Indonesia spares Veloso, executes 8 other drug convicts

The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

EMBRACING HER FATE WITH OPEN ARMS Condemned to death, Filipino Mary Jane Veloso still manages to smile and shine in a colorful and floral Indonesian dress at Yogyakarta prison on Kartini Day on April 21, incredibly only seven days before her scheduled execution, to honor Indonesia’s national hero and woman’s rights activist Raden Kartini. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

JAKARTA, Indonesia–Defying intense pressure from the international community, the government executed eight death row prisoners early on Wednesday on Nusakambangan prison island near Cilacap in Central Java.

“We’ve carried out the executions,” said an Attorney General’s Office (AGO) official, talking to the press on condition of anonymity.

The eight were Indonesian Zainal Abidin, Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, Nigerians Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Raheem Agbaje Salami and Okwudili Oyatanze, Ghanaian Martin Anderson.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso of the Philippines was spared after a woman who allegedly recruited her to act as a drug courier gave herself up to police in the Philippines on Tuesday.

AGO spokesman Tony Spontana said the government had agreed to the final requests fielded by two Australian death-row convicts for their bodies to be flown to Australia for burial.

A Cilacap Police officer said that after the executions, prayers were said for each person according to their respective religion. “The executions went well, without any disruptions,” he said.
The AGO stated that the executions had been carried out after it had heard all eight convicts’ final requests.

The execution was the second round after the first was carried out on Jan. 18, during which six inmates from Indonesia, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nigeria, Vietnam and Malawi were killed by firing squad.–Jakarta Post/ANN/ren

Bill Gates leaves PH after vacation in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines–After spending almost two weeks in an exclusive resort in Palawan, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates is set to return to the United States Thursday afternoon.

Immigration sources said on Wednesday that William Henry Gates and his wife, Melinda, are scheduled to fly back home around 2 p.m. on Thursday aboard their private jet.

The billionaire couple’s children had gone home on Tuesday as discreetly as they arrived on a commercial flight back to the United States.

Napoles gets up to 40 years imprisonment for serious illegal detention

In a 26-page decision read on Tuesday, Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda sentenced Napoles to reclusion perpetua or a jail term of up to 40 years.
The court also ordered Napoles to pay Luy P50,000 in moral damages and another P50,000 in civil damages.
Luy accused Napoles and her brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim of detaining him against his will from December 19, 2012 to March 22, 2013 because they found out that Luy was having separate business transactions allegedly involving the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of some legislators. Lim remains at large and was never arraigned.
Napoles claimed that Luy volunteered to go on a three-month spiritual retreat.

In coming up with the guilty verdict, Alameda said in his decision that the prosecution was able to establish that Luy was illegally detained for three months.
The judge said Napoles did not testify but only submitted a memorandum arguing that the only evidence or act where the prosecution established her participation in the crime was when she uttered “ikulong na yan, ikulong na yan (Detain him, detain him)” last Dec. 19, 2012.
“The discourse of Janet in her memorandum cannot be given any evidentiary value because she did not testify. Her arguments were not established by direct testimony. Her failure to testify prevented the prosecution from examining her to test her credibility,” Alameda added.
The judge also said that while Luy was in detention, Napoles had “ample opportunity” to order his release but she never did.
“Clearly, she willingly agreed to be part of the conspiracy with her brother Jojo. Her inaction can be construed as assent to their evil deeds,” the decision further read.
Luy is now the key witness in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles.
Napoles, who earlier refused to enter a plea regarding the serious detention charges against her, is now detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City

5 dead, 7 hurt in Eastern Samar road mishap

Five persons, including a seven-year-old child, were killed while seven others were injured after a passenger bus collided with a van in Eastern Samar on Sunday night.

Report said that four of the victims:
PO1 Lea Caores, of Dulag, Leyte, assigned at the Eastern Samar Provincial Police Office;
Jodie Ann Malindong, 17;
Rowena Malindog, 24;
Wendel Amande, all of General McArthur, Eastern Samar—died instantly.

The seven year-old victim was brought to a hospital but later died, the report added.

Injured in the accident were
Antonio Tamayo, 58;
Cecilia Casas, 13;
Jose Lospe, 60;
Editha Boco, 58;
Annie Rosas, 58;
Roland Mondal, 39;
and William Galenzoga, 37.

