By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:34:00 12/14/2010
Filed Under: Crime and Law and Justice, Crime
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) The Supreme Court acquitted Hubert Webb and eight others for the murders of Estrellita Vizconde, and daughters Carmela and Jennifer, its spokesman said Tuesday.
Webb is the son of former senator Freddie Webb.
“The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt [that the crime was committed by the accused]. Supreme Court pointed to inconsistencies in the evidence of the prosecution, particularly the testimony of principal witness Jessica Alfaro,” lawyer Midas Marquez said.
The high tribunal also ordered the release of Webb, Antonio Lejano II, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, and Hospicio Fernandez as soon as possible.
Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, who remain at large, and former police officer Gerardo Biong, who was recently released after completing his sentence, were also acquitted of the grisly crime.
They were “ordered released as soon as possible unless they are being held for other charges,” Marquez said. It is not known if they are facing other charges in other courts.
Webb, Lejano, Gatchalian, Rodriguez, Estrada, and Fernandez were convicted for the 1991 murders.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Suspect says 'only 2 men' raped nurse in Maguindanao
A former militiaman who surrendered to authorities admitted that he was one of “only two" men who recently gang-raped and mauled a volunteer nurse in Maguindanao province, police said Tuesday.
Senior Superintendent Jacinto Malinaw, regional police chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), identified the suspect as Melchor Fulgencio, a former member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) who now works for a Korean firm in Mindanao.
Fulgencio told police they were only two who carried out the crime against a 21-year old government nurse in South Upi town on September 25, disputing earlier reports that some five, six or up to 10 men were involved.
This page requires a higher version browser Earlier, the local police reported the arrest of six suspects in the crime, namely: Glenn Saldoa, Eugene Biscara, Ruscom Sangclap, Michael Candelario, and Jeffrey Fernandez.
In his account, Fulgencio also said he and his other accomplice — who he identified as a certain Edwin — were under the influence of alcohol when they committed the crime.
Fulgencio claimed it was Edwin who attacked “Florence" (not her real name), who at that time was walking on the road while texting. The suspect said they then dragged the victim into a bushy area and took turns in sexually abusing her.
The ex-CAFGU man said Edwin might have already fled to Surigao City in Surigao del Norte after the incident. He added that he thought about fleeing too, but was bothered by his conscience.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Deputy Director General Raul Bacalzo said that police investigators will have to verify Fulgencio's admissions.
Fear and outrage
Florence is currently under close watch at a hospital in Davao City, where she is set to undergo a delicate medical procedure for severe head injuries that have rendered the right half of her body paralyzed.
Investigators suspect that the nurse was hit by a rock on head and by a large piece of wood on her right face.
"Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nakaka-responde sa anumang pag-uusap at most of the time ay tulog ang ating pasyente," Sulaik said in an interview with GMA's Unang Balita. (Until now, our patient has not responded to our attempts to talk to her, and is asleep most of the time.)
Sulaik said they are hoping Florence will be able to recover, adding it could greatly help investigators in solving the case.
The rape has triggered public outrage nationwide, and has brought fear to Florence's fellow government nurses assigned in the area.
Tahir Sulaik, integrated provincial health officer in Maguindanao, said the victim's colleagues have requested to be re-assigned elsewhere.
On Tuesday, some 100 nurses belonging to the Philippine Nurses Association marched to Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang to demand justice for the rape victim.
In Cotabato City, Sulaik said other nurses also staged an indignation rally condemning the rape and urging authorities to investigate the case.—JV, GMANews.TV
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
BlackBerry Reveals Its New "PlayBook" Tablet
"It is the world's first professional tablet," RIM president and co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis said as he showed off the device in San Francisco.
The PlayBook is one of a number of tablet computers slated for release in a bid to challenge Apple's popular iPad and is the first foray outside the mobile phone realm for the Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM.
"They are kind of positioning it as the iPad for the suits," Gartner analyst Van Baker said of the PlayBook announcement.
The PlayBook has a seven-inch (17.8-centimeter) touchscreen, smaller than the 9.7 inches of Apple's iPad, and also plays Adobe Flash video software, which is banned from the Apple device.
"You are going to be able to get the full Web experience," Lazaridis said, stressing its integration with RIM's BlackBerry smartphone, a favorite among many professionals.
BlackBerry smartphone users can pair their handset with the PlayBook using a Bluetooth connection to view their email, calendar, documents or other content.
The PlayBook also features front- and rear-facing cameras to support video conferencing and allows multi-tasking between programs.
RIM expects to begin selling PlayBooks in the United States in early 2011 and rolling the tablets out to other countries by the middle of the year.
Lazaridis did not reveal how much RIM plans to charge for the PlayBook.
"RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world's most robust and flexible operating systems," Lazaridis said.
Positioning PlayBook as a business person's tablet could stymie its popularity in the sizzling consumer market dominated by iPad, according to Baker.
"RIM has a bit of a split personality; they struggle with whether they are a consumer or enterprise device company," Baker said. "Enterprise is their bread and butter, but consumer is the big market right now."
The fact PlayBook users can route data through BlackBerry smartphones instead of paying for separate telecom service should prove a selling point in the business and personal markets.
PlayBook tablets also promise help RIM challenge the increasing use of iPads in workplaces.
RIM said that in the coming weeks it would release a software kit so third-party developers can begin tailoring applications, or "apps," for PlayBook.
PlayBook debuted at BlackBerry DEVCON, a combined boot camp and pep rally for outside developers crafting programs for the Canadian firm's devices.
RIM introduced tools that make it easier to build applications for BlackBerry handsets and make money with ads or "in-app" purchases.
RIM is also launching a free analytics service that provides applications makers with feedback regarding how, when and where BlackBerry owners are using programs.
"We are enabling developers to better monetize their services and drive deeper engagement to create richer, more interesting social apps for BlackBerry," said Alan Brenner, senior vice president of the BlackBerry platform.
Approximately 35 million people use the BlackBerry "App World" shop, with 1.5 million programs downloaded daily, according to RIM vice president of global alliances and developer relationships Tyler Lessard.
RIM opened the door to more "social" applications that tap into phone features such as chat, instant messaging, and groups, according to Lessard.
Hip, fun or functional programs made by third-party developers have become vital to the popularity of smartphones and tablet computers.
Apple's App Store features more than 250,000 mini-programs for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
Blackberry's App World has about 11,000 applications, but programs are also sold at other websites by developers.
Google has been aggressively expanding Android Marketplace, which boasts more than 80,000 apps for smartphones running on the California Internet titan's Android mobile operating system.
Report courtesy of Yahoo!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Ampatuan Sr. offered millions to bribe Dureza, police —witness
GMANews.TV - Wednesday, September 15
(Updated 4:02 p.m.) Andal Ampatuan Sr. attempted to go on a "bribery spree" on police and government officials, including an executive of the Arroyo administration, to avoid being implicated in last year's massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao province, a witness told the court Wednesday.
Lakmodin Saliao, a longtime helper of the Ampatuan patriarch, said Andal Sr. wanted to give P10 million to Jesus Dureza, the former presidential adviser on Mindanao affairs, to ensure that the separate rebellion charges against the powerful family will be dismissed.
"Ibigay daw kay Dureza ang pera kapalit ng kalayaan ni Andal Sr. sa pagkaka-release ng rebellion (He wanted Dureza bribed in exchange for his freedom)," said Saliao, who claimed to have worked for the Ampatuans for 18 years.
Saliao said the other people who were allegedly offered money were former Ampatuan police chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, Maguindanao board member Mike Midtimbang, and suspect PO1 Rainier Ebus.
Saliao mentioned that the bribe money was allegedly ordered given to Dicay and Ebus for them to retract their statements against the family. He also said Andal Sr. wanted to give Midtimbang money for "taking care of him while at Camp Panacan."
Saliao mentioned the bribery issue in his testimony during the resumption of the hearings on the Maguindanao massacre at the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City on Wednesday.
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, occurred on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province in Mindanao.
At the time, the massacre victims were on their way to file Esmael Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor. Mangudadatu, then Buluan vice mayor, won the gubernatorial post during the May 10 polls.
The 57 people who were brutally killed and buried in a mass grave in Ampatuan town included Mangudadatu's wife, his two sisters, journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. Rejected When asked during cross-examination by defense lawyer Marlon Pagaduan whether Saliao was aware if the people being bribed received the money, the witness replied: "Hindi ko po alam (I don't know0." Dicay told reporters after Wednesday's proceedings that he was indeed offered a P10-million bribe, but added that he did not accept it. "No amount of money could replace the lives lost in the massacre," he said. Like Dicay, Ebus also confirmed the bribe try but said he was offered only P5 million. He said he also rejected the offer. The flow of money, however, did not stop with police officials and local government officials. Saliao also recounted an incident when a certain Tadeo Sayson, a local prosecutor, visited Andal Sr. and received P5,000 for each signature that he affixes on several documents. Asked what documents Andal Sr. were having signed by the prosecutor, Saliao said: "Hindi ko po napansin kung ano ang pinipirmahan (I don't know)."
Millions of pesos given away Also according to Saliao, several months after Andal Sr's hospital arrest, the clan patriarch also ordered him to tell Ustadz Farid Adas, the clan patriarch's trusted man, to give Datu Odin Sinsuat P200 million on February 8. After the implication of his son Andal Jr., who was being groomed to become Maguindanao governor before the massacre, Andal Sr. apparently decided to instead pit Sinsuat against rival Mangudadatu for the gubernatorial race. Mangudadatu ended up beating Sinsuat in the May 10 automated elections by almost 13,000 votes. On March 21, a certain "Chow," an alleged emissary of Andal Sr's grandson Nanu Ampatuan, delivered P90 million to Camp Panacan, where Andal Sr. was taken after being arrested at the Davao Doctors Hospital. Saliao said the money was stored inside two luggage and three bags. "I brought the bags to Andal Sr. and pretended that they were his clothes," said Saliao, explaining how he got away from being inspected by the military guarding the clan patriarch.
Fake sickness In his testimony, Saliao also said on the day martial law was declared in Maguindanao on December 4, Andal Sr. attempted to flee from their mansion — which at that time was already being guarded by the military —to the mountains of Datu Hoffer. While on the road, Andal Sr.'s son and suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan called up his father, advising him to return to the mansion and work out another plan. "Father, go back," Saliao recounted Zaldy as telling the clan patriarch on speaker phone in Maguindanaoan.
