http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/philippines/ en-us Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:39:11 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040125/posts WASHINGTON —Sen. John McCain on Saturday affirmed his family’s ties to the Philippines and expressed his wish to come back after visiting the country several years ago. McCain, the presumptive candidate of US President George W. Bush’s Republican Party, recalled how his father and grandfather had served in the Philippines as soldiers. This apparently served as an icebreaker in his first meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo here on Saturday afternoon... In his remarks to the Philippine media after his meeting with Ms Arroyo, McCain said: “Again we have a long relationship—a warm one, and my family personally has a long... Tha Asian Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040125/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 06:39:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039239/posts MANILA, Philippines, June 30 (UPI) -- The Philippines is pushing for clean coal technologies. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes is calling for incentives supporting new technologies including "bridge fuel" to help avert a power crisis in the near future. Reyes said the government is supporting coal projects that use new technologies that will help to eliminate greenhouse gases. "I understand that this technology is widely used in many countries, like Korea, Germany, U.S. and Japan. Until such time that the renewables will come in and kick in and really be available on a commercial basis, then we still have to use... UPI.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039239/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:36:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034955/posts Stricken ferry 'survivors found' The ferry was en route to Cebu from Manila when it capsized on Saturday Twenty-eight survivors have been found from a Philippine ferry carrying more than 700 people that capsized in a typhoon, a local radio station says. Four other people were found alive earlier, but hundreds remain missing after a rescue ship that reached the upturned vessel found no signs of life. The 28 had been drifting in a life-raft for 24 hours after the ferry tipped over off Sibuyan island, reports said. The Red Cross estimates the storm has left 155 people dead... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034955/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:19:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034640/posts Excerpt - Rescuers who have reached a ferry sunk by a typhoon in the Philippines and carrying more than 700 people say they have recovered only three survivors. The Princess of the Star ran aground after being hit by massive waves caused by typhoon Fengshen. ~ snip ~ Sky News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034640/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:02:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031095/posts Leftist activists belonging to the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) yesterday asked United States (US) Democratic Party presidential standard-bearer Barack Obama to support the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in the event he wins the presidential derby this year. “If he is really against US President George W. Bush’s war on terror, and against Bush’s doctrine and policy of unjust war, the Democrat presidential wannabe should support the resumption of stalled peace talks between the Manila... The Manila Daily Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031095/posts#comment Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:00:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024913/posts The Hunt for American al Qaeda The United States is turning up the heat in the hunt for the California boy turned al Qaeda operative, Adam Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. If caught and convicted, Gadahn could face the death penalty. The State Department along with the Department of Diplomatic Security announced the beginning of a publicity campaign in Afghanistan urging locals to provide any information on Gadahn's whereabouts, with a reward if the information leads to his capture. Radio advertisements with information concerning the $1 million reward have... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024913/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 19:04:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024759/posts INTERVIEW-N.Korean methamphetamines flood Philippines 30 May 2008 09:39:07 GMT Source: Reuters By Manny Mogato MANILA, May 30 (Reuters) - High-grade methamphetamines from North Korea have started to flood the Philippines, reducing street prices of the drug by about 50 percent, the head of the country's drug enforcement agency said on Friday. Dionisio Santiago, a retired general, told Reuters there was strong suspicion a huge shipment of methamphetamines seized at the former U.S. navy base of Subic north of Manila this week came from clandestine drugs laboratories in North Korea. "We've been informed by our counterparts abroad that North Korea has... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024759/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 13:16:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024247/posts TAPEI, Taiwan - Officials say a powerful earthquake has struck at the Pacific Ocean off southeastern Taiwan, but no damage or injuries have been reported. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau says the magnitude 6.8 quake hit at around 9:57 a.m. on Sunday (0157 GMT Sunday). It was faintly felt in Taiwan. