Philippines president announces landmark peace plan with Muslim rebels

The Philippine government and the country's biggest Muslim rebel group on Sunday announced they had agreed a plan to end a decades-long separatist insurgency that has killed more than 120,000 people.

The historic agreement comes after 15 years of tortuous talks between the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government.

It calls for the creation of a new autonomous region in Mindanao, the Muslim-dominated south of the country, by 2016.

"This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao," said President Benigno Aquino.

Previous peace talks between the rebels and the government have broken down and led to a resumption of the violence that has claimed the lives of 120,000 people since the 1970s.

But there is optimism that this deal, which was negotiated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will succeed. With the MILF having dropped their demand for an independent state, Manila has agreed to establish a larger autonomous region in Mindanao than the current existing one and to grant it more political and economic power.

Crucially, the creation of the new region, which is to be called Bangsamoro, promises to give the four million Muslims in impoverished Mindanao a share in the region's untapped mineral riches.

Both Manila and the MILF leadership are keen to exploit the estimated £200 billion of oil and natural gas reserves in the area.

Manila would prefer to direct its military resources north where it is involved in a long-running territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands. However the agreement, which is expected to be formally signed in the capital on October 15th, will not come into effect until after a nationwide referendum and it is likely that Bangsamoro will not come into existence until 2016.

There is also concern that the peace pact does not include the smaller separatist groups operating in Mindanao. One organisation, the Bangsamoro Islamic Salvation Front, has already condemned the agreement.

But both Manila and Washington will be most concerned with the reaction of the radical, Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group to the deal.

Abu Sayyaf has been responsible for a string of kidnappings and killings in recent years, and US Special Forces have been training the Philippines military in their fight against them since 2002.

Philippine crocodile declared largest in captivity

A huge crocodile blamed for the death of two people in the southern Philippines has been declared as the largest in captivity in the world by Guinness World Records.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde with the 6.17 meter (20.24 feet) saltwater crocodile nicknamed 'Lolong' in 2011

The giant reptile has brought pride, fear, tourism revenues and attention to the remote town where it was captured.

The saltwater crocodile named Lolong, which was captured last September in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, measures 20.24 feet and weighs more than a ton, Guinness spokeswoman Anne-Lise Rouse said in a statement.

The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a three-week hunt after a child was killed in 2009 and a fisherman went missing.

The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile which measured more than 17 feet (5 meters) and weighed nearly a ton.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said the news sparked celebrations in his farming town of 37,000 but also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might be lurking in a nearby marshland and creek where villagers fish.

"There were mixed feelings," Elorde said by telephone. "We're really proud because it proves the rich biodiversity of our place but at the same time, there are fears that Lolong may not be alone."

Lolong has become the star attraction of a new ecotourism park and research centre in the outskirts of Bunawan and has drawn thousands of tourists since news of its capture spread. Elorde said his town has earned 3 million pesos (£46,000) from the modest entrance fees at the park, with most of the money being used to feed and care for the crocodile and for park maintenance.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje welcomed the Guinness announcement and the growing attention being given to the crocodile, saying it would help people realise the biodiversity of their surroundings and the need to protect it. He said he would recommend that the government help Bunawan become an ecotourism destination.

About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane onto a truck. It was named after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after travelling to Bunawan to help capture the beast, Elorde said.

Elorde said he saw a bigger crocodile escape when Lolong was captured and villagers remain wary of fishing there at night. He said he has formed a new team of hunters and is seeking government permission to start hunting that crocodile.

Fun Picture Of Filippino Children Trying To Look Scary

Fun-Picture-Of-Filippino-Children-Trying-To-Look-Scary

Teams search for Philippine earthquake survivors

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Rescue efforts are continuing after Monday's powerful earthquake in the central Philippines that left dozens of people dead or missing.

Army teams were carrying out search operations, said Ver Neil Balaba, operations officer at the regional Office of Civil Defence, and police had been deployed to prevent looting.

''The most urgent needs now are water, tents and food,'' he said.

The quake hit 70km north of Dumaguete city on Negros island.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 11:49 (03:49 GMT) at a depth of 20km, according to the US Geological Survey.

