Ang naaksidenteng bus ng Victory Liner sa Brgy. Taloy, Tuba, Benguet (UNTV News)

BENGUET, Philippines – Sugatan ang 23 pasahero matapos mahulog sa 37 talampakang bangin ang isang bus ng Victory Liner sa Brgy. Taloy, Tuba, Benguet alas-3 ng madaling araw nitong Martes.

Ayon sa imbestigasyon, galing ng Maynila ang bus at paakyat ng Baguio City sakay ang 44 na mga pasahero nang mangyari ang aksidente.

Ayon sa konduktor ng bus na si Michael Rodriguez, binabagtas nila ang kahabaan ng Marcos Highway nang makasalubong ang humahagibis na truck at wala sa tamang linya.

“Sinalubong po kami, kinain po yung daan yun po yung pangyayari talaga. Ngayon iniiwas po ng driver ko para hindi kami magface to face siguro pagka mag face to face may mamamatay sa amin buti naman po nung nakuwan ko wala naman nangyari sa amin,” salaysay nito.

Dahil iniwasan ng driver ang kasalubong nitong truck, tuluyang nahulog sa bangin ang bus.

Kabilang sa mga sugatan ang driver ng bus na kinilalang si Levy Lipad at isang 10-month old na sanggol.

“Pagdating namin dito yung ibang mga pasahero nandun sa may waiting shed yung iba naman naihatid na sa hospital may mga minor injuries, salamat sa Dios wala naming namatay sa 46 including sa driver at yung baby, wala namang injuries na major usually its more on cuts and bruises,” pahayag ni Bing Atienza, CDRRMC Baguio City Emergency Responder.

Iniimbestigahan na ng mga awtoridad ang aksidente. (Grace Doctolero / UNTV News)

UNTV GEOWEATHER CENTER (03/04/15) – Malaking bahagi ng bansa ang makararanas ng maaliwalas na lagay ng panahon habang patuloy ang pagiral ng Amihan kahit nasa unang linggo na ng Marso.

Ayon sa forecast ng PAGASA,  ang buong kapuloan ay makararanas ng bahagyang maulap hanggang sa maulap na papawirin subalit may posibilidad na makaranas ng papulopulong pag-ulan, pagkidlat at pagkulog lalo na sa Visayas at Mindanao.

Maaari namang maglayag ang mga sasakyang pangisda at maliliit na sasakyang pandagat sa anumang baybayin ng bansa dahil wala namang inilalabas na gale warning ang PAGASA. (Rey Pelayo / UNTV News)

International Terrorist Basit Usman (AFP)

MANILA, Philippines – Kasalukuyan pa ring nagsasagawa ng validation ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) upang matukoy ang pagkakakilanlan ng limang foreign bombers na umano’y kinakanlong ng Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Ito ay matapos makubkob ng Philippine Army ang isang pagawaan ng improvised explosive devices ng BIFF sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao noong linggo kung saan nakita ang limang banyaga.

Ayon kay AFP Spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla Jr., patuloy ang isinasagawang validation upang matukoy ang identity ng apat na Indonesian at isang Arabo.

“As to the 5 reported foreign terrorists, these are 4 Indonesians and 1 Arab looking individual, the names of whom we don’t have as of yet. There were some names that popped up but we don’t reveal them as of the moment because they are not validated,” pahayag nito.

Inaalam rin sa ngayon ang pagkakakilanlan ng tatlong Tausug lieutenants ni Usman na napatay sa kasagsagan ng operasyon ng 601st Infantry Brigade ng Philippine Army noong linggo.

“So iyong three lieutenants na iyon hindi pa rin natutukoy iyong tunay na pangalan at kasalukuyang ginagawa natin ito, we’re still continuing to do that and the validation process is ongoing,” saad pa ni Padilla.

Nakatutok din ang Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas sa kaliwa’t kanang opensiba sa mga lugar kung saan namamataan ang mga rebeldeng BIFF gaya ng Mamasapano, Pikit, Shariff Aguak at mga karatig lugar sa
Maguindanao.