Initial police investigation showed that a DLTB bus, bound for Guiuan Eastern Samar was speeding along a curved part of the national highway in Barangay Bagtic, Quinapondan, Eastern Samar when a Duptours van accidentally slammed onto it.

Police are still investigating the incident.

4 Fatalities In A Passenger Van Accident in Eastern Samar

By: Don Mackie

       4 fatalities in a collision between a bus (DLTB) and a passenger van  (Duptours). along the national highway, brgy. Buenavista, Quinapondan Eastern Samar.

       Injured passengers were rushed to the nearest hospital of Gen. Macarthur, Eastern Samar.

Milk tea poisoning kills two in Manila

Rose-An Jessica Dioquino

Two people were killed and another was hospitalized after drinking milk tea at a shop in Sampaloc, Manila.

According to the police's initial investigation, Suzanne Dagohoy and Arnold Aydalla bought their drinks at Ergo Cha, a milk tea shop in Bustillos, Sampaloc at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Aydalla pointed out an unpleasant taste in his drink and made Dagohoy taste it before bringing it to the attention of the shop owner, William Abrigo, who personally prepared the couple's order, the report said.

After receiving the complaint, Abrigo reportedly replaced the straw to taste the drink himself.

Witnesses said Dagohoy collapsed first, her mouth frothing, as they left the store. Aydalla experienced the same thing, as did Abrigo, who succumbed a few minutes later.

The three were rushed to the Ospital ng Sampaloc, where Dagohoy and Abrigo died. Aydalla is still being treated.

Thirsty

A report on "24 Oras" said Aydalla didn't swallow the sip of Hokkaido milk tea, but his girlfriend helped herself quite a bit because she was thirsty.

Within a few minutes, the couple collapsed. According to a witness, both Dagohoy and Aydalla had chills within minutes.

Pedicab and tricycle drivers in the area helped bring the couple to the hospital. Ten minutes later, the store's owner fell on his side, his mouth also frothing.

Dagohoy passed away past 3 p.m., while Abrigo died around 5 p.m.

Witnesses also said they saw a member of the shop's staff throwing milk tea in the sewer. GMA News checked and found tapioca pearls in the area.

The Manila Police District has secured a sample of Aydalla's drink, which they sent to the Food and Drug Administration for testing. Dagohoy and Abrigo's remains are also undergoing autopsy at the PNP Crime Laboratory.

Foul-smelling liquid

According to MPD spokesperson Supt. Marissa Bruno, investigators are
looking into whether it was more than just a simple case of a spoiled
drink.

A man working for the milk tea shop, who
asked not to be identified, was invited to the police headquarters for
questioning. He told investigators that the shop had previously received
a complaint about how their drink tasted.

The said incident happened after the son of the store owner brought a clear, foul-smelling liquid to the shop.

According to the employee, Abrigo's son would wear gloves when handling the liquid.

The employee added that the pitcher used to mix Dagohoy and Aydalla's drinks smelled of that liquid. 

As for the traces of tapioca peals in the sewer, he said those were thrown out a day before the

More from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/467658/news/metromanila/milk-tea-poisoning-kills-two-in-manila

10 Underrated Jobs that Pays Better than Your Exhausting Call Center Chores

Sophia Arca/ Makati City

Many of us today are aiming to work in BPO because we believe that call center jobs pays higher than the minimum wage set by the government. Yes, it’s true. A level one call center agent can earn from 12K to 20K a month depending on the company and the location of the BPO.

 In Metro Manila, most call centers offers at least 18,000 pesos per month. In CALABARZON region, a level 1 agent can earn from 12,000 to 16,000, while in Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo, a call center agent can earn at least 9,000 a month.

Working in call center is truly rewarding, but the physical and mental stress associated with it is also exhausting. You go to work at 12 midnight and listen to irate customers for the next 8 hours – this is what call center agents do.

Photo Credit: GMA7

Anyway, for people who enjoy doing so, there is no question for success. Many professionals find their career path in BPO industry. Supervisors and managers in BPO earn much more than people with the same position in other business fields, like in food and housekeeping industry. A call center agent earns higher than McDonalds and Jollibbee managers.

