Philippines has World's 3rd Most Journalists' Killings

The Philippines had the third most number of journalists killed last year and has continued to be among the countries where press freedom is imperiled, according to two international media watchdogs.

In its "Killing the Messenger" report released Tuesday, the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said that last year 14 journalists were killed in the Philippines, next to Syria with 20 journalists killed and Iraq with 16.

The INSI reported that 134 journalists and media staff were killed in 29 countries in 2013, of which 69 happened in peacetime while the rest during armed conflicts in different parts of the world.

Of the 14 journalists killed in the Philippines, four were officially listed as having died while they were working at a radio station in Tacloban City in central Philippines when super typhoon Haiyan hit the area on Nov. 8, 2013.

According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), a local media watchdog, 10 other media workers, who were on duty when the typhoon struck, have remained missing and were presumed to have died.

Also late last year, three radio commentators in southern Philippines were gunned down within two weeks but up to now the killers have not been apprehended.

In the Philippines, particularly in the provinces, anyone can buy radio time where part-time commentators attack or malign their enemies on air. The object of these attacks often resort to hiring a professional killer to "silence" the commentator. Killings like these almost always remain unsolved in the Philippines.

According to the INSI, of the total casualties, 65 died covering armed conflicts, primarily in Syria and Iraq, while 51 were killed in peacetime covering issues like crime and corruption, and 18 died in accidents.

The total was down from 152 deaths recorded in 2012, but there was an accompanying rise in assaults, threats and kidnappings directed at journalists that largely go unreported, the INSI said.

Last week, the international media group Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters without Borders) also said that the media situation in the Philippines has remained in a "difficult situation" and the environment of freedom "has even worsened."

According to the RSF's "2014 World Press Freedom Index" the Philippines went down two notches to the 149th among 180 countries included in the index.

The Philippines ranked 156th in 2010 after the Maguindanao Massacre on Nov. 23, 2009 when 32 of the 58 people killed were journalists.

According to the RSF, the Philippines and Pakistan are among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

When Philippine President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010, the country managed to climb to the 140th spot in 2011 before sliding down again to the 147th place last year.

Even the troubled countries of Mali (now ranked 122nd) and the Central African Republic (now 109th), which dropped more than 120 spots, were better off than the Philippines, the index showed.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Aquino administration has failed to make any "significant progress" last year to address impunity in media killings.

The HRW listed only 12 Filipino journalists killed in 2013 which has brought to 26 the total number of journalists killed since Aquino assumed office in June 2010.

According to HRW of the 26 media killings, police have arrested suspects in only six cases and the government has secured convictions in only two cases.

Reacting to the media watchdogs' findings, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said the Aquino administration is " committed" to pursue and prosecute the assailants of slain journalists.

"We will continue to ensure that there are no prior restraints to the exercise of press freedom," Coloma said.

But the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) said that killing of journalists in the Philippines has remained unabated even during the present administration.

"The apparent apathy of the government toward killings and attacks against press freedom emboldens attackers to inflict harm as they go unpunished," the NUJP said in its Facebook page. 

Philippine Christians on Charity Walk for Typhoon Victims

Thousands of members of an influential Christian group in the Philippines have walked in a fundraising rally for victims of November's typhoon. Former footballer and UNICEF ambassador David Beckham also paid a visit. 

Police in Manila said 200,000 people took part in the walk on Saturday to raise money for survivors of one of the country's worst-ever typhoons. All those who walked the three kilometers along the capital's seaside avenue bought special white t-shirts to wear during the march, with all proceeds being donated to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

The walkers were members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) which has at least three million members in the largely Catholic nation of 100 million people. The group's conservative members tend to vote as a group and are, as a result, politically significant.

It is a hundred days since Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on November 8, killing more than six thousand people and displacing four million. A million homes were either damaged or destroyed. Many people are still living in tents and other temporary shelters supplied by an international humanitarian effort led by the United Nations.

"We cannot afford to be complacent," Luiza Carvalho, the UN coordinator for the Philippines, said on Saturday. "The need for durable shelter for millions of people whose homes were damaged or destroyed is critical."

"Millions of livelihoods were similarly destroyed or impaired when the typhoon tore down or damaged 33 million coconut trees, flooded fields with saltwater and took away or wrecked 30,000 fishing vessels," Carvalho added.

