KAKAMMPI News

By: Leila N. Valencia Mandaluyong City. A lucky player from Quinapondan, Eastern Samar became an instant millionaire by guessing the winning combinations of 28-10-16-03-25-13 of the Mega Lotto 6/45 with Php 8,910,000.00 jackpot prize drawn on June 24,2022.The country’s newest millionaire can claim the winnings at the PCSO main office in Mandaluyong City by presenting the winning ticket and two identification card.A total of 88 players won P32,000.00 each for guessing the five out of the six winning digits, 2,864 will get P1,000.00 each for four correct digits, and 35,085 will settle forP30.00 each for the three correct digits. Prizes amounting to 20.00 up to 10,000.00 can be claimed at any authorized Lotto outlet or at the PCSO Branch Offices in your area Prizes from 10,001.00 and up to 300,000.00 can be claimed at the PCSO Branch Offices in your area or at the PCSO Main Office 2nd Floor.Meanwhile, the agent of the lottO outlet is entitled to 1% of the jackpot prize or amaximum of P...

MANILA, Philippines — Some 50,000 “good-paying” jobs may be available if the Philippines successfully develops its renewable energy sector, but this may require allowing foreign companies to own a majority of the stake. In his meeting with President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Norway Ambassador to the Philippines Bjorn Jahnsen cited a World Bank study as he talked about the opportunities for developing the renewable energy sector in the Philippines. If the Philippines successfully develops the sector, Jahnsen, still citing the World Bank study, said some 50,000 “good-paying” jobs may be created in the country. However, the diplomat said this may need an adjustment in the country’s current policies. “The World Bank talks about up to 50,000 jobs, good-paying jobs for Filipinos if you are successful in developing this new sector,” Jahnsen said in a press briefing following his courtesy call on Marcos. “That requires some adjustments and policies on the Filipino side. For i...

By: Neil Arwin Mercado - Reporter / @NAMercadoINQINQUIRER.net / 05:09 PM June 17, 2022 MANILA, Philippines — Nigeria is ready to help the Philippines with oil and natural gas sources as fuel prices soar, Ambassador to the Philippines Folakemi Ibidunni Akileye said Friday. Akileye said several issues were discussed during her courtesy call on President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., among them agriculture, technology, and natural gas. According to Akileye, Nigeria is the 12th largest oil producer in the world. Asked if Nigeria can guarantee a commitment to help stabilize oil prices amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Akileye said: “Yes, we can.” “I actually mentioned it to the president-elect as well. Nigeria is the number 12 oil producer in the world so we can help,” Akileye said. Further, she added that Nigeria is the third-largest source of natural gas in the world, which can be used as an energy source. “I know he is keen on green energy. So we talked about natural gas...

By: Christia Marie Ramos - Reporter / @CMRamosINQINQUIRER.net / 12:02 AM June 22, 2022 MANILA, Philippines — Five Filipinos were among those who died in a crash in New Zealand over the weekend, the Philippine Embassy in Wellington confirmed Tuesday. “The Embassy was shocked and deeply saddened by this tragedy befalling our Kababayan. On behalf of the Philippine Government, the Embassy offers its prayers and condolences to the family and friends of the victims,” the embassy said in a statement. “In the morning of Sunday, June 19, the Embassy was informed promptly by New Zealand Interpol of the fatal crash that occurred along State Highway I, Mount Pleasant in Marlborough. Seven persons were killed, while two survived, one of them sustaining grave injuries. The two survivors, and five of the fatalities, are Filipinos,” it added. The family was aboard a van when it collided with a truck Sunday morning, according to an earlier report. The embassy said it had been in constant touch w...

Philippine Daily Inquirer TAIPEI — Taiwan scrambled jets on Tuesday to warn away 29 Chinese aircraft in its air defense zone, including bombers that flew to the south of the island and into the Pacific, in the latest uptick in tensions and largest incursion since late May. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past two years or so of repeated missions by the Chinese air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Taiwan calls China’s repeated nearby military activities “grey zone” warfare, designed to both wear out Taiwanese forces by making them repeatedly scramble, and also to test Taiwanese responses. The latest Chinese mission included 17 fighters and six H-6 bombers, as well as electronic warfare, early warning, antisubmarine and an aerial refueling aircraft, Taiwan’s defense ministry said. Some of the aircraft fl...

