Latest News in the Philippines

Ramadan 2010

2010-09-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

The Ramadan just got finished yesterday followed by Eid ul Fittr celebrated by Muslims all over the world.
Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان‎ Ramaḍān, Arabic pronunciation: [rɑmɑdˤɑːn]) (also Ramadhan, Ramadaan , Ramazan ) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn until sunset.^[1] Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and spirituality. It is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله‎, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

Eid Mubarak!

Chinese Ambassador on Hostage Probe

2010-09-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines is satisfied with the conduct of the investigation on the August 23 hostage tragedy in Manila, which claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists.

This was the message of Ambassador Liu Juanchao during his courtesy call to Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday morning.

In a report over QTV's “News on Q," Liu extended the Chinese government's appreciation of the sympathy expressed by the Philippine government over the deaths and injuries of the tourists, most of them Chinese nationals.

This page requires a higher version browser He likewise made assurances that the incident will not affect the strong ties between China and the Philippines.

"I think everything is moving in the right direction. We appreciate the leadership of the President in handling the aftermath issues of the incident," Liu said in the report.

On August 23, dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza held hostage a busload of Hong Kong tourists right in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, and demanded for his reinstatement to the police force.

TV Personalities feel Hongkong's Anger

2010-08-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Even well-known personalities, including the sister of President Benigno Aquino III and the son of former president Joseph Estrada, had a taste of the growing backlash of outrage in the wake of Monday’s bloody hostage-taking in Manila, which left eight Hong Kong tourists and the Filipino hostage-taker dead. Senator Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada said his passport was thrown at him by an immigration officer upon his arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on Friday. According to Estrada, the immigration officer was apparently incensed when he saw on the passport that the arriving visitor was a Filipino. Estrada however said that he chose to shrug off the incident since he understood the grief Hong Kong residents felt after the bloody incident four days ago.

Hostage Taker Burial

2010-08-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

TANAUAN, Philippines (AFP) - – Scores of mourners attended the burial Saturday of the sacked policeman who hijacked a bus in Manila, triggering a hostage crisis in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

Even as the government tried to distance itself from the incident, hundreds crowded into a church for the funeral mass of former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza's home, to remember him for his police honours and not for Monday's tragic events.

"There are so many mourners because he was a good man. You never heard about him doing anything bad," said warehouse worker Mark Torres, a family friend attending the vigil in Tanauan, a small city south of Manila.

Francisco Misaba, a district watchman, said he had been assigned to manage the traffic because of the large number of people attending Mendoza's requiem and burial.

"There will be plenty of people attending because he had a lot of friends. Just about everyone in the district was his friend," he said.

Mendoza's family has refused to grant press interviews. But at the vigil, held in Mendoza's home, they put his numerous citations on display alongside many floral wreaths sent by fellow policemen.

Later, as Mendoza's body was placed into its grave, his son, Vismark, who is also a police officer, openly wept, sobbing, "I will never see his smile again."

No officials attended the event and the only uniformed policemen at the funeral was Mendoza's son but many media outlets, including Hong Kong photojournalists, were present.

Mendoza, a decorated officer who had been sacked over extortion charges, took a bus-load of Hong Kong tourists hostage in Manila on Monday, demanding to be reinstated.

This led to a 12-hour siege of the bus and muddled police negotiations that ended in bloodshed, with Mendoza and eight of the tourists shot dead.

The bungled rescue has enraged Hong Kong and embarrassed the Philippine government, which has called for an investigation.

Further embarrassment came on Friday when the Chinese embassy condemned the draping of Mendoza's coffin with a Philippine flag as if he was a hero.

Hostage Crisis in the Philippines

2010-08-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

HONG KONG — (UPDATE2) Thousands of people joined a rally in Hong Kong on Sunday to demand justice for victims of the Manila hostage bloodbath, as the city’s Filipino community staged its own memorials for the dead.