Hindi pa tiyak ng AFP kung kailan matatapos ang validation dahil masusi nila itong susuriin upang matiyak ang magiging resulta. (Aiko Miguel / UNTV News)

Britain’s Prince William meets China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing March 2, 2015. REUTERS/Feng Li/Pool

Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a warm welcome to Prince William on Monday as he began the first visit to the mainland by a member of the British royal family in almost three decades.

Meeting in Beijing’s cavernous great hall of the people, Prince William handed over an official invite from the Queen for Xi to make a state visit to Britain.

Xi is expected to go to London later this year for a visit that could include a stay at Buckingham Palace.

Hailing the development of the China-UK comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi highlighted cooperation between the two countries in finance, nuclear power and high-speed railways.

William’s trip to China is the first since Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip paid a visit in 1986.

(UNTV News)

A box of cupcakes are seen topped with icons of same-sex couples at City Hall in San Francisco, June 29, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM

(Reuters) – The Alabama Supreme Court ordered probate judges on Tuesday to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in apparent defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court, underscoring the depth of opposition to gay matrimony in the socially conservative state.

The 7-1 ruling comes roughly three weeks after U.S. District Judge Callie Granade’s decision overturning Alabama’s ban on gay marriage went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to put it on hold.

“As it has done for approximately two centuries, Alabama law allows for ‘marriage’ between only one man and one woman,” Tuesday’s state supreme court ruling said. “Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law.

“Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty.”

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed this year to take up the issue of whether states can ban gay marriage. Its expected ruling in June likely will provide clarity on the issue in Alabama, as well as the 13 states where gay marriage remains illegal.

The Alabama high court ruling, which granted an emergency petition by two Alabama groups opposed to gay marriage, will likely not affect those same-sex couples in Alabama who have already received marriage licenses, said Ronald Krotoszynski, a constitutional law expert at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Abstaining from the ruling was the court’s conservative chief justice, Roy Moore, a political lightning rod who last month ordered the state’s probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a directive initially followed by most local judges.

Before Tuesday’s ruling, only a handful of probate judges in the state’s 67 counties were still refusing licenses to gay couples, many of them swayed by an order by Granade directing Mobile County’s probate judge Don Davis to begin issuing the licenses.

Davis was ordered in Tuesday’s ruling to report to Alabama’s high court whether he considers himself bound by Granade’s order.

Gay rights advocates were critical of the ruling.

“It is deeply unfortunate that even as nationwide marriage equality is on the horizon, the Alabama Supreme Court is determined to be on the wrong side of history,” the National Center for Lesbian Rights said in a statement.

“The only question is not whether marriage equality will return to Alabama, but how quickly.”

A spokeswoman for Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a Republican opposed to gay marriage, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Luther Strange, also a Republican gay marriage foe, said his office had no comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in New Orleans; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Bill Trott)

A female protester raises her hands while blocking police cars in Ferguson, Missouri, November 25, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ADREES LATIF

(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has concluded that the Ferguson, Missouri, police department routinely engages in racially biased practices, a law enforcement official familiar with the department’s findings said on Tuesday.

The investigation into the police department began in August after the shooting of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson sparked national protests.

Analysis of more than 35,000 pages of police records found racist comments from officers as well as statistics that showed African-Americans make up 93 percent of arrests while accounting for only 67 percent of the population in Ferguson, the official said.

African-Americans also made up most of incidents in which officers used force and all incidents where police dogs bit citizens, said the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.

Nationwide protests of police actions that resulted in deaths of African Americans in Ferguson, New York and Cleveland laid bare racial tensions and what President Barack Obama called “simmering distrust” between police and communities.

The findings are expected to be formally released as early as Wednesday, a Justice Department spokeswoman said. The department will use the findings to negotiate policy changes with Ferguson officials and enter a consent decree, or to sue the city to force change.

Previous federal investigations into police departments have resulted in such changes as reporting arrest data to the Justice Department and installing federal monitors to oversee operations.

The report’s findings vindicate critics who have cited a pattern of abuse in Ferguson. But they are unlikely to restore full trust in the Ferguson police by citizens who were angered when a grand jury decided not to indict Brown’s killer, officer Darren Wilson. Wilson, who said he acted in self-defense, is also unlikely to face criminal charges in a separate Justice Department investigation.

