4 foreigners face deportation for disrespecting Philippine flag

by evelyn Macairan Philstar.com

MANILA — Four foreign tourists who reportedly tore and threw away a Philippine flag in Ternate, Cavite are facing deportation proceedings before the Bureau of Immigration.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the three Pakistanis and a Romanian were turned over by the Ternate police to the bureau’s custody.

Shmail Jalal, 36; Shaid Manzoor,

45, and Sharoon Manzoor, 29, as well as Romanian Joan Oprescu, 36, were subjected to a preliminary investigation and are currently detained at the BI’s detention facility located in Bicutan, Taguig.

“Foreign nationals staying here must respect our country and our laws,” Tansingco said. “Foreigners destroying symbols of our country show utmost disrespect and do not deserve our hospitality.”

Reports said that on June 26, the foreigners, who were in a vehicle headed to Puerto Azul in Ternate, became upset after they got stuck in traffic.

The suspects pulled over in front of the Marine Base Gregorio Lim in Barangay Sapang 1, where they reportedly removed the flag from its pole.

A Marine soldier saw the suspects tear and threw the flag away, which is a violation of Republic Act 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code.

The soldier sought the help of the police, who arrested the foreigners. n

EJ Obiena qualifies for Paris Olympics

by June navarro Inquirer.net

MANILA – EJ Obiena just placed an early reservation for Paris. Obiena became the first Filipino to punch a ticket to the 2024 Olympics after clearing the Olympic standard of 5.82 meters at the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm, Sweden.

The world’s No. 3 vaulter hurdled the height on his second attempt just a day after the start of the Olympic qualification season and eventually captured the silver medal behind world champion Armand Duplantis. Duplantis, the Olympic champion and world-record holder, ruled the meet for the fifth straight time in front of his home fans with a 6.05 jump. Pal Haugen Lillefosse of Norway placed third in 5.72m before three unsuccessful attempts at 5.82 during the Stockholm leg of the prestigious 2023 Wanda Diamond League. Obiena pushed it up to 5.95, but was unable to conquer the elevation after duplicating the feat he accomplished prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Back then, Obiena also became the first Filipino qualifier to the Olympics before the Tokyo Summer Games was postponed for a year due to the pandemic. n