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Stealth007

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  • 2 weeks later...

As a non-smoker, i love the idea of banning smoking inside all buildings.

I love visiting Angeles city but the second hand smoke inside those enclosed bars sucks.

Feel sorry for the poor girls who spend 12 hrs a day inhaling it too.

Bring it on.

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Duterte Opposes Gay Marriage in Philippines, Reversing Campaign Pledge

MANILA — The Philippines will not legalize same-sex marriage anytime soon, President Rodrigo Duterte has said, reversing a campaign promise in which he pledged to support legislation to allow gay unions.

Mr. Duterte stressed that the country was Asia’s bastion of Roman Catholicism, which steadfastly opposes same-sex marriage.

He pointed to a recent issue of Time magazine that tackled gender issues, featuring a transgender woman on its cover.

“That is their culture,” he said, referring to other countries where the American magazine circulates. “That’s for them. That can’t apply to us, because we are Catholics,” Mr. Duterte said in a lengthy speech on Sunday to the small Filipino community in Myanmar, where he arrived as part of a visit to bolster regional ties. He left for Thailand on Monday.

A transcript of the speech was distributed to journalists in Manila on Monday.

“And there is the civil code, which states you can only marry a woman for me, and for a woman to marry a man. That’s the law in the Philippines.

Mr. Duterte, who turns 72 next week, said he was only following what was in the books, asserting that he did not take issue with anyone’s sexuality. Two of his brothers-in-law, and some of his cousins, are gay, he said.

But he stressed: “Wherever God has placed you, stay there.” He noted that no one was empowered to “erase the great divide between a woman and a man.”

This stood in contrast to Mr. Duterte’s stance during the 2016 campaign, when he expressed support for possible legislation allowing same-sex marriage

In a pre-election forum in January last year, Mr. Duterte endeared himself to progressives and the gay community when he was asked whether he would push for legislation to allow same-sex marriages, and he replied that he would. He said there appeared to be an “error in the Bible” when it said unions must be only between men and women.

It should have stated that marriages were for “Adam, Eve and the gays,” he said, to cheers from the crowd.

But since winning the presidency by a wide margin in May, Mr. Duterte has yet to act on that promise.

His allies in the House of Representatives, who control the votes there, have relegated a bill that seeks to protect the rights of gays and lesbians to the back burner, arguing that it was not a priority.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/world/asia/duterte-same-sex-marriage-philippines.html?_r=0

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Philippines smoking ban: President Duterte’s crackdown imposes maximum penalty

The use of cigarettes, both electronic and common, will only be allowed in "designated smoking areas" (DSAs) across Philippines.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who projects a tough-talking personality and is infamous for his off-the-cuff remarks, has signed an executive order banning smoking in public across the country.  The order, which will take effect in mid-July, also imposes hefty fine including jail term for anyone caught advertising and promoting tobacco products.

According to presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella, “The ban, which carries a maximum penalty of four months in jail and a fine of 5,000 pesos ($100), covers both indoor and outdoor smoking.” Besides this, advertisements, promotions or sponsorships of tobacco products will subject to fines of up to 400,000 pesos and maximum jail terms of three years.

The use of cigarettes, both electronic and common, will only be allowed in “designated smoking areas” (DSAs). Anyone under the age of 18 will be prohibited from entering such areas.

Smoking was previously banned only in public spaces such as schools, universities, health clinics and government offices, and this executive order brings indoor offices, workplaces, bars, restaurants and cafes under the purview of banned spaces.

http://indianexpress.com/article/world/philippines-smoking-ban-president-dutertes-crackdown-imposes-maximum-penalty-4664807/

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Major salut and heads of to ( Taiwan ) lets see who next , shame on you ( Thailand ) !!!

05985576-4302.jpg

 

In historic decision, Taiwanese court rules in favor of same-sex marriage

Taiwan’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of allowing same-sex marriage, paving the way for the island to become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex unions and cementing its status as a beacon for LGBT rights. 

The court in Taipei found that the island’s Civil Code, which states that only a man and a woman can marry, violated constitutional guarantees. It gave the legislature two years to amend the Civil Code.

The decision is a victory for Taiwan’s LGBT activists, who have fought for decaded for marriage equality, inspiring similar struggles across Asia and elsewhere. 

Wayne Lin, chairman of the nongovernmental Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, called the ruling a “milestone” for the island.

