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Manila-based shipping firm eyes resumption of Davao-Lupon ferry services
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/February 20) – A Metro Manila-based shipbuilding company is eyeing to resume the Davao City – Lupon, Davao Oriental ferry boat operation in October, a City Council official said Tuesday. Councilor Conrado Baluran, Committee of Transportation and Communications chair, said that shipping firm Pinoy Catamaran proposed the possibility of servicing the stalled ferry […].....»»
Balik Barroto Regatta 2024: Talisay duo wins race
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Brothers Lyndon and Ricardo Sumalinog from Talisay City emerged champions in the recently concluded ‘Balik Barroto Regatta 2024’ held last Saturday, January 20, 2024, in the sea waters off the South Road Properties (SRP). The Sumalinog brothers of Barangay Tangke, Talisay City, finished the 6-nautical mile boat race in 36 minutes and 24.....»»
Boat sinks off Zamboanga del Norte; 12 rescued
Twelve members of a family, including four minors, were rescued when their motor boat sank in the waters off Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte on Sunday afternoon......»»
Sinulog boat race expects more fishermen to participate in 2024
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The annual boat race every Sinulog is expecting more fishermen to join in the competition on January 20, 2024. Notably known as the Balik Baroto Regatta sa SRP (South Road Properties), David “Kuya Boy” Odilao Jr., the father of Sinulog, said in a media briefing on Thursday, Dec. 28, that they.....»»
Unidentified man found near Maribago wharf in Lapu-Lapu City
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- The body of a still unidentified man was found floating near the wharf in Barangay Maribago in Lapu-Lapu City on Monday morning, November 27, 2023. Police Staff Sergeant Ronald Salimbot, investigator of Mactan Police Station, said that body was found by a pump boat caretaker at about 8:11 a.m. Salimbot said the.....»»
Cebu Pink Paddlers make waves in US dragon boat scene
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The breast cancer survivors-turned dragon boat racers from the Cebu Pink Paddlers continue to make their presence felt in the United States after bagging a gold medal in the 2023 Nevada International Dragon Boat Festival in Henderson, Nevada, United States on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The Cebu Pink Paddlers ruled the 200-meter breast cancers survivor race category and earned the bronze medal in the 200m women’s championship division. It came less than a week after they also claimed a gold and a silver medal in the Santa Fe Dam Dragon Boat Festival 2023 in Irwindale, California. This time, the Cebu Pink Paddlers topped the 200m breast cancer survivor category with a time of one minute and 2.51 seconds to earn the first place. Warriors on Water came in second with a time of 1:02.63, followed by Dragon Divas of Minnesota at 1:02.85. The fourth and fifth placers were the Pink Phoenix (1:03.56) and the Pink Paddlers (1:06.98) in the 200m breast cancer survivor category. Meanwhile, the Cebu Pink Paddlers finished third in the 200m women’s championship division with a time of 57.44 seconds. They were behind silver medalist Tilikum Dragons who clocked in 56.97 seconds, while Catch 22-Tsunami topped the race in 55.97 seconds for the gold medal. One of Cebu Pink Paddlers’ goals of competing in the United States is to inspire more women, especially breast cancer survivors, that there is so much to life after battling the dreaded disease. They showcase this by competing not just in an average dragon boat race, but in an elite level. RELATED STORIES Cebu Pink Paddlers Dragon Boat team to compete in US next month Cebu Pink Paddlers bag silver in Malaysia competition Cebu Pink Paddlers hold photo exhibit to raise breast cancer awareness.....»»
Bong Go to PCG: File charges vs commercial vessel involved in ramming incident in South China Sea
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is asking the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to pursue the filing of charges against the operator of the foreign commercial vessel that hit a Filipino fishing boat northwest of Scarborough Shoal at dawn on Monday, October 2. The incident resulted in the death of three Filipino fishermen. Go,.....»»