Mayor James Knowles said Ferguson was committed to making improvements.

“The city has always been committed to making sure we have the very best police department and any training and improvements or reforms we make to help improve service to the community, we are interested in,” Knowles said.

Civil rights attorney Jerryl Christmas, who has represented people who have clashed with Ferguson police and city officials, said he was not surprised by the findings, and he hopes to see Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson fired.

“We already knew all this was going on. The problem is nobody is being prosecuted, nobody has been terminated,” Christmas said.

Jackson did not respond to a request for comment.

One email sent by a Ferguson police or municipal court official joked in 2008 that Obama would not stay in office long because, “What black man holds a steady job for four years?”

Ferguson Committeewoman Patricia Bynes said she was outraged by that and other racially tinged emails found in the investigation.

“The fact that police officers and municipal court officials are using their public emails to tell racial jokes, that just reeks of arrogance and ignorance,” said Bynes. “It’s astounding. They think they are untouchable. The taxpayers have been paying for that racial bias.”

The official said that in Ferguson’s court system, African-Americans were less likely to have their cases dismissed by a municipal judge and made up 95 percent of people held longer than two days in the Ferguson jail.

The Ferguson Municipal Court, which Attorney General Eric Holder has previously criticized for unfairly penalizing the city’s poor, issued the majority of its warrants for minor violations such as parking, traffic and housing code violations.

(Additional reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City)

Soldiers of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stand inside tanks at a drill during an organised media tour at a PLA engineering academy in Beijing July 22, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/PETAR KUJUNDZIC

(Reuters) – China’s defense budget this year will rise about 10 percent compared with 2014, a top government official said on Wednesday, outpacing the slowing economy as the country ramps up investment in high-tech equipment such as submarines and stealth jets.

Parliament spokeswoman Fu Ying told a news conference that the actual figure would be released on Thursday, when the annual session of the largely rubber-stamp National People’s Congress opens. Last year, defense spending rose 12.2 percent to $130 billion, second only to the United States.

China has logged a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit budget increases, though many experts think the country’s real defense outlays are much larger.

The military build-up has jangled nerves around the region, particularly as China has taken an increasingly robust line on its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.

“Compared with great powers, the road of China’s defense modernization is more difficult. We have to rely on ourselves for most of our military equipment and research and development,” Fu said.

“In addition, we must strengthen the protection of our officers and soldiers. But fundamentally speaking, China’s defense policy is defensive in nature. This is clearly defined in the constitution. We will not easily change this direction and principle.”

While Beijing keeps the details of its military spending secret, experts have said additional funding would likely go towards beefing up the navy with anti-submarine ships and developing more aircraft carriers beyond the sole vessel in operation.

NAVAL SHOPPING LIST

“Carriers have definitely got to be on the list,” said John Blaxland, Senior Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University in Canberra.

“But also we’ve seen a massive surge in the number of submarines, and of course everybody loves submarines. The intimidatory effect of a submarine is hard to be beat.”

Money would also likely go into cyber capabilities and satellites, Blaxland added.

China’s leaders have routinely sought to justify the country’s military modernization by linking defense spending to rapid GDP growth. But growth of 7.4 percent last year was the slowest in 24 years, and a further slowdown to around 7 percent is expected in 2015.

“We have achieved so much success with reform and opening up, we have not relied on gunboats to develop roads, but instead we have relied on complete and mutual beneficial cooperation,” Fu said.

“We have been successful on this road, the road of peaceful development. We will adhere to the path of peaceful development.”

The U.S. military and diplomatic “rebalancing” towards Asia and President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption in the People’s Liberation Army, which has caused some disquiet in the ranks, are among the other factors that have kept military spending high, experts have said.

Beijing also says it faces a threat from Islamist militants in the far western region of Xinjiang, and is drafting a new anti-terror law that will create a legal framework for sending troops abroad on counter-terrorism missions.

(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Matt Siegel in SYDNEY; Editing by Alex Richardson)

The Apple logo is pictured inside the newly opened Omotesando Apple store at a shopping district in Tokyo June 26, 2014. Picture taken June 26.
CREDIT: REUTERS/YUYA SHINO

(Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) sold the most number of smartphones globally in the fourth quarter, overtaking Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) for the first time since 2011, according to research firm Gartner.