By: Beatrice Pinlac - @inquirerdotnetINQUIRER.net / 10:19 AM June 22, 2022 HINDI KO MATANGGAP HANGGANG NGAYON' Mother of slain Filipino lawyer in Philadelphia shooting seeks justice MANILA, Philippines — Leah Bustamante Laylo, mother of the Filipino lawyer who was fatally shot in Philadelphia on Saturday, amplified her call for justice for her son’s death. She and her 35-year-old son, John Albert or “Jal,” were on their way to the Philadelphia International Airport via Uber car when the latter sustained a fatal shot in the head. They were traveling in the United States to visit relatives, and were initially bound to come back to the Philippines on Saturday, July 2. “Hindi ko matanggap hanggang ngayon,” Laylo said in an interview with ABS-CBN News’ Kabayan on Wednesday. “Ang gusto ko, magkaroon ng justice. Kasi hindi po namin deserve ‘yong ganito eh. Namamasyal lang kami. Naglilibang lang kaming mag-ina.” (Until now, I still cannot accept it. What I want is for justice to be s...

Personal remittances mula sa mga overseas Filipinos (OFs), tumaas ng 3.8 percent year-on-year sa nakalipas na buwan ng Abril.  Ayon sa datos mula sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) umaabot na sa US$2.671 billion noong April nitong taon ang remittances mula sa dating US$2.574 billion na nai-record sa kaparehong buwan noong taon.  Ang pagtaas ng mga ipinapadalang mga personal remittances noong April ay mula sa mga land-based workers na umangat sa 4.7 percent o nasa US$2.022 billion mula sa dating US$1.931 billion sa parehong buwan noong 2021.   Ang mga sea-and land-based workers naman na may contract na less than one year o higit pa ay tumaas din sa 1.4 percent o katumbas ng US$581 million.  Sa pagitan ng January hanggang April 2022, nananatiling pinakamarami pa rin sa mga cash remittances ng mga OFW ay mula sa mga bansang United States (US), Saudi Arabia, Japan, Taiwan, at Singapore.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Monday raised the possibility of escalating the COVID alert system to Level 2 amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday. Currently, Metro Manila is under alert level 1 until June 15.  “The possibility [of Alert Level 2] would always be there ‘pag nagtuloy-tuloy po ang mga kaso pero ang kailangan pong maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan, we are learning to live with the virus. Alam po nating hindi aalis ang virus na ito. It will stay with us,” she said on TeleRadyo’s Sakto. ( The possibility would always be there when the cases continue to increase but what the public needs to understand is that we are learning to live with the virus. We know that this virus will not leave. It will stay with us .) Of the 17 local government units in NCR, 13 have a positive two-week growth rate of COVID-19 cases. While the growth rate is positive, the nu...

Mahigit kumulang sampung libong trabaho abroad ang bukas para sa mga manggagawa alinsunod sa paggunita ng Araw ng Kalayaan. Libo-libong trabaho abroad ang naghihintay para sa ating mga kababayang naghahanap ng trabaho ngayon, resulta ng pagbubukas ng Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ng mga trabaho bilang pag-gunita sa Araw ng Kalayan sa, ika-12 ng Hunyo taong kasalukuyan. Ang job fair ay binubuo ng mga grupong kaisa sa mga licensed recruitment agencis na nag-aalok ng employment opportunities para sa ating mga kababayang nais magtrabaho abroad. Ang mga bansang bukas para dito ay ang, Taiwan, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Poland, United Kingdom, at iba pa. Kabilang sa mga trabahong bukas sa mga manggagawa ay ang caregiving, nursing, agriculture live stock, electrician, chef, mason, waiter/waitress, carpenter, engineer,  cashier, butcher, welder, painter, translator, receptionist, farmer poultry, barista, baker, dresser, midwife, teacher, beautician, at marami pang iba. Ang mga a...

Nag-anunsiyo ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na nagbukas pa sila ng dagdag na slots para sa mga passport applicants sa lahat ng kanilang mga consular offices at temporary off-site passport service (TOPS) sites. Ayon sa DFA ang additional slots ay bukas sa buong buwan ng June hanggang September. Paliwanag ni DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Brigido Dulay ang kanilang hakbang ay bunsod na rin ng utos ni Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. upang mapunan ang mga backlog kaya bubuksan na nila ang mga mas maraming mga appointment slots sa 36 na mga consular offices at 20 TOPS sites nationwide. Kaya naman panawagan ng DFA ‘wag na raw mag-antay pa at mag-apply na kaagad.