6 police in Navotas teen slay surrender
The six dismissed police officers implicated in the death of 17-year-old Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar in a case of mistaken identity have voluntarily surrendered to the authorities in Quezon province, Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said yesterday. Caramat said that six dismissed cops namely Executive Master Sgt. Roberto Dioso, Cpl. Edmard Blanco, Pat. Benedict Mangada, and Staff Sgts. Gerry Maliban, Antonio Bugayong, Jr., and Nikko Esquillon, all formerly assigned to the Navotas City police station, voluntarily surrendered around 5 p.m. Wednesday at CIDG Quezon Provincial Field Unit, Camp Guillermo Nakar, Lucena City, Quezon. Caramat said the suspects who voluntarily surrendered themselves in CIDG Quezon PFU are now undergoing the booking process and documentation for proper disposition as all accused are not entitled to bail. The Navotas City Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of six dismissed police officers implicated in the death of Baltazar in a case of mistaken identity last August In an order dated 3 October and made public Wednesday, RTC Branch 286 Judge Pedro Dabu Jr. said the court found probable cause to issue a warrant of arrest against Executive Master Sgt. Roberto Dioso, Cpl. Edmard Blanco, Pat. Benedict Mangada, and Staff Sgts. Gerry Maliban, Antonio Bugayong Jr. and Nikko Esquillon. “Considering that the accused stand charged with murder, they are not entitled to bail as a matter of course,” the order added. Navotas City prosecutors filed the murder complaint against the suspects on 15 September. The National Capital Region Police Office earlier approved the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service’s recommendation to dismiss the respondents from the service over the killing of Baltazar. On 2 August, the police officers launched a pursuit operation against a murder suspect when they chanced upon Baltazar, who was then onboard a boat. They then commanded Baltazar and his companion to surrender. However, the victim jumped into the river, prompting law enforcers to fire resulting in his death. The police officers later admitted that Baltazar was not the suspect they were looking for but a certain Reynaldo Bolivar. The post 6 police in Navotas teen slay surrender appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Crewmember dies as boat sinks off Zamboanga City
A crewmember died while two others were reported missing when a fishing boat capsized in the waters off this city on Sunday......»»
A token of friendship
Longest-serving prime minister in modern Japan Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, undoubtedly was one of the most significant Japanese politicians in the promotion of Japan-Taiwan relations. Many Filipinos remember Abe when he visited with his wife Akie then-President Rodrigo Duterte in his home in Davao City in 2017. Most Taiwanese, on the other hand, remember Abe as the most Taiwan-friendly prime minister in Japan for not only saying, “a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency and, therefore, an emergency for the Japan-US alliance,” but showed support for Taiwanese pineapples by sharing a photo of himself with the fruit on Twitter to promote the sale in Japan when trade restrictions disrupted the export of Taiwanese pineapples. Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule for 50 years. Thus, most Taiwanese have a favorable view of Japan, which has long been the top destination for Taiwanese tourists. As a result, some commentators call it “Taiwan’s love affair with Japan.” To honor and pay tribute to Abe and the shared history between Japan and Taiwan, the Hongmaogang Baoan Temple in Kaohsiung made and erected a statue of the late prime minister in September 2022, less than three months after his death and before the State Funeral of Abe. Akie Abe visited the temple in July 2023 and said that she hoped the spirits of her husband and those commemorated at the temple would bring Taiwan and Japan closer together. In fact, the Baoan Temple is unique not only for the statue of Abe but the worship of Captain Matao Takada and the 145 crew of a Japanese warship who died in the line of duty during World War II. According to reports, Captain Takada was just 38 years old when he passed away. He was the captain of the Patrol Boat 38 Yomogi, which was sunk by USS Atule at Bashi Channel in 1944 when it was on the way to Manila to take the survivors of the sunken Japanese battleship Musashi back to then-Japanese colony Taiwan. Eighty-one-year-old Narumi Takada, the son of Captain Takada who was two years old when his father was killed, visited the Baoan Temple this year and finally witnessed how his father is worshipped in Taiwan. Captain Takada and the 145 sailors are not the only foreign soldiers remembered by the Taiwanese. During the Sino-French War on 1884 and 1885 in Taiwan’s northern port city of Keelung, more than 700 French soldiers died and the French Military Cemetery was built there. Nowadays, worshippers still hold ceremonies for the killed French soldiers on the Ghost Festival each year and invite guests from the representative office of France in Taipei to commemorate them. The post A token of friendship appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’