Carvalho also called for more donations to help the survivors. She said that only 45 percent of the UN's aid appeal for $788 million (575 million euros) launched in December has been raised so far.

Beckham benefit

Former footballer David Beckham paid a two-day visit to typhoon-hit areas in his role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). On Friday he played football with children on the sports field of a ruined school in Tanauan, one of the towns worst hit by the typhoon. Earlier he had visited a health care center.

“As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, seeing how children are being given a sense of normality amidst the rubble of their communities has been amazing,” Beckham said via a UNICEF blog. “I want to show people around the world how their generous donations have had an enormous impact on children and their families and how thankful people here are for their kindness.”

jm/dr (dpa, AFP)

(C) DW.DE

Get Serious

Re-published Editorial from MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR dated February 11, 2014 with friendly permission of publisher Marietta F. Siongco.

"The bus accident that claimed the lives of 15 people - including comedian Arvin "Tado" Jimenez and former Ateneo de Davao University Grade School teacher Leah Abrasaldo Reyes - is yet another tragedy that need not have happened had government only taken seriously the calls for it to clamp down on wayward bus companies. The accident in Bontoc, Mountain Province last Friday happened less than two months after the fatal fall of a bus from the Metro Manila Skyway on December 16 last year which killed 18 people, and at the time an outraged populace had demaanded that government do something to keep passengers safe while in public transport. Indeed, a big fuss made officially on the issue for a while, only to die down as the matter got buried in other news.

As it is, our roads often seem like highways to hell, each trip we make a gamble on whether or not we would live to tell the tale. For a country whose people must regularly travel through hundreds of kilometers of concrete and asphalt, this is a totally unacceptable state of affairs. Bus drivers literally have our lives in their hands as they weave in and through roads and traffic as breakneck speeds, with obviously no regard for safety. Many such drivers seem to feel earning money is the be all-end all, and they drive recklessly in order to achieve it. Caught helplessly in the middle are the passengers who often have no choice but to take the bus, especially on long trips.

Each time an accident like this happens, we ask: How many more mishaps need to happen before government does something? The answer is obviously, "Much more". The Skyway accident last December passed without any real solutions being made, and now the Bontoc tragedy has really overwhelmed it. Not even the fact that a celebrity was one of the fatalities seems to be moving the authorities to doing something about the problem of abusive bus companies. The proper agencies have not yet gone around inspecting buses to make sure they are roadworthy, and none has bothered to check the licenses and franchises given to the companies. Last week's accident need not have happened, but government allowed it to. It's time to get serious about transport safety."

Have My Say in MINDANAO DAILY NEWS

What's the Internet's Worst Password?

Regarding a report of AFP Washington the number sequence "123456" has overtaken "password" as the most common worst passwort among Internet users, an online security firm says.

Releasing its annual "Worst Password List", SplashData said it was the first time "password" had lost its number-one position, changing places with its numerial rival.

In third place was "12345678", unchanged from 2012, while "qwerty" and "abc123" came in fourth and fifth - and "iloveyou" climbed two spots to number nine.

Swinging the results, SplashData said, was a major breach involving Adobe software that laid bare the widespread use of weak passwords among users of such Adobe products as Photoshop.

"Seeing passwords like 'adobe123' and 'photoshop' on this list (for the first time) offers a good reminder not tyo be base your passwort on the name of the website or application you are accessing," said SplashData Chief executive Morgain Slain, whose company markets password management apps.

Like other passwords experts, SplashData encouraged Internet users to opt for "passphrases" - a bunch of random words, like "smiles-like-skip?" - that are easy to remember, but harder for online scam artists to crack.

Philippines Among 2014 Top Destinations

The British Daily Telegraph named the Philippines on January 7, 2014, among the Top 20 destinations for 2014 because of its white-sand beaches, glorious landscapes and wildlife, recommending as must-see places the islands of Panglao in Bohol, Boracay in Aklan, and Malapascua in Cebu, and citing for culture and adventure of Donsol in Sorsogon, and the Cordilleras for its indigenous people and the Banaue rice terraces, a protected heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as Palawan for its limestone peaks, caves, crystal-clear bathing spots, and underground river in Puerto Princesa.