Andal Sr. heeded his son's request and returned to his house, where he, Zaldy, defense lawyer Philip Pantojan, lawyer Cynthia Sayadi, and Dr. Tahil Sulay agreed to fake the clan patriarch's health condition. "Nag-usap sila na dalhin si Andal Sr. sa Cotabato City para magkunwaring may sakit [They decided to bring Andal Sr. to Cotabato City where he would pretend to be sick]," Saliao told the court. Zaldy was left in Shariff Aguak, while the rest of the team headed for Cotabato City. The convoy included two ambulances carrying Andal Sr., Saliao, the doctor, and two nurses. Sayadi and Pantojan, meanwhile, trailed the ambulances on board a Toyota Super Grandia van. Along the way, the team changed its plan and decided to just bring Andal Sr. to the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City. For maximum impact when passing through military checkpoints, Saliao said he would even pretend to be attending to Andal Sr.. "Kapag dumadaan kami sa checkpoint, nilalagyan ko ng mask si Andal Sr. para magkunwari na malubha ang sakit niya (When passing through checkpoints, I would put mask on Andal Sr. to emphasize how sick he was)," Saliao said. The convoy arrived at the Davao hospital at about 6 a.m. of December, where Andal Sr. was immediately confined at Room 314. "Agad kami pumasok sa 314 room na hindi man lang dumaan sa admission (We got into a hospital room even without going through admission)," Saliao added. Saliao said he then went to the Gaisano Mall to buy clothes, underwear, and food for the clan patriarch. When he returned to the hospital, Saliao said he saw soldiers trying to arrest Andal Sr. Pantojan, who was watching over Andal Sr. at that time, refused to turn him over to the military without a warrant of arrest. The military decided to leave but returned the next day, December 5. "Hindi kami pumayag na kunin nila si Andal Sr. pero sinuntok nila ako (We still did not want them to arrest Andal Sr. but the soldiers punched me)," Saliao said. Coaching In his testimony, Saliao also accused Pantojan of "coaching" him to lie and press extortion charges against an officer at the Camp Panacan on March 19. "Sabi ni Pantojan, kasuhan ko daw Major Jimena na nanghihingi ng pera pang-landscape ng kampo. But that's not true (Pantojan told me to file charges against a certain Major Jimena for soliciting money for the landscaping of the military camp. But that's not true)," the witness said. Saliao said he still filed a complaint against the officer, which is still pending before a local court in Davao City. –VVP/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV
(Updated 4:02 p.m.) Andal Ampatuan Sr. attempted to go on a "bribery spree" on police and government officials, including an executive of the Arroyo administration, to avoid being implicated in last year's massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao province, a witness told the court Wednesday.
Lakmodin Saliao, a longtime helper of the Ampatuan patriarch, said Andal Sr. wanted to give P10 million to Jesus Dureza, the former presidential adviser on Mindanao affairs, to ensure that the separate rebellion charges against the powerful family will be dismissed.
"Ibigay daw kay Dureza ang pera kapalit ng kalayaan ni Andal Sr. sa pagkaka-release ng rebellion (He wanted Dureza bribed in exchange for his freedom)," said Saliao, who claimed to have worked for the Ampatuans for 18 years.
Saliao said the other people who were allegedly offered money were former Ampatuan police chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, Maguindanao board member Mike Midtimbang, and suspect PO1 Rainier Ebus.
Saliao mentioned that the bribe money was allegedly ordered given to Dicay and Ebus for them to retract their statements against the family. He also said Andal Sr. wanted to give Midtimbang money for "taking care of him while at Camp Panacan."
Saliao mentioned the bribery issue in his testimony during the resumption of the hearings on the Maguindanao massacre at the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City on Wednesday.
The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, occurred on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province in Mindanao.
At the time, the massacre victims were on their way to file Esmael Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor. Mangudadatu, then Buluan vice mayor, won the gubernatorial post during the May 10 polls.
The 57 people who were brutally killed and buried in a mass grave in Ampatuan town included Mangudadatu's wife, his two sisters, journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. Rejected When asked during cross-examination by defense lawyer Marlon Pagaduan whether Saliao was aware if the people being bribed received the money, the witness replied: "Hindi ko po alam (I don't know0." Dicay told reporters after Wednesday's proceedings that he was indeed offered a P10-million bribe, but added that he did not accept it. "No amount of money could replace the lives lost in the massacre," he said. Like Dicay, Ebus also confirmed the bribe try but said he was offered only P5 million. He said he also rejected the offer. The flow of money, however, did not stop with police officials and local government officials. Saliao also recounted an incident when a certain Tadeo Sayson, a local prosecutor, visited Andal Sr. and received P5,000 for each signature that he affixes on several documents. Asked what documents Andal Sr. were having signed by the prosecutor, Saliao said: "Hindi ko po napansin kung ano ang pinipirmahan (I don't know)."
Millions of pesos given away Also according to Saliao, several months after Andal Sr's hospital arrest, the clan patriarch also ordered him to tell Ustadz Farid Adas, the clan patriarch's trusted man, to give Datu Odin Sinsuat P200 million on February 8. After the implication of his son Andal Jr., who was being groomed to become Maguindanao governor before the massacre, Andal Sr. apparently decided to instead pit Sinsuat against rival Mangudadatu for the gubernatorial race. Mangudadatu ended up beating Sinsuat in the May 10 automated elections by almost 13,000 votes. On March 21, a certain "Chow," an alleged emissary of Andal Sr's grandson Nanu Ampatuan, delivered P90 million to Camp Panacan, where Andal Sr. was taken after being arrested at the Davao Doctors Hospital. Saliao said the money was stored inside two luggage and three bags. "I brought the bags to Andal Sr. and pretended that they were his clothes," said Saliao, explaining how he got away from being inspected by the military guarding the clan patriarch.
Fake sickness In his testimony, Saliao also said on the day martial law was declared in Maguindanao on December 4, Andal Sr. attempted to flee from their mansion — which at that time was already being guarded by the military —to the mountains of Datu Hoffer. While on the road, Andal Sr.'s son and suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan called up his father, advising him to return to the mansion and work out another plan. "Father, go back," Saliao recounted Zaldy as telling the clan patriarch on speaker phone in Maguindanaoan.
Andal Sr. heeded his son's request and returned to his house, where he, Zaldy, defense lawyer Philip Pantojan, lawyer Cynthia Sayadi, and Dr. Tahil Sulay agreed to fake the clan patriarch's health condition. "Nag-usap sila na dalhin si Andal Sr. sa Cotabato City para magkunwaring may sakit [They decided to bring Andal Sr. to Cotabato City where he would pretend to be sick]," Saliao told the court. Zaldy was left in Shariff Aguak, while the rest of the team headed for Cotabato City. The convoy included two ambulances carrying Andal Sr., Saliao, the doctor, and two nurses. Sayadi and Pantojan, meanwhile, trailed the ambulances on board a Toyota Super Grandia van. Along the way, the team changed its plan and decided to just bring Andal Sr. to the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City. For maximum impact when passing through military checkpoints, Saliao said he would even pretend to be attending to Andal Sr.. "Kapag dumadaan kami sa checkpoint, nilalagyan ko ng mask si Andal Sr. para magkunwari na malubha ang sakit niya (When passing through checkpoints, I would put mask on Andal Sr. to emphasize how sick he was)," Saliao said. The convoy arrived at the Davao hospital at about 6 a.m. of December, where Andal Sr. was immediately confined at Room 314. "Agad kami pumasok sa 314 room na hindi man lang dumaan sa admission (We got into a hospital room even without going through admission)," Saliao added. Saliao said he then went to the Gaisano Mall to buy clothes, underwear, and food for the clan patriarch. When he returned to the hospital, Saliao said he saw soldiers trying to arrest Andal Sr. Pantojan, who was watching over Andal Sr. at that time, refused to turn him over to the military without a warrant of arrest. The military decided to leave but returned the next day, December 5. "Hindi kami pumayag na kunin nila si Andal Sr. pero sinuntok nila ako (We still did not want them to arrest Andal Sr. but the soldiers punched me)," Saliao said. Coaching In his testimony, Saliao also accused Pantojan of "coaching" him to lie and press extortion charges against an officer at the Camp Panacan on March 19. "Sabi ni Pantojan, kasuhan ko daw Major Jimena na nanghihingi ng pera pang-landscape ng kampo. But that's not true (Pantojan told me to file charges against a certain Major Jimena for soliciting money for the landscaping of the military camp. But that's not true)," the witness said. Saliao said he still filed a complaint against the officer, which is still pending before a local court in Davao City. –VVP/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV
Monday, September 13, 2010
Hong Kong Hostage Survivors Affirm Driver's Testimony
The Hong Kong nationals who survived the August 23 hostage tragedy have attested that dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza fired at his victims point-blank, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Monday.
At a news briefing, De Lima said the survivors testimonies' corroborated the account of Hong Thai Travel bus driver Alberto Lubang that the Mendoza shot his victims at close range.
"The accounts of the survivors tend to corroborate, in material point, the account of the driver Lubang, meaning, close-range," said De Lima, chairperson of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee probing the August 23 tragic hostage incident.
On that day, Mendoza, who was demanding for his reinstatement, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. At the end of an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.
According to De Lima, out of the five survivors whom Philippine officials spoke with, three witnessed the hostage crisis unfold "to the very end."
De Lima said Philippine government investigators have returned from Hong Kong on Friday evening.
They brought with them the statements of the five survivors, six autopsy reports, and the cellphones of Lubang, tour guide Diana Chan, and a Filipino photographer. These three individuals are based in the Philippines and have survived the hostage taking at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The Justice secretary also cited the autopsy reports of the Hong Kong investigators, which showed that the slain victims' bodies did not show tattoing, an indication of close-range shooting.
However, De Lima also said the HK investigators clarified that "the absence of tattoing does not mean it was not close-range shooting."
"The autopsy reports from the Hong Kong authorities contain certain explanations that the absence of tattoing is not indicative or not conclusive of the fact that it was not close-range," said De Lima.
Earlier, De Lima said the hostage probe committee is not ruling out the possibility that the victims may have been killed by friendly fire.
As of posting time, the IIRC is in a closed-door meeting with the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to discuss and interpret forensic findings on the crime scene and on the victims. –VVP, GMANews.TV
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Rich Cronin of LFO Dies at 35
by Us Magazine in Stop The Presses!
Rich Cronin of '90s boy band LFO died on Wednesday at age 35, CNN confirms. He passed away in a Massachusetts hospital, according to bandmate Brad Fischetti. Cronin, who wrote and sang the number one smash "Summer Girls," was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005; despite chemotherapy, the disease returned in 2007 and 2008.
The singer-songwriter then underwent a stem cell transplant -- which, according to Fischetti, led to a stroke and severe leg pain.
Even with his medical battles, Cronin reunited with LFO pals Fischetti and Devin Lima for a summer 2009 tour.
His bandmates gave him a large back bedroom on the bus so he could rest in between gigs.