June 13 – Child Rights Network (CRN) objected to House Deputy Speaker Wes Gatchalian’s latest defense of the consolidated House Bill 9007 and Senate Bill 2239 or the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Bill, which stated that the bill strikes “a good balance between protecting minors and giving adult smokers a chance to leave their deadly habit behind.” “What the esteemed deputy speaker seeks to obfuscate is the fact that the Vape Bill essentially relaxes regulations on the sale, distribution, use, and promotion of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarettes, and vaporized nicotine products (VNPs), tilting the balance towards the profit-seeking tobacco industry at the expense of minors,” said CRN convenor Romeo Dongeto. In a statement, Gatchalian said that the Vape Bill “strengthens the provisions of Republic Act 11467, which imposes taxes on vapes and heated tobacco products, and Executive Order 106 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte that prohibits unregistered or...

MANILA, Philippines — Mahigpit umano ang tagubilin ni President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. kay incoming Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) chief, Susan Ople, na tiyaking mapapangalagaan ang pamilya ng mga OFW, gayundin ang mga returning migrant workers sa sanda­ling manungkulan na sila sa puwesto. Sa kanyang panig, tiniyak naman ni Ople kay BBM na gagawin niya ang lahat upang maisakatuparan ang tagubilin nito. Ayon kay Ople, makikipagtulungan sila sa mga local government units (LGUs) at sa barangay level hinggil dito. “Alagaan ‘yung OFWs at ’yung pamilya. Mag-roll out kami ng programa. Kumonsulta ako sa mga spesyalista kung paano maalagaan din ‘yung mga pamilya. At very concerned siya sa mga anak, ‘yung mga anak na parehong magulang ang wala,” ani Ople, sa panayam sa teleradyo.  “So we will work with the LGUs tungkol diyan, even sa barangay level.” Sinabi rin ni Ople na bukod dito, nais din ni Marcos na tulungan ng DMW ang mga returning OFWs na makahanap ng trabaho o m...

MANILA  – The Philippine and German governments on Wednesday signed two more labor agreements aimed at enhancing the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the European nation. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the signing of the bilateral labor agreements will provide more job opportunities not only to Filipino medical workers but also to other professionals. He reported that a letter of intent signed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), represented by Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the German Federal Employment Agency represented by its Director for International Relations Alexander Wilhelm, will facilitate the recruitment, deployment, and employment of Filipino professionals and skilled workers in the host country. "This partnership will open opportunities for Filipino professionals and skilled workers, specifically Electrical Mechanics and Fitters, Electronics Servicers, Cooks, ...

Job opportunities abroad are opening up as more countries relax their COVID-19 restrictions, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said on Tuesday. “Dahil po sa muling pagbubukas ng atin pong ekonomiya sa iba't ibang bansa at pagka-release ng health protocols ay unti-unting nanunumbalik ang sigla ng employment,” POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia  said in an interview GMA News’ Unang Balita. ( Due to the reopening of the economy in different countries and the relaxing of health protocols, the employment situation is slowly picking up. ) There are jobs available for seafarers as many cruise ships have resumed their operations, Olalia said. Aside from this, healthcare workers such as nurses and caregivers are also needed in the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.

By GMA News A Filipina was injured following a fistfight with a vagrant in front of her residence in California, the United States. According to a "24 Oras Weekend" report on Saturday, the Filipina scolded and attempted to send the vagrant away after the latter allegedly used drugs and drank alcohol in front of her house, resulting in a fistfight. The vagrant struck the Filipina with a bottle and shoved her away, leaving her with a large bump on her head. The vagrant only left when the victim's neighbor approached them. Authorities are investigating the incident. —Richa Noriega/VBL, GMA News

NEW JERSEY - A Filipina died last week in New Jersey while undergoing surgery after she was stabbed allegedly by her husband. The victim was identified as Janet Cinco, 44. Her husband Joel Cinco, 48, was arrested by authorities. The victim died on the operating table at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey on May 26. The stabbing allegedly occurred at the couple's rented apartment in Westervelt in New Jersey. Based on jail records, the suspect faced charges filed in December 2020 and April 2021 due to violation of restraining order, unlawful possession of a weapon, terroristic threats, and third-degree aggravated assault. He is under probation. The suspect will face charges of first-degree murder, burglary, and unlawful possession of a weapon. —Dave Llavanes Jr./KG, GMA News

