New airport mulled after Naia runway mishap
An official of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the Chinese plane mishap at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) signals the need for a new airport in the country. MIAA General Manager Eddie Monreal told Radyo Inquirer on Monday that the Naia, which has the only international runway in the country, is already at its full capacity and will soon be worn-out. Airport authorities earlier said the affected 06/24 runway is where most international flights go through. It took over 36 hours to remove the airplane from the runway, which airport authorities blamed to the rain-soaked grassy area and the bad weather during recovery operations. /jeRELATED STORIES:Naia runway incident ‘a signal’ for new airport, says JV EjercitoNaia chaos brings misery to thousands of passengersADVERTISEMENTXiamen Air jet stuck at NAIA runway; flights canceled, diverted
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 20, 2018 02:48 UTC
MRT: Expect delays on Monday due to signaling problems
The management of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on Monday advised the public to expect delays in the arrival and departure of trains due to a “signaling technical concern.”In an advisory, the MRT-3 management traced the problem in its Taft station. “There is currently a delay in the arrival and departure of trains in the mainline due to a signaling technical concern in Taft Station. This causes the accumulated train delays and piling up of trains in the said station,” the advisory said. ADVERTISEMENTThe management said technicians were on site to address the issue. It apologized to passengers for the inconvenience.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 20, 2018 02:03 UTC
LOOK: Albayalde promotes 16,000 policemen amid ‘cleansing’ drive
More than 16,000 policemen nationwide were promoted in a ceremony on Monday. Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said 1,282 commissioned officers and 15,558 non-commissioned officers got higher ranks. During promotion rites in Camp Crame in Quezon City, Albayalde urged the lawmen to stay committed to their duty as policemen. ADVERTISEMENT“As newly-promoted police officers, I expect that you will remain strongly committed to the public, by upholding the PNP core values at all times. The promotions came amid an intensified campaign by the PNP to weed out scalawags and corrupt policemen.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 20, 2018 01:52 UTC
Cops seize P275,000 worth of marijuana from Baguio
Police arrested two alleged drug traffickers and seized some 15 kilos of marijuana worth P275,000 from Baguio City in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City on Monday. Suspects Francis Nepomuceno and Michael Gontinias were arrested by the police after the bust along A. Bonifacio Drive in Balintawak at about 1:30 a.m., a police report said. ADVERTISEMENTThe suspects are members of a drug syndicate that transports drugs from Baguio City and operates in Metro Manila and Nueva Ecija, according to authorities. Police said Nepomuceno and Gontinias were under surveillance for two-months before the arrest. Recovered from the scene were dried marijuana leaves and P275 used as buy-bust money.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 20, 2018 01:30 UTC
How the Philippines fared in Asiad basketball
Basketball took the limelight again in the Philippines’ Asian Games (Asiad) participation in Indonesia following two developments – the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) agreeing to send a team after initially withdrawing from participation; and the inclusion of National Basketball Association (NBA) guard Jordan Clarkson in the roster. Now, let’s review the country’s performance in the Asian Games’ basketball event in previous years. As for the Asian Games, the Philippines has a total of four gold medals in the basketball event, tying Korea for second spot in the all-time record. In 2006, FIBA suspended the country following internal conflicts within the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), which forced the Philippines to skip the Asiad. The country returned in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou with the Rajko Toroman-led Gilas 1.0 that finished sixth.
Source:Manila Times
August 20, 2018 00:50 UTC
UST, Perlas collide in BVR Manila Open finals
Rondina and Barbon proved too much to Smart’s Grethcel Soltones and Alyssa Eroa, 21-11, 21-16, while Gervacio and Tan pulled off a 21-9, 21-18 romp of Kempal’s Roma Doromal and Chantal Rodriguez. Using the BVR Manila leg as part of the Tigresses’ pre-season build-up for their UAAP title-retention campaign next month, Rondina and Barbon are making their initial partnership. Gervacio and Tan, on the other hand, were reunited after playing with different tandems in previous legs. Perlas’ Gervacio and Tan defeated UST 2’s Eslapor and Ebro, 21-18, 21-15, while Kempal’s Doromal and Rodriguez subdued Air Force’s Anna Abanto and Jennifer Manzano-Acain, 21-16, 23-21. In the men’s division, Bryan Bagunas and James Natividad of reigning UAAP champions National University lead the semifinalists.
Source:Manila Times
August 20, 2018 00:50 UTC
Doc who raped patient tethered to machines escapes jail time
HOUSTON, United States — A former Houston doctor convicted of sexually assaulting a patient while she was tethered to machines and receiving treatment for asthma won’t serve any prison time and will instead serve 10 years’ probation. The punishment has surprised defense attorneys, disappointed law enforcement and raised concerns from a victims advocacy group, the Houston Chronicle reported. The victim said through a former attorney that she had no comment and wanted to put it all behind her. She said she tried to summon a nurse with the call button, but witnesses testified it had been unplugged. “Oftentimes, perpetrators will attempt to minimize the severity of their actions by claiming it wasn’t sexual assault, but was consensual sex,” she said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 20, 2018 00:11 UTC
South Koreans head for family reunions in North after decades apart
SOKCHO, South Korea — Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans set off for North Korea Monday to meet relatives for the first time since they were separated nearly seven decades ago by a war that divided the peninsula and their families. The three-day reunion—the first for three years—will take place in Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea, following a rapid diplomatic thaw between the neighbors. 'Last time'Since 2000 the two nations have held 20 rounds of reunions but time is running out for many ageing family members. Jang and his older brother—who died 10 years ago—were the only ones from the family who fled their hometown in Hwanghae province to the South in 1951. Over the next three days, the participants will spend only about 11 hours—mostly under the watchful eyes of North Korean agents—with their relatives in the North.