Apple sold 74.83 million smartphones to end users worldwide, ahead of the 73.03 million phones sold by Samsung, according to Gartner’s report.

The success of big-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus drove Apple’s sales in its first quarter ended Dec. 27. The company reported a profit of $18 billion for the period, the biggest ever reported by a public company, according to S&P analyst Howard Silverblatt.

Apple’s smartphones sales jumped about 49 percent in the fourth quarter, according to Gartner. In contrast, Samsung, the market dominator since 2011, recorded a nearly 12 percent fall.

In January, the company posted its fifth consecutive quarter of earnings decline in the mobile division.

“Samsung continues to struggle to control its falling smartphone share, which was at its highest in the third quarter of 2013,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.

Besides losing market share to the costlier iPhones, the Korean company has been battling low-cost Chinese vendors such as Xiaomi and Huawei (002502.SZ).

Samsung unveiled its new range of slim-bodied Galaxy S smartphones on Monday, made from aircraft-grade metal.

(Corrects paragraph 2 to say Apple sold “74.83 million phones”, not “74,832” and Samsung sold “73.03 million” phones, not “73,032”)

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)

PNP PIO Chief Generoso Cerbo (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Bumaba ng limampung porsiyento ang krimen sa Metro Manila sa loob ng siyam na buwan simula nang ipatupad ang Oplan Lambat Sibat ng Philippine National Police (PNP).

Base sa tala ng PNP, mula 919 na kaso ng robbery at theft noong Disyembre 2013 hanggang Hunyo 2014 ay nasa 442 na lamang ito simula nang ipatupad ang Oplan Lambat Sibat siyam na buwan na ang nakararaan.

Habang 39 na kaso ng carnapping naman na naitala mula Pebrero 23 hanggang Marso 1 ay bumaba naman sa walo.

Ayon kay PNP Public Information Office head Police Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., ang Oplan Lambat Sibat ay may dalawang aspeto, una ay ang “lambat” na kinabibilangan ng checkpoint, police visibility, Oplan Bakal, Oplan Galugad at Oplan Katok.

“It is more on preventive na kampanya sa pamamagitan ng paglo-launch ng operation, patrol at police interventions,” saad nito.

Habang ang “sibat” naman ay paghabol at paghuli sa mga wanted criminals at miyembro ng mga gang, kung saan nakaaresto na ang PNP ng 39 wanted person at 7 miyembro ng criminal gang sa loob lamang ng dalawang linggong operasyon.

“Kinikilala po natin dito kung sino po ang mga notorious wanted person at mga miyembro ng criminal gangs na responsable sa crime incidents sa Metro Manila,” saad pa ni Cerbo.

Idinagdag pa ng heneral na ang Oplan Lambat Sibat ay pinagtutulong-tulungan ng mga kawani ng PNP upang mapigilan at mapababa ang krimen sa bansa.

Paliwanag pa ni Cerbo, sa bawat crime statistics report ay mayroong independent body na nagbe-verify upang malaman kung hindi dinaya ang report.

At kung may istasyon aniyang mataas ang bilang ng krimen, ito ang kanilang pinagtutuunan ng pansin.

(Lea Ylagan / UNTV News)

Ang pagbisita ni Senator Bong Revilla sa anak nitong si Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla nitong Martes, Marso 03, 2015 sa Asian Hospital matapos pagbigyan ng Sandiganbayan ang kahilingan ng senador. (Photo Credits: Atty. Raymond Fortun)

MANILA, Philippines – Hindi na magsasampa ng mosyon si Senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. sa Sandiganbayan First Division upang muling madalaw sa Asian Hospital ang kaniyang anak na si Cavite Vice-Governor Jolo Revilla ngayong Huwebes.

Ayon sa tagapagsalita ng pamilya Revilla na si Atty. Raymond Fortun, nagpasya ang senador nw huwag ng maghain ng mosyon matapos lumabas ang resulta ng isinagawang CT scan sa bise gobernador nitong Martes ng gabi.