It is also a milestone for the region, gay rights activists said. “Without a doubt, Taiwan is walking in front of other Asian countries on this,” said Ying Xin, executive director of the Beijing LGBT Center. “This is significant for all of Asia.”

Taiwan has long been seen as a leader on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. While Indonesia arrests and beats gay people, Singapore criminalizes gay sex and China cracks down on LGBT organizing, Taiwan has taken steps toward equality.

Gender and sexual minorities in Taiwan still face stigma and discrimination, but school textbooks extol equality, gays and lesbians serve openly in the military, and Taipei’s annual gay pride parade draws revelers from across the world.

Taiwanese often attribute the relatively tolerant atmosphere to the island’s cultural mix, which includes indigenous groups, Dutch and Japanese colonizers, and folk practices carried across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China.

But a bitter backlash to the groundswell of support for marriage equality has tested Taiwan’s reputation for tolerance.

Over the past year, religious groups mobilized against marriage equality, claiming that same-sex marriage threatens children and families. 

Led by church groups, anti-gay rights campaigners have resorted to inaccurate tropes about homosexuality, trying to link marriage rights to incest, bestiality and AIDS. At one point, one group warned that a same-sex marriage law would mean that “it’s possible to marry a Ferris wheel.”

Part of the opponents’ strategy was to argue that protecting the rights of gender and sexual minorities is Western, that marriage equality threatens what it means to be Chinese or Taiwanese. (Taiwan is self-governing, but China considers it a part of its territory.)

At the last major court hearing on marriage equality, Taiwan’s justice minister, Chiu Tai-san, claimed that same-sex relationships are a “newly invented phenomenon,” unlike “social norms and mechanisms formed by the people of our nation over the past thousand years.”

He also asked the court to consider how legalizing same-sex marriage might complicate the rites of ancestor worship. “What are we going to write on the ancestral tablets if same-sex marriage is legalized?” he asked.

LGBT campaigners dismiss the notion that marriage rights are un-Chinese or un-Taiwanese — and think the ruling will bolster their fight more broadly.

“China and Taiwan speak a common language,” said Li Maizi, a prominent Chinese feminist and LGBT activist. “This will inspire the LGBT movements’ push for gay marriage.”

Matthew Huang, founder of an LGBT group in the Chinese city of Chengdu, said simply, “It’s hope.

In Taipei, activists will now turn their attention to influencing how legislators interpret the ruling and what that means for same-sex couples and families.

There is some fear among campaigners that lawmakers will appease opponents of same-sex rights by creating a special category for same-sex unions. In a news release issued after the ruling, Lin urged lawmakers to move without “hesitation” to amend the Civil Code to guarantee full equality.

For now, supporters of same-sex marriage are celebrating with a new, engagement-inspired slogan: “Taiwan says yes!”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-milestone-decision-taiwan-court-rules-in-favor-of-same-sex-marriage/2017/05/24/bf7aa370-405b-11e7-9851-b95c40075207_story.html?utm_term=.3e0533d4e08d

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Jeepneys face uncertain future

Jeepney.jpg

 

MANILA: Peter Dallos shouts above the rumble of his smoke-belching engine urging passengers to clamber quickly on to his dilapidated red jeepney.

Such scenes may soon disappear from Manila’s gridlocked streets as authorities move to phase out the Philippines’ iconic World War II-era minibuses, citing pollution and safety concerns.

Dubbed ‘jeepneys’ and once hailed as the ‘King of the Road’ they are a cultural symbol in the Phillipines to rival New York’s yellow taxis—and for decades they provided cheap and regular transport for millions.

But under a government modernization program, vehicles of this type that are aged 15 years or older will be taken off the streets by 2020 and replaced with a more environment-friendly version.

Dallos, 55, slaps the steering wheel as his slipper-clad foot stomps on the gas while he hands over change that is passed down a row of squished passengers fanning themselves in the summer heat.

“This is like my wife. My jeepney are I together every day. I know what ails it, what I need to do,” Dallos told Agence France-Presse.

“I’m angry because I will lose my job. I will be forced to go home to my province, become a bystander and starve,” he added.

The government admits the plan will be hard to implement, affecting a micro-industry of poor drivers and owners.

Dallos has been working 14 hours a day for 20 years to provide for his jobless wife, seven kids and three grandchildren who live in an upland farming province where he has no land to till. He earns around 500 pesos ($10) a day.

 

Dirty, inefficient, loved

 

Taking inspiration from the American jeeps left behind after the war, the jeepney is a Filipino invention, where a roof has been added and inside there are two parallel benches.