Demonstrators voiced their anger over the Philippine government’s handling of the siege in the heart of Manila on Monday, which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead amid widespread complaints of police bungling.

“It’s too late for the governments to do anything, but Hong Kong people hope that, at the very least, the Philippine authorities could tell us the truth,” Daisy Kwong, a telecoms firm project manager, told AFP.

“I cried for hours after watching the tragedy played out live on TV,” she said.

The sea of demonstrators observed three minutes of silence as they gathered in a Hong Kong park, many wearing yellow ribbons and carrying white flowers, the traditional Chinese colour of mourning.

The Hong Kong political parties organising the rally, the latest in a series of events marking Monday’s tragedy, said it could draw as many as 50,000 people.

“I am furious,” 56-year-old Law Wai-hing said. “I don’t think we will ever be told the truth when the (Philippine) president (Benigno Aquino) is as appalling as he is.

“I hope the Chinese government and the United Nations can exert pressure on the Philippine government.”

Philippine Death Toll from Parma Storm

2009-10-11T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Philippines death toll from Typhoon Parma rose to 193 as the bodies of more victims drowned or buried by landslides were discovered.

According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, at least 46 people remain missing while about 102,000 are in 281 evacuation centers. They are currently focusing now on rehabilitation especially of those roads going into the mountains so that the relief teams can get inThe casualty toll will probably rise as “there are still unofficial reports that we need to validate.

Torres, NDCC spokesman said rescue and retrieval operations will probably take two weeks because many people are still missing due to landslides and flooding.

Much of the death and destruction occurred from the evening of Oct. 8, when Parma made its second pass over the main island of Luzon, causing landslides in Benguet and other provinces of the mountainous northern Cordillera region, and flooding in Pangasinan and neighboring provinces in the northwest. Damage to crops and infrastructure is now estimated at 5.1 billion pesos ($110 million).

Rescue Efforts

About 5,000 Philippine soldiers are involved in various rescue and rehabilitation operations in Northern Luzon, Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner, Armed Forces public affairs chief, said today.

The U.S. military sent a C-130 aircraft and three Chinook helicopters to storm-struck areas in the north today, Brawner said. About 100 U.S. mostly Marine and Navy personnel are conducting relief and medical operations with more than 50 other American military pilots and drivers are assisting, he said.

Parma first hit northeastern Luzon on Oct. 3, ruining crops in the nation’s biggest rice-producing region. The Philippines was still reeling from Typhoon Ketsana, which flooded Manila and neighboring provinces a week earlier. The government says 337 died, 37 remain missing and 242,000 remain in evacuation centers after Ketsana, which caused 10.5 billion pesos in damage.

Moreover, Mayor Artemio Galwan of La Trinidad township in Benguet province said at least 78 bodies have been recovered there. He appealed for shovels and other tools as well as portable spotlights to allow volunteers to continue digging at night.

Super Typhoon in the Philippines

2009-10-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Authorities in the Philippines have put the nation under a "state of calamity" as millions of people prepare for the arrival of a super typhoon.

With gusts of 230 kilometres an hour, Typhoon Parma is steadily approaching the main Philippines island of Luzon and is expected to make landfall some time this morning.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo made the declaration as she ordered tens of thousands of people to be evacuated from areas in the storm's predicted path.

The Philippines was already in mourning after 300 people were killed in a typhoon last week.

In the Manila suburb of Quezon City, streets are still flooded from from the earlier storm, and local residents are trying to reinforce their homes.

Residents are stocking up on essentials, buying candles and batteries, canned food and water.

At least 70,000 people have fled their homes, but some are saying they will not leave.

Millions of people are still sheltering in makeshift evacuation centres after Typhoon Ketsana killed about 300 people last weekend.

The government in Manila warns that Super Typhoon Parma is certain to tear down houses which lie in its path.

It is likely there will be significant damage to farming land and dwellings in the slums.

