Rizal 150: Bongbong Marcos files SB 2743 to move 'Rizal Day' to June 19

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has filed Senate Bill No. 2743 (June 19 Rizal Day) that seeks to move the traditional and annual observance and celebration of Rizal Day from December 30 to June 19.


Marcos believes that Rizal's birthday should be celebrated and observed as a national regular holiday, rather than celebrating a holiday on a day of the hero's death.

“June 19, the birthday of our National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, is a day of celebration of his life and his great contribution to the country's independence from foreign domination,” Marcos in the proposal said. “His writings have inspired the Filipino Nation to advocate the ideals of change through peaceful means.”

“It is just fitting that Filipinos commemorate Rizal Day on June 19 as a day of triumph of the Dr. Jose Rizal's nationalism and patriotic ideals,” the Senator added.

Karzai: Afghanistan, US in contacts with Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that Afghanistan and the United States are engaged in peace talks with the Taliban, even as insurgents stormed a police station near the presidential palace, killing nine people.

The brazen attack in the heart of Kabul's government district provided a sharp counterpoint to Karzai's first official confirmation that the U.S. and Afghan governments are holding discussions with the Taliban.

The Obama administration neither directly confirmed nor denied Karzai's statement.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. has "consistently supported an Afghan-led" peace process.

"Over the past two years, we have laid out our red lines for the Taliban: They must renounce violence; they must abandon their alliance with al-Qaida; and they must abide by the constitution of Afghanistan," Toner said. "This is the price for reaching a political resolution and bringing an end to the military actions that are targeting their leadership and decimating their ranks."

Saturday's violence underscored the challenges facing any possible negotiated settlement to the decade-long war.

Three men dressed in Afghan army uniforms stormed the police station near the presidential palace and opened fire on officers, said Mohammed Honayon, a witness. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that one of the attackers detonated a suicide bomb vest outside the gates while the others rushed in and began shooting.

The crackle of gunfire echoed through the streets typically bustling with shoppers and government employees on a Saturday, the start of Afghanistan's work week. The fighting ended by 3 p.m. when security forces shot dead the two other attackers. Three police officers, one intelligence agent and five civilians were killed in the attack, the Interior Ministry said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to The Associated Press, saying the group dispatched three suicide bombers.

The assault occurred shortly after Karzai announced during a speech at the presidential palace that his government and the U.S. have begun preliminary negotiations with the Taliban aimed at ending the conflict.

"In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen," Karzai said. "Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the United States of America, are going ahead with these negotiations."

Karzai said some of the Taliban emissaries that have met with members of the peace council he set up were only representing themselves, while others were speaking for the broader movement. The exact nature of the contacts was not immediately clear, and Karzai said that no government official outside of the council had contact with them.

"The peace council is trying to get connected to them to bring peace," the president said.

Attacks in the Afghan capital have been relatively rare, although violence has increased since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid in Pakistan and the start of the Taliban's annual spring offensive.

The capital is one of seven regions scheduled to be handed over to Afghan security control in late July — part of NATO's efforts to begin transferring security responsibilities ahead of its planned 2014 withdrawal from the country. The U.S. also plans to start drawing down troops in July.

The last major attack in Kabul took place last month when a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan police uniform infiltrated the main Afghan military hospital in late May, killing six medical students. A month before that, a suicide attacker in an army uniform sneaked past security at the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing three.

Insurgents also attacked three convoys ferrying fuel and supplies to NATO troops stationed in western and eastern Afghanistan, killing nine Afghan security guards and torching at least 15 fuel tankers, officials said.

Two of the supply convoys hit roadside bombs Saturday in eastern Ghazni province, killing four Afghan security guards escorting the trucks to a nearby base for Polish troops, said provincial police chief Mohammed Hussain.

Insurgents also ambushed a NATO fuel convoy late Friday along the border between Herat and Farah provinces in the west, killing five Afghan guards and wounding seven others before setting fire to the tankers, said Abdul Rashied, a local police chief.

In the eastern city of Jalalabad, insurgents kidnapped a provincial council member for Logar province and three of his family members.

Two NATO service members also were killed Saturday in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, according to the alliance. At least 32 international soldiers have died in Afghanistan so far this month, raising the death toll for 2011 to 238.

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Associated Press writers Ahmad Seir and Amir Shah contributed to this report.

Kadhafi vows to defeat NATO

Libya's Moamer Kadhafi vowed Friday to defeat NATO as his forces launched a deadly rocket assault on rebel-held Misrata but lost a key stretch of road towards Tunisia's border.

