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Sunog, sumiklab sa Litex Market

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Oct 16 2018 03:16 AM | Updated as of Oct 16 2018 05:57 AM

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MAYNILA (2nd UPDATE) - Nasunog ang nasa 20 bahay sa likod ng Litex Market sa Quezon City Martes ng
madaling-araw.

Mabilis kumalat ang apoy dahil dikit-dikit at gawa sa light materials ang mga bahay.

Sa inisyal na imbestigasyon ng Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), sumiklab ang sunog pasado alas-2 ng
madaling-araw. Naapula ito ng mga bumbero matapos ang isang oras.
Posibleng nilalarong lighter umano ang sanhi ng sunog.

Wala namang nasaktan sa sunog na umabot sa ikalawang alarma. Tinatayang aabot sa P300,000 ang
pinsalang dulot ng sunog.

Nasa 45 pamilya naman ang nawalan ng tirahan sa insidente. - ulat ni Jeck Batallones at Lyza Aquino,
ABS-CBN News

BORACAY RADAR STATION. A radar station in Boracay is expected to be operational by June 2019. Photo
from the Facebook page of the Philippine Coast Guard

BORACAY RADAR STATION. A radar station in Boracay is expected to be operational by June 2019. Photo
from the Facebook page of the Philippine Coast Guard
AKLAN, Philippines – To intensify security coverage of the world-famous destination, the Philippine Coast
Guard (PCG) is constructing a P30-million radar station in Boracay Island.

The radar station in Mount Luho in Barangay Balabag will be critical in monitoring vessel movements and
in preventing the possible entry of terrorists in the island and its vicinity, the PCG said.

The PCG said the radar station is expected to be operational by June 2019.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

Acting Malay town Mayor Abram Sualog, Transportation Assistant Secretary Manuel Gonzales, and PCG
Deputy Commandant for Operations Rear Admiral Rolando Legaspi led the groundbreaking ceremony of
the radar station last week.

The PCG said it will build 20 other radar stations in Palawan and critical areas across Mindanao especially
in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (Zambasulta); and other popular tourist spots in the region.
The radar stations in Mindanao would be funded by the local government and the government of Japan.

Meanwhile, about 215 PCG-trained lifeguards are ready for deployment to safeguard tourists and
beachgoers in Boracay Island. The Basic Life Saving (BLS) course for male and female recruits started in
August in preparation for the Boracay reopening on October 26.

PCG targets to provide qualified lifeguards to all beachfront resorts and hotels with swimming pools in
the island, and water sports establishments.

The lifeguards are tasked to maintain and set safe swimming areas, and to monitor rip currents and
tides.
On October 26, the PCG reminded the lifeguards of their role as first responders in emergencies and the
beaches of Boracay during the BLS course graduation at White House Resort in Station 1.

“We take this opportunity to train local residents to become lifeguards, and to improve their skills in
saving lives,” Legaspi said.

Boracay Island reopened to tourists on October 26 amid ongoing massive rehabilitation efforts of
government agencies and Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force.

The island, which attracts more than 2 million visitors a year, was shut down on April 26 to ensure
sustainable tourism.
PENALTIES. Establishments in Boracay found violating environmental laws face hefty fines. Photo by
Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

PENALTIES. Establishments in Boracay found violating environmental laws face hefty fines. Photo by
Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – Some 209 establishments in Boracay were fined a total of P43 million for violating
environmental laws, said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday,
October 29.

DENR Undersecretary and Pollution Adjudication Board Chairperson Rodolfo Garcia said only those
which have settled the penalties will be allowed to process their permits to operate and discharge
permits.

"We at the DENR believe that anyone who pollutes or destroys the environment must pay the cost for
that destruction," Garcia said. (IN GIFs: What to see in the new Boracay)

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

The fines range from P10,000 to millions of pesos, depending on the length of time and gravity of
offenses. The DENR said it already sent notices to business owners. (WATCH: Boracay closure hailed as
example 'not only in Asia')

Of the 209 establishments fined, 110 were found to have violated the Clean Air Act, which requires a
permit to operate all sources of air pollution from the Environmental Management Bureau. Their fines
totaled P1.5 million.
Some 72 establishments were fined a total of P2 million for violating the Clean Water Act, which requires
a discharge permit for facilities that produce regulated water pollutants.