Jacque Bermejo's interview with ABS-CBN

2009-09-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

A controversial statement allegedly made by a Filipina overseas worker in Dubai that mocked Filipino victims of tropical storm Ondoy sparked negative reactions among many Pinoys here and abroad.

Jacque Bermejo has been the target of hate threads from Filipinos after someone used her identity to post a very offensive statement against Pinoys affected by the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy on social networking site, Facebook.

“buti n lng am hir in dubai! maybe so many sinners bak der! so yeah deserving wat hapend (sic),” the comment read.

The said statement generated more than 1,000 responses from Filipino Facebook users.

The comments included hate messages, accusations and threats from fellow Filipinos.

A user named “Ondoy” posted on September 28, 2009: “Hambalusin na yan!”

Anonymous said: “don’t worry dadalaw tayo sa burol ni jacq bermejo. titingnan natin kung talagang patay siya! (sic)”

Jay-ar said: “meron ba kaung pix ng taong yan? baka kasi makasalubong ko sya mabigyan lang ng mag asawang bitch slap! grrrr...!! (sic)"

Srub09 commented: “sana sya na lng ang inanud ng baha!!porke nakapunta na ng ibang bansa.kung sino na makapagsalita...sipain ko yang mukha mo! (sic)”

Pusa said: “naloka ako sa mga comments sa kanya sa multiply... kasi naman in times like this we should all unite and do our best to help and we don’t need negative thoughts. (sic)”

Alyssa stated: “she's pathetic and lacks good moral. dummy.(sic)”

Several new accounts on Facebook were also created under her name by irate users.

‘A victim too’

However, in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, the person behind the controversial name maintained her innocence.

Bermejo denied posting the insulting remarks on Facebook. The marketing executive is saddened by the comments she receives from fellow Filipinos for something she says she did not do.

“Pero naman kung ako siguro ang nakakita sa post na yun, mag iisip naman ako na, bakit naman niya gagawin iyan. Bakit niya ilalagay ang picture niya? Bakit niya ilalagay ang real identity niya? Parang bine-bait niya sarili niya na, 'Ok, kill me',” said Bermejo.

She explained that someone hacked her Facebook account and manipulated its contents two years ago. This prompted her to deactivate her account.

Furthermore, she brought the incident to the Dubai Police who advised her to just open another account.

She also revealed that accounts under her name in other social networking sites like Multiply and Friendster were not hers.

The hacker continued to manipulate the said sites often posting negative comments against her friends.

The last post that insulted people affected by the typhoon alarmed her. She said that after the post, many people started issuing threatening statements against her.

“Pero after this, itong post na ito, unang-unang ginawa ko kagabi umalis ako sa bahay ko. Doon ako natulog sa bahay ng mga kapatid ko kasi natatakot ako,” she said.

Her close friends could not help but feel sorry for what happened to her. They said their friend is clearly an innocent victim. They also appealed to fellow Filipinos to put an end to the issue.

“Gusto ko naman ma-clear yung (name) niya dahil hindi naman ganun si Jacque. And, kung sino ang gumawa nun, he is, something talaga is wrong sa kanya, dapat sana stop na yung mga ganung things eh,” said her friend “Mel”.

‘Official statement’

A Facebook user posted Bermejo’s alleged official statement dated September 29, 2009 in the hopes of clearing her name.

She said that an unidentified source created the accounts using her name, her personal details, and pictures.

“Because of these incidents, I reported such abuses and sent my credentials to the administrators of such sites, particularly Facebook. I have been abused and am still being abused online in social networking websites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply etc,” Bermejo’s statement said.

Her friends called her up and informed her about the cruel “shoutout” on the Facebook account and the numerous comments from other users.

“These malicious statement(s) which are posted under account names Jacque or Jackie are not of my doing. It is unfortunate that such statements were maliciously attributed to me and I do sympathize and understand the adverse and somehow verbally violent reaction that has been elicited by such insensitive statements or posts.