"We had the best time ever," Fischetti said. "He never thought he'd be on stage again."
Fellow boy band star Lance Bass of N Sync paid tribute to Cronin on Twitter late Wednesday. "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died- was a amazing guy :(" Bass wrote.
The singer-songwriter then underwent a stem cell transplant -- which, according to Fischetti, led to a stroke and severe leg pain.
Even with his medical battles, Cronin reunited with LFO pals Fischetti and Devin Lima for a summer 2009 tour.
His bandmates gave him a large back bedroom on the bus so he could rest in between gigs.
"We had the best time ever," Fischetti said. "He never thought he'd be on stage again."
Fellow boy band star Lance Bass of N Sync paid tribute to Cronin on Twitter late Wednesday. "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died- was a amazing guy :(" Bass wrote.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Miss Universe Contestant Claims "Sabotage" Led to Her Loss
As anyone who's seen "Toddlers and Tiaras" can tell you, the hyper-competitive world of beauty pageants has seen its fair share of adversarial sabotage. But when a contestant claims her evening gown was laced with sharp-edged pins or pepper spray or lipstick stains, the alleged girl-on-girl crime makes headlines around the world.
The latest heir-to-the-beauty-crown to make such a claim is Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell, who says one of her 82 rivals at this year's Miss Universe pageant tampered with her festive national dress just before she took the stage in Las Vegas last month.
"There was a bit of sabotage backstage," she told Australia's Nova 91.9 radio station of her experience with the "national dress" she donned for the event. "When I went to put it on I found about six pins all pinned in the back of it, so when I put it on I scratched all the back of my back. I was like 'Ooh! What's that?'."
Good natured as ever (she did win the "Miss Congeniality" title, after all), Campbell didn't point any fingers at any specific competitors.
"I don't know who it was," she said in the radio interview when asked who she thought the pin-wielding perpetrator might be. "All of that stuff is backstage, so it could've been anyone."
Campbell placed third at the televised event, held in Las Vegas last month; the winner was Jimena Navarrete of Mexico, and Yendi Phillips of Jamaica came in second. Campbell's be-pinned dress -- intended to represent the land Down Under with an aboriginal-print swimsuit, ruffled flamenco skirt and Ugg boots -- was ridiculed as too costume-y and over-the-top; little did anyone know the pain the 18-year-old Aussie beauty queen felt underneath.
So, whodunit? No one has copped to the prank, but from the large pool of international competitor-suspects, Campbell singles out those from Mexico, the Phillipines, and Central and South America.
"Winning is so important for those girls because they become queens in their country and are worshipped if they win -- and it changes everything forever for them," she told the Herald Sun. "But there were 82 other girls there and I can't narrow it down, so it's a mystery to me."
She added: "But I know who didn't do it -- my best friends were the girls from Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain, and Guam and I know they wouldn't have done that to me."
Miss Universe representative Meagan McCutcheon did not immediately respond to Yahoo's requests for comment.
Campbell is not alone in her pageant problems. In recent years, other pageant frontrunners have been targeted by alleged saboteurs using equally dirty methods: instead of pins, Miss Puerto Rico 2007 claimed her dress and makeup were splattered with pepper spray in an act of chemical warfare. Backstage, winner Ingrid Marie Rivera had to tear off her clothes and rub ice on her face and body; on top of that, she claimed her clothes and credit cards were stolen.
Not surprisingly, Rivera's accusations fanned a media firestorm. After an investigation, police found no traces of pepper spray anywhere; still, Rivera clung to her belief that she'd been sabotaged by jealous and vengeful rivals. In Puerto Rico, she was the metaphorical Nancy Kerrigan with no Tonya Harding to pin the blame on.
That's the thing about beauty-pageant sabotage: perpetrators can go undetected. Even on a far smaller scale. At the Miss South Florida State Fair in 2008, Jessica Wittenbrink snagged the crown despite the lipstick smeared on her evening dress. They never caught the prankster.
"I was bound and determined that I was going to bring my best the night of the pageant," Wittenbrink told an ABC News affiliate, reflecting on her horror. "So no matter what happened, I wasn't going to let anyone take me away from that. As far as the event goes, I try to put it past me, move on, look at the horizon and see what's next for me."
While these acts of anti-congeniality result in trauma for contestants, the added attention from the media and support from fans must help in getting through the ordeals -- and raising their public profiles in the process.
Thanks to her disturbing experience, Campbell -- who's just begun a stint as an entertainment reporter for TV station in her native Australia -- is a now a boldfaced name in entertainment-news circles, and arguably more famous than she might have been had she won the crown.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bus Driver of Hong Kong Hostage Drama Recounts the Tragedy
MANILA (AFP) - – The driver of a Philippine tourist bus hijacked by a sacked policeman told a public inquiry Tuesday how he witnessed the gunman shoot more than a dozen Hong Kong visitors one by one as talks broke down.
Bus driver Alberto Lubang said his left hand was handcuffed to the steering wheel and he saw the horrific scenes unfold at the back of the bus through the rear-view mirror as the day-long standoff ended in a bloodbath.
"I heard the first shot and then I saw a hostage cuffed to the stairwell fall down," Lubang, a shaven-headed 38 year-old, said.
"Seconds later he (the gunman) had reached the back and (was) shooting again at the passengers sat there," he said.
"He was on the aisle, by the middle. I saw him by the rear-view mirror. He was shooting left and right. Afterwards he went into a crouch," he added.
Lubang said he managed to unpick the handcuffs using a nail file and jumped out of the window beside the steering wheel shortly before police launched an assault.
Armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza took the busload of tourists hostage on August 23 in a desperate bid to clear himself of extortion charges and get his old job back.
Eight of the tourists were killed and seven others were injured in the central Manila standoff.
Police said post mortem examinations showed the bullets recovered from the bodies of the dead tourists all came from Mendoza's guns.
The standoff, which played out live on global television, came to a bloody end in the early evening when police stormed the bus in a botched attempt to rescue the hostages. A police sniper eventually shot dead the gunman.
Lubang said he did not recall any crying or shouting by the victims, but conceded it was possible his hearing had been deadened by the gunshot blasts inside the vehicle.
The driver said the 55 year-old gunman was not hostile in the first six hours of the crisis, had cracked jokes and even ordered them to use their mobile phones to tell their relatives that they had been taken captive.
His demeanour changed when his request to be reinstated to the Manila police force was rejected, the witness said.
He became enraged when he saw police arresting his younger brother, a policeman who had earlier helped in the negotiations, was later detained on suspicion of conspiring with his older brother, Lubang said.
The driver said he escaped soon after Mendoza had ordered him to drive the bus forward. Snipers deflated the tyres and the driver jumped out as police prepared to storm the vehicle.
Lubang said he remembered telling police debriefers: "He (Mendoza) has killed all of them."
President Benigno Aquino has taken responsibility for the tragedy, which has damaged ties with Hong Kong and hurt the country's tourism industry.
The inquiry board, which has uncovered a series of embarrassing mistakes by the police and local officials handling the hostage crisis, is expected to wind up the hearings Wednesday before writing a report to be submitted to Aquino.
Bus driver Alberto Lubang said his left hand was handcuffed to the steering wheel and he saw the horrific scenes unfold at the back of the bus through the rear-view mirror as the day-long standoff ended in a bloodbath.
"I heard the first shot and then I saw a hostage cuffed to the stairwell fall down," Lubang, a shaven-headed 38 year-old, said.
"Seconds later he (the gunman) had reached the back and (was) shooting again at the passengers sat there," he said.
"He was on the aisle, by the middle. I saw him by the rear-view mirror. He was shooting left and right. Afterwards he went into a crouch," he added.
Lubang said he managed to unpick the handcuffs using a nail file and jumped out of the window beside the steering wheel shortly before police launched an assault.
Armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza took the busload of tourists hostage on August 23 in a desperate bid to clear himself of extortion charges and get his old job back.
Eight of the tourists were killed and seven others were injured in the central Manila standoff.
Police said post mortem examinations showed the bullets recovered from the bodies of the dead tourists all came from Mendoza's guns.
The standoff, which played out live on global television, came to a bloody end in the early evening when police stormed the bus in a botched attempt to rescue the hostages. A police sniper eventually shot dead the gunman.
Lubang said he did not recall any crying or shouting by the victims, but conceded it was possible his hearing had been deadened by the gunshot blasts inside the vehicle.
The driver said the 55 year-old gunman was not hostile in the first six hours of the crisis, had cracked jokes and even ordered them to use their mobile phones to tell their relatives that they had been taken captive.
His demeanour changed when his request to be reinstated to the Manila police force was rejected, the witness said.
He became enraged when he saw police arresting his younger brother, a policeman who had earlier helped in the negotiations, was later detained on suspicion of conspiring with his older brother, Lubang said.
The driver said he escaped soon after Mendoza had ordered him to drive the bus forward. Snipers deflated the tyres and the driver jumped out as police prepared to storm the vehicle.
Lubang said he remembered telling police debriefers: "He (Mendoza) has killed all of them."
President Benigno Aquino has taken responsibility for the tragedy, which has damaged ties with Hong Kong and hurt the country's tourism industry.
The inquiry board, which has uncovered a series of embarrassing mistakes by the police and local officials handling the hostage crisis, is expected to wind up the hearings Wednesday before writing a report to be submitted to Aquino.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Coffin Mix-up on Hong Kong Tourists Killed in Philippine Hostage Crisis
HONG KONG (AFP) - – Three coffins used to bring back some of the eight Hong Kong tourists killed in last week's Philippine hostage crisis had been mislabelled, a Hong Kong government spokesman said Thursday.
The mix-up was discovered after the family of one victim went to a Hong Kong mortuary to identify their dead relative only to find the coffin contained the body of another victim of last week's hijacking.
A senior Hong Kong official and weeping relatives had laid wreaths on the mislabelled coffins at a sombre airport ceremony in Hong Kong last week.
"Three of the coffins were wrongly labelled," a government spokesman told AFP. "When the bodies were at the mortuary in Hong Kong, the error was discovered."
The blunder was made at a Manila funeral parlour before the bodies were flown to Hong Kong, the spokesman said, most likely when the victims were transferred from plain coffins to more elaborate caskets.
Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who is heading the hostage incident probe, said she was unaware of any mislabelling.
"There is no such indication in the reports that we received so far, but we can always verify that and that can be part (of the ongoing investigation)," she said, adding that "it has to be a really thorough and comprehensive investigation."
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine National Red Cross, said the victims' bodies were correctly labelled before they left for the funeral parlour, but could not verify if the coffins had been properly tagged.
"They were identified in the hospitals by the travel agency and the family members," Pang said.
"The family members claimed (the bodies) in the hospitals and then they were sent out for post-mortem care."
