Despite kidnappings, PHL ‘very much’ safe for tourists —DOT chief

The Philippines remains to be a safe place for tourists despite an increase in kidnapping cases mostly involving Chinese nationals, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Wednesday.

“Very much,” she said when asked if the country, which saw 6.8 million international visitors in the first 10 months of the year, remains safe. “We will not promote a place where we know it’s not safe.”

“Kung may mangyari sa isang turista lang, it destroys the whole Philippines. Hindi naman kasi nila nakikita, kunwari may nangyayari dito, akala nila buong Pilipinas na ‘yun,” she said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum.

The Tourism department is in close coordination with the police, the military and local government units to ensure tourists are safe. Tourism cops are also present in tourist destinations, she said.

In the case of Chinese visitors, Puyat said they are vetted by the Bureau of Immigration before they are allowed to enter the country.

The Philippine National Police has registered 75 kidnapping cases so far this year. Forty-two incidents were related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and casinos.

Twenty-seven of the cases have been resolved and 88 suspects have been arrested.

A recent incident went viral on social media, involving a Chinese woman who was dragged into a vehicle in Makati City on Monday night. Her husband is now considered a person of interest.

Visitors from China make up the second largest international tourists in the Philippines—nearly 1.5 million visitors in January to October 2019. Koreans topped the list at 1.6 million, with Americans accounting for more than 870,000.

Nearly 570,000 tourists came from Japan, while more than 280,000 came from Taiwan, according to the Tourism department.

“It is to our advantage to make sure that the tourists are safe so that when they come to that particular tourist destination, they know that walang mangyayari sa kanila. They’re safe and secure,” Puyat said. —VDS, GMA News

Noli de Castro’s ‘bronze lang’ comment on Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes goes viral

- Noli de Castro once again became the talk of the town online because of his recent statement

- He gave a controversial comment on the performance of Efren “Bata” Reyes in SEA Games 2019

- The much-talked-about incident was caught on the camera and it was aired on national television

- The controversial moment also became one of the most trending topics on social media

Noli de Castro recently created buzz in the online world after he aired his unsolicited comment regarding the performance of Efren “Bata” Reyes in SEA Games 2019.

KAMI learned that the billiards world champion settled for bronze when he competed in cushion carom, an event that he rarely plays in the international level.

He was defeated at the semifinals by Vietnamese contender named Dinh Nai Ngo, and he later on finished third after dominating the representative of Thailand.

During the recent episode of “TV Patrol,” a news correspondent delivered a report about the results of billiards during the regional biennial meet.

After expressing gratitude to the reporter, the former Vice President of the Philippines gave a short but controversial comment about the bronze medal of Efren.

He bravely questioned why the Filipino legend only settled for third place, and the controversial moment was aired on national television.

“We win as one! Maraming salamat, Willard Cheng, live mula sa Clark, Pampanga,” he initially quipped.

“Bronze lang?” he added.

The much-talked-about statement of Noli immediately created noise online and it even became one of the trending topics on Twitter.

In a previous article by KAMI, Efren once again proved his supremacy in the world of billiards as he won the Champions Challenge One Pocket few months ago.

Noli de Castro is a veteran broadcast-journalist and a former politician in the Philippines. In 2004, he held the second highest government position in the country.

Source: https://kami.com.ph/

Duterte rants vs. vaping anew, but fails to cite law banning it

President Rodrigo Duterte maintained there is a law banning the use of vape, but  failed to cite it after being asked a number of times as he ranted about the harmful effects of nicotine during an interview on CNN Philippines.

According to Duterte, as vape products were being banned "all over the world" for its harmful effects, the government had a right to "come out with measures to protect public interest."

"In Australia, in Singapore, it's considered poison. So I have the right to say, 'wag mo ipakita yan, do not sell it, because I have not yet given you - that's government saying it, not me - wag mo ipagbili yan, kasi hindi pa dumaan ng FDA yan," Duterte said.

"I cannot wait for Congress because ang Congress knows that it is nicotine. Congress knows that vaping cannot be used in public, and Congress should know that contraband should not be allowed to be sold because when you use it with other chemicals and nicotine, it produces another chemical of which government does not know," he added.

Although the president acknowledged the harmful effects of cigarettes, he argued that they have already existed for a long time and was not a new product like vaping.

"Ang cigarette dumaan na yan noon pa. This new one, is another form of cigarette. You must be kidding. Don't be an idiot to say that," Duterte said.

He also shared his experience with smoking and expressed that he did not want to be remembered as a president who did not address health concerns.

"I suffered the consequences of smoking nicotine. Itong mga to, mga bata, itong mga chemicals na sinusupsop niyo doon sa baga ninyo, baga is your lung, it grinds slowly, but it grinds exceedingly small," the president said.

"And I will not- I will not be remembered- I will not allow to be remembered as a president who did nothing to help people in the health issues," he added.