Amid the guessing game started by China on who the unnamed President was who promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has pointed to a former senator as the culprit. “I haven’t heard from previous presidents that they promised to remove the Sierra Madre, but what I know is that the late President Benigno Aquino III did some backchanneling, and his backdoor agent was former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV,” Enrile said. He added: “Trillanes bypassed then Ambassador Sonia Brady in negotiating with China, and his only credential was he rode in a Philippine Navy boat when he was in the military service.” “The subject of the backchanneling was the Scarborough Shoal standoff, but Trillanes was deceived by the Chinese. The Philippine vessels withdrew from the area of the deadlock, but China stayed put,” he recalled. 2012 Senate skirmish Then-senator Enrile and Trillanes had a confrontation in September 2012 over the government’s covert negotiations with China that Aquino had assigned to Trillanes. In a face-off on the Senate floor, Enrile produced the so-called Brady notes, a report on the discussions between the ambassador and Trillanes on the backchanneling mission. During his several engagements with Chinese officials, Enrile quoted the Brady notes as saying that Trillanes indicated that Filipinos needed more interest in the conflicting claims in the region. Enrile said the Brady notes stated that Aquino was not made fully aware of the details of Trillanes’s actions, and there was a point when the President did not know the talks were suspended for two weeks and that Trillanes was acting on his own. “And for whom? Whose interest was he serving?” Enrile asked. While admitting that it was the prerogative of Aquino as Commander-in-Chief to resort to backchannel talks, designating Trillanes was a huge mistake, he said. “Trillanes should have been discreet, and he should have brought along an embassy representative to record the event. Trillanes thought he was James Bond. That should not have been allowed,” Enrile said. “A person entrusted by the President with a mission must first exercise discretion. When you go to a country to deal with a foreign power, you must notify the embassy,” he said. “Trillanes should have notified the embassy to alert them that he was there on a mission, and he should have brought along at least one responsible official,” he added. He continued: “Everybody should have known that international law already provided the way to settle the dispute, which was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but which China did not respect.” “China based its claims not on international law but on its might. We should have a counter-balancing force,” according to Enrile. “We should not rely solely on the assistance of other nations; we should keep building up our military assets.” “We should also be prepared, and one way to do that is to require all young Filipinos to undergo training to defend the country.” “Only Filipinos can fight for their country; nobody else can do the fighting for you,” Enrile stressed. False narrative Meanwhile, China was accused of using deception in its sea maneuvers when it tried to block a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on 7 September. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, at the weekly Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, said the Philippine Navy offered to help a Chinese rubber boat in distress near Ayungin Shoal. “Our troops offered assistance, but the Chinese refused and another boat came to their rescue,” Aguilar said. He said one of the Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats had gotten entangled in a fishing line while it was tailing the Philippine vessels heading to Ayungin to resupply the troops there. Aguilar said that while the Chinese boat’s refusal to accept aid from Philippine forces was expected, what surprised the troops was Beijing’s radio call where they blamed the Filipinos for the incident. “They had the guts to challenge our radio message. ‘Philippine Coast Guard, because of your maneuvers, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel came into problem,’” he quoted the Chinese as saying. Aguilar said this was another narrative the Chinese would tell their people. “After this incident, they will come up with their narrative to tell their people about what happened,” Aguilar said. “We don’t want the truth to be drowned out by what really happened,” he added. Misplaced bullying Aguilar described the China Coast Guard’s behavior as “misplaced bullying” amid its continued aggression in Philippine territorial waters. “The CCG is a misplaced bully in the WPS,” Aguilar said. Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, said several CCG ships and maritime militia vessels tried to block the Philippine vessels and stop the resupply mission. “It is very important for the government, for us, to be more transparent about what is happening in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “We face the media; we give them the true story. The media will play a very important role in curtailing this fake news that spreads every time the Chinese release their narratives.” He said China has been pushing the narrative that the Philippines is acting on behalf of the United States. Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan island group, is an integral part of the Philippines and is well within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on Ayungin Shoal since 1999, where it stands as a symbol of Philippine sovereignty and on which a dozen Filipino Marines and sailors are holding the fort. The post On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China using false narrative — AFP