What if you don’t have the ability to speak English but want to earn more than the call agents are earning? Is there any way? Yes, there is. These partially odd and underrated jobs do not need anything but special skills – and of course a little harder face.

10. Tomb Painter and Cleaner / 24,000 to 27,000 a Month
Although this job is seasonal, anyone who does this is actually earning pretty well. I remember 7 years ago when I was working as a Manufacturing Supervisor, one of my operators filed a 2-week unpaid vacation leave. When he returned, I asked him (Cris) what he did. He told me he painted tombs with his uncle for two weeks and earned more than 15,000. That was October 2008, weeks before All Saints Day.

9. Jeepney Barker / Dispatcher 24,000 to 30,000 per Month
If you think those noisy and annoying people at Jeepney stops are just kidding, you are wrong. They may be earning more than your monthly salary. For 5 pesos every jeep every five minutes, Tomy Caguimbal of Tanauan City is earning at least 100 pesos per hour. Working from 8 in the morning until 9 in the evening, he takes home at least 800 pesos a day of coins. He earns more on weekends when normal employees are taking their leave at home.

8. Embalmer / 24,000 to 35,000 a Month
Some funeral parlors need licensed embalmers while other does not care. An embalmer earns at least 800 pesos per corpse, and can prepare two to three bodies in one day

7. Mobile Phone Technician / 27,000 to 35,000 a Month
Being a mobile phone technician does not require any diploma or any formal education. Training is needed though and with continuous experience, one can repair a basic defect in 30 minutes or lesser. Jerry Descalsota of Bacolod City is earning at least 900 pesos a day in 8 hours of work-by-commission in a cell phone repair shop. Freelance technicians who do not share their earnings to employers are earning more.

6. Passenger Jeepney Driver / 30,000 to 35,000 a Month
These people are silent earners. Metro Manila Jeepney drivers are earning at least 1,000 pesos a day. “Mahina ang katawan ko pag uwi ko na isang libo lang kinita ko, pero di maiwasan minsan talagang mahina. Pinakamahina na ang isang libo”, Lito Vergara of Makati said. Lito has been driving Jeepneys for 12 years and already owns 3 jeepneys – all from his own sweat as a driver.

5. Shoe and Umbrella Repair Man 30,000 to 45,000 a Month
“Payong repair sapatos”, this is what they call someone who do this. Further explanation for this can be found here.

4. Handyman / 30,000 to 45,000 a Month
A handyman is someone who does everything from carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry, etc. In a middle-to first-class subdivision, a handyman is always needed. A single call to a handyman that will fix your faucet, electrical outlet, or tiles would cost you at least 400 pesos in a couple of hours work.

3. Auto Denter (Latero) / 30,000 to 45,000 a Month
An auto denter or “latero” is someone who repairs the body of the vehicle. A couple of hours of auto denter’s work fixing your car’s fender can cost you at least 500 pesos. A skilled auto denter can assemble the Isuzu Elf’s whole body in 3 weeks for 35,000 pesos.

2. Home Service Massage Therapist / 30,000 to 45,000 a Month
Most massage parlors ask at least 300 pesos for one hour massage. Home service massage therapists are earning more and receiving bigger tips. Elena Gigantoni of Mandalagan, Bacolod City has been earning decent amount for five years in servicing first class subdivisions like Villa Valderama, Santa Clara Subdivision, and Ayala North Point. He takes home at least 1,200 a day for less than 8 hours of home service job.

1. Walking Ukay Vendor / 36,000 to 45,000 Per Month
This maybe your first time hearing this but, this person earns at least 1,200 a day. Although this is actually a business and not a job that pays you to work for others, selling ukay while walking with “kariton” is really rewarding.

Bonifacio Medina of Calamba City has been doing this for seven years and he doesn’t want to do any other things at all. According to him, selling at least 15 pants and 20 shorts a day is easy. Mark-up for each men’s pants is 45 pesos and 32 pesos for each short. Earning at least 1,315 pesos a day while walking at least 10 kilometers is a cool job for Medina.

The above lists of jobs are not for everyone, but if you are doing nothing and want to earn pretty amount of money, the above lists of jobs is worth trying.