They can carry more than 20 people at a time, but run on cheap diesel and are heavy polluters, while the drivers are notorious for violating traffic rules.

“Our inefficient dinosaur, the (jeepney), must now be relegated to the museum. It is dirty, inefficient, unhealthy,” said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

The government vows to help owners sell old jeepneys and access loans to buy new models while requiring drivers to undergo safety training, though critics question the cost of this.

Authorities say commuters deserve a better alternative. They are designing units with engines compliant with European emission standards or solar and electric vehicles with GPS and possibly a ride-hailing app.

But at eight pesos (16 cents) per journey, jeepneys are the sole affordable option for many.

“It’s the only and the most convenient way. I can’t ride a taxi because that’s super expensive,” medical student Maria Alcid said en route to school.For low fares, passengers pay the price of bumping their heads on the ceiling, inching their buttocks into seats, and clinging to the roof while standing on the tiny step at the back.

And yet for those who grew up riding jeepneys, there is a lot of affection for the vehicles.

They are famed for their psychedelic designs featuring everything from Mickey Mouse to the Virgin Mary and in provinces even carry people, animals and crops on roofs.

“Look at my jeepney, its frame is about to fall off but people are still riding it,” says Dallos, caressing his rusting dashboard. He adds: “Is there any other choice?” AFP

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Duterte changes tune anew, says he supports same-sex marriage

Reversing his stance, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.

Speaking before the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Davao City  on Sunday, December 17, Duterte suggested the possibility of legalizing the union between same sexes in the Philippines, as the current law provides that marriage is only between man and woman.

“Ako gusto ko (I want) same-sex marriage. Ang problema we’ll have to change the law. But we can change the law. Eh ang batas kasi  (Because our law states that) marriage is a union between a man and a woman,” Duterte said in his speech.

As stated by the Executive Order (E.O.) 209, marriage is “a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.”

But the president expressed that he does not have “any problems making it marrying a man, marrying a woman or whatever is the predilection of the human being.”

He continued, “If that is the trend of the modern times, if that will add to your happiness, I am for it. Who am I?”

The president also assured the LGBT community in the country that he will not tolerate discrimination against all sectors of society.

In the same speech, Duterte likewise said he is willing to appoint members of the LGBT community to his Cabinet, giving them until the second week of January to choose their nominee.

“Now find me the brightest dito sa Pilipinas (here in the Philippines). Bigyan ninyo ako ng bright na tao (Give me a bright person). He might be gay, he might be lesbian. I’d like to nominate or appoint somebody upon the nomination,” Duterte said.

He added, “You nominate the representative from the LGBT sector kasi (because) I fired the entire [Presidential] Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), the head for traveling so much in so short a time, as if he was using the money of the people like his own.”

Earlier this month, the president had fired all the commissioners of the PCUP, headed by its former chairman Terry Ridon, because of their alleged unnecessary trips and supposed failure to hold meetings.

It is not clear, however, which government body Duterte was referring to when he made the remark about appointing a member of the LGBT community to his Cabinet.

“I’d like a gay there somewhere or a lesbian… You nominate somebody who is honest, hardworking. And I would like to show that any, any ma-bakla man o ma-tomboy (gay or lesbian) can—well, can always work just like an ordinary human being,” Duterte said.

During his taped TV appearance on “Gandang Gabi Vice” in 2015, Duterte told gay television host Vice Ganda that same-sex marriage is “good,” adding “everyone deserves to be guaranteed happy.”

But in his speech before the Filipino community in Myanmar earlier in March this year, Duterte insisted that marriage in the predominantly Catholic Philippines is between a man and a woman.

He clarified, however, that he respects the lifestyle of the people in the LGBT community, sharing that some members of his extended family are gay.

Following Duterte’s recent bid to legalize same sex marriage, some Catholic Church leaders in the country reiterated their stance against it.

In a statement, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes maintained that the Catholic Church will never approve the union between same sexes. He also called on the Filipinos to never allow its legalization.

“The trivialization of marriage is one of the fundamental reasons [for] the breakdown of individuals and human society,” Bastes said.

In a separate statement, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) also voiced its objection as it noted that such union was against the central teachings of both Christianity and Islam.