Rest assured, I have taken every legal step that can be done in this regard,” the statement added

“I am devastated and shocked at the extent my character, my personal information and private space have been violated,” she stated.

Bermejo has taken legal steps to address the problem. She sought the help of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai and the National Bureau of Immigration to identify the motive and person behind the moves to discredit her. Reports from Dindo Amparo, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau Chief, Dubai and abs-cbnNEWS.com

Official Statement of Jacque Bermejo

2009-09-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

Jacque Bermejo made her official statement. Jacque received calls and emails from friends and relatives informing her about the issue. She was crying about the issue slapped on her. His brother explained that it was not her sister’s account. If this letter’s from Jacque Bermejo herself, so be it.

"This is my real account please help disseminate."

I am issuing this statement to clear my name in the current controversy in which I allegedly posted a highly insensitive and offensive message on the social networking website, Facebook, in relation to the victims of typhoon Ondoy that recently struck parts of the Philippines.

About two years ago, an anonymous source created these accounts using my identity, posting my personal details, my real pictures captioned roughly and attacking other people. Because of these incidents, I reported such abuses and sent my credentials to the administrators of such sites, particularly Facebook. I have been abused and am still being abused online in social networking websites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply etc.

In the early stages, I was advised by close friends to ignore the situation, saying this would simply go away. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Hence, I filed a complaint with the Dubai Police about eight months ago hoping they could help me with my problem. Should anyone wish to check my statement, my case is still under investigation with said authorities.

Time passed and these sites continued to generate malicious, obscene and cruel messages that are widely exposed and relayed to the public under my name.

Yesterday, September 27th 2009, I received phone calls from my close friends regarding very alarming posts in the above mentioned websites that directly offended flood victims as a result of typhoon Ondoy..

These malicious statement(s) which are posted under account names Jacque or Jackie are not of my doing. It is unfortunate that such statements were maliciously attributed to me and I do sympathize and understand the adverse and somehow verbally violent reaction that has been elicited by such insensitive statements or posts. Rest assured, I have taken every legal step that can be done in this regard.

I too, have become a victim as much as those who may have lost their lives and properties to such a devastating natural calamity. This recent controversy has greatly affected my reputation, my family, and my friends. I am devastated and shocked at the extent my character, my personal information and private space have been violated.

I have a deep respect and regard for my country. I am proud to be a Filipino and would never say or do anything to harm the interest of my country or countrymen. I have also had the privilege of participating in civic-oriented activities in Dubai, particularly in trying to help my fellow countrymen seek employment during the height of mass layoffs brought about by the ongoing global financial crisis, as well as those seeking employment for the first time. Making a mockery of any unfortunate incidents befalling any of my fellow Filipinos is simply contrary to my character. I condemn the person or persons behind these malicious acts to impute damage on my integrity and I hope that you can dig deep into your hearts and minds to truly find the truth in all these."

Jacque Bermejo's pictures

2009-09-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures of Jacque Bermejo, A pinay who made stupid comments on her Facebook account..

How It All Started

2009-09-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

It all started when a Filipina by the name of Jacque Bermejo has made an inconsiderate and mean comment about the Filipinos on typhoon "Ondoy" on September 27, Sunday, 2009 which goes like this:

"buti n lng am hir in dubai! maybe so many sinners bak der! so yeah deserving wat hapend!"

Filipinos all over the world hated her for such statement! Her Facebook and multiply account has been flooded with harsh and mean comments. And she has even got herself a Fanclub..or shall I say Hate club...Here's the link to her multiply account her Facebook fanclub . To date, her facebook account cannot be opened or was intentionally deleted.

Well, here's her background:

She is experienced PR associate who has been active in the Middle East for over four years. Currently working with a number of luxury property developers. she has extensive knowledge of the market, and media.

Jacque Bermejo You Tube Videos

2009-09-27T10:44:00.000-07:00