CD-R King SEGWAY

Yugatech

CD-R King is known to make tech accessories and gadgets affordable such as the Action Cam launched last December, and it looks like the local tech retail giant isn’t stopping at any point as it also introduced the California Malibu, its own affordable version of the segway.

For those who are not familiar with this, a segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle designed to transport a single person, hence it is mostly used in the country by security personnel on spacious, mid- to high-end malls. The California Malibu is said to offer the same experience at a lower cost.

With that said, this CD-R king automobile can carry persons up to 125kg, has a maximum speed of up to 18km/h, and can go as far as 25km on a single battery charge. It also features an LCD screen for battery level, an alloy wheel set, a lean steer frame height adjuster, turning pipes, a Safe Alarm System, and Smart Balancing to avoid accidental falls.

CD-R King California Malibu specs:

Brush DC motor
Max Climbing Capability: 30degree
125Kg load capacity
Speed up to 18km/h
Riding Distance up to 25 km
19×7-8 Tubeless Off-road Tire
36v, 1500 watts
12Ah Lead-Acid battery with 5-8 hours charging time
66Kg

The suggested retail price of the CD-R King California Malibu is at Php68,000, and it comes with a one-year warranty.

Read more at http://www.yugatech.com/automotive/cd-r-king-has-its-own-affordable-segway/#EouBkkhKR3Fc5h38.99

Fruits That Can Change Your Life

Health Digest

Have you ever wondered why ancient people lived over 100 years? Why didn’t they have cancer and other chronic diseases? The answer to these problems lies within the health benefits of fruits that the ancient people already knew.

Today where the use of antioxidants in diet is a growing phenomenon, essential for maintaining good health and preventing cancer, the fruits have proven to be the best source for it. They are rich in minerals and vitamins beneficial for maintaining physical as well as mental health.

Moving passage to Eastern Samar for visiting, and unrecognized, film luminaries

Bayani San Diego Jr.

 The first thing that struck Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard was the cheerful smile of Filipinos.

To think, she said, that people of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, are in the midst of recovering from the devastation caused by Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” which struck the Visayas in 2013.
 
“Aside from the fact that people here are so nice, the general feeling is that Filipinos don’t regard themselves as victims, but more as survivors who need to face a new climate, who are willing to rise from the ashes,” she told the press in an impromptu interview held at the European International School in Parañaque, only minutes after she arrived from Guiuan.

Cotillard and colleague Mélanie Laurent accompanied French President François Hollande to the Philippines to drumbeat the United Nations Climate Change Conference, set in Paris in December.

FRENCH actress Marion Cotillard, although in crutches walked—freely—around the streets of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, on Feb. 27. She took lots of photographs and vowed to return soon.  AFP

It was a hectic two-day visit, Cotillard said with a sigh, but she made sure to sample Filipino food. During the state dinner held at the Malacañang Palace on Feb. 26, the French delegation feasted on kilawin, adobo, kapeng barako and brazo de Mercedes.

“I got to try mangoes,” the actress told the Inquirer.
(From Samar, the French delegation went straight to Eurocampus to meet with the expatriate community on Feb. 27, before flying back to France.)

“The Philippines is on the frontline of the destructive effects of climate change,” noted Cotillard.
The Samar visit was “crucial,” Hela Cheikhrouhou, executive director of the UN group Green Climate Fund, told the Inquirer.

“Guiuan was the right place for President Hollande to call upon world leaders to act on this issue,” said Cheikhrouhou. “World-renowned actresses like Marion and Mélanie reinforce the urgency of the message and help raise awareness that climate change will affect us all if we fail to act decisively.”

Passionate advocates
Cheikhrouhou, who joined the French contingent in Samar, remarked: “Marion and Mélanie are passionate about defending the environment. I salute them and hope we can count on more effective advocates [like them] in the future.”

Camille Conde, press attaché of the French embassy in Manila, told the Inquirer that the two actresses walked around freely in Guiuan.

“After a short dialogue at the municipal hall, on foot they went to the port to meet with fisher folk,” recalled Conde, who was also in Samar. “They went around the public market, visited a church and, lastly, a school.”

‘Typically Filipino’
Most of the residents in Guiuan “had no idea that Cotillard and Laurent were big names in Hollywood,” Conde related. “Even so, the people of Samar gave them a warm and typically Filipino welcome.”