The hostage ordeal on August 23 began when sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus with 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos on board in the heart of Manila.
The day-long drama was played out on television screens around the world and ended in a botched rescue attempt riddled with police errors.
The deaths of Hong Kong tourists killed in the incident triggered public outrage over the mishandling of the crisis and investigations into whether the hostages were killed by Mendoza or by police weapons.
The Philippine government has admitted to making a number of errors in its handling of the crisis, which has chilled diplomatic ties with Hong Kong and damaged the southeast Asian nation's tourism industry.
The mix-up was discovered after the family of one victim went to a Hong Kong mortuary to identify their dead relative only to find the coffin contained the body of another victim of last week's hijacking.
A senior Hong Kong official and weeping relatives had laid wreaths on the mislabelled coffins at a sombre airport ceremony in Hong Kong last week.
"Three of the coffins were wrongly labelled," a government spokesman told AFP. "When the bodies were at the mortuary in Hong Kong, the error was discovered."
The blunder was made at a Manila funeral parlour before the bodies were flown to Hong Kong, the spokesman said, most likely when the victims were transferred from plain coffins to more elaborate caskets.
Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who is heading the hostage incident probe, said she was unaware of any mislabelling.
"There is no such indication in the reports that we received so far, but we can always verify that and that can be part (of the ongoing investigation)," she said, adding that "it has to be a really thorough and comprehensive investigation."
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine National Red Cross, said the victims' bodies were correctly labelled before they left for the funeral parlour, but could not verify if the coffins had been properly tagged.
"They were identified in the hospitals by the travel agency and the family members," Pang said.
"The family members claimed (the bodies) in the hospitals and then they were sent out for post-mortem care."
The hostage ordeal on August 23 began when sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus with 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos on board in the heart of Manila.
The day-long drama was played out on television screens around the world and ended in a botched rescue attempt riddled with police errors.
The deaths of Hong Kong tourists killed in the incident triggered public outrage over the mishandling of the crisis and investigations into whether the hostages were killed by Mendoza or by police weapons.
The Philippine government has admitted to making a number of errors in its handling of the crisis, which has chilled diplomatic ties with Hong Kong and damaged the southeast Asian nation's tourism industry.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
How to Handle a Hostage Situation
By Anna Valmero, loQal.ph
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— After the highly controversial Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking that left nine dead, including eight Hong Kong nationals and hostage-taker former police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, it is imperative for Filipinos to know how to act if they become hostages themselves, an expert said.
“A hostage-taking is a very stressful situation so it is very important to be alert during one if you find yourself a hostage and used as a bargaining chip for a hostage-taker’s demands,” said Col. Marcelo Javier, a crisis management expert and commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division (Ready Reserve) of the Philippine Army.
There are three main characters in a hostage situation: the hostage-taker, the rescuers and the hostages, the last being those who are used as human shields and having the highest risk of getting hurt or worse, killed.
To determine if a hostage-taker is keen on killing his hostages, Javier said a quick profiling should be done based on the reason why he is holding people against their will: criminal hostage takers are those who take hostages as human shields to evade the cops after robbing a bank, irrational hostages who have mental problems and illogical actions, and crusaders who have ideologies that they want to bring across to people.
“And you have to remember that every hostage situation has unique elements and requires different strategies and tactics. But if you are a hostage, you can increase your chances of survival by being alert,” said Javier.
The Army officer noted these reminders in case one becomes a hostage:
Don’t panic. Once you are a hostage, you have fear and denial but do not let these overcome you, said Javier. “Your main goal is to survive so always keep your wits and be alert,” he added.
A stressful situation will also aggravate medical disorders so as much as possible, keep calm, advised Dr. Isagani Gonzales, a psychiatrist at the National Center for Mental Health.
“While most hostages who are pregnant, too young or too old and have medical conditions are often released, make sure to keep calm if you belong to these groups because they are the ones at risk of being stressed easily,” Gonzales explained.
Assert that you are a person, not a hostage. If the hostage taker is calm, take a chance for him to interact with you as a person and not as an object or bargaining chip to get his demands, said Javier.
“This is the same reason why negotiators should never refer to hostages as ‘hostages’ and instead call them by name if they know, or ask the hostage taker how are the people doing there, the children, the elderly,” he added.
Do not agitate or irritate the hostage taker. Understand that a hostage taker is already under heavy stress so any slight “agitation” could make him snap and turn aggressive, warned Javier.
“If you push the wrong buttons and irritate the hostage taker, he may hurt or shoot you and other hostages so avoid this.”
Don’t change your clothes. Rescuers usually profile the hostages and if you were wearing a red jacket, for example, do not change clothes because the surveillance put labels on what they see. Try to be identified by authorities and don’t change your appearance.
Gonzales explained that a fast-paced lifestyle, noise and overcrowding in cities has led to the rising incidence of depression in the country, which, in turn, caused some people to snap and become hostage takers, similar to what happened to Mendoza.
Hence, it is also important to prevent the hostage taker from getting depressed more since this may lead to more aggressive behavior, Gonzales added.
Stay on the ground. This is important especially when there is an assault because a standing person can easily be hit by stray bullets, said Javier.
Asked if there is a time frame as to when the police should stop the negotiations and hit the hostage taker, Javier clarified that it depends on the judgment of the rescuers and the chief negotiator.
It would also help to cut the communication lines of the hostage and not to drag a family member in the crime scene, he added. If in case the hostage shoots or kills one of the hostages, “all bets are off.”
“All the rest of the people that are not part of the hostage crisis, including the media, have a goal to save the lives of the hostages. Therefore, if the media tries to contact the hostage taker, it is protocol that it should have been approved by the chief negotiator,” added Javier.
For the media, Javier suggested there should be training on the rules of engagement so that the media will understand if a news blackout is the right option instead of broadcasting the hostage crisis.
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— After the highly controversial Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking that left nine dead, including eight Hong Kong nationals and hostage-taker former police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, it is imperative for Filipinos to know how to act if they become hostages themselves, an expert said.
“A hostage-taking is a very stressful situation so it is very important to be alert during one if you find yourself a hostage and used as a bargaining chip for a hostage-taker’s demands,” said Col. Marcelo Javier, a crisis management expert and commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division (Ready Reserve) of the Philippine Army.
There are three main characters in a hostage situation: the hostage-taker, the rescuers and the hostages, the last being those who are used as human shields and having the highest risk of getting hurt or worse, killed.
To determine if a hostage-taker is keen on killing his hostages, Javier said a quick profiling should be done based on the reason why he is holding people against their will: criminal hostage takers are those who take hostages as human shields to evade the cops after robbing a bank, irrational hostages who have mental problems and illogical actions, and crusaders who have ideologies that they want to bring across to people.
“And you have to remember that every hostage situation has unique elements and requires different strategies and tactics. But if you are a hostage, you can increase your chances of survival by being alert,” said Javier.
The Army officer noted these reminders in case one becomes a hostage:
Don’t panic. Once you are a hostage, you have fear and denial but do not let these overcome you, said Javier. “Your main goal is to survive so always keep your wits and be alert,” he added.
A stressful situation will also aggravate medical disorders so as much as possible, keep calm, advised Dr. Isagani Gonzales, a psychiatrist at the National Center for Mental Health.
“While most hostages who are pregnant, too young or too old and have medical conditions are often released, make sure to keep calm if you belong to these groups because they are the ones at risk of being stressed easily,” Gonzales explained.
Assert that you are a person, not a hostage. If the hostage taker is calm, take a chance for him to interact with you as a person and not as an object or bargaining chip to get his demands, said Javier.
“This is the same reason why negotiators should never refer to hostages as ‘hostages’ and instead call them by name if they know, or ask the hostage taker how are the people doing there, the children, the elderly,” he added.
Do not agitate or irritate the hostage taker. Understand that a hostage taker is already under heavy stress so any slight “agitation” could make him snap and turn aggressive, warned Javier.
“If you push the wrong buttons and irritate the hostage taker, he may hurt or shoot you and other hostages so avoid this.”
Don’t change your clothes. Rescuers usually profile the hostages and if you were wearing a red jacket, for example, do not change clothes because the surveillance put labels on what they see. Try to be identified by authorities and don’t change your appearance.
Gonzales explained that a fast-paced lifestyle, noise and overcrowding in cities has led to the rising incidence of depression in the country, which, in turn, caused some people to snap and become hostage takers, similar to what happened to Mendoza.
Hence, it is also important to prevent the hostage taker from getting depressed more since this may lead to more aggressive behavior, Gonzales added.
Stay on the ground. This is important especially when there is an assault because a standing person can easily be hit by stray bullets, said Javier.
Asked if there is a time frame as to when the police should stop the negotiations and hit the hostage taker, Javier clarified that it depends on the judgment of the rescuers and the chief negotiator.
It would also help to cut the communication lines of the hostage and not to drag a family member in the crime scene, he added. If in case the hostage shoots or kills one of the hostages, “all bets are off.”
“All the rest of the people that are not part of the hostage crisis, including the media, have a goal to save the lives of the hostages. Therefore, if the media tries to contact the hostage taker, it is protocol that it should have been approved by the chief negotiator,” added Javier.
For the media, Javier suggested there should be training on the rules of engagement so that the media will understand if a news blackout is the right option instead of broadcasting the hostage crisis.
Steve Jobs' New Apple TV Unveiled
By JESSICA MINTZ and JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writers Jessica Mintz And Jordan Robertson, Ap Technology Writers – Wed Sep 1, 6:38 pm ET
SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Inc. is refining its plans to annex the living room into its entertainment empire.
On Wednesday, Apple unveiled a smaller, cheaper version of Apple TV, which connects to a high-definition television and can show rented movies and TV shows from Apple's own service, plus content from Netflix, photos on Flickr, YouTube clips and more.
The new $99 gadget marks a slight improvement over Apple's first television set-top box, which went on sale in 2007. The original Apple TV had to sync with a computer, a concept most consumers weren't ready for, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said at a media event Wednesday. It also didn't record live television shows the way TiVo and other digital recorders did, at a time when that was becoming a popular way to watch TV.
"We've sold a lot of them, but it's never been a huge hit," Jobs said of the existing Apple TV, which went for $229.
Jobs, who presided over a media event in San Francisco wearing a black crew neck instead of his trademark mock turtleneck, also unveiled social media features for its iTunes software, a new lineup of iPods including a touch-screen Nano and new software for its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.
Apple's new TV box, about four inches square, still doesn't record television, but it comes at a time when more people have gotten used to watching shows online.
The device lets people rent, not buy, content. Apple TV owners will pay $4.99 to rent first-run high-definition movies the day they come out on DVD. High-definition TV show rentals will be 99 cents.