“Union between the same sex, for instance, directly contradicts a central teaching of Islam and Christianity—that marriage is only between a man and a woman,” the PCEC said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress

http://asianjournal.com/news/duterte-changes-tune-anew-says-he-supports-same-sex-marriage/

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13 hours ago, Stealth007 said:

 

“Union between the same sex, for instance, directly contradicts a central teaching of Islam and Christianity—that marriage is only between a man and a woman,"

The groups that brought us the Crusades and 9/11 find some common ground!

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" More than 300,000 Filipinos could be deported in Trump immigrant crackdown "

More than 300,000 Filipinos living illegally in the United States could face deportation, Manila’s special envoy to the USA has claimed.

The claim comes just days after President Duterte said he “would not lift a finger” to help any of his countrymen who were breaking US immigration laws.

Special envoy Babe Romualdez said: “I received information from our friends in Washington, that there’s a list from, I think, homeland security that there are about 310,000 Filipinos up for deportation,” he told CNN Philippines.

“These are mostly undocumented Filipinos that they are able to identify,” he added.

The Philippines is not part of Trump’s executive order that recently banned citizens from seven mainly muslim countries from entering America.

However, Mr Romualdez warned warned that Filipinos could be affected as authorities step up efforts to deport illegal immigrants as part of efforts to secure America’s borders.

 

He suggested that any compatriots in the US illegally should start thinking carefully about returning to the Philippines. “I think they should really be prepared to go home,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has recently confirmed that out of 3.4 million Filipinos in the US, just under ten per cent are undocumented.

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) has been vocal in protests in both California and New York against Trump’s immigration policies.

Aurora David, Secretary General, believes the threat to undocumented Filipinos is very real. In a campaign speech last August, she says, Trump named the Philippines as being among “terrorist nations” whose citizens could be banned from the US. (See our report here.)

NAFCON claims that up to one million Filipinos could be affected by Trump’s policies. “Trump has used anti-immigration words and sentiments and scapegoated immigrants for what’s happening in the US,” she said.

Earlier this week, President Duterte said that if any of his compatriots were in the US illegally, that was solely their own problem. “To Filipinos in the US, you better be on the right track,” he said at a press briefing on Monday.

“If you are not allowed to stay there where you are staying, get out because if you are caught and deported, I will not lift a finger. You know that it is a violation of the law.

“If he has policies to protect his country, I will understand. So, out of respect, I will not interfere.”

Sung Kim, US Ambassador to the Philippines, insisted that Trump’s order wasn’t driven by racism or islamophobia. “This is not racism. This is not unfair prejudice,” Kim said, speaking at a gathering of businesspeople in Manila.

“How do you remain as open as possible, but at the same time make sure that you do everything possible to make the environment safe for your citizens?”

He hoped the next few days would reveal “better clarity regarding the exact parameters of the executive order”.

Kim also said he understood that many would be worried about travelling to the US. “I understand, all of you are worried about visas.

“I want to emphasise that, despite many rumours out there, we continue to welcome Filipino visa applicants.”

 

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Boracay to be closed for tourists for 3 months’

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has said that it is considering to close off to tourists Boracay for three months as it pushes through with its plan to declare a state of calamity in the area to give way to rehabilitation work amid environmental issues plaguing the world-tourist destination.

“Base sa mga plano namin, puwedeng proposal namin na isara muna ng konting panahon ang Boracay, siguro mga 60 days to 90 days,” Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said in a radio interview Friday.

Leones cited the case of Phuket, Thailand, which also shut down tourism in the area for a year to allow the island to recover from environmental damage.

“Kasi ang iniisip namin ‘yung mga experience sa ibang bansa. Like for example ’yung Phuket. They shut down, they prevented the tourism for one year and let the nature recover. So that’s the only way we can ensure [that Boracay] will be restored.”

Leones said closing off the islands to tourists will allow them to investigate and dig up land to see where the establishments’ wastewater are flowing out.

“Talagang nagsusulputan na parang mushrooms ang mga buildings diyan. Nagpapatong-patong na. Hindi na natitingan kung saan ’yung kanilang discharge point... Kinakailangang hukayin at makita kung saan talaga dumadaan ’yung kanilang mga wastewater.”

He added that if resorts could not connect their sewer lines to the Boracay main sewer line, they will have to come up with their own wastewater facilities.

 “If they cannot connect ‘yung sewage line nila, they are required to put up their own wastewater facility para ‘yung lalabas na tubig sa kanila malinis kapag dumaan na sa Boracay water.”

As per DENR regulations, Leones said that businesses and establishments are not allowed in the 400 hectares of wetlands on the island, but they have reclaimed it throughout the years, causing flooding in Boracay.