The Telegraph, founded in 1855, cited Boracay as the Philippines’ most famous beach, “a white-sand beauty that is also the place to go to party, whether at a low-key beach shack or chick cocktail bar.” It recommended the Philippines for island-hopping between sugary beaches that, it noted, receive far fewer tourists than they should. It noted that Filipinos love fiestas and tourists should see them in celebratory mood by joining famous traditional festivities such as the various fiestas in honor of the Sto. Niño – Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, Binirayan, and Dinagyang. “Participants don feathers, paint their faces and dance to drums; the atmosphere is infectious,” it said.

The Telegraph said that the Philippines is more accessible from London’s Heathrow Airport through the nation’s flag carrier.

Other destinations in the top 20 list this year because of their cultural and natural wonders are Glasgow in Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Matera in Italy, Bordeaux in France, Jerusalem in the Middle East, America’s Charleston, Chengdu in China, Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, Sumatra in Indonesia, Alacati in Turkey, Egadi in Italy, Canouan Island in the Carribean, Kashmir in India, El Salvador, The Ganges in India, Stewart Island in New Zealand, Darwin in Australia, and Red Mountain in Canada.

The Manila Bulletin, led by its Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President and Publisher Atty. Hermogenes P. Pobre, Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Cris J. Icban Jr., Business Editor Loreto D. Cabañes, Officers and Employees, congratulate the Department of Tourism, headed by Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr., Undersecretaries Daniel G. Corpuz, Atty. Maria Victoria V. Jasmin, Ma. Theresa I. Martinez, and Assistant Secretary for International Tourism Promotions Benito C. Bengzon Jr., for their collective efforts in upgrading tourism facilities and infrastructure in top destinations for our Filipino people in our Republic of the Philippines that are lauded in international publications, travel and tour magazines and online surveys. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY

Philippines Web Abuse Ring Smashed in UK-led Operation

A paedophile ring that streamed live child abuse from the Philippines over the internet has been broken up after an operation by UK police and their counterparts in Australia and the US.

The National Crime Agency says 17 Britons have been arrested in Operation Endeavour, which spanned 14 countries.

Three other inquiries into men who pay to see abuse via webcams are under way, with 139 Britons among 733 suspects.

The NCA say it is an "emerging threat", particularly in developing countries.

It said: "Extreme poverty, the increasing availability of high-speed internet and the existence of a vast and comparatively wealthy overseas customer base has led to organised crime groups exploiting children for financial gain."

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Angus Crawford BBC News

 

The man whose arrest sparked the entire investigation was already a convicted paedophile.

Timothy Ford was found guilty of making indecent images of children in 1992 and 2001. 

At the time he was directing the Philippines abuse he was still under the supervision of a police dangerous persons management unit.

He was in contact with other British paedophiles and offered them opportunity to watch the abuse.

Ford discussed with another man setting up what they termed "pedopals vacations".

He talked about buying an internet cafe in the Philippines and renting out rooms by the hour.

Ford wrote to him "to us it's a bit of a game, but to them it's the difference between having a meal and not having a meal".

He would arrange the abuse with the children's mother and pay her money every month. The children would perform what he called "shows" for as little as 1,000 pesos (£13).

• Britons pay to see webcam sex abuse

The Philippines investigation, which began in 2012, saw British officers work alongside the Australian Federal Police and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Five of the 17 UK suspects arrested have been convicted; one will face no further action, and two are dead. Nine more are still being investigated.

Operation Endeavour has also resulted in 29 arrests in other countries, including 11 people suspected of facilitating the abuse in the Philippines.

Suspects have been identified in Australia, the US, France, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, Denmark and Switzerland.

In the Philippines, some 15 children aged six to 15 were rescued after being identified as victims. 

Payments by customers totalling more than £37,500 were uncovered by the investigation, with relatives getting paid for abuse of the children in some instances.

The investigation began in 2012 after Northamptonshire Police carried out a routine visit at the Kettering home of registered sex offender Timothy Ford, where they found a number of indecent videos on computers and a collection of DVDs recorded from webcams. 

'Every link in chain'

  The force contacted the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) - now part of the NCA - leading to the launch of the global investigation.

Victim 'Lani' tells her story

Analysis of the digital media seized led to the identification of suspects and the child victims, and the Philippine National Police became involved.

Ford was sentenced in March last year to eight-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the case.

Detectives found records of money transfers to the parents of five children whose abuse he had paid to watch.

Timothy Ford was jailed last year for his role in the abuse.