Apple said the same movie studios that have allowed iTunes users to rent and buy movies have agreed to include their titles for streaming. Apple did not rent TV shows before, but now episodes will be available from News Corp.'s Fox, The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, ABC Family and Disney Channel and BBC America. Jobs said he hoped other television companies would join once the service gains popularity.
Apple TV, which will be available within a month, will also display shows, movies, photos and music streamed over Wi-Fi from other devices — computers with iTunes installed, as well as iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch. For example, an iPad owner could start watching a movie on the tablet, then walk into the living room and, with a few taps, finish watching it on the TV screen.
Consumers may have grown more savvy about watching TV over the Internet since Apple's first attempt, but Apple now faces increased competition for their attention.
Some television companies replay episodes on their own websites, while others allow viewers to tune in on aggregator sites such as Hulu. Netflix has made its streaming library available to its subscribers on many devices, including Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 video game system, Apple's own iPhone and iPod and Roku's set-top boxes. Roku, anticipating Apple's announcement, cut the prices of its devices this week, with the least expensive now costing $60. A high-definition version costs $70 — still $29 less than the new Apple TV.
Forrester analyst James McQuivey said in an interview Wednesday that he doesn't believe Apple TV will add significant momentum to the currently small set-top box business. Nor does McQuivey believe it will grow into a big moneymaker for Apple, a company that has successfully built buzz around the iPhone and iPad, such that customers camp out for hours or days to be among the first to own one.
Apple TV is "a slightly smarter Roku, that has a significantly better marketing push behind it than Roku did," McQuivey said. "I'm actually kind of surprised that Apple didn't realize that they weren't revolutionizing the category much."
Instead, McQuivey said he sees Apple TV as a peripheral for iPad owners who spent a lot of money on the coolest new device and might be willing to spend $99 more to extend its contents onto the TV screen.
Additional content at attractive prices may be the way to get more people interested in Apple TV, McQuivey said — bundled subscriptions to TV channels or shows, plus content from Netflix and Hulu's pay offerings, perhaps.
But Apple may continue to face resistance from media companies, many of which fear that such bundles cut undercut lucrative cable TV deals and that the 99-cent television rentals would hurt higher-priced offerings for permanent download. Most episodes currently sell on iTunes for $1.99 or $2.99.
News Corp., for one, had a fierce internal debate about the merits of the 99-cent plan, but CEO Rupert Murdoch pushed to accept it, mainly because of the success of The Wall Street Journal's iPad app, which is free to the Journal's paying subscribers, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The deal for Fox-created TV shows including "Glee" is limited to a trial period of several months, which mollified those opposed to the plan, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because internal discussions were confidential.
In a public statement, Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Jim Gianopulos said "we're excited to be working with them over the next several months to explore this innovative offering."
Fox cannot let Apple rent shows that it buys from other studios, including "American Idol," made by FremantleMedia Ltd., and "Fringe," which is made by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Television. Fox's rentals include "Glee," "Family Guy" and "The Cleveland Show."
Anne Sweeney, co-chairwoman of the Disney-ABC Television Group, said in a statement the company was proud to team up with Apple on its rental offering, which will make available shows such as "Cougar Town" and "Desperate Housewives." Apple's Jobs is Disney's largest single shareholder and sits on the company's board.
Kurt Scherf, an analyst with the market-research group Parks Associates, said requiring consumers to buy yet another box for the living room "is a real inhibitor."
And although he praised Apple's decision to lower the price of the device itself, he had doubts about TV rentals for 99 cents.
"Part of me is still wondering if that is too rich for a consumer to pay, given all the other options that are out there to consume and catch up on TV shows that don't cost a thing," he said.
Michael Gartenberg, a partner at consulting firm Altimeter Group, cast a more optimistic light on Apple's chances of making it into consumers' living rooms, but said in an interview that he doesn't expect it to drastically change anyone's TV watching habits.
Instead, it just raises the stakes for Apple's competitors.
"This puts a lot of pressure on the Rokus and the Boxees and all the other minor league players," he said.
Shares of Apple gained $7.23, or 3 percent, to close at $250.33 Wednesday.
Son of Bob Arum Went Missing
Bob Arum was in Los Angeles Tuesday for the first of three stops on the tour to promote the November 13 Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito junior middleweight title fight.
But Arum left the news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel early when he learned his son was missing, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday night.
John Arum, 49, was apparently hiking in the mountains near Seattle when he went missing.
"We got a call today that he had gone hiking and is missing, so Bob told the staff this morning that he would leave the tour and take a flight to Seattle," boxing promoter Lee Samuels said. "Bob and his wife, Lovee, have left the tour and proceeded to Seattle."
Arum told the Los Angeles Times before leaving for Washington State, "They've got search parties looking for him right now."
The Pacquiao fight will take place at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The promotional tour is scheduled to stop in New York Wednesday and then Dallas on Thursday and Friday.
In his last fight, Pacquiao beat Joshua Clottey in Dallas on March 13 in a welterweight bout.
Report Courtesy of Yahoo!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Aquino Misinformed on Hostage Updates
By Thea Alberto
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on Tuesday revealed he received the wrong information on the Qurino Grandstand hostage crisis.
“I was informed that the SAF [Special Action Force] will be the primary unit task in case there is a need to employ the final option—a lot of these things did not happen,” Aquino told reporters.
Instead of Philippine National Police’s elite unit SAF, it was members of the Special Weapons and Tactics who stormed the bus taken hostage by former policeman Rolando Mendoza. It took the SWAT hours before they were able to neutralize the lone gunman who held at least 15 tourists from Hong Kong.
“At the end of the day I’m Commander in Chief, I was in touch with [PNP] Director General Verzosa, I asked who the ground commander was, I was informed it was Magtibay, I was also informed that the NCRPO was there to back up Magtibay,” added Aquino, lamenting that things turned for the worse.
At the height of the crisis, Aquino was in a meeting with several officials in a restaurant in Manila.
Aquino said the misinformation will also be among the key points of the probe into the hostage crisis that left eight foreign tourists dead and a blackeye to the new government.
Napolcom official’s fault?
Aquino also noted that a member of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) was at fault for the failed negotiation with the hostage taker and even made matters worse by acting as the government’s talking head.
“There was this member of the Napolcom who was on TV, who was performing a role as a talking head and I’m not sure where he got the permission to do so. While he was talking he was already shutting the door on the demands of Captain Mendoza,’ said Aquino.
He refused to identify the official pending investigation.
Aquino said this Napolcom official complicated the situation and even refused to heed his order to stop talking.
“He should have thought best before uttering those utterances…unfortunately that person contrary to my wishes proceeded to become a talking head again in an evening program, so he will be disciplined,” added Aquino.
Aquino also defended his appointed Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo by noting that it was Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno who was designated to be in charge of the PNP.
Investigation finished in two weeks
Aquino said he is hoping investigations will wrap up in three weeks.
“It will definitely not be three weeks, probably it wont even be two weeks, but rather that I put a fixed date to it, in case there are some new developments, new forensic evidence that crops up, I’d rather not give them a fixed deadline,” said Aquino.
OFW Loses Job in Hong Kong
GMANews.TV - Wednesday, September 1
Another overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Hong Kong was fired from her job following the bloody hostage crisis in Manila last week, which left eight tourists from Hong Kong killed, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that a Filipina domestic helper, whose name was not disclosed to media, was fired after her employers in Hong Kong found it “uncomfortable" to have someone from the Philippines in their household after the hostage-taking incident. This page requires a higher version browser She however added that the DOLE managed to find another job for the Filipina OFW days after she was fired. Baldoz likewise said that she does not expect any more OFWs to lose their jobs after the bloody hostage-taking.
“Hindi ako nag-eexpect ng backlash… I don’t think it [the situation] will worsen, and it will only be a few cases," she said in an interview aired over “24 Oras" on Tuesday.
She however advised OFWs in the Chinese territory to “respect" the “grief" being felt by Hong Kong residents due to the tragedy. “Patuloy pa rin irespeto ang national grief na nararamdaman ng buong gobyerno ng Hong Kong… Doblehin pa ang maayos na serbisyo sa employers nila," she said in the same television interview.
(Let’s continue to respect the national grief being felt by the entire Hong Kong government. Let’s redouble the good service we provide their employers.) Baldoz added that there have been no further reports of maltreatment and discrimination among OFWs in Hong Kong as of posting time.
On August 23, dismissed Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour hostage drama, nine people died— the hostage-taker and eight Hong Kong tourists. (See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead) Filipinos based in Hong Kong are reportedly feeling the backlash of growing outrage over the way the police handled the incident. The Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong confirmed last week that a domestic helper was dismissed by her employer in reaction to the hostage crisis. Some 150,000 Filipino workers are currently based in the Chinese territory, based on government records.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV
Another overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Hong Kong was fired from her job following the bloody hostage crisis in Manila last week, which left eight tourists from Hong Kong killed, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that a Filipina domestic helper, whose name was not disclosed to media, was fired after her employers in Hong Kong found it “uncomfortable" to have someone from the Philippines in their household after the hostage-taking incident. This page requires a higher version browser She however added that the DOLE managed to find another job for the Filipina OFW days after she was fired. Baldoz likewise said that she does not expect any more OFWs to lose their jobs after the bloody hostage-taking.
“Hindi ako nag-eexpect ng backlash… I don’t think it [the situation] will worsen, and it will only be a few cases," she said in an interview aired over “24 Oras" on Tuesday.
She however advised OFWs in the Chinese territory to “respect" the “grief" being felt by Hong Kong residents due to the tragedy. “Patuloy pa rin irespeto ang national grief na nararamdaman ng buong gobyerno ng Hong Kong… Doblehin pa ang maayos na serbisyo sa employers nila," she said in the same television interview.
(Let’s continue to respect the national grief being felt by the entire Hong Kong government. Let’s redouble the good service we provide their employers.) Baldoz added that there have been no further reports of maltreatment and discrimination among OFWs in Hong Kong as of posting time.
On August 23, dismissed Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour hostage drama, nine people died— the hostage-taker and eight Hong Kong tourists. (See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead) Filipinos based in Hong Kong are reportedly feeling the backlash of growing outrage over the way the police handled the incident. The Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong confirmed last week that a domestic helper was dismissed by her employer in reaction to the hostage crisis. Some 150,000 Filipino workers are currently based in the Chinese territory, based on government records.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV
Monday, August 30, 2010
Manila Hostage Bus, Inspected By Hong Kong Police
By JIM GOMEZ,Associated Press Writer - Tuesday, August 31
MANILA, Philippines – Hong Kong forensic experts on Monday inspected the bullet-peppered bus in which a hijacker killed eight tourists in Manila last week, as the Philippines worked to calm China's outrage over the bloodshed.