Sa pinakahuling medical bulletin na inilabas ng ospital, mayroon na lamang minimal fluid o dugo at hangin na nakukuha sa baga ng actor/politician.

Nitong umaga ng Miyerkules, nasa 60CC na dugo na lamang ang nakuha sa batang gobernador, kumpara sa 200CC nitong Martes, at 500CC na dugo noong linggo.

Nakitaan naman ito ng fracture sa ika-lima at ika-anim na ribs bunsod ng tama ng bala ng .40 caliber pistol sa kaniyang kanang dibdib.

Mayroon na rin itong pneumonia ayon kay Atty. Fortun.

Sa kabila nito ay mas nakakahinga na ng maayos ang batang gobernador, nakakain na at nakadumi na rin kaninang umaga.

Nasa regular room na rin si Jolo at wala na sa ICU ng ospital.

Samantala, ngayong hapon ay ibinigay na ng pamilya Revilla sa Muntinlupa police ang baril ng bise gobernador na sinasabing aksidenteng pumutok ng ito’y kaniyang nililinis noong Sabado ng umaga sa kanilang bahay sa Ayala, Alabang.

Kinuha ito ng Muntinlupa police bilang bahagi ng kanilang isinasagawang imbestigasyon sa insidente.

(Sherwin Culubong / UNTVNews)

Ang isa sa mga breath analyzer na gagamitin sa pagpapatupad ng batas na Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act. (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Matapos mabinbin ng anim na buwan, kumpiyansa ang Land Transportation Office (LTO) na maipatutupad na nito ang Anti-drunk and drugged driving law sa susunod na linggo.

Naisabatas ang Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act (Republic Act No.10586) noong May 13, 2013 ngunit nabinbin dahil sa ilang kulang na gamit upang lubos itong mapatupad

Nitong nakaraang linggo lamang dumating ang 150 piraso ng breath analyzer na naging dahilan kung bakit nabinbin ang implementasyon ng batas.

Sa Marso 10 ay sasailalim sa training at workshop ang mga tauhan ng LTO para sa wastong paggamit ng mga breath analyzer.

Subalit hindi kumpiyansa ang mga mambabatas kung maipatutupad ba ito ng maayos ng LTO dahil sa kakulangan ng tauhan.

Sa isinagawang pagdinig ngayong Miyerkules sa House of Representatives, kinuwestyon ng mga mambabatas kung bakit hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nade-deputize ng LTO ang PNP at MMDA na makatutulong sa pagpapatupad ng batas.

Kinuwestyon rin kung bakit 150 breath analyzer lang ang nabili ng LTO gayong ipatutupad ito sa buong bansa.

Ayon sa LTO, kapag na-deputize ang MMDA at PNP, sila ang bibili ng sarili nilang mga breath analyzer.

Ang Anti-drunk and drugged driving law ay batas na nagbabawal sa mga motorista na magmaneho habang nasa ilalim ng impluwensiya ng nakalalasing na inumin at droga.

Ayon sa batas, kailangang nasa zero percent ang blood alcohol level sa lahat ng tsuper ng public utility vehicles, trucks, motorcycles at mga private bus.

Samantala 0.05% naman ang blood alcohol level na pinahihintulutan ng batas sa lahat ng tsuper ng mga pribadong sasakyan na may bigat na 4500 kg pababa gaya ng mga kotse at van.

Sasailalim sa tatlong test ang mga driver na mahuhuling nagmamaneho ng lasing o nakainom, kabilang dito ang eye test, walk and turn at ang one-leg stand.

Kapag bumagsak sa alinmang mga pagsubok ay agad itong isasailalim sa breath analyzer test upang malaman ang blood alcohol content ng driver.

Kung mahuhuli naman ang sinomang pinaghihinalaang nasa ilalim ng impluwensya ng droga ay agad itong dadalin sa pinakamalapit na presinto upang sumailalim sa drug screening test.

Tatlong buwang pagkakakulong hanggang sa 20 taon at P20,000 hanggang P500,000 ang multa sa sinomang lalabag sa naturang batas.

Para naman sa mga private utility driver, sa unang paglabag ay isang taong suspensyon ng kaniyang lisensya, habang sa ikalawang paglabag ay rebokasyon ng lisensya.