“’Yung 400 hectares nu’n ang forest land o wetland. Ang nangyari niyan, du’n sa mga forest land, naging corrosion sila. Ang mga wetland, na-reclaim na nila. ‘Yun ang tinututukan natin ngayon. Bumaha. Barado na, at saka ‘yung dadaanan ng tubig, ‘yung pinaka-pond, na-reclaim na kaya hindi na makadaan du’n.”

“’Yung mapa na pinresent (present) ni Secretary [Roy Cimatu] sa inter-agency, nakita natin ‘yung 2009 ito ‘yung existing wetland, pero 2018 na-claim na ‘yung wetland natin,” Leones added.

Leones said they will issue a show cause order to establishments, which requires them to prove that they have permission to operate on the island.

“But kung talagang wala silang ma-explain, they will be forced to demolish [their establishments],” he said.

He said that Under the Clean Water Act, establishments can be penalized from P10,000 to P200,000 per day.

Meanwhile, DENR officials are now out in full force to go after establishments in Boracay Island, Aklan found violating environmental laws and regulations.

Secretary Roy Cimatu said he has sent out mission teams composed of personnel from different DENR regional offices to three barangays in Boracay -- Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak. Boracay is divided into six operational sectors.

According to Cimatu, the agency’s primary mission is to serve the show-cause orders to a total of 842 establishments initially found to have violated environmental laws, particularly the Clean Water Act of 2004 and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“We will do our best to accomplish this mission. We can and we will do it,” he said.

DENR head executive assistant Mario Chan said there are at least 140 agency personnel being assisted and secured by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.

The mission teams are also tasked to check if the establishments are properly connected to the main sewer lines or have their own wastewater treatment facilities, and to verify which establishments are directly discharging untreated wastewater into Boracay waters.

 Cimatu vowed to conduct regular water testing in Boracay beaches to know if the water quality is within the standard limits.

Apart from sewage problems, the DENR is also looking into other problems besetting the island paradise, such as shoreline easement, forestland encroachment, solid waste management, intrusion in wetlands and existence of structures along the roads.

He noted the rampant disregard by almost all beachfront resorts of the 25+5 shoreline easement, the required distance from any structure along the shore to the seawater at high tide.

“Illegal structures will have to go,” he said.

President Rodrigo gave Cimatu a marching order to clean up Boracay within six months, or else the entire island would be shut down.

As this developed, Senator Joel Villanueva filed a resolution seeking to inquire and review the approval and monitoring process of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the applications of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs).

The senator sought the inquiry in relation to the recent issue surrounding Boracay Island wherein some establishments in the area were found non-compliant to environmental laws.

The DENR disclosed that 300 establishments in Boracay Island would be served notices of violation and be subjected under the review of the DENR’s regional office.

These establishments were given a window of two months to install their own wastewater treatment facilities or to connect to the Boracay Island Water Company sewage treatment plant.

The DENR had also given notices of violation (NOV) to 51 unnamed establishments found violating one of the provisions of the Clean Water Act of 2004 which mandates all commercial and residential establishments dispose septic waste through a treatment facility.

Furthermore, the DENR is set to serve 174 show-cause orders to illegal forest occupants who have encroached on the Island’s timberland areas;

The said initiatives of the DENR are the Department’s response to the President’s directive after likening the island to a “cesspool” and warned that the government would shut the island down due to pollution.

According to the Boracay Foundation, Inc., the threatened closure would result in the loss of jobs of an estimated 90,000 workers.

 

Resolution No. 646 filed by Villanueva cited the need to review the conduct of environmental impact assessment and the approval process of the DENR with regard to applications for ECCs.

The senator’s recommendation seeks to ensure that the ECCs being issued to any undertaking or project would guarantee that it would not cause environmental damage or aggravate the impact of climate change.

The senator also called on the DENR to upgrade the process of environmental assessment and issuance of ECC.

“Businesses and industries should account for the possible impact of their operations in aggravating the impact of climate change. Our regulatory agencies should also improve their capacity in monitoring compliance and enforcement of environmental policies,” Villanueva said.

“The proliferation of private establishments in the Boracay Island and the poor monitoring and enforcement of environmental laws have resulted in massive environmental damage in the Island which threatens the viability of the Island as a prime tourist destination,” the senator said.

http://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/259461/-boracay-to-be-closed-for-tourists-for-3-months-.html

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