The China Coast Guard is using a false narrative in its recent dangerous maneuvers in trying to block a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on 7 September, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Saturday. At the weekly Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar said the Philippine Navy offered to help a Chinese rubber boat in distress in Ayungin Shoal only to be scorned and blamed for the incident. “Troops offered assistance to help China, but China refused.. and another boat came to their rescue,” Aguilar said. He narrated that one of China’s Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats was entangled in a fishing line while it was tailing Philippine vessels heading to Ayungin Shoal to resupply troops there. Aguilar said while the Chinese boat's refusal to accept aid from Philippine forces was expected, what surprised the troops was Beijing’s radio call that blamed Filipinos for the incident. “They still have the guts to challenge our radio message: ‘Philippine Coast Guard because of your maneuvers, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel came into problem,’” he said. Aguilar called these as “another narrative that they will tell their people." “After this incident, they will come up with their own narrative to tell their people about what happened,” Aguilar said. “We don’t want the truth to be drowned by what happened,” he said. Aguilar also described the CCG's behavior as "misplaced bullying" amid its continued aggression in the country’s territorial waters. “The CCG is a misplaced bully at the WPS,” Aguilar said. This is the third resupply mission after the 5 August incident when the CCG used water cannons against the PCG fleet conducting a similar mission. Another resupply mission was conducted and completed on 22 August. Despite the efforts of the Chinese vessels, the AFP said the resupply mission was successful. “As far as the AFP is concerned, we always refer to existing laws in defining what is our maritime zone right now,” Aguilar said. On the other end, Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the PCG, said several CCG ships and maritime militia vessels tried to block the PCG ships to stop the resupply mission. “It is very important for the government… for us to be more transparent on what is happening in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “We face the media, we give them the true story. The media will play a very important role in curtailing this fake news that spreads every time they release these narratives,” Tarriella said. He added that China, which has been illegally claiming almost the entire South China Sea, has been pushing the narrative that the Philippines is acting on behalf of the US when it comes to the West Philippine Sea issue. Ayungin Shoal is part of the Kalayaan Island Group and is an integral part of the Philippines, as well as the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999 where a dozen marines and sailors are aboard the ship, which has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory. The post China using false narrative — AFP appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Huge rescue effort in Greek villages after deadly storms
Helicopters and lifeboats have been deployed to reach hundreds of stranded villagers in central Greece, as the death toll from deadly flooding rose to seven, authorities said Friday. Firefighters worked alongside the army to reach villages cut off by rising water levels, which have transformed roads into rivers and left houses submerged in the central Thessaly region. "We almost died yesterday, we didn't have drinking water or electricity", Mina Mprakratsi told AFP from a lifeboat, after being evacuated from her flooded house on Friday. Fierce storms have battered Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria following a period of extreme heat and devastating wildfires -- the kind of extreme weather climate experts say is becoming more frequent because of human-induced climate change. Two elderly women and a 69-year-old man were reported dead Thursday, bringing the death toll to seven after torrential rains lashed parts of central Greece from Monday evening to Thursday. "It's one of the most difficult moments of my life, the water came into the house yesterday evening (Wednesday), the children are with a neighbour", local farmer Eleftheria Kotarela told AFP. At least six people were reported missing in the Magnesia and Karditsa areas, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Athens. "It is almost certain that other people will be found dead", said Christodoulos Makris, a farmer who fled to a neighboring village by tractor on Thursday. 'Extreme phenomenon' Storm Daniel, which has lashed the country for several days, has been called an "extreme phenomenon" by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Flooding affected the port city of Volos, and the towns of Karditsa and Trikala further inland and several villages, after more than a year's worth of rain fell in 24 hours this week. Nearly 200 tourists stranded in central Greece have been evacuated by boat in recent days, firefighters said. The heavy rains and flooding follow devastating fires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people. As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapor which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, Western Europe and Latin America. Combined with other factors such as urbanization and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding. Severe flooding in neighboring Turkey and Bulgaria this week left 12 people dead. The post Huge rescue effort in Greek villages after deadly storms appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sharks tear boat, sailors call for rescue