Mahmud Jibril of the opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) meanwhile denied suggestions by a Russian envoy that the rebel leadership had been negotiating with his regime.

State television aired Kadhafi's comments in what it said was a live telephone call from the Libyan leader, who has gone underground since Western nations began waging an air war in March to protect civilians from a bloody protest crackdown.

"They will be defeated, NATO is bound to be defeated," Kadhafi said in the speech broadcast on loudspeakers in Tripoli's Green Square as thousands of flag-waving regime supporters staged their biggest rally for weeks.

"We are determined to change nothing in our country other than by our own free will, not because of the alliance's planes... We are resisting, we are fighting," he declared.

"If they come to the ground, we will wait for them, but they are cowards, they will not dare," he said in reference to NATO's insistance it will not deploy ground troops on Libyan soil in line with a UN resolution.

Kadhafi called on Libyans to prepare to liberate their country: "Get ready men and women to free Libya inch by inch."

His speech came hours after loud explosions shook Tripoli, where Kadhafi has his residence, as NATO warplanes constantly overflew the Libyan capital, an AFP reporter said.

In rebels' western enclave of Misrata, Kadhafi loyalists killed 10 people and wounded 40 when they pounded the lifeline port city with a volley of Grad rockets, rebel spokesman Ahmed Hassan told AFP.

All the victims were civilians, he said, and were hit when rockets slammed into the western and eastern gates of the city. The body of one of the dead, a woman, was found in the rubble of her house.

Hassan said Misrata was still the target of near daily bombardment by Kadhafi loyalists, and that there had been no air strikes by the NATO-led coalition on the embattled strongman's forces on Friday.

Elsewhere, a road linking the towns of Zintan and Yafran was under the complete control of the insurgents and dotted with destroyed tanks and abandoned government vehicles, an AFP correspondent said.

The road, a key sector of the route to the border with Tunisia, was seized two days after the rebels overran the nearby villages of Ghanymma, Lawania and Zawit Bagoul.

In the Italian city of Naples, where NATO's Libya operation is headquartered, Jibril, the head of international affairs in the NTC, dismissed reports the opposition was in negotiations with the Kadhafi regime.

"I can assure you there is and there was no negotiation between the NTC and the regime," said Jibril.

At a joint news conference with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Jibril said that were negotiations to take place, the NTC would "announce it out of commitment to our friends all over the world".

Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov said Friday that Kadhafi representatives had made contact with the rebels in European capitals including Berlin, Paris and Oslo.

Margelov had said on a one day visit to Tripoli on Thursday that the contacts had only taken place in Paris, although he did not disclose the nature of the supposed negotiations.

France said it had no knowledge of the negotiations.

"If there have been direct contacts, we're not involved and we didn't set them up," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.

Mahmudi said on Thursday Kadhafi's departure was a "red line" that cannot be crossed, despite growing international calls for him to quit and the armed insurrection against his 41-year rule.

An NTC official in the opposition stronghold Benghazi in eastern Libya told AFP on Friday that their position was unchanged.

"Kadhafi must go. Anyone from the rebel side who negotiates his staying in power would immediately have an NTC arrest warrant issued against him," the official said, on condition of anonymity.

And NATO on Friday slammed as "cynical" an offer in an Italian newspaper interview by Moamer Kadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, that the regime in Tripoli was ready to organise internationally supervised elections.

"Once again, it is an instance of what I would call a cynical PR ploy," said alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu during a news briefing on the military campaign.

"It is hard to imagine that after 41 years in which Kadhafi abolished elections, the constitution, political parties, trade unions... (that) overnight a dictator would turn into a democrat."

Navy removes China markers on West Philippine Sea

PNoy welcomes U.S. envoy's support over Spratlys row

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy has removed markers in the West Philippine Sea that were placed by Chinese forces.

One was removed from the Reed Bank, which is now known as Recto Bank, one was taken from the Boxall Reef, while another from Douglas Bank.

The markers were placed by China without permission.

Meanwhile, Chinese and Vietnamese poachers are often sighted by villagers in Barangay Simpokan, Puerto Princesa, whose shores face the disputed Spratlys.

However, barangay officials, armed with only one patrol boat, can't go after them.

The Philippine Air Force recently observed Chinese and Vietnamese forces upgrading their facilities on the Spratly Islands.

In August, a second-hand ship from the U.S. Coast Guard will augment Philippine Navy forces in Palawan.

U.S. support for Philippines

The U.S. has also waded in on the Spratlys dispute.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas said being a treaty ally, America will support the Philippines.

