01	News and Info Archive 3	11/01 - 7/01
News and Info Archive 2	3/01 - 2/00	News and Info Archive 1	- 1999

	Minors working in several nightspots in the Fields Avenue entertainment district
	Senior Abu Sayyaf member nabbed
	Philippine Leader Won't Run in '04
	Twelve die in Philippines ambush
	Philippines foreign tourism grows by an average of seven percent in 2002
	NBI raids shooing off tourists: bar owners
	'Tampered' beer seized in Navotas
	Authorities sack official who leaked "unvalidated" info prompting embassy closures
	RP not poor enough for more US aid
	Australian Exoudous
	Red light district lights dim over bomb threats
	Philippines Signs Agreement To Host Anti-Terrorism Forces
	Singapore eases up on gum control
	Investments in the Subic Bay Freeport rose by 63 percent
	Poor Philippine Muslims See 'Rebel' As A Good Job
	US revises travel advisory to Philippines
	Senate passes dual citizenship bill, SPAV
	US says terror threat high in Philippines through New Year
	Suspect in thwarted school bombing freed
	Philippine suspects caught building bomb
	Dick Gordon expects to "lure" tourists turned off by the Bali bomb blasts
	Gordon mulls tapping Sayyaf rebs as tourist guides
	Survey: RP slips down in corruption list
	Loose Lips
	The meddling Catholic Church
	Supreme Court declares closure of Ermita nightclubs illegal
	Subic Freeport exceeds first-half expectations