By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA News The first batch of 61 Filipino hotel workers that the Philippine government was supposed to deploy in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, is expected to arrive in Israel this Thursday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. According to the DMW, the arrival of 61 OFWs in the Holy Land this June 2 is part of the initial 500 Filipino workers that were supposed to be sent to Israel in 2020. “As Israel reopens its tourism industry, the Department of Migrant Workers is looking forward to sending more qualified workers to supplement its growing demand in the hospitality sector, while making sure that the best terms and condition for our OFWs are being met,” DMW Secretary Abdullah Mama-o said in a statement. He noted that the deployment is part of the existing bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Israel signed in 2018, which allows strengthened protection and employment opportunities to Filipino hotel workers. It also protects O...

By GMA News More opportunities await Filipinos in Taiwan after its Ministry of Education (MOE) opened job vacancies for foreign English teachers and teaching personnel. In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced the Taiwanese government has made available at least 450 teaching positions to foreigners in primary and secondary public schools this year. The teachers under the program are set to receive a monthly salary of NT$62,720 (P 115,122.25) and are entitled to various benefits including travel subsidy and health insurance. The rates, however, will depend on a teacher's educational attainment. The Taiwan government said it wants to empower it education sector through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program (TFETP) and achieve its goal of making English their secondary language by 2030 possible. Eligible applicants should have expertise in speaking English, a Bachelor's degree or higher degree, and a clean criminal record. Licenses or t...

By GMA News Hundreds of job openings in various industries in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel are available for Filipinos wanting to work abroad. According to JP Soriano’s “24 Oras” report on Tuesday, Japan needs at least 300 caregivers and 50 nurses. Saudi Arabia opened job applications for 850 registered nurses and 50 midwives. Israel announced it can accommodate 2,000 home-based caregivers who could earn at least P77,000 per month. The foreign country also has slot for at least 60 hotel workers. All these job openings are through government to government track that will not require any placement fee. Job seekers are advised to apply only through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). “Directly, they can go to our employment branch para mag-submit po sila ng kanilang mga (to submit their) application pero ang unang-unang process po (but the first process) is online application and then the rest of the procedure will follow,” Atty. Rosemarie Duquez of the Career Executive Ser...

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News So far, 25 Filipinos had asked the Department of Foreign Affairs for help getting repatriated due to the crisis in Sri Lanka, a DFA official said on Tuesday. During the Laging Handa public briefing, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said they were hoping that the first batch of repatriates would arrive this weekend or early next week. “Last May 26, nagtawag na ang DFA sa mga kailangan na magpa-repatriate. So far, meron tayong 25,” she said. (Last May 26, the DFA had offered to help all those who needed repatriation. So far, we have 25) There were 492 Filipinos in Sri Lanka, with a significant number married to Sri Lankans. Around 345 were members of the Philippine Ladies Association, 100 belonged to the Association of Filipinos in Sri Lanka, and 47 were engineers. Several Filipinos in Sri Lanka were struggling financially as the South Asian country's inflation rate rose to 33% and food inflation to 45%. Arriola...

Facebook page Published May 31, 2022 7:29am The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuwait on Monday warned overseas Filipino workers of a fake Facebook page pretending to be its official account. The said fake Facebook page is named "POLO KUWAIT OFFICIAL", it said. "Ipinapaalala sa publiko na ang Facebook page na 'POLO KUWAIT OFFICIAL' ay HINDI OPISYAL na Facebook Page ng 'POLO Kuwait' at hindi pinahihintulutan ang mga ipino-post nito," POLO Kuwait said in an advisory. (The public is advised that the Facebook page 'POLO KUWAIT OFFICIAL' is not the official Facebook page of POLO Kuwait and all posts therein are not authorized.) POLO Kuwait said the fake account may be used by unscrupulous individuals in committing fraud or extorting money. "Ang lahat ng mga lumalabas sa nasabing Facebook page na ito, pag Add to friend at message na personal na inyong natanggap mula sa 'POLO KUWAIT OFFICIAL' ??ito ay panloloko at pame...