Cotillard won an Oscar best actress for “La Vie en Rose” in 2008 and was nominated this year for “Two Days, One Night.” Laurent starred in “Beginners” and “Inglourious Basterds.”

Even though she was in crutches, Cotillard joined the group in a walking tour. “It was evident that Marion and Mélanie had fun. Mélanie kept taking photos of the town and the people. They posed for snapshots with the Filipinos and talked to everyone they met on the streets,” Conde related.

Hollande and the actresses lingered for such a long time in the town that the program in the Guiuan East Central Elementary School was slightly delayed.

“They couldn’t even stop for lunch,” Conde recounted. “But they were obviously touched by what they saw in the town and its people.”
Cheikhrouhou described the trip as “moving.”

“The people of Guiuan reminded all of us that Filipinos are extremely resilient,” Cheikhrouhou said. “Although Filipinos are exposed to the destructive reality of climate change, their determination to rebuild was admirable.”

Cheikhrouhou said the Green Climate Fund’s mission is “precisely to help the most vulnerable communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change’s effects. We don’t want climate change to become the ‘new normal’ as a young girl from Guiuan told us.”

In the school, a group of students serenaded the foreign visitors. It was a thanksgiving song—expressing gratitude to the people who helped the country in its rebuilding efforts.

“It was very beautiful,” Cotillard described her experience in Guiuan. “I was able to hear people speak and share ideas…There is positive energy there. And positive energy is what the world needs right now.”

Read more: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/167201/moving-passage-to-samar-for-visiting-and-unrecognized-film-luminaries#ixzz3WSNlHp00

Giant atom smasher starts up after 2-year shutdown

 (Associated Press)

 A May 31, 2007 file photo shows the the LHC (large hadron collider) in its tunnel at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland.

The world's biggest particle accelerator is back in action after a two-year shutdown and upgrade, embarking on a new mission that scientists hope could give them a look into the unseen dark universe. 

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, on Sunday April 5 2015 shot two particle beams through LHC's 27-kilometer (16.8-mile) tunnel, beneath the Swiss-French border. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini, File)

BERLIN — The world's biggest particle accelerator is back in action after a two-year shutdown and upgrade, embarking on a new mission that scientists hope could give them a look into the unseen dark universe.

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, on Sunday shot two particle beams through the Large Hadron Collider's 27-kilometer (16.8-mile) tunnel, beneath the Swiss-French border near Geneva.

The collider was instrumental in the discovery of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that had long been theorized but never confirmed until 2013.
Scientists are promising nearly twice the energy and more violent particle crashes this time around. They hope to see all sorts of new physics, including a first ever glimpse of dark matter, during the collider's second three-year run.

CERN said the restart went smoothly and faster than expected. Still, it will be a while yet before the accelerator is working at full speed and particle crashes start.
"It will take us about six weeks to two months to establish the first stable collisions for the experiments, because we have to commission all the instruments, all the systems one by one," said Joerg Wenninger, the accelerator's coordinator of operations.

Dark matter — and its cousin, dark energy — make up most of the universe, but scientists haven't been able to see them yet, so researchers are looking for them in high-energy crashes, in orbit in a special experiment on the international space station, and in a deep underground mine.
CERN spent about $150 million on the upgrade, opening the massive machine every 20 meters (66 feet), checking magnets and improving connections.

‘Chedeng’ weakens further as it approaches eastern Luzon

MANILA, Philippines–Typhoon “Chedeng” (international name: Maysak) has weakened further as it approaches the eastern seaboards of Luzon, the weather bureau said Friday evening.

In its 11 pm bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Chedeng” packs maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 160 kph.

“Chedeng” clocked in maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gusts 185 kph in Pagasa’s 5 pm bulletin.

Pagasa said that “Chedeng” was spotted at 730 kilometers east southeast of Casiguran, Aurora, at 10 pm while it moves at a pace of 19 kph going west northwest.

Public storm warning signal no. 2 is raised over Catanduanes.

Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Quezon including Polillo Island, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Isabela, Mountain Province are under signal no.1.

“Chedeng” is expected to make landfall over the coast of Isabela-Aurora area on Sunday morning and exit the Philippine landmass via Ilocos Sur on Sunday evening.

It is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday morning.