As of 08:00 local time, an official report put the death toll at 15 confirmed dead, 44 reported missing and 52 injured.

The death toll includes two children, according to the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

One local report on Monday put the number of dead at 43, including many people killed in a landslide in the badly-hit coastal area of Guihulngan.

But this report has not yet been confirmed by the central authorities. Telecommunications have been cut in many areas.

A series of aftershocks followed the initial quake, one of them registered a magnitude of 6.2 at the epicentre.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a tsunami alert for the area, but had lifted it by 14:30.

'Trapped inside'

On Tuesday, public schools and two universities in Negros Oriental province were closed.

Regional officials and an administrator from Manila had also arrived in the area and were assessing damage and needs, said Mr Balaba, who is based in Cebu.

Damaged roads and bridges added to challenges faced by rescue workers and the transport of aid and supplies.

In the town of Guihulngan, about 90 km north of Dumaguete, reports said some houses had been completely buried by landslides, and the market and court house were also damaged.

The town's 42-strong police force, joined by army personnel and volunteers, had been searching for survivors and clearing debris, said Inspector Alvin Futalan, police chief of Guihulngan.

"The army (troops) had to walk about 50 km from the last stop reachable by vehicle to reach us," he told the Agence France Presse news agency.

Nine bridges were damaged in Negros Oriental, with four no longer passable, said Governor Roel Degamo.

The quake also caused a landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, in the same province.

"We're now getting shovels and chain saws to start a rescue because there were people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier," La Libertad police chief inspector Eric Arrol Besario told the Associated Press by phone.

US could increase Pacific presence with return to the Philippines

Twenty years after the US pulled out of its military bases in the Philippines, Washington is in talks with Manila about once again permanently basing ships and soldiers in the Southeast Asian nation.

American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992  

Alarmed by China's increasingly aggressive posturing over territorial disputes and energy rights in the South China Sea, officials from Philippines are holding talks today and tomorrow in the US capital about the possibility of US Navy ships operating out of the Philippines in the future. More joint exercises between the two countries and the deployment of American ground troops are also being discussed.

Following the announcements late last year that US marines will be based in Darwin, Australia and US navy ships stationed in Singapore, the news that the Pentagon is contemplating a return to the Philippines is certain to anger Beijing. While there has been no immediate reaction from China, Beijing has already protested about the plan to increase the presence of US forces in the region, which it sees as an attempt both to encircle it and to counter its influence in southeast Asia. America already has large bases in Japan and South Korea.

While a final decision will be made in March, the proposed return to the Philippines is the first concrete indication of the US's future strategic priorities since President Obama announced plans three weeks ago to streamline the US armed forces. In his January 5 speech, President Obama spoke of a shift in focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, which has been ignored in recent years as Washington concentrated on the Middle East and Afghanistan.

That has allowed China to assert its own presence in the area and in particular in the South China Sea, much to the concern of its weaker neighbours. China insists it has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands, which a number of countries including the Philippines claim as their own. The Spratlys are believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits coveted by Beijing.

Tensions over the islands have been rising steadily over the last year with a number of clashes between Chinese patrol boats and vessels from the Philippines and Vietnam. In September, Filipino President Benigno Aquino announced the South China Sea was being renamed the West Philippine Sea in an effort to reinforce its claim to the Spratlys.

With China preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier, Manila is keen to have a US military presence in the Philippines as a deterrent to the might of the Chinese navy. "We can point to other countries; Japan, Australia, Singapore," a Philippines official involved in the Washington talks told a US newspaper anonymously. "We're not the only ones doing this, and for good reason. No wants to have to face China, or confront China."
American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992, when the giant Subic Bay naval base was shut after local lawmakers refused to renew the lease on the land. Since 2002, around 600 US Special Forces troops have been deployed to the Philippines to assist in the fight against a long-running Muslim insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao.

Philippines anti-crime head Magtanggol Gatdula sacked

The head of the top Philippines police investigation unit has been dismissed over his alleged involvement in a kidnap and extortion case.