Anger has been rising in Hong Kong since the Aug. 23 carnage in which a disgruntled former Philippine police officer took the busload of tourists from the Chinese territory hostage in a bid to win his job back. Hong Kongers have blasted a failed rescue operation and botched negotiations that seemed to enrage the hostage taker, who was eventually killed by a police sharpshooter.
Organizers said about 80,000 people marched in Hong Kong on Sunday, denouncing the Philippines and demanding justice for the dead.
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered a thorough investigation into the crisis and the police response, and on Monday the Philippines allowed Hong Kong forensic experts to inspect the bus.
"We want to appease them and show that we're not hiding anything," Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz said. "This is a show of transparency."
Guided by Filipino investigators, the Hong Kong team used flashlights as they looked at the bloodied passenger compartment, taking pictures of bullet holes and shattered windows. Another checked the bus tires shot out by police to prevent the hostage-taker from moving out of a police cordon.
The Hong Kong investigators refused to talk to a throng of Chinese and Filipino journalists.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima met Hong Kong officials Monday to discuss the protocol for their investigation in Manila, while stressing that the Philippines still was in charge of the probe.
Philippine investigators plan to question Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who helped oversee the hostage negotiations, as well as journalists who interviewed hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza by phone during the drama, de Lima said. They may also travel to Hong Kong to talk to survivors of the nearly 12-hour standoff.
The investigation will take two to three weeks to complete, and until then those involved will not be allowed to comment publicly, de Lima said.
Still it is unclear if that will be enough to stem the anger in Hong Kong, which has discouraged its residents from traveling to the Philippines. About 140,000 Hong Kong tourists visit the Philippines yearly and hundreds have canceled planned trips.
Concerns have also been raised about a possible backlash on the more than 100,000 Filipinos working in the territory, mostly as maids.
Also Monday, Filipino anti-crime activists placed flowers at the site of the carnage in a Manila park. One carried a wooden cross bearing the names of the slain hostages.
MANILA, Philippines – Hong Kong forensic experts on Monday inspected the bullet-peppered bus in which a hijacker killed eight tourists in Manila last week, as the Philippines worked to calm China's outrage over the bloodshed.
Anger has been rising in Hong Kong since the Aug. 23 carnage in which a disgruntled former Philippine police officer took the busload of tourists from the Chinese territory hostage in a bid to win his job back. Hong Kongers have blasted a failed rescue operation and botched negotiations that seemed to enrage the hostage taker, who was eventually killed by a police sharpshooter.
Organizers said about 80,000 people marched in Hong Kong on Sunday, denouncing the Philippines and demanding justice for the dead.
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered a thorough investigation into the crisis and the police response, and on Monday the Philippines allowed Hong Kong forensic experts to inspect the bus.
"We want to appease them and show that we're not hiding anything," Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz said. "This is a show of transparency."
Guided by Filipino investigators, the Hong Kong team used flashlights as they looked at the bloodied passenger compartment, taking pictures of bullet holes and shattered windows. Another checked the bus tires shot out by police to prevent the hostage-taker from moving out of a police cordon.
The Hong Kong investigators refused to talk to a throng of Chinese and Filipino journalists.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima met Hong Kong officials Monday to discuss the protocol for their investigation in Manila, while stressing that the Philippines still was in charge of the probe.
Philippine investigators plan to question Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who helped oversee the hostage negotiations, as well as journalists who interviewed hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza by phone during the drama, de Lima said. They may also travel to Hong Kong to talk to survivors of the nearly 12-hour standoff.
The investigation will take two to three weeks to complete, and until then those involved will not be allowed to comment publicly, de Lima said.
Still it is unclear if that will be enough to stem the anger in Hong Kong, which has discouraged its residents from traveling to the Philippines. About 140,000 Hong Kong tourists visit the Philippines yearly and hundreds have canceled planned trips.
Concerns have also been raised about a possible backlash on the more than 100,000 Filipinos working in the territory, mostly as maids.
Also Monday, Filipino anti-crime activists placed flowers at the site of the carnage in a Manila park. One carried a wooden cross bearing the names of the slain hostages.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
"The Last Exorcism" Beats the Star-studed the "Takers"
LOS ANGELES - The fright flick "The Last Exorcism" and the heist thriller "Takers" were in a photo finish for the top spot at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Lionsgate's "The Last Exorcism" had a thin lead with a $21.3 million debut, closely followed by Sony's "Takers" with a $21 million opening. They were close enough that rankings could change after final numbers are released Monday.
After two weekends in the No. 1 spot, Lionsgate's action romp "The Expendables" slipped to third place with $9.5 million, raising its total to $82 million.
Playing in narrower release, a 3-D special edition of "Avatar" pulled in $4 million, lifting the sci-fi sensation's domestic total to $753.8 million. The new version of the 20th Century Fox blockbuster adds nine minutes of footage.
Both "The Last Exorcism" and "Takers" debuted well above studio expectations, though the openings were modest compared with most big summer debuts.
Overall revenues came in at $115 million, down 8 percent compared with the same weekend last year, when the horror tale "The Final Destination" opened on top with $27.4 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
"We've had two weeks of films being all stacked up very closely to one another, and that's a really tight margin between these two," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "But it's sort of a battle in a marketplace that really isn't setting the world on fire."
With summer blockbuster season generally over, late August often is a solid time to release scary movies such as "The Final Destination" and "Halloween II," which opened over the same weekend last year.
"You don't see many low-budget genre films released in June or July or even early August," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "You don't want to put 'The Last Exorcism' up against 'Inception' or these big blockbuster films."
"The Last Exorcism," about an exorcist trying to cast out a demon from a teenager, cost just $2 million to produce, and Lionsgate bought domestic distribution rights for less than $1 million.
"Takers," which cost a modest $32 million to make, features Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker and Idris Elba in a thriller about bank robbers pursued by a tough cop.
Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution, said he expected "Takers" to remain in second place, slightly behind "The Last Exorcism," once final figures are released Monday. Yet the two movies were pacing Hollywood to a strong finish to the summer season, he said.
"I do think both pictures were pretty terrific for ending summer with," Bruer said. "To have two pictures at $20-plus million at the end of August is a good thing."
The extended version of James Cameron's "Avatar" played in just 812 theaters, compared with 2,874 for "The Last Exorcism" and 2,206 for "Takers."
Besides $4 million domestically, the "Avatar" special edition added $4.3 million overseas. The extra revenue is mere icing for the biggest modern blockbuster, whose initial release took in $2.7 billion worldwide.
"There is no unhappy attached to 'Avatar,' because it's the greatest. It's always done business. It's the biggest picture in history," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "People bought tickets everywhere this weekend. There's no bad."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Last Exorcism," $21.3 million.
2. "Takers," $21 million.
3. "The Expendables," $9.5 million.
4. "Eat Pray Love," $7 million.
5. "The Other Guys," $6.6 million.
6. "Vampires Suck," $5.3 million.
7. "Inception," $5.1 million.
8. "Nanny McPhee Returns," $4.74 million
9. "The Switch," $4.7 million.
10. "Piranha 3D," $4.3 million.
Report Courtesy of Yahoo
Lionsgate's "The Last Exorcism" had a thin lead with a $21.3 million debut, closely followed by Sony's "Takers" with a $21 million opening. They were close enough that rankings could change after final numbers are released Monday.
After two weekends in the No. 1 spot, Lionsgate's action romp "The Expendables" slipped to third place with $9.5 million, raising its total to $82 million.
Playing in narrower release, a 3-D special edition of "Avatar" pulled in $4 million, lifting the sci-fi sensation's domestic total to $753.8 million. The new version of the 20th Century Fox blockbuster adds nine minutes of footage.
Both "The Last Exorcism" and "Takers" debuted well above studio expectations, though the openings were modest compared with most big summer debuts.
Overall revenues came in at $115 million, down 8 percent compared with the same weekend last year, when the horror tale "The Final Destination" opened on top with $27.4 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
"We've had two weeks of films being all stacked up very closely to one another, and that's a really tight margin between these two," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "But it's sort of a battle in a marketplace that really isn't setting the world on fire."
With summer blockbuster season generally over, late August often is a solid time to release scary movies such as "The Final Destination" and "Halloween II," which opened over the same weekend last year.
"You don't see many low-budget genre films released in June or July or even early August," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "You don't want to put 'The Last Exorcism' up against 'Inception' or these big blockbuster films."
"The Last Exorcism," about an exorcist trying to cast out a demon from a teenager, cost just $2 million to produce, and Lionsgate bought domestic distribution rights for less than $1 million.
"Takers," which cost a modest $32 million to make, features Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker and Idris Elba in a thriller about bank robbers pursued by a tough cop.
Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution, said he expected "Takers" to remain in second place, slightly behind "The Last Exorcism," once final figures are released Monday. Yet the two movies were pacing Hollywood to a strong finish to the summer season, he said.
"I do think both pictures were pretty terrific for ending summer with," Bruer said. "To have two pictures at $20-plus million at the end of August is a good thing."
The extended version of James Cameron's "Avatar" played in just 812 theaters, compared with 2,874 for "The Last Exorcism" and 2,206 for "Takers."
Besides $4 million domestically, the "Avatar" special edition added $4.3 million overseas. The extra revenue is mere icing for the biggest modern blockbuster, whose initial release took in $2.7 billion worldwide.
"There is no unhappy attached to 'Avatar,' because it's the greatest. It's always done business. It's the biggest picture in history," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "People bought tickets everywhere this weekend. There's no bad."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Last Exorcism," $21.3 million.
2. "Takers," $21 million.
3. "The Expendables," $9.5 million.
4. "Eat Pray Love," $7 million.
5. "The Other Guys," $6.6 million.
6. "Vampires Suck," $5.3 million.
7. "Inception," $5.1 million.
8. "Nanny McPhee Returns," $4.74 million
9. "The Switch," $4.7 million.
10. "Piranha 3D," $4.3 million.
Report Courtesy of Yahoo
Thursday, August 26, 2010
July 2010 Philippine NLE Results
Finally, the long wait is over, fellow newly registered nurses see your names here and cherish this memorable moment. Congratulations to all of you, may you all fulfill your dreams as nurses!!
See the full list of passers here:
July 2010 Philippine NLE Results
See the full list of passers here:
July 2010 Philippine NLE Results
Donald Tsang Failed to Contact President Aquino During Hostage Crisis?
Why did Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang fail to speak with President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III over the phone as the hostage crisis was taking place on Monday?
Malacanang officials earlier claimed that Aquino was speaking with officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government when Tsang called but apparently the story goes deeper.