"I wanna assure you that on all subjects, we, the United States, are with the Philippines. The Philippines and the United States are strategic treaty allies," he said. "We will continue to consult and work with each other on all issues including the South China Sea and Spratly Islands."

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao earlier said Washington should not interfere in the issue, since it is not a party to the Spratlys dispute.

This was echoed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei after Vietnam also asked the U.S. for help.

The U.S., however, did not categorically state if its support would include military aid if the tension gives way to armed conflict.

President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, is happy with Thomas' statement.

Aquino is insisting on the Philippines' right to search for oil within its territory.

He invoked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that states a country's territory extends 200 nautical miles from its shores.   

Recto Bank is 80 nautical miles from Palawan, and is 576 miles away from China.

"So 576 is obviously greater than 200. So suddenly why should there be a dispute if we are conforming to international law?" Aquino asked.

"Siyempre they are a superpower, they have more than 10 times our population, we do not want any hostility to break out. Perhaps the presence of our treaty partner, which is the United States of America, ensures that all of us will have freedom of navigation."

The Philippines and China, however, both reiterate that they would like to peacefully settle the Spratlys dispute. - Reports from Ces Oreña Drilon and Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News; ANC

PNoy gov't doles out P4B, seeks P2B more

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino government has already spent P4.127 billion of the P17.13-billion Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) budget allotted for 2011.

Despite this, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman faced the Senate finance oversight committee on Tuesday afternoon and said it still needs an additional P2 billion to cover over 2 million households for its Pantawid Pamilya program.

Senate Finance committee chair Franklin Drilon did not commit to supporting her request for additional funds, pending a certification from the Department of Budget and Management that there are enough funds.

As of May 31, the DSWD had already released P4.127 billion to 1.6 million households.

Soliman said the DSWD is short of funds because it started giving away cash before the programmed implementation in June.

She said the program has a high accomplishment rate in terms of health visits, education, and family development sessions, which are pre-conditions for the release of funds to beneficiaries.

Soliman also told the committee that it has an assessment mechanism, via a survey commissioned to see the effectiveness of the program.

The survey will be done by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) toward the latter part of 2011.

Both Drilon and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said they were satisfied with the explanation of Soliman.

Under the government's CCT program, the poorest of the poor gets P300 for each child (no more than 3 children and not older than 14 years old), while the mother or parent gets P500 every month on the condition that the children attend at least 85% of their school days, and submit to the government's health programs like vaccination.

China 'will not use force' in sea disputes

China on Tuesday pledged not to resort to the use of force in the tense South China Sea, as neighbours with rival border claims stepped up their complaints over Beijing's assertive maritime posture.

Beijing called for more dialogue to resolve the long-standing territorial disputes in the area after the Philippines sought help from the United States and Vietnam staged live-fire military exercises in a show of military strength.

"We will not resort to the use of force or the threat of force," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

"We hope relevant countries will do more for peace and stability in the region."

Tensions between China and other rival claimants to the strategically vital South China Sea -- home to two potentially oil-rich archipelagos, the Paracels and Spratlys -- have escalated in recent weeks.

The Philippines and Vietnam in particular have expressed alarm at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed waters, but Beijing has insisted it is committed to resolving the issue peacefully.

In Manila, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said Tuesday his country needed help from longtime ally the United States in the increasingly tense maritime dispute.

"Of course they (China) are a superpower, they have more than 10 times our population. We do not want any hostilities to break out," Aquino told reporters when asked about recent Chinese actions in the disputed waters.

"Perhaps the presence of our treaty partners, the United States of America, ensures that all of us will have freedom of navigation (and) will conform to international law."

The Philippines has accused China of undermining peace and stability in the region by sending naval vessels to intimidate Filipino fishermen and the crew of an oil exploration ship.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia have competing claims to the Spratlys. Beijing and Hanoi are at odds over the Paracels.

The area has commercial shipping lanes that are vital for global trade.

Hong insisted Vietnam was to blame for the recent flare-up in the spat between Beijing and Hanoi, sparked by a confrontation last month between Chinese surveillance vessels and a Vietnamese oil survey ship.

"Some country took unilateral actions to impair China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and released groundless and irresponsible remarks with the attempt to expand and complicate the issue of the South China Seas," Hong said, in a thinly veiled reference to Hanoi.

"This is where the problem lies."

He said China was willing to hold direct negotiations with the other nations making territorial claims within the framework of a code of conduct agreed to in 2002.