Sa mga public utility driver, permanent revocation ng lisensya sa unang paglabag. (Mon Jocson / UNTV News)

People bury the bodies of eight Hazzm brigade fighters, who were killed during clashes with al Qaeda’s official Syria wing Nusra Front fighters in Reef al-Mohandeseen al-Thani and the Mashtal area, in Al-atarib Aleppo countryside February 28, 2015.
CREDIT: REUTERS/ABDALGHNE KAROOF

(Reuters) – The Hazzm movement was once central to a covert CIA operation to arm Syrian rebels, but the group’s collapse last week underlines the failure of efforts to unify Arab and Western support for mainstream insurgents fighting the Syrian military.

A blow to U.S. moves to aid rebels, the dissolution of Hazzm also highlights the risks that a new Department of Defense program could face in training and equipping fighters in Jordan, Turkey and Qatar.

U.S. officials plan to train thousands of Syrian rebels over three years. The program is expected to begin this month in Jordan and focuses on battling the hardline Islamic State group rather than President Bashar al-Assad.

Hazzm’s collapse has shown how such efforts will prove difficult in a country where insurgents often battle each other and arms have fallen into the hands of hardline groups.

An onslaught by al Qaeda’s Syria wing, the Nusra Front, last week forced Hazzm into dissolution, its members swallowed by Jabhat al-Shamiyya, a mainly Islamist alliance. It was the second time in four months that Nusra had crushed a Western-backed rebel group.

Nusra is now considering cutting its ties with al Qaeda in a rebranding exercise backed by Qatar and some other Gulf states that will bring in more funds, sources say.

On Tuesday, Nusra followers published photographs on Twitter of what they said were U.S. weapons, including anti-tank missiles, seized in battles with opposition brigades.

Reuters could not authenticate the photographs but the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, said many arms had been seized, including 60 to 90 TOW anti-tank missiles.

Hazzm members did not respond to requests for comment or were not reachable. The group once claimed to be the main recipient of the secret U.S.-led operation supporting rebels in the north. It numbered 1,200-1,500 last year, Abdulrahman said.

It was set up in January 2014 and came under a body known as MOM, which was used to funnel resources to rebels in an attempt to coordinate funding. Money has poured into northern Syria from Gulf Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, much of it going to Islamist fighters, including hardliners.

“The United States was never particularly serious in its support for the MOM, and coordination among the United States and other state backers broke down,” said Noah Bonsey, a senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group.

“The defeat of Hazzm is the latest indication of the MOM’s failure in the north,” he said.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Hazzm had received non-lethal U.S. assistance. Washington has never acknowledged the CIA program.

The group’s demise “will have an impact on the moderate opposition’s capabilities in the north,” Harf said.

The group had shrunk to about 400 fighters last month after killings, desertions and arrests, the Observatory’s Abdulrahman said. “They are now finished, like sugar in tea.”

FAVORITE SON

Almost a year ago, U.S. anti-tank weapons appeared in YouTube videos showing the formation of Hazzm. Opposition members said they hoped the group would form a new non-jihadist rebel structure after groups had lost non-lethal aid to Islamist groups.

Hazzm officials received visitors at an office in the Turkish town of Reyhanli, where they briefed on their pluralistic vision for Syria while handing out Hazzm business cards and predicting more military support.

Some in the group regretted the images of Hazzm fighters with the anti-tank missiles, saying they annoyed other brigades. The U.S-led program spread to other rebels but Hazzm received the most, fuelling resentment.

“Everyone hated Hazzm,” said a Syrian consultant working with rebel brigades who did not want to be named. “Imagine if there is a father and he has a favorite son. Everything is given to him … the other son starts to hate the father and the favorite son.”

“Hazzm got everything — TOWs, training camps with everything like hospitals.” When Nusra attacked Hazzm, no other groups came to its rescue, he said.

Another rebel said Hazzm had been “built” for the U.S.-led effort to control the flow of aid into northern Syria.

Hazzm leaders complained the U.S. program, which included weapons and some salaries for fighters, would make little difference in their fight against both the army and jihadists.