Magtanggol Gatdula could face charges over the 2010 abduction of Noriyo Ohara, a Japanese woman.
He was the chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and officials claim he knew of the plot to detain Ms Ohara and extort money.
Ten other senior agents were also alleged to have been involved.
Mr Gatdula has been on a voluntary leave of absence since late last year and appears to have made no public comment on the allegations.
Ms Ohara was staying in the Philippines illegally while on the run from Japanese gangsters, who were apparently pursuing her after she inherited a large amount of money, media reports say.
According to an NBI inquiry, NBI officers extorted about 6m pesos ($139,000) from Ms Ohara's host family for her release.
The internal inquiry said that Mr Gatdula knew about the plot and helped cover up the crime afterwards, according Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
"The [investigating] panel made recommendations for the filing of administrative and criminal charges [against] the NBI director himself who based on testimony, had personal knowledge of the crime," Ms de Lima is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Cebu: Nightlife

Nightlife in Cebu is lively and really starts rocking after 8pm. The seedier go-go dance places are concentrated on Mango Avenue (now General Maxilom) with establishments like Viking, Papillon and Blackhole. Arena. The latter is a larger place filled with more scantily-clad dancers who will come up and ask the S.O.P., "helloooo sirrrrrr, wear rrrrrrrrr yoooooooo froooooom, sirrrrr?" Not too far from Mango Avenue is Jaguar KTV and go-go dance place. This is located in a plush theatre.
If your looking to avoid the sleazy people & prostitues of Mango/Bikniki Bars then you should check out The Taproom located at 1 Maria Luisa Rd. in Banilad, Cebu.  It's off the radar of the downtown Mango crowd & you'll find many ex-pats & foriegners partying in a classy environment.  The prices are resonable (cheaper then most a-class nightclubs in cebu) & the party generally starts around 10-11PM.  Thursday nights you'll find the place packed early for their Trivia Nights.  Music can vary, but is generally house/electro.  There are also monthly events where they bring in a big name dj.  Dress code is casual & not enforced as it's assumed by the crowd, but since most dress to impress.  There is a large parking lot, so no worry about parking your car.  Enterance is free before 11PM, but after that you may encounter a cover charge of 100P to 300P depending on the event/night.  They also have great food as it is an Italian Restuarant as well, but is only served until 11PM with Pizza's being served until 1AM.
Right  in the heart of Uptown district Cebu City is El Gecko Restobar. A popular haunt of expats and locals with great international food, the cheapest beer in town, 30 peso and fantastic people. Multi screen TVs playing music DVDs and very welcoming staff!!
 Cebuanos are very proud of their local cuisine and so they should be. Whether it is tender calamari frittos that simply melt in your mouth, a tasty lechon manok (charcoal grilled chicken), or a grilled tuna belly garnished with calamansi juice, you will be spoiled for choice with the array and assortment of culinary delights on offer.

One should definitely experience some of the sugba or sinugba (barbecue) restaurants or stalls.

Search continuing for Philippine landslide missing

 

Flimsy homes belonging to gold prospectors were buried by the landslide

Rescue teams are continuing to search for up to 150 people thought to be missing after a landslide struck a mining village in the southern Philippines.

The landslide occurred on Thursday in Pantukan, Compostela Valley province, on Mindanao island.
At least 25 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
Sixteen people have also been treated for injuries, according to disaster management officials.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said eight of the missing had been named by relatives.
But it said that up to 150 people - likely from other parts of the country - were missing, based on estimates from local officials.
The settlement was home to miners prospecting for gold. Unregulated mining activities have made the mountain area unstable and caused a series of accidents.
A nearby village was also hit by a landslide last year that left 14 people dead.
Police teams and the armed forces are joining in the rescue operations and the area has been designated a state of calamity.
"Based on what we saw, we are expecting a lot of casualties because it happened very early in the morning and there are a lot of shanties and small houses in the side of the landslide path," Lt Col Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson for the local military, said.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said that the landslide was triggered by "continuous rain" over two days.
Heavy rains and the area's remote location have been obstacles to rescue operations