Hong also urged nations not directly involved in the maritime disputes to "respect" the efforts of disputing nations to peacefully resolve the issue -- perhaps a warning to Washington.

On Monday, US Senator Jim Webb urged Congress to condemn China's recent behaviour, saying that Washington has been too weak-kneed on the South China Sea issue.

Webb, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, said he was introducing a bill that would denounce China for the use of force and urge it to seek a peaceful resolution to disputes.

The United States generally does not take positions on territorial disputes in which it is not directly involved.

A Chinese military newspaper stated Beijing's position more bluntly.

"China resolutely opposes any country unrelated to the South China Sea issue meddling in disputes, and it opposes the internationalisation of the South China Sea issue," the People's Liberation Army Daily said Tuesday in a commentary.

"This dispute must be resolved peacefully through friendly consultations between the two parties involved."

Taiwan at the weekend reiterated its claim to the Spratlys, and said missile boats and tanks could be deployed to disputed territory.

Real 'Puppy' hangs on a clothesline on Facebook album

Facebook user Jerzon Senador uploaded photos of what seems like a newly washed stuffed toy pinned to a clothesline and hanging out to dry. The only thing is that it’s actually a real live puppy.

Senador, who is from Calamba, Laguna has gained notoriety on the internet after posting several those photos on his Facebook account.

The album Bagung Ligo si 'PUPPY' was posted on June 12, Independence Day in the Philippines. Unfortunately, Puppy could not enjoy freedom as he was hanging there secured by five clothespins.

Initially, the album was met with disgust by at least a couple of other Facebook users. Dogsand Catslover clicked "unlike," while Jhane Aragon posted "anu ba yan.."

The Facebook page "Report, Jerzon Senador the Animal Abuser" was created "to raise awareness regarding Animal Cruelty."

As of this posting, more than 3,000 Facebook users have liked the page, but uploading pictures and videos has temporarily been disabled.

Indignant viewers

Some of those who saw the photos were indignant, and condemned the act as well as Senador. The creator of the page warned people several times to avoid cursing or making threats.

Despite negative comments, Senador was unapologetic, saying "hahaha,..winashing k p nga yan weh..." and "Hahaha, hnd ako makukulong noh..remember senador toh! aquh ng pa2pad ng Animal cruelty at kya kong bawiin yun!! ahahahaha."

Those up in arms knew this was no laughing matter, and continued to protest on their own virtual spaces and on the page which was created to serve as warning to all Animal Abusers. "Jerzon Senador is just one of them, we have to do our part to help others in need. Not only to pets but to others as well," according to the page.

"Can we all help email to PAWS the link to this dog abusers fb album?" asked Thysz on Twitter.

"Animal cruelty is never cute. I hope somebody takes action on acts like this," said Weenarte on Twitter.

Sheenah Tan wrote Senador an open letter on her personal blog, suggesting other activities he could have done if the act was stated out of boredom.

"If you’re bored, you can do a whole lot of things but not pinning a poor puppy to dry. I bet you studied Biology and you are very aware that dogs can’t take care of themselves when they’re soaking wet," she wrote on her blog.

All apologies

Following pressure from netizens, Senador has since apologized via his own Facebook wall, saying "To All Animal Lover and to all over the world please read this:

“Gusto ko humingi ng tawad sa nagawa kong kasalanan sa aking alagang aso.. Sana mapatawad nyo ako at pinapangako ko na hindi na mauulit…"

The apology was accepted by some, but found lacking by others.

Facebook user Jess Rubi wrote "... he ruined his life by posting those pics. Not funny kahit saang anggulo tingnan. He should have thought of the outcome before niya ginawa yun, di na sya bata."

Jheck Kcehj Lopera said even the Lord forgives those who apologize for their sins. "Kaya patawarin na natin siya. Pero kelangan niya pa rin tangapin ang consequences sa kanyang mga actions," he wrote.

Others continued to threaten Senador, challenging him to show his face in public.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) was grateful. "Thank you to everyone who posted about Jerzon Senador, the guy who hung his puppy on a clothesline and posted it on his facebook. We'll keep you posted," was PAWS' status message on Tuesday morning. GMA News Online is still trying to contact PAWS and Senador as this posting.

Last month, a Quezon City court convicted a University of the Philippines – Diliman student for violating Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

PAWS filed the case against UP Physics major Joseph Carlo Candare after netizens campaigned against him. Candare killed a cat, then wrote about it on his blog, incurring the wrath of animal welfare advocates online. — VS, GMA News