On Thursday, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ricky Carandang said Tsang contacted Aquino through the Malacanang trunk line at around 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
"Normally when there is a high-level call like that, the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) will notify us that there will be a call. That didn't happen. Since he came through the trunkline which was not usual, the President's aide didn't want to pass it on without some kind of verification," said Carandang.
"So what he (aide) did was he told a secretary, he said, 'put the phone down and we will call you through our foreign minister'," said Carandang.
Carandang said the Palace aide called up Romulo's office and told the DFA that Donald Tsang's office called.
The DFA said it would call back the Palace, and then later claimed that it couldn't get in touch with Tsang until 10 p.m.--more than an hour after the crisis ended.
"By then, it was too late. Donald Tsang had issued his angry statement saying that he couldn't get through to the President," said Carandang.
Carandang said there was no truth to reports that Malacanang did not know who Donald Tsang was when the Hong Kong chief executive called.
"He was Donald Tsang. They knew who he was. It just didn't go through the normal channels," he said.
Aquino finally managed to talk to Tsang over the phone Tuesday afternoon, when he called up the Hong Kong leader after he met with Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao in Malacanang.
On Monday, former police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a tourist bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The hostage drama turned bloody when the hostage-taker reportedly became angry after seeing his brother being arrested on a live television broadcast of the incident.
The bus driver escaped and shouted as he ran that everyone on the bus was already dead. It was then that the police launched an assault on the bus. At the end of the 12-hour confrontation, Mendoza and eight tourists from Hong Kong were found dead.
The Aquino administration's handling of the crisis has drawn much criticism locally and abroad, with experts and analysts pointing out that police who handled the incident appeared to be poorly trained and ill-equipped. –VVP, GMANews.TV
Malacanang officials earlier claimed that Aquino was speaking with officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government when Tsang called but apparently the story goes deeper.
On Thursday, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ricky Carandang said Tsang contacted Aquino through the Malacanang trunk line at around 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
"Normally when there is a high-level call like that, the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) will notify us that there will be a call. That didn't happen. Since he came through the trunkline which was not usual, the President's aide didn't want to pass it on without some kind of verification," said Carandang.
"So what he (aide) did was he told a secretary, he said, 'put the phone down and we will call you through our foreign minister'," said Carandang.
Carandang said the Palace aide called up Romulo's office and told the DFA that Donald Tsang's office called.
The DFA said it would call back the Palace, and then later claimed that it couldn't get in touch with Tsang until 10 p.m.--more than an hour after the crisis ended.
"By then, it was too late. Donald Tsang had issued his angry statement saying that he couldn't get through to the President," said Carandang.
Carandang said there was no truth to reports that Malacanang did not know who Donald Tsang was when the Hong Kong chief executive called.
"He was Donald Tsang. They knew who he was. It just didn't go through the normal channels," he said.
Aquino finally managed to talk to Tsang over the phone Tuesday afternoon, when he called up the Hong Kong leader after he met with Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao in Malacanang.
On Monday, former police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a tourist bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The hostage drama turned bloody when the hostage-taker reportedly became angry after seeing his brother being arrested on a live television broadcast of the incident.
The bus driver escaped and shouted as he ran that everyone on the bus was already dead. It was then that the police launched an assault on the bus. At the end of the 12-hour confrontation, Mendoza and eight tourists from Hong Kong were found dead.
The Aquino administration's handling of the crisis has drawn much criticism locally and abroad, with experts and analysts pointing out that police who handled the incident appeared to be poorly trained and ill-equipped. –VVP, GMANews.TV
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Hong Kong Mourns for Manila Hostage Victims
HONG KONG, Aug 26, 2010 (AFP) – Teeming Hong Kong fell silent on Thursday mourning for eight tourists killed in a hostage bloodbath in Manila, after their bodies returned home amid growing outrage against Philippine authorities.
The southern Chinese territory held three minutes of silence with government work suspended and flags lowered to half-mast at a special ceremony overseen by Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang on the city's harbour waterfront.
Emotions are running high in Hong Kong over blunders by Philippine police in the chaotic climax to a day-long bus siege Monday, when a disgraced former policeman held a group of Hong Kong tourists hostage for 12 hours.
The bodies of the eight tourists killed at the end of the siege -- including three members of one family -- were flown back to Hong Kong on Wednesday, with bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace" at a mournful airport ceremony.
An elderly woman wept as she laid her hands on the coffin of the 31-year-old Hong Kong tour guide who was praised for alerting his travel agency to the crisis. Other relatives laid wreaths on victims' coffins.
Echoing calls by China's central government in Beijing, high-ranking Hong Kong official Henry Tang demanded that Manila "conduct a comprehensive, thorough and impartial investigation".
"We have been overwhelmed with grief by the events of the past three days," Tang, the Hong Kong government's chief secretary, told reporters.
"The truth would be the best consolation for victims and their families."
Chek Lap Kok airport, one of Asia's busiest, took part in the three-minute silence with tannoy announcements just before 8:00 am (0000 GMT) urging passengers and staff to pay their respects.
Report Courtesy of Yahoo News
The southern Chinese territory held three minutes of silence with government work suspended and flags lowered to half-mast at a special ceremony overseen by Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang on the city's harbour waterfront.
Emotions are running high in Hong Kong over blunders by Philippine police in the chaotic climax to a day-long bus siege Monday, when a disgraced former policeman held a group of Hong Kong tourists hostage for 12 hours.
The bodies of the eight tourists killed at the end of the siege -- including three members of one family -- were flown back to Hong Kong on Wednesday, with bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace" at a mournful airport ceremony.
An elderly woman wept as she laid her hands on the coffin of the 31-year-old Hong Kong tour guide who was praised for alerting his travel agency to the crisis. Other relatives laid wreaths on victims' coffins.
Echoing calls by China's central government in Beijing, high-ranking Hong Kong official Henry Tang demanded that Manila "conduct a comprehensive, thorough and impartial investigation".
"We have been overwhelmed with grief by the events of the past three days," Tang, the Hong Kong government's chief secretary, told reporters.
"The truth would be the best consolation for victims and their families."
Chek Lap Kok airport, one of Asia's busiest, took part in the three-minute silence with tannoy announcements just before 8:00 am (0000 GMT) urging passengers and staff to pay their respects.
Report Courtesy of Yahoo News
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Miss Mexico - The Crowned 2010 Miss Universe
From flags to Facebook, 22-year-old Jimena Navarrete has quickly made it clear what she plans to promote as the world's newest Miss Universe — her home country of Mexico.
"I want the whole world to know about my country and my people," the Guadalajara native said after beating 82 competitors for global bragging rights at the pageant in Las Vegas.
"I imagine that they're all going crazy in Mexico right now," she said through an interpreter. "I'm extremely proud and I'm sure they're very proud, too."
She donned a flowing red dress, strutted confidently in a violet bikini, and said onstage that the Internet is indispensable and requires parents to impart family values.
The model-turned pageant queen then posed for pictures with a Mexican flag and Mexico's last Miss Universe as congratulations from her countrymen came pouring in.
"Her triumph is a source of pride and satisfaction for all Mexicans, who see in her the fruits of perseverance," Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a statement. Immediately after her win, Calderon said on Twitter that her victory would help Mexico's image as a country.
"We won, long live Mexico!" Navarrete said on her fan page on Facebook, spurring 478 "likes" and 218 comments in about one hour.
She was cheered by Spanish-speaking reporters clamoring to talk with her after the pageant, and twice answered questions about Arizona's recent immigration law.
"Every country has the right to impose and enact their laws," she said, wearing her new sash and sparkling tiara. "But I tell you that all the Mexicans and the Latins that are living here in the United States are hardworking people — people who want to improve on their quality of life."
The Miss Universe pageant is known for grabbing headlines — and Navarrete appears ready to make her mark.
She's Mexico's second Miss Universe. Lupita Jones — Navarrete's national pageant director — won in 1991. Navarrete has been modeling since she was 15 and came to Miss Universe after winning for Jalisco, then Mexico, in the country's Nuestra Belleza pageant.
Navarrete replaces Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela. She also spoiled a bid by Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson from giving the South American country a third consecutive victory. Neither Gibson nor Miss USA Rima Fakih made the top 15 finalists.
With fans in some 190 countries watching on television and keeping tabs on social networks, Navarrete and her competitors introduced themselves while wearing over-the-top national costumes. They then danced in silver and black dresses for the show's opening number before the last 15 finalists were announced.
The final 15 walked in swimsuits while Cirque du Soleil musicians played Elvis Presley songs including "Viva Las Vegas." The last 10 impressed in their gowns while John Legend and the Roots played a soulful medley including "Save Room."
By the end of the show, seven of the top 10 trending topics on Twitter had to do with the pageant, its contestants, its judges or owner Donald Trump. The mogul co-owns the pageant with TV network NBC.
The show was without any major gaffes, except for Miss Philippines' answer when asked what her biggest mistake in life was and how she fixed it.
"In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major," Venus Raj said.
Before the pageant, Raj was rated among the top contestants in an online poll on the pageant's website. She finished in fifth place.
Asked by Olympic gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek how she felt about unsupervised Internet use, Navarrete said the Internet is important.
"I do believe that Internet is an indispensable, necessary tool for the present time," she said through an interpreter. "We must be sure to teach them the values that we learned as a family."
Lysacek was one of this year's nine celebrity judges. The others were actresses Jane Seymour and Chynna Phillips; actors Chazz Palminteri and William Baldwin; magician Criss Angel; MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall; drummer Sheila E.; and supermodel Niki Taylor.
Navarrete won a package of prizes including an undisclosed salary, a luxury New York apartment with living expenses, a one-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy with housing after her reign, plus jewelry, clothes and shoes fit for a beauty champion.
Campbell won the Miss Congeniality Universe award. Miss Thailand Fonthip Watcharatrakul won Miss Photogenic Universe and a second award for having the best national costume.
First runner-up was Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps, while second runner-up was Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell.
Fakih, a 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant from Dearborn, Mich., spurred celebrations among Arab-Americans when she won Miss USA. Pageant records aren't detailed enough to show whether Fakih is the first Arab-American, Muslim or immigrant to win Miss USA.
Miss USA has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Hostage Taking in Quirino Grandstand: 10 Killed
By Mynardo Macaraig, Agence France Presse
and Yahoo! Southeast Asia
(UPDATE 23) Philippine security forces stormed a bus full of Hong Kong tourists on Monday to end a dramatic hostage crisis that unfolded live on global television, leaving at least ten people and the gunman dead.
Hong Kong eventually issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines on Monday after Hong Kong tourists were killed in Manila in a bus hijack by an armed ex-policeman.
The Hong Kong government said it was “very disappointed” about the outcome of a dramatic hostage siege.
The day-long ordeal began when a disgruntled ex-policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle hijacked the bus in Manila’s tourist district in a desperate bid to get his job back.