Duterte last week announced a ban on the importation and use of vape products. He also ordered the arrest of those who smoked vape in public. —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News

DepEd: Policy in place to address ‘teacher-shaming’

MANILA, Philippines — There are procedures in place to address complaints against teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced yesterday amid the controversy involving a public school teacher who was shamed on television after taking disciplinary action against one of her students.

The DepEd said it is looking into Melita Limjuco’s case that went viral on social media last week after television host Raffy Tulfo berated her for allegedly punishing a Grade 2 student by sending the latter out of the classroom.

“It appears that what transpired in the television program was a move for on-the-spot compromise: the resignation of the teacher and revocation of her license in exchange for the non-filing of a complaint against her. Under the DepEd Child Protection Policy, incidents of child abuse are not subject to compromise,” the agency said.

“On the other hand, teachers are entitled to due process, which was not given to her during the program, especially since resignation from her job earlier than her intended retirement will have serious impact on her and her family,” it added.

Duterte says he believes Quiboloy stopped Mindanao quake

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he believed his friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy when the religious leader said he stopped one of the major earthquakes that hit Mindanao in October.

Duterte said he wished that he could have the same power to stop graft just by telling corrupt individuals to do so.

"I believe in Pastor Quiboloy when he said that 'stop'. Eh, kung nag-stop, eh 'di what’s the trouble? Stop it! Eh kung nagkataon talagang nag-stop," Duterte said.

"If I can only have that power doon sa mga kurakot na stop kasi alam mo dito ang Pilipino hindi mo talaga madala sa pakiusap," he added.

Quiboloy after the spate of earthquakes that hit parts of Mindanao in October claimed that the public ought to thank him for "stopping" one of the earthquakes which hit late October.

"Ako'y umiinom lang ng kape eh, lumilindol. Sinabi ko, 'lindol huminto ka!' Huminto," Quiboloy, the leader of the religious sect called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, said in a televised program.

Claiming that he had witnesses to prove his claim, Quiboloy, the self-declared "Appointed Son of God," added, "Pasalamat kayo sa 'kin, pasalamat kayo sa 'kin. Kasi kung 'di ko pina-stop 'yun, marami kayong magigiba diyan. Mamamatay kayo. Kaya pasalamat kayo ako ang nagpa-stop ng lindol."

Quiboloy would not have even mentioned his role in stopping the quake had it not been for a submitted question which also criticized him.

And it was because of these "bashers" that Mindanao was struck by earthquakes and storms.

"Tingnan mo yung mga lugar ng bashing, kawawa naman. Naawa ako sa kanila, 'di ba? Hindi ko naman, ayoko namang mapahamak ang tao. Pero ang judgment nanggagaling sa Diyos," he said.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Mindanao on October 29 leaving at least eight people dead.

The quake's epicenter was in Tulunan, Cotabato, which was once again struck by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake two days later.

The latest update showed 16 people have died because of the two earthquakes. —NB, GMA News

Robredo admits hometown Naga, Legazpi have ‘big’ drug problems

Vice President Leni Robredo acknowledged on Friday that her hometown Naga City has a “big” drug problem, according to a report by JP Soriano on "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.”

"Isa talaga yung drugs sa malalaking problema, lalo yung Naga [at] Legazpi kasi ito yung transshipment kasi, itong malalaking cities," Robredo, newly-appointed co-chair of the Inter Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), said.

Asked about whether the drug problem in her hometown was bigger than that in other areas, the Vice President said that they could not be compared since she did not have data about it.

“Hindi sya comparative sa iba, ang sinasabi ko dito may problema rin, hindi mas malaki yung problema rito over others kasi wala pa kong datos na ganun,” Robredo said.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed in a speech before business leaders in Malacanang that Naga City was a 'hotbed of shabu'.

Robredo called for a Naga City meeting with leaders from the Naga City's Dangerous Drugs Board, City Anti-Drug Abuse Council and barangay officials.

Robredo said that she planned to address the drug problem in Naga and in other areas.

She mentioned that her office already submitted a report to Duterte about their proposals in solving the drug problem, as well as initial observations.

"Napadala na namin yung first report. Siguro by middle of next week, maipapadala na namin yung second report. Gusto ko lang na alam ni Presidente yung lahat ng nangyayari," she said.

She added that she was looking into creating an inventory with data on illegal drugs for the Naga and Bicol regions.

Robredo said that even if she wanted to put an end to the Oplan Tokhang, her power to do so was ‘limited.’

"'Yung sa akin, policy making. Ipapahiwatig yung palagay ko tama, magre-recommend ng mga measures na, palagay ko, ay dapat sundin. But at the end of the day, 'yung ating Pangulo naman ang mag ca-call the shots," she said. —Angelica Yang/LDF, GMA News