 

Among the other Britons convicted over the Philppines abuse was Michael Eller, 68, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, who was jailed for 14 years last December.

Thomas Owen from Merseyside was jailed in July 2013 for seven years after being convicted as a result of the investigation.

Ceop deputy director Andy Baker said: "This investigation has identified some extremely dangerous child sexual offenders who believed paying for children to be abused to order was something they could get away with. 

"Being thousands of miles away makes no difference to their guilt. In my mind they are just as responsible for the abuse of these children as the contact abusers overseas.

"Protecting the victims of abuse is our priority and that means attacking every link in the chain, from dismantling the organised groups who are motivated by profit through to targeting their customers."

(C) BBC London

Another U.S. Travel Warning for The Philippies

Washington, DC - infoZine - The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to the Philippines, in particular to the Sulu Archipelago and the island of Mindanao. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated July 5, 2013, and reflects continuing threats in those areas due to terrorist and insurgent activities.

U.S. citizens should continue to exercise extreme caution if traveling to the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. In 2013, separatist and terrorist groups increased the tempo and scale of their activities and confrontations with Philippine security forces, with increased bombings, attacks on civilians and political leaders, and battles with security forces. In September 2013, elements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) occupied portions of the city of Zamboanga and engaged in a lengthy battle with security forces which reduced large parts of the city to rubble. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Front (BIFF) has been particularly active in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces, where the government maintains a state of emergency and a greater police presence.

These lands in Maasim, in the Philippine province of Mindanao, are now being turned into pineapple groves, providing jobs and income to local communities. Photo courtesy of USAID

The Embassy has imposed a strict restriction on all but the most essential travel to Mindanao, and Embassy employees must receive special authorization from Embassy security officials to travel to any location in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, including urban centers.

U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in the Philippines should review the Department of State's Country Specific Information for the Philippines link, which contains additional information about conditions throughout the country.

All U.S. citizens in the Philippines are encouraged to enroll with the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program link or at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. By enrolling, you can receive the Embassy's most recent security and safety updates during your trip. Enrolling also ensures that we can reach you, or your designated emergency points of contact, during an emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines, tel. 63-2-301-2000. The American Citizens Services (ACS) section's fax number is 63-2-301-2017, and you may reach the ACS Section by email at ACSinfoManila@state.gov. The ACS Section's website link includes consular information and the most recent messages to the U.S. citizen community in the Philippines.

U.S. citizens traveling in the region are encouraged to stay up to date on conditions across the globe by bookmarking the Bureau of Consular Affairs website link, which contains the current Travel Warnings link and Travel Alerts link as well as the Worldwide Caution link.

Foreigners in The Philippines: Please take note!

 

 

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has warned foreigners that the policy requiring an emigration clearance certificate (ECC) before they leave the country will be strictly enforced this year. 

 

Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison said Tuesday the ECC is being issued to departing foreigner nationals to prove that they have no derogatory records in the country or any accountability with other government agencies.

There are two types of ECC that can be secured at any BI satellite office in the country and airports: The ECC-A is being issued to foreigners who have tourist visas extending for more than six months. The ECC-B, on the other hand, is given to holders of immigrant and non-immigrant visas with valid alien certificate registration I-Cards. 

Immigration officials said the ECC has been a requirement for departing foreigners since the leadership of Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David but it was only now that it would be strictly implemented and monitored. 

Mison likewise warned foreigners not to procure fake ECC forms that are being offered by fixers, dubious law offices and shady travel agencies. He said an alien found in possession of spurious documents will be charged with violation of immigrations laws. 

The new directive came amid warnings about foreign nationals who are involved in illicit drug trafficking and cybercrimes.

Stronger Bonds with International Community

President Benigo Aquino sought stronger bonds with the Philippines and the international Community as they face the new year.

The President thanked the international community anew for the help they gave to Filipinos affected by calamities.

"As President, I am filled with happiness and hope, knowing full well that the New Year provides many opportunities to deepen our cooperation and strengthen the partnerships we have forget, " he said.

He added the Filipino people remember who their friends are, and will look for ways to repay those who stood by them in the most difficult times as part of "utang ng loob".

The President referred to the help from the international community to victims of last year's calamities, including the magnitude-7.2 quake that shook Central Visayas, and super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan), which devastated Eastern Visayas and Southern Luzon.