Meanwhile, 5 establishments were fined a combined P39 million for discharging untreated wastewater
that was not within acceptable standards.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday, October 31, overturned the conviction of
a Christian mother facing execution for blasphemy in a landmark case which has incited deadly violence
and reached as far as the Vatican.

"The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgement of high court as well as trial court is
reversed. Her conviction is set aside," said Pakistan's Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in the ruling.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan, where even unproven
allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke a violent and bloody death at the
hands of vigilantes.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

Asia Bibi's case drew the attention of international rights groups and swiftly became the most high-
profile in the country.
Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met his successor and the
current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

Freedom for Bibi in Pakistan, where university students have been lynched and Christians burnt in ovens
over blasphemy claims, means a life under threat by hardliners, who regularly hold demonstrations
calling for her execution.

The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch
water. Muslim women she was laboring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was
unfit to touch the water bowl.

The women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a
charge punishable by death under colonial-era legislation.

During the appeal hearing on October 8, a 3-member panel of Supreme Court justices appeared to
question the case against her, with Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, considered Pakistan's top expert in
criminal law, listing flaws in the proceedings.

"I don't see any derogatory remarks vis-a-vis the holy Koran as per the FIR," added Chief Justice Saqib
Nisar, referring to the initial complaint filed in the case.

Approximately 40 people are believed to be on death row or serving a life sentence in Pakistan for
blasphemy, according to a 2018 report by the United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom.

Leading rights groups have long criticized the legislation, saying it is routinely abused to justify
censorship, persecution, and even murder of minorities.

In recent years, it has also been weaponized to smear dissenters and politicians.
Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer,
the governor of Pakistan's most populous province Punjab, by his own bodyguard in broad daylight in
Islamabad in 2011.

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SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA

Pakistan overturns Christian woman's blasphemy death sentence

'The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgement of high court as well as trial court is
reversed. Her conviction is set aside,' says Pakistan's Chief Justice Saqib Nisar

Agence France-Presse

@afp

Published 12:52 PM, October 31, 2018

Updated 1:28 PM, October 31, 2018

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday, October 31, overturned the conviction of
a Christian mother facing execution for blasphemy in a landmark case which has incited deadly violence
and reached as far as the Vatican.

"The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgement of high court as well as trial court is
reversed. Her conviction is set aside," said Pakistan's Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in the ruling.
Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan, where even unproven
allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke a violent and bloody death at the
hands of vigilantes.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

Asia Bibi's case drew the attention of international rights groups and swiftly became the most high-
profile in the country.

Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met his successor and the
current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

Freedom for Bibi in Pakistan, where university students have been lynched and Christians burnt in ovens
over blasphemy claims, means a life under threat by hardliners, who regularly hold demonstrations
calling for her execution.

The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch
water. Muslim women she was laboring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was
unfit to touch the water bowl.

Other Stories

Fresh twist in Sri Lanka crisis as Speaker recognizes sacked prime minister

Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya backs sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's request to
retain the privileges and security until another candidate could prove a majority

Ousted Sri Lanka prime minister seeks emergency parliament session

Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says his sacking was illegal

President suspends parliament as Sri Lanka crisis worsens

Parliamentary officials say the president suspended the 225-member parliament until November 16 in
the aftermath of ousted prime minister's demand for an emergency session to prove he still commanded
a majority

The women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a
charge punishable by death under colonial-era legislation.

During the appeal hearing on October 8, a 3-member panel of Supreme Court justices appeared to
question the case against her, with Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, considered Pakistan's top expert in
criminal law, listing flaws in the proceedings.

"I don't see any derogatory remarks vis-a-vis the holy Koran as per the FIR," added Chief Justice Saqib
Nisar, referring to the initial complaint filed in the case.

Approximately 40 people are believed to be on death row or serving a life sentence in Pakistan for
blasphemy, according to a 2018 report by the United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom.

Leading rights groups have long criticized the legislation, saying it is routinely abused to justify
censorship, persecution, and even murder of minorities.

In recent years, it has also been weaponized to smear dissenters and politicians.

Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer,
the governor of Pakistan's most populous province Punjab, by his own bodyguard in broad daylight in
Islamabad in 2011.
Advertisement

Taseer had also called for Bibi's release. His assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was executed in 2016 and has been
feted as a hero by hardliners, with a shrine to him built by Islamists just outside the capital.

Politicians including new prime minister Imran Khan invoked blasphemy during a general election this
summer, vowing to defend the laws.

Analysts have warned the tactic could deepen sectarian fractures and potentially spill into violence.