In October and November, Nusra took over Idlib, once a stronghold of more secular rebels, annihilating another once powerful brigade which previously received U.S. aid, the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, and forcing its leader Jamal Maarouf into hiding in Turkey.

There were efforts to keep track of the weapons provided in the program. Hazzm and other groups had to film the use of every anti-tank missile, and return the casings. But heavy weapons ended up with Nusra last year, opposition sources say.

In response, the U.S. reduced support and stopped inviting group leaders to the secret meetings with intelligence representatives where allocations were decided.

With Idlib mostly under Nusra control the United States stopped sending weapons there, a rebel source said.

Hazzm aligned itself with Jabhat al-Shamiyyah this year to fight Nusra. But the alliance did not save Hazzm.

“Hazzm failed because it could not convince the people of its ideological project,” said the head of a mainstream rebel group in Syria, speaking via the internet. “Nusra harvested its mistakes.”

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Editing by Giles Elgood)

A man looks over the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) signup page on the HealthCare.gov website in New York in this October 2, 2013 photo illustration.
CREDIT: REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR

(Reuters) – As the U.S. Supreme Court takes on a make-or-break Obamacare case this week, a growing number of U.S. patients and their doctors are already devising a Plan B in case they lose medical coverage.

The Court’s ruling, expected by late June, will determine whether millions of Americans will keep receiving federal subsidies to help them pay for private health insurance under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law.

The White House, which said it is confident the justices will rule in favor of the subsidies that are a key element of Obamacare, said it has no immediate fix if the decision goes the other way.

But even physicians who think the court will uphold the subsidies are gearing up for the worst.

Worried about newly-insured patients such as those who have just begun treatment for cancer or other serious illnesses, they are dusting off playbooks they retired when Obamacare slashed the number of uninsured people.

Interviews with doctors reached through professional groups show that they are lining up free clinics to care for patients with chronic illnesses, asking pharmaceutical companies to provide discounted drugs, and moving up preventive-care appointments and complicated procedures.

“We have to be able to navigate this on behalf of our patients if it comes about,” said Dr. Jeff Huebner, a family physician in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the affected states.

In King v. Burwell, the Court will decide whether the Affordable Care Act permits government subsidies for citizens of at least 34 states which use the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace to buy health insurance. It will hear oral arguments on Wednesday.

If the justices rule that only residents of states running their own exchanges are eligible for subsidies, some 9.3 million people will have to pay their full monthly premium or lose coverage, estimates the nonpartisan Urban Institute. About 6 million are expected to be unable to afford it.

Many providers as well as patients are unaware of the looming threat, but some physicians are already preparing for it.

Last weekend, leaders of the National Physicians Alliance, which supports the Affordable Care Act and works to improve access to medical care, met in Washington to discuss how to work with community organizations to arrange healthcare for people who might become uninsured, said Huebner, who chairs the group’s policy committee.

“The ideas include finding organizations that make referrals to free clinics, encouraging patients to check if they qualify for Medicaid or other state programs, and if they can’t get insurance then find a regular source of care that accepts payment on a sliding scale” based on ability to pay, Huebner said.

He and other physicians are also scheduling Obamacare patients for preventive screenings, completing lab work, and writing prescription refills.

“I would advise patients in this boat to schedule a visit with their primary care provider as soon as they can” to set up “transition plans,” Huebner said.

STOCKPILING SAMPLES

If the court rules against the administration, premium subsidies for people in the affected states could end immediately, though insurers would be obliged to give 90 days notice before ending coverage, according to Aetna Inc. chief executive Mark Bertolini. None of the affected states have announced contingency plans, but some are considering alternatives to help residents maintain coverage..

In Brewton, Alabama, pediatrician Marsha Raulerson has persuaded one drug company to provide an expensive asthma medication to one of her patients if she loses her insurance.

“But after a few months you have to re-apply” and show that the patient is still unable to afford medication, Raulerson said. “It’s not an easy process, especially if you have to do it for a lot of patients.” She is also stockpiling as many free samples as she can.

Dr. Robert Wergin, a primary care physician in Milford, Nebraska, is scrambling to locate labs