Two Russians and a French sailor were rescued in the Coral Sea on Wednesday after sharks attacked and tore chunks of their inflatable boat. A cargo ship, the vehicle transporter Dugong Ace, detected the distress signal activated by the sailors and approached the damaged catamaran in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Footage shot by a rescue helicopter shows the catamaran bobbing in calm seas some 800 kilometers southeast of Cairns, Australia as the ship plucked the three men from their catamaran. “Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks,” the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement. AMSA said the trio were sailing from the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu to the city of Cairns, a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. The men would be dropped in Brisbane by Thursday, according to AMSA, CNN reported. The post Sharks tear boat, sailors call for rescue appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kyiv targeted by ‘most powerful’ aerial attack since spring
Kyiv was targeted early Wednesday by the "most powerful" barrage of missiles and drones since the spring, authorities said, with two people reported dead, as Russia claimed it destroyed four Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea carrying up to 50 soldiers. More than 20 missiles and drones were "destroyed by air defense forces" overnight, the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on Telegram, describing the aerial assault as "the most powerful" to hit the city since the spring. An AFP reporter heard at least three loud explosions in the center of Kyiv around 5:00 am (0200 GMT). Two people had died as a result of falling debris, Sergiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, wrote on Telegram. Another person was injured and was being given medical assistance, he said. Russian forces had launched groups of Iranian-made Shahed attack drones at the capital from different directions, and launched missiles from aircraft, the Kyiv city military administration said. Earlier, Moscow's defense ministry said a Russian aircraft "destroyed four high-speed military boats" in the Black Sea around midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT Tuesday). The boats had been carrying "landing groups of Ukrainian special operations forces with a total number of up to 50 people," the ministry said on Telegram. It did not give details on exactly where in the Black Sea the incident took place. Early Wednesday, Russian defenses also repelled a "seaborne drone attack near" near Sevastopol Bay in Crimea, the local Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev was cited as saying by the state-run TASS news agency. Sevastopol is the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet. Both Ukraine and Russia have ramped up activity around the strategic waterway after a United Nations-brokered deal to ensure safe navigation for grain ships collapsed last month. In recent weeks, Kyiv has attacked Russian ships in its waters and the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. Last week, Ukraine said its forces had flown the country's flag in Crimea during a "special operation" to mark its second wartime Independence Day. Moscow's defense ministry also said last week that one of its jets destroyed a Ukrainian "reconnaissance boat" near Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea. Drone wave Ukraine launched another wave of overnight drones strikes on Russia, targeting several regions from an airport near the Estonian border to the Crimea peninsula on the Black Sea, Russian authorities said. Air defenses "repelled" a drone attack on an airport at Pskov, roughly 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) from Ukraine's border and close to the borders of EU member states Latvia and Estonia, the local governor said. Regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov, who said he was at the scene of the attack, posted a video on Telegram of a massive fire, with the sounds of explosions and sirens in the background. Authorities were assessing the damage but there were no casualties, he said. There was no immediate comment from the defense ministry. The RIA Novosti agency cited the Ministry of Emergency Situations as saying two Ilyushin Il-76 heavy transport planes had caught fire. All Wednesday flights at the airport were cancelled, Vedernikov wrote, "until the nature of the possible damage to the runway is clarified." Citing air traffic services, TASS also reported that Moscow's Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports had been "temporarily closed" to traffic. The Pskov region was previously targeted by drones in May. Authorities in Bryansk region near the Ukraine border, southern Oryol region and Kaluga and Ryazan regions, southwest and southeast of Moscow, all reported drones had been destroyed or downed. Air defenses also destroyed a drone "heading for Moscow," the city's mayor wrote on Telegram, adding there were no casualties or damage caused, according to initial reports. Moscow and other Russian regions have been targeted by almost daily drone strikes since Kyiv vowed this summer to "return" the conflict to Russia. The post Kyiv targeted by ‘most powerful’ aerial attack since spring appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senators grill Navotas cops over teenage boy’s death