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024247/posts#comment Sun, 1 Jun 2008 03:24:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2011538/posts CATHOLIC parishes that allow cross-dressing homosexuals to play female saints in the Santacruzan or Santa Cruz de Mayo procession do not honor but instead insult the Blessed Virgin Mary and will be punished, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, warned on Monday. The punishment is the removal of the faculty for Holy Masses in those parishes. In the Catholic Church, the month of May is devoted to Mary, who is revered as the Mother of God since her son Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Pious Catholics go on pilgrimages to shrines dedicated to the Blessed... Manila Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2011538/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 18:51:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010474/posts Muslim rebels have forced hundreds of mainly Christian families off their farms in the southern Philippines, escalating tensions in the region ahead of the withdrawal of Malaysian peace monitors next week. Rolando Garcia, mayor of Kalamansig town on the troubled southern island of Mindanao, said that heavily-armed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) claimed the farmers' land belonged to the Muslim minority. "We have about 1,200 people in our temporary shelter areas...afraid to return to their farms," Garcia told reporters, adding rice was about to be harvested when the rebels came late on Wednesday. The 11,000-strong MILF is... TVNZ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010474/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 23:41:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005495/posts WASHINGTON, April 22, 2008 – Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano, originally from the Philippines, joined the ranks of his comrades and became an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony here earlier this month. Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano became an American Citizen in Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace on April 12, 2008. Durano, a native of Cubu City, Philippines, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, participated in a naturalization ceremony for 259 deployed soldiers. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Durano, a member of 10th Mountain Division’s Headquarters and Headquarter Battery, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, participated... Face of Defence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005495/posts#comment Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:40:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004839/posts The day after Pope Benedict XVI departed the U.S..., Blaine Harden of the Washington Post lamented the Catholic Church’s influence in the Philippines, specifically, the government of Philippines "acceding to Catholic doctrine" by "supporting only what it calls ‘natural’ family planning," rejecting "modern contraception" as part of family planning." Throughout his article, titled "Birthrates Help Keep Filipinos in Poverty," Harden painted a bleak picture of "the fastest-growing segment of the Philippine population," which is "very poor people with large families," and sought to blame their poverty and backwardness on their following Catholic teaching, brushing aside corruption and other factors that... NewsBusters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004839/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:49:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000718/posts An ancient burial cave was discovered in the Philippine island of Mindanao, south of Manila, and officials have sealed the site to prevent looting of artifacts, many of them jars made from clay. It was not immediately known whether there are other treasures in the cave which was accidentally discovered by quarry diggers yesterday in Maitum town in Sarangani province. The latest discovery in the village of Pinol was near another ancient burial site discovered in 1991 where burial jars, shaped in different human forms, had been recovered inside Ayub cave. Lingling Jabel, owner of the quarry site, informed local... Arab News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000718/posts#comment Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:30:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999042/posts MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Police seized hundreds of components for making bombs in a raid on a suspected terrorist hide-out in the northern Philippines, officials said Wednesday. The target of Tuesday's raid in Laguna province's Alaminos town was Khalid Pagayao, a Filipino allegedly tied to the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network and a plot to bomb Western embassies in the Philippines. However, he was not in the house at the time of the raid, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999042/posts#comment Wed, 9 Apr 2008 17:15:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999039/posts ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - Philippine police have mounted a search for six people abducted by Al-Qaeda-linked Muslim militants from a minibus in the south of the country, police said Wednesday. The six, all local Muslim residents, were passengers on the bus in Maimbung town on the island of Jolo when the militants seized them on Monday, said provincial police chief, Superintendent Julasirim Kasim. "We still don't know the motive for the kidnapping. It could be a personal grudge or anything," Kasim said. Last week, Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized a Muslim schoolteacher, then released her a few hours later. Kasim said... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999039/posts#comment Wed, 9 Apr 2008 17:11:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996335/posts MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Traders found hoarding rice while the country struggles to maintain sufficient stocks of its staple grain could be charged with economic sabotage, a crime that carries a life sentence, the justice secretary said Thursday. Government agents have been raiding warehouses in a hunt for unscrupulous traders and warehouse owners holding on to rice stocks amid spiraling prices and fears of a shortage, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said. The amount of rice hoarded and the resulting effect on the country's economy would determine whether economic sabotage charges could be filed, Gonzalez told The Associated Press. He said... Yahoo! Business News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996335/posts#comment Thu, 3 Apr 2008 22:21:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995304/posts Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995304/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 03:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991095/posts March 24, 2008, 5:00 a.m. Chilling ConfirmationYes, Saddam Hussein was an Islamofascist threat. By Deroy Murdock As Operation Iraqi Freedom is now five years old, a new study confirms that ousting Saddam Hussein was justified and vital to U.S. national security. Though war critics hate to admit it, the Baathist dictator was up to his mustache in aid for Islamofascist terrorism. As a report from the Institute for Defense Analyses explains, “captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism.” IDA’s review of some 600,000 documents discovered in Iraq since... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991095/posts#comment Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:32:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1988342/posts Many people in the Philippines consider crucifixion and self flagellation good for the soul, but it is bad for your health according to new government advice for penitents. This Holy Week, the thousands of guilt stricken or pious worshippers who will flay the skin off their backs, and the handful who will crucify themselves, are encouraged to get a tetanus shot first and be sure to use a clean whip or nails. The Catholic church frowns upon the crucifixions "We are not trying to go against the Lenten tradition here because whipping has somewhat already become some form of ’atonement... Telegraph.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1988342/posts#comment Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:25:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981291/posts Three “Middle Eastern militants” are in custody in the Philippines for plotting to attack the US embassy in Manila, as well as three other embassies in the capital. Authorities suspect them of belonging to either Jemaah Islamiyah or Abu Sayyaf, both terrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda. They describe the plot as at an “advanced” stage, indicating an attack had been imminent: Three suspected Middle Eastern militants have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the U.S. and three other foreign embassies in the Philippines, officials said Thursday.“There is a high probability that they are involved in some... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981291/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 15:00:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981084/posts Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981084/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 01:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963607/posts Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan? It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration's claims wanting. "I'm not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said. Long seen as the "forgotten war" eclipsed by Iraq in U.S. priorities, Afghanistan is in the Washington spotlight this week with the release of three independent reports concluding... Previous Thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963607/posts#comment Sat, 2 Feb 2008 02:55:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973593/posts MANILA (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines met the leader of the country's largest Muslim rebel group on Tuesday in an effort to defuse tensions over U.S. soldiers entering Muslim areas in the south. Earlier this week, thousands of people protested against the U.S. military's plans to hold humanitarian missions in areas controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as part of annual training exercises with Philippine troops. "The U.S. ambassador assured us the U.S. soldiers would not be involved in any combat activities," Mohaqher Iqbal, head of the MILF peace panel with the government, told Reuters.... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973593/posts#comment Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:42:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972678/posts (Updated 8:30 a.m.) A body believed to be that of Indonesian terrorist leader Dulmatin, wanted for the October 2002 Bali bombings, was recovered Monday afternoon by a joint military team in Tawi-Tawi province. Intelligence reports said the body was found 1:30 p.m. at the vicinity of Sitio Salisit in Balimbing village, Panglima Sugala town in Tawi-Tawi. "(The) said corpse was jointly identified by informants with notable wounds in the head, chest and right foot to include clothing in physical characteristics matched with previous revelations," the report said. The body was exhumed for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing for confirmation. Reached for... gmanews.tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972678/posts#comment Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:05:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1451248/posts The Great Raid. Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Marton Csokas and Joseph Fiennes. Miramax. W- Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro. D-John Dahl. Opens 8/12/05. The title threw me. I thought it was a western, maybe something about Jesse James or George Custer. I don’t know why; no one makes westerns anymore. Well, it’s not a western. And it’s not a great title. What it is, however, is the best film I’ve seen so far this year. What’s more, it will be difficult to top. Quite simply, it is amazing. Director John Dahl recreates the gritty reality-based story of one of... Saworship.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1451248/posts#comment Wed, 27 Jul 2005 02:36:15 GMT