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Volume10 – Issue 13 • 16 Pages
DE C E MBE R 2 3 - 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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B. SaLaverria Inquirer.net
2017 BUDGET. President Duterte on Thursday, Dec. 22 signed into law next year’s P3.35 trillion budget as he vowed to ensure that state funds would benefit the poor and vulnerable sectors. In his speech, Duterte said the 2017 national budget is the “embodiment of Filipinos’ clamor for change.” He said the first ever budget of his administration would be “pro-people, pro-investment, pro-growth and pro-development.” Philstar.com photo by Alexis Romero
USA
DATELINE Obama signs bill awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino World War II vets
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US State Department updates travel warning to southern Philippines the United states state Department has renewed a travel advisory urging Americans to avoid parts of the Philippines and malaysia in light of ongoing terrorist activities targeting travelers in the south sulu sea. the announcement on tuesday, December 20 replaces a prior warning issued on April 21 in response to kidnappings and other crimes perpetrated by militias based in and around the southern Philippines. the advisory outlines an area south of Palawan and Zamboanga City and bordered by the northwest coast of malaysia and the sulu Archipelago as a hotbed of insurgent violence. the state Department also recommends “extreme caution” when traveling through western mindanao, where at least 13 separate abductions have occurred since January. “there have been no reports of U.s. citizens in mindanao targeted specifically for their nationality,” the advisory issued by the
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were part of “legitimate police action.” “Let me just remind one and all, that the incident referred to by the President was actually already covered by [the] media and it was legitimate police action and that the UN commissioner is free to express his views regarding that matter,” Abella said. “It’s already been under scrutiny in the past, but it has already been addressed as far as we know,” he added. Abella also said Zeid’s comments were nothing more than “his opinion.” Presidential Communications secretary martin Andanar, speaking in a radio interview, said mr. Duterte had been investigated when he was mayor and no evidence had been found link-
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Duterte: ‘US a land of hypocrisy’ PNP chief seeks
forgiveness for drug war deaths
by Dana
SioSon AJPress
from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
PresIDeNt Barack obama has signed into law a bill recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of over 260,000 filipinos and filipino Americans who fought alongside allied forces during World War II. the legislation approved on thursday, December 15 awards the Congressional Gold medal—the nation’s highest civilian honor—to veterans whose service had been largely dismissed by prior acts of Congress. “the filipino veterans of World War II overcame many challenges in their fight for compensation, family reunification, and verification of wartime service,” said senator mazie hirono (D-hI), one of the lead sponsors of the legislation, in a statement published on thursday. the rescission Act of 1946 barred filipino soldiers from receiving veterans’ benefits awarded by measures enacted by the U.s. government after the end of WWII. It also officially labeled their contributions as inactive
PresIDeNt rodrigo Duterte’s killing people when he was mayor of Davao City was part of “legitimate police action” and had already been investigated, malacañang said on Wednesday, Dec. 21 following a call from the United Nations human rights chief to investigate mr. Duterte for murder. UN high Commissioner for human rights Zeid ra’ad Al hussein issued a statement on tuesday urging Philippine authorities to “demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation.” mr. Duterte said last week that when he was mayor of Davao
City, where he served three terms between 1988 and 2016, he patrolled the streets on a big motorbike and “personally killed” people to set an example for police. he made the comments in a speech to businessmen in malacañang as he discussed his brutal war on drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill about 6,000 people since he became President on June 30. “the killings committed by mr. Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder,” Zeid said. Asked by reporters on Wednesday what action the government would take, presidential spokesperson ernesto Abella said the killings referred to by mr. Duterte
PresIDeNt rodrigo Duterte on monday, December 19, hit the United states anew, calling it a “land of hypocrisy” for its criticism of the Philippine government’s deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. for the past previous months since Duterte took office, the United states has reiterated several times its concern over the alleged spate of extrajudicial killings related to the Philippine government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs. records from the Philippine National Police (PNP) show that around 6,000 people have been killed in the campaign from July 1 to December 12—with 2,000 people slain during legitimate police operations while the remaining 4,000
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by Dana
SioSon AJPress
President Rodrigo Duterte
Electoral College Despite challenges, Asian-owned officially declares small businesses in NYC grow Trump presidency NYC’S ECONOMIC ENGINE
by MoMar
G. viSaya
AJPress
NeW YorK — the Asian American federation released its latest report, NYC’s economic engine: Contributions and Challenges of Asian small Businesses, at a half-day conference recently, saying that Asian-owned small businesses in New York City are one of the city’s important economic engines. According to the report, the number of Asian-owned businesses in New York City grew faster than the
overall number of businesses from 2002-2012, with Asianowned businesses accounting for 31 percent of net new businesses during that time period. “Asian small businesses have increasingly become a vital economic force in New York City, and this report finally provides the numbers to prove that our city depends on Asian entrepreneurs to sustain its economic activity and employment rate,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the federation. “for that reason,
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by KLarize
MeDeniLLa AJPress
PresIDeNt-elect Donald trump on monday, December 19, has received the necessary 270 votes in the electoral College, officially securing the presidency. each state’s electors convened in their respective states to officially cast their ballots. When all the votes were counted, trump received 304, while Democratic presidential candidate hillary Clinton received 227. When the initial votes came in on
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DAYs before Christmas, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General ronald “Bato” Dela rosa asked the public for their prayers and forgiveness for deaths related to the Philippine government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs. speaking before police officers and their families on PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa monday, December 19, Dela rosa also asked for their tolerance and understanding if the killings continue. “I would like to ask everyone, ang hinihingi kong gift sa iyo ay pagdasal niyo kami, ang inyong mahal sa buhay, ang inyong kapulisan, na sana patawarin kami ni Lord dahil dito sa mga namamatay sa war on drugs (the gift i’m asking for is that you pray for us, for your loved ones, for the police force, that the Lord forgive us for those who were killed in the war on drugs),” Dela rosa said during the opening of PNP’s Christmas party for Camp Crame-based officers and their family in Quezon City. since President rodrigo Duterte took office, records from the PNP show that around 6,000
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James Taylor cancels Manila concert due to PH drug, political issues by Dana
SioSon AJPress
AWArD-winning American singer-songwriter James taylor announced his decision to cancel his upcoming concert in manila next year due to the reported extrajudicial killings related to the Philippine administration’s war on drugs. on his facebook and twitter accounts, taylor said that he has to make a “political stand.” “It saddens me to cancel our concert there. I don’t think of my music as being particularly poTaylor said his music is not political, but that “sometimes one is litical but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand,” he called upon to make a political stand.”
wrote. taylor’s concert in manila, scheduled in february 2017, was supposed to be the last leg of his Asia-Pacific tour. In his post, taylor said that “for a sovereign nation to prosecute and punish, under the law, those responsible for the illegal trade in drugs is, of course, understandable, even commendable.” “[B]ut recent reports from the Philippines of summary executions of suspected offenders without trial or judicial process are deeply concerning and unacceptable to anyone who loves the rule of law,” he remarked. he then apologized to the fili-
pinos for “any inconvenience or disappointment” his decision may have caused. taylor, however, clarified that his performances in hong Kong, singapore, Australia and New Zealand will push through. following the announcement of concert cancellation in the Philippines, magdalo representative Gary Alejano said in a statement that the artist’s remark “only shows international perception about our country particularly on the war against drugs.” “the rising deaths are alarming and cannot be denied. this perception is also shared at home
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