Senators on Tuesday grilled Northern Police District personnel involved in the killing of 17-year-old Jemboy Baltazar, who was shot while he was boarding his boat in Navotas City. During the resumption of the investigation by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs into the killing of Baltazar, lawmakers quizzed policemen, specifically about the absence of paraffin tests on individuals involved in the operation. Juanito Arabejo, who heads the Navotas City police station investigation and detective management section, said he did not conduct a paraffin test on the six policemen who shot Baltazar in a case of mistaken identity on 2 August based on his "sound judgment." A paraffin test is done to determine whether or not a person has fired a gun. "Is that your discretion not to subject them to paraffin test or [did] they refuse?" Senator Ronald "Bato” dela Rosa, who presided over the hearing, asked Arabejo. Responding to Dela Rosa’s query, Arabejo said, "That was based on our sound judgment and in good faith, considering the direct testimony of the eyewitnesses is sufficient to establish the guilt of these six suspects." This prompted lawmakers to ask former Navotas City police chief Allan Umipig whether or not he told Arabejo to conduct paraffin tests. According to Umipig, he ordered Arabejo to subject policemen involved in the operation to paraffin tests during their emergency meeting on 3 August, which Arabejo refuted. Dela Rosa then ordered Umpig to contact other policemen who were present at their 3 August meeting to validate his claim. Minutes later, Navotas City Police Captain Anthony Mondejar, and Police Major Edwin Fuertes, joined the hearing and validated Umipig’s claim. Due to the alleged inconsistency in his statements, Senator Risa Hontiveros, on behalf of Senator Raffy Tulfo, made the motion to cite Arabejo in contempt. “On behalf of Senator Raffy Tulfo and the guidance of the chairperson, I move to cite [for] contempt Police Captain Juanito Arabejo,” Hontiveros said. Dela Rosa, who was evidently fuming over Arabejo’s “annoying smirks,” approved Hontiveros’s motion. This is not the first time Dela Rosa’s panel ordered a cite in contempt of individuals involved in Baltazar’s killing. Last week, the Senate panel also held Navotas City police officers Captain Mark Joseph Carpio and Staff Sergeant Gerry Maliban in contempt for allegedly lying and evading lawmakers’ questions. Carpio was the leader of the team in Baltazar’s fatal shooting. The post Senators grill Navotas cops over teenage boy’s death appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Russia, Ukraine attacks kill six
Kyiv continued its drone attacks on Russia on Wednesday killing three people in the Belgorod region as Russian shelling killed three civilians in two Ukraine villages while its fighter jets destroyed two boats in the Black Sea and Crimea areas. “Three civilians have been killed,” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a social media post. “The Ukrainian forces launched an explosive device through a drone when people were on the street.” Air defenses downed one Ukrainian drone in Mozhaisky district and one in Khimki district of Moscow, the sixth straight day of drone attacks on the capital region, Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement. A third drone crashed into a building in the Moscow City business district around five kilometers from the Kremlin after being “suppressed” by air defenses, it said. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram there were no reports of casualties. In Khimki district, the wreckage of a downed drone had partially collapsed the roof of a private house and damaged a non-residential building, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. There were no casualties, it reported. The ministry said Tuesday that one of its Sukhoi Su-30sm jets destroyed a Ukrainian “reconnaissance boat” near Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea. It later said it also destroyed a United States-made speedboat carrying Ukrainian troops east of Snake Island, without providing further detail. Separately, the ministry said its forces had downed two Ukrainian drones, 40 kilometers northwest of the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea. It later said that two fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept two drones over the Black Sea, without specifying which countries had deployed them. Meanwhile, Russian artillery hit two villages near the eastern Ukraine city of Lyman, killing three people and wounding two others late Tuesday, authorities said. “Three people were killed and one wounded in Torske, another civilian was wounded in Zakitne,” the head of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, posted on Telegram. The Donetsk prosecutor’s office said on Facebook that artillery strikes first hit Torske at around 6:50 p.m., and then Zakitne a half-hour later. The people killed in Torske were two women and a man, aged 63 to 88, who were seated on a bench when shells hit, it said. In a separate attack, four people were wounded by shelling and a residential building was struck by two explosive drones in Seredyno-Buda, a village in northeast Ukraine near the border with Russia, the regional military authority said on Facebook. WITH AFP The post Russia, Ukraine attacks kill six appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in a week: army