Source:Philippine Star
August 20, 2018 00:00 UTC
Several flights canceled at NAIA
Several flights were canceled on Monday still due to excessive flight delays after a Xiamen Airlines plane veered off while landing and blocked the runway late last week, causing major flight schedule disruptions. In an advisory by the Manila International Airport Authorities (Miaa), the following flights were canceled as of 6:30 a.m.:AirAsiaZ2 0763 Manila – CebuZ2 0764 Cebu – ManilaZ2 0424 Manila – Puerto PrincesaZ2 0425 Puerto Princesa – ManilaZ2 0309 Manila – IloiloZ2 0310 Iloilo – ManilaZ2 225 Manila – CaticlanZ2 226 Caticlan – ManilaZ2 761 Manila – CebuZ2 762 Cebu-ManilaCebu Pacific5J 483 Manila – Bacolod5J 484 Bacolod – Manila5J 451 Manila – Iloilo5J 452 Iloilo – Manila5J 321 Manila – Legazpi5J 322 Legazpi – ManilaIn a press briefing on Sunday, Miaa General Manager Ed Monreal said that 681 flights have flown in and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport since the reopening of the runway. ADVERTISEMENTXiamen Air Flight MF8667 from China veered off the runway while landing in a downpour near midnight on Thursday and got stuck in a muddy field with one engine and wheel ripped off. The runway was closed most of Friday as emergency crews removed excess fuel then tried to lift the aircraft, its belly resting on the muddy ground, away from the main runway which was being cleared of debris. READ: Flight schedules back to normal after Naia runway reopening[Please refresh for updates]
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 23:48 UTC
Naia chaos brings misery to thousands of passengers
At least 69 flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) were canceled on Sunday, bringing misery to at least 13,000 passengers more than a day after a Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800 was lifted from a muddy field off the runway. The canceled local and international flights were in addition to the more than 200 flights scrapped on Friday and Saturday, as airlines tried to normalize operations. But after an hour on board the plane, the passengers were asked to disembark as the flight was canceled because of the chaos in Manila. At least 35 flights, mostly from international destinations, were diverted to Clark International Airport in Pampanga province on Friday and Saturday. Congressional probeAs expected, the Senate and the House of Representatives will conduct inquiries into the Naia snafu.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 23:26 UTC
China shows off automated doctors, teachers, warrios
I love the sparks,” said Huang Hongsong, one of around a dozen Chinese youths whose creations went head-to-head. ADVERTISEMENTBut while the battle bots are designed largely to entertain onlookers, China is deadly serious about riding the robotic wave with an eye on its economy. Double whammyCheap manufacturing propelled the populous giant to become the world’s second largest economy in just a few decades. And at the robot show, a vast array of machines demonstrated how technology may eventually replace human workers. Delicate balanceBy 2020, China is aiming for half of the industrial robots sold in the country to be made by Chinese companies, up from 27 percent currently—with a target of 70 percent by 2025.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 23:15 UTC
Congestion turns PNP, BJMP jails into tinderboxes
(First of two parts)Like many other inmates at Manila City Jail, Baste is a “balikbayan” — someone who has done time before. In the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) jails alone, congestion rates go as high as 612 percent nationwide. In Metro Manila, those with the highest number of inmates are the Manila and Quezon City jails, which hold around 5,000 and 3,600 inmates — or congestion rates of 900 and 450 percent — respectively. But while congestion in BJMP jails is indeed severe, the figures don’t quite reflect the inmates’ relative freedom of movement. At Manila City Jail, the yellow-clad inmates are allowed free rein on the 3.6-hectare lot, where they can play basketball and interact with others.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 23:15 UTC
Elite leading resistance to federalism – Puno
Political dynasties and the economic elite are orchestrating resistance to a proposed shift to federalism, according to former Chief Justice Reynato Puno. Puno said the 22 members of the consultative committee would next focus on an information and advocacy drive spearheaded by Malacañang. The bigger burden is overcoming the opposition, he said, acknowledging the general public’s ignorance of federalism. Under the draft Charter, the country’s regions would have their own governments, which would have greater fiscal and taxation powers. The Senate, however, is in no hurry to do the job, whether by constituent assembly or by constitutional convention.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 23:15 UTC
4 strong quakes hit Indo island resort on Sunday
ADVERTISEMENTThe picturesque island is already reeling from two devastating quakes on July 29 and August 5 that killed nearly 500 people and made hundreds of thousands homeless. National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho tweeted that blackouts had hit much of the island after the evening quakes. Sunday’s tremors were also felt on the neighboring resort island of Bali but there were no reports of damage. A week before that quake, a tremor surged through the island and killed 17. In 2004 a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
August 19, 2018 22:41 UTC
Rohingya crisis presents economic opportunity
“I don’t worry about conflict… everything is just business,” the ethnic Rakhine skipper says, offering whiskey, cigarettes and big betel nut-stained smiles as he waits for his nine-tonne cargo to be unloaded. For generations trade has diluted ethnic and religious rivalries among the Rakhine, Rohingya and Bangladeshis who flit between the two countries. The skies were heavy with smoke, but Min Min says he carried on delivering his ‘Made in Myanmar’ cargo to Teknaf port—rice, ginger, make-up, noodles and the “ainshi” chestnuts ubiquitous at Rohingya snack stalls. The refugee influx has been good for business, adds his friend Thoin Line, an ethnic Rakhine importer from the Bangladesh side of the border. Salesman Kaiser Ahmed says before last August’s crisis he sold five or six phones a week at the existing camps.
Source:Manila Times
August 19, 2018 22:31 UTC