Negotiations broke down after nightfall when the gunman, a highly decorated former senior police inspector identified as Rolando Mendoza, began shooting the passengers, and commandos stormed the bus.
Police said Mendoza was shot dead by a sniper after he used his captives as “human shields” in the final moments of the 12-hour standoff.
“I shot two Chinese. I will finish them all if they do not stop,” Mendoza told a local radio station as the police assault was about to get underway.
“I can see a lot of SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) coming in. I know they will kill me. They should all leave because anytime I will do the same here.”
Ten of the Hong Kong tourists were confirmed killed, according to doctors at hospitals in Manila and the Hong Kong government, although exactly how they died was not immediately clear.
Seven tourists, including children, and two Filipinos were freed at various times throughout the day from the bus parked at Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters.
The Filipino bus driver jumped out of a window and escaped moments before police stormed the vehicle, with his escape and the rest of the crisis broadcast live on television.
Another four hostages were seen scrambling out of the bus after the siege ended, but the fate of the remaining Hong Kong tourists originally on board the bus remained unknown late on Monday.
The Hong Kong government issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines after the crisis ended, but said it was sending in two charter planes to Manila for the families of the hostages.
Police were unable to get inside the bus for more than an hour after negotiations broke down and they decided to storm it.
They encircled the bus, smashed its windows and fired at it, but Mendoza held them off by shooting back.
The crisis eventually ended when police threw tear gas inside the bus, and fired again.
“He used the tourists as human shields. But he panicked and retreated to the front of the bus. He was then met with a valley of gunfire,” the assault team’s leader, Superintendent Nelson Yabut told reporters afterwards.
“One of our snipers managed to shoot him in the head.”
Mendoza, 55, was honoured by police chiefs in 1986 as one of the top 10 officers in the country.
But he was discharged in 2008 for his alleged involvement in drug-related crimes and extortion, and he hijacked the bus in a desperate bid to clear his name, according to police.
“He wants to be reinstated in the service,” Manila district police chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay said early in the day.
Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the tourists on the bus were aged between four and 72.
They were on a three-day tour with Hong Thai Travel and were scheduled to return to Hong Kong late Monday.
“A serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. Hong Kong residents should avoid all travel to the country,” a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a statement.
“Those who are already there should attend to their personal safety and exercise caution.”
Monday’s bus hijack recalled a similar hostage-taking in 2007, when a troubled civil engineer armed with a grenade took over a bus and held 30 children but freed them after a 10-hour standoff with police.
The 2007 drama took place near Manila city hall, just off Rizal Park.
Monday’s tragedy also added to a fast-growing number of attacks of foreigners in the Philippines.
Gunmen shot dead a South Korean man in a separate attack on Monday morning in another section of Manila. Police said the incidents were not related.
Last month, an American, a South African, a Briton and their Filipina partners were killed in spate of murder-robberies in Angeles City north of Manila. The alleged killer was arrested.
To see photos, click here
and Yahoo! Southeast Asia
(UPDATE 23) Philippine security forces stormed a bus full of Hong Kong tourists on Monday to end a dramatic hostage crisis that unfolded live on global television, leaving at least ten people and the gunman dead.
Hong Kong eventually issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines on Monday after Hong Kong tourists were killed in Manila in a bus hijack by an armed ex-policeman.
The Hong Kong government said it was “very disappointed” about the outcome of a dramatic hostage siege.
The day-long ordeal began when a disgruntled ex-policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle hijacked the bus in Manila’s tourist district in a desperate bid to get his job back.
Negotiations broke down after nightfall when the gunman, a highly decorated former senior police inspector identified as Rolando Mendoza, began shooting the passengers, and commandos stormed the bus.
Police said Mendoza was shot dead by a sniper after he used his captives as “human shields” in the final moments of the 12-hour standoff.
“I shot two Chinese. I will finish them all if they do not stop,” Mendoza told a local radio station as the police assault was about to get underway.
“I can see a lot of SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) coming in. I know they will kill me. They should all leave because anytime I will do the same here.”
Ten of the Hong Kong tourists were confirmed killed, according to doctors at hospitals in Manila and the Hong Kong government, although exactly how they died was not immediately clear.
Seven tourists, including children, and two Filipinos were freed at various times throughout the day from the bus parked at Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters.
The Filipino bus driver jumped out of a window and escaped moments before police stormed the vehicle, with his escape and the rest of the crisis broadcast live on television.
Another four hostages were seen scrambling out of the bus after the siege ended, but the fate of the remaining Hong Kong tourists originally on board the bus remained unknown late on Monday.
The Hong Kong government issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines after the crisis ended, but said it was sending in two charter planes to Manila for the families of the hostages.
Police were unable to get inside the bus for more than an hour after negotiations broke down and they decided to storm it.
They encircled the bus, smashed its windows and fired at it, but Mendoza held them off by shooting back.
The crisis eventually ended when police threw tear gas inside the bus, and fired again.
“He used the tourists as human shields. But he panicked and retreated to the front of the bus. He was then met with a valley of gunfire,” the assault team’s leader, Superintendent Nelson Yabut told reporters afterwards.
“One of our snipers managed to shoot him in the head.”
Mendoza, 55, was honoured by police chiefs in 1986 as one of the top 10 officers in the country.
But he was discharged in 2008 for his alleged involvement in drug-related crimes and extortion, and he hijacked the bus in a desperate bid to clear his name, according to police.
“He wants to be reinstated in the service,” Manila district police chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay said early in the day.
Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the tourists on the bus were aged between four and 72.
They were on a three-day tour with Hong Thai Travel and were scheduled to return to Hong Kong late Monday.
“A serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. Hong Kong residents should avoid all travel to the country,” a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a statement.
“Those who are already there should attend to their personal safety and exercise caution.”
Monday’s bus hijack recalled a similar hostage-taking in 2007, when a troubled civil engineer armed with a grenade took over a bus and held 30 children but freed them after a 10-hour standoff with police.
The 2007 drama took place near Manila city hall, just off Rizal Park.
Monday’s tragedy also added to a fast-growing number of attacks of foreigners in the Philippines.
Gunmen shot dead a South Korean man in a separate attack on Monday morning in another section of Manila. Police said the incidents were not related.
Last month, an American, a South African, a Briton and their Filipina partners were killed in spate of murder-robberies in Angeles City north of Manila. The alleged killer was arrested.
To see photos, click here
Monday, January 4, 2010
Ampatuan's Case on Full Media Coverage
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:21:00 01/04/2010
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:21:00 01/04/2010
MANILA, Philippines—The government must show “full transparency” by allowing media to have full coverage and access of the Ampatuans, the suspects in the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao, a senator said on Monday.
Senator Rodolfo Biazon said this move will remove doubts that the powerful political clan implicated in the killings of more than 50 people continues to enjoy close ties with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“The government must be transparent enough to prove that there’s no such special treatment to the Ampatuans. Allow, for example, the vigilance of the media people to be given the due course, hindi yung nili-limit (don’t limit),” said Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense.
The senator was reacting to an article of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that reporters covering the Ampatuans were barred from entering the compound of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) where the suspects are detained.
The paper also reported that the jailed Ampatuans have mobile phones, catered meals, and even someone to clean their cells.
“The PNP (Philippine National Police) and the government must give full transparency,” Biazon said. “The executive department must provide transparency to eliminate any doubts, to disprove (speculations) that the Ampatuans are supported by the military and the government.”
“Halimbawa, dapat makita itong trial, yung court hearing na naka schedule na gawin sa Camp Crame. Talagang special na mga nilalang ang mga Ampatuans dahil talagang naghanda pa ng court para sa kanila (For example, this court hearing in Camp Crame must be made public. The Ampatuans are really special because a court has been prepared especially for them),” Biazon pointed out.
However, without sufficient information to prove the alleged special treatment to the suspects, the committee chairman was not inclined to conduct a congressional inquiry on the issue.
“That indeed is a possibility…Kung may (If there is an) additional information about this, a resolution is in order,” Biazon said, although he pointed out that Congress might not have enough time to look into this.
While he agreed that the Ampatuans should not be given special treatment in jail, lawyer and senatorial candidate Adel Tamano said the suspects should also not be given “undue treatment because of the public clamor to punish them.”
“The Ampatuans should get the same treatment as other detention prisoners as mandated by law,” Tamano said in a text message.
“If other prisoners are allowed to obtain their own food—for example, because the Ampatuans are Moros (indigenous Filipino Muslims), they cannot eat pork and thus, it is reasonable that they provide for their own meals—then the Ampatuans should have the same right,” he said.
But to give them favored treatment because of their wealth, Tamano said, was “unconscionable and offensive” to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.
Senator Rodolfo Biazon said this move will remove doubts that the powerful political clan implicated in the killings of more than 50 people continues to enjoy close ties with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“The government must be transparent enough to prove that there’s no such special treatment to the Ampatuans. Allow, for example, the vigilance of the media people to be given the due course, hindi yung nili-limit (don’t limit),” said Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense.
The senator was reacting to an article of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that reporters covering the Ampatuans were barred from entering the compound of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) where the suspects are detained.
The paper also reported that the jailed Ampatuans have mobile phones, catered meals, and even someone to clean their cells.
“The PNP (Philippine National Police) and the government must give full transparency,” Biazon said. “The executive department must provide transparency to eliminate any doubts, to disprove (speculations) that the Ampatuans are supported by the military and the government.”
“Halimbawa, dapat makita itong trial, yung court hearing na naka schedule na gawin sa Camp Crame. Talagang special na mga nilalang ang mga Ampatuans dahil talagang naghanda pa ng court para sa kanila (For example, this court hearing in Camp Crame must be made public. The Ampatuans are really special because a court has been prepared especially for them),” Biazon pointed out.
However, without sufficient information to prove the alleged special treatment to the suspects, the committee chairman was not inclined to conduct a congressional inquiry on the issue.
“That indeed is a possibility…Kung may (If there is an) additional information about this, a resolution is in order,” Biazon said, although he pointed out that Congress might not have enough time to look into this.
While he agreed that the Ampatuans should not be given special treatment in jail, lawyer and senatorial candidate Adel Tamano said the suspects should also not be given “undue treatment because of the public clamor to punish them.”
“The Ampatuans should get the same treatment as other detention prisoners as mandated by law,” Tamano said in a text message.
“If other prisoners are allowed to obtain their own food—for example, because the Ampatuans are Moros (indigenous Filipino Muslims), they cannot eat pork and thus, it is reasonable that they provide for their own meals—then the Ampatuans should have the same right,” he said.
But to give them favored treatment because of their wealth, Tamano said, was “unconscionable and offensive” to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.
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