Agence France-Presse KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met troops on the frontlines in Donbas Sunday as heavy fighting raged in the eastern industrial region that Moscow has focused its forces on taking. Zelensky visited command posts and frontline positions in Lysychansk, which sits across the Siverskyi Donets river from Severodonetsk, where Ukrainian troops were pushing back against Russian forces who had earlier appeared on the verge of taking the strategic city. He also visited Bakhmut, to the southwest in the Donetsk region of Donbas, and talked with servicemen, the presidency said. "I want to thank you for your great work, for your service, for protecting all of us, our state. I am grateful to everyone," he told them. "Take care of yourselves!" On his working visit Zelensky "got himself acquainted with the operational situation on the frontline of defense," the presidency said. "I am proud of everyone whom I met, whom I shook h...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Jun 05 2022 10:43 PM GENEVA, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said Sunday that 780 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases had been reported to it from 27 non-endemic countries, while maintaining that the global risk level was moderate. The WHO said the 780 figure, for cases from May 13 to Thursday, was probably an underestimate due to limited epidemiological and laboratory information. "It is highly likely that other countries will identify cases and there will be further spread of the virus," the UN health agency added. Few hospitalizations have been reported, apart from patients being isolated. The WHO listed the non-endemic countries reporting the most cases as Britain (207), Spain (156), Portugal (138), Canada (58) and Germany (57). Besides Europe and North America, cases have also been reported -- in single figures -- in Argentina, Australia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. One case of monkeypox in a non-endemic country is co...

Holmes Chan, Agence France-Presse Hong Kong authorities on Saturday detained multiple people as they pounced on any attempt at public commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, as China vies to remove all reminders of the deadly event. Discussion of June 4, 1989, when China set troops and tanks on peaceful protestors, is all but forbidden on the mainland. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong had been the one place in China where large-scale remembrance was still tolerated -- until two years ago when Beijing imposed a national security law to snuff out dissent after huge pro-democracy protests in 2019. AFP reporters saw at least half a dozen people being taken away by police on Saturday, the majority in the evening, including activist Yu Wai-pan from the League of Social Democrats (LSD) party. LSD said Yu was later released without charge, while fellow member Lau Shan-ching was arrested for wearing a shirt with a portrait of late Chinese democracy activist Li Wangyang...

Shamsuddin Illius, Agence France-Presse SITAKUNDA, Bangladesh - At least 38 people died and hundreds were injured after a fire that sparked a huge chemical explosion and was still blazing on Sunday at a shipping container depot in Bangladesh, officials said. The toll was expected to rise with some of the more than 300 people injured in serious condition. Volunteers, some with only flip-flops on their feet, brought bodies from the smoldering, wreckage-strewn facility, saying there were more inside. The fire started late on Saturday at the huge depot in Sitakunda storing around 4,000 containers, many of them filled with garments destined for Western retailers, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the major southern port of Chittagong. Then containers holding chemicals exploded, engulfing firefighters, journalists and others in an inferno, hurtling people and debris through the air, turning the night sky a blazing orange and rattling buildings kilometers away. Mujibur Rahman, the dir...

Agence France-Presse RIYADH - Saudi Arabia aims to triple foreign tourism this year as pandemic restrictions ease, hajj pilgrims return and the first elements of the crown prince's signature projects open, its tourism minister told AFP Sunday. The famously conservative and closed-off kingdom inaugurated tourist visas in September 2019, just months before the coronavirus pandemic decimated the industry globally. An uptick in domestic travel in 2020 and 2021 –- authorities tallied a record 64 million "domestic visits" last year –- helped save the nascent Saudi tourism sector from collapse, and now authorities want to seize more of the international market, Ahmed Al Khateeb said in an interview. "Now we are pushing and moving to attract more... international visitors," he said, specifying the goal for this year was 12 million, up from 4 million in 2021. "We are back and we are very optimistic. Countries started to open their borders, restrictions start...

ABS-CBN News MANILA — Washington's No. 2 diplomat will visit the Philippines this month to discuss relations with President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the US Department of State said. In a statement Friday, the department said that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will be coming to the country between June 5 and 14. During her visit to Manila, she will meet with Marcos Jr., his aides, and senior officials of the outgoing Duterte administration "to discuss ways to deepen the bilateral US-Philippines Alliance." "She will also participate in a business roundtable and an event in celebration of World Oceans Day," the statement read. The Philippines is one of Sherman's stops in her June Asia visit. She is also scheduled to visit South Korea, Laos, and Vietnam. Sherman will meet top officials of the said countries, including Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo, Laos Deputy Prime Minister Ki...