The Lebanese army turned away around 700 Syrians attempting to cross into the neighboring country illegally over the past week, the armed forces said in a statement on Wednesday. The attempted influx coincides with days of rare protest in Syria's southern city of Sweida, as dire living conditions stoke discontent in regime-held areas. Millions of Syrians have already fled abroad since Syria's war began in 2011 following the government's repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests. Lebanon's army "prevented, over several days this past week, about 700 Syrians from crossing the Lebanese-Syrian border," the Lebanese armed forces statement said. A security official told AFP that deteriorating economic conditions in Syria had pushed more people to flee their homeland, with many hoping to reach Europe. The official couldn't give data to illustrate the increase, and it was not clear where along the border the migrants were blocked. Syrians are fleeing "because of the economic situation because the Syrian pound has further collapsed," he said, on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the press. Syria's 12-year conflict has ravaged the country's infrastructure and industry, the Syrian pound has lost most of its value against the dollar, and most of the population has been pushed into poverty. "Some hope to find work here in Lebanon, but many are hoping to flee to Europe," the source added. The protests by hundreds in Syria erupted after the government lifted fuel subsidies last week, dealing a blow to people already struggling with the war's heavy economic toll. On 12 August, Lebanon's army said it arrested 134 migrants, most of them Syrians, near the northern border with Syria after foiling their attempt to take a boat to Europe. The same day, the armed forces said they had arrested 150 Syrians who had crossed into Lebanon illegally in the same province of Akkar. Lebanon's own economic collapse has turned it into a launchpad for migrants. Lebanese are joining Syrian and Palestinian refugees clamoring to leave by taking dangerous sea routes. Authorities say Lebanon currently hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the United Nations -- the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Migrants departing from Lebanon head for Europe, with one of the main destinations Cyprus, only 175 kilometres (110 miles) away. Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and forced around half the country's pre-war population from their homes. The post 700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in a week: army appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dragon boat race kicks off ‘Higalaay’
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Cagayan de Oro City government on Saturday morning kicked off a 2,000-meter dragon boat competition at the Cagayan River, with teams from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Malaysia participating. City Administrator Roy Raagas led the opening ceremonies of the event at Isla de Oro. He said 17 local dragon boat teams and teams from Hong Kong and Malaysia took part in the competition. The two-day competition is one of the highlights of the “Higalaay Festival 2023,” the city’s annual fiesta celebration. On 28 August, a religious fluvial parade will highlight the month-long festival. The parade will start from Puntod in Macajalar and end at Duaw Park near the St. Augustine Cathedral. Nick Jabagat, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said security measures are in place for the mass gathering that will start with the 2,000-meter dragon boat race. He said drones are not allowed to fly over the areas of the festivities, but bloggers and news reporters covering the events are given specific areas where they can pilot their drones. The post Dragon boat race kicks off ‘Higalaay’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Village chief aspirant survives ambush
TACLOBAN CITY — Authorities reported on Friday that a barangay chairman aspirant was ambushed by still unidentified gunmen in Gandara town, Samar province which also saw the death of his two companions. Police identified the aspiring village chairman as Teresito Piczon, who was wounded when the motorboat they were riding was fired upon by unidentified men hiding on the hilly part as they were about to moor on the village port. Another individual identified as Marvin Taduyo also survived the ambush, while the other two — identified as Sammy Jumadiao and Rolando Casaljay — died in the ambush. The four are residents of Barangay Caugbusan, a village at the boundary of Gandara and Santa Margarita towns some 20 kilometers from the town proper and accessible only either by boat or foot. Reports also disclosed that Casaljay was able to run but was chased by the gunmen, who took turns in hitting him with rifle butts on the different parts of his body, causing his death. The armed group, allegedly led by a certain Alyas Piyos, immediately fled to the mountain side of the village by foot immediately after the incident. The wounded victims were immediately brought to the Gandara District Hospital. The post Village chief aspirant survives ambush appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»