Kriston Jae Bethel, Agence France-Presse PHILADELPHIA — Five people were gunned down and 2 dozen others wounded in a pair of weekend mass shootings in the United States, the latest in a string of deadly gun attacks that have left lawmakers scrambling to tackle the crisis. The shootings—late Saturday in Philadelphia and early Sunday in Chattanooga, Tennessee—further jolted a country facing a gun violence epidemic that has already claimed several thousand American lives this year and shows no signs of abating. They come as polarized US senators find themselves under pressure to craft a measure that codifies at least basic, preliminary steps to help reduce the carnage. In Philadelphia, 2 men and a woman were killed when multiple people opened fire on a crowd at a popular South Street nightlife area. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said one of the victims had gotten into a fight with another man, which could have been the cause of the shooting. The 2 others were ...

Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News MANILA - Outgoing Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Monday he has "no regrets" about his latest stint as health chief, which he described as the "most difficult" government position he ever held. Duque earlier said he would return to his home province when asked if he would like to serve again as Department of Health chief. "It's the most difficult, the first time around I led the country in the AH1N1 pandemic... this is more difficult by a factor of 10. This is the most difficult position I ever held but I have no regrets. I did my best, I gave all whatever God gave me as a human being," he told ANC's Headstart "I can always say I tried my best, I did my best. Kung di po sapat, pasensya na po, ibigay na lang natin sa susunod at marami pang magaling dyan na secretaries." President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Duque as health chief in 2017 after the Commission on Appointments rejected Paulyn Ubial. Duque ...

Fr. Shay Cullen 4 June 2022 What in the world is the famous Korean boy band BTS doing in the White House press room, talking to the world media and standing behind White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay, black woman to hold the job? These young people and remarkably a woman were telling the world that racial discrimination and hatred directed against American- Asian people is morally wrong, a violation of human rights and that respect and love for the human dignity and each other is the greatest good. In that one presentation repeated thousands of times around the world, a fantastic atheistic group of boys have reached more people with a powerful message on human dignity than I have in 50 years of missionary endeavor. If only I had pursued my rock band ambitions as a teenager, I might have had more impact. Many of the youth of the world are skeptical, disbelieving, and rebelling against abusive parents and corrupt society and are suffering sexual a...

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government announced Tuesday a new diplomatic protest against China over disputes in the South China Sea, a long-thorny issue that has flared anew as the next Philippine president prepares to take office next month. The Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Beijing in recent years for what it considers acts of aggression in the disputed waters, despite improved ties between Beijing and Manila under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ends on June 30. The territorial conflicts are among the key challenges President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will face when he takes office after his landslide electoral victory on May 9. He has said he will use diplomatic means with China over the issue, the same approach adopted by Duterte, who has been criticized for not taking a more aggressive stance against Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in the resource-rich and busy waterway. The Department of Foreign ...

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines on Tuesday said it had filed a diplomatic protest with China for unilaterally declaring a South China Sea fishing ban, and complained also of harassment and violations of its jurisdiction by Beijing's coast guard. The foreign ministry in a statement accused the Chinese vessels of disrupting a joint marine scientific research mission as well as energy exploration activities at two sites in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In another statement, it denounced China's imposition of a fishing moratorium aimed at regenerating fish stocks, an annual ban that includes waters inside the EEZs of Vietnam and the Philippines. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Philippine statements, which referred to developments in March and April. The foreign ministry said the coast guard's actions were "not consistent with innocent passage and are clear violations of the Philippine ma...

DENYS KARLOVSKYI — SUNDAY, 29 MAY 2022, 14:19 Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the President of the Ukrainian President's Office, pointed out that Russians became hysterical after US authorities decided to provide Ukraine with MLRS launchers, and called on the West not to hesitate going forward and continue to put pressure on Russia. Source: Podoliak's Telegram page Podoliak's quote: "All these Russian subjects are disgusting. At all levels… They enter the territory of another country and destroy infrastructure on a large scale, massacre civilians, and deliberately demolish all our cities. They call it a disgusting and false term: ‘special military operation’. All types of heavy artillery, heavy flamethrowers, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, heavy aircraft bombs, and cruise missiles of various modifications with a range of over 1000 km are used in Ukraine. But as soon as it became known that Ukraine would still receive MLRS with a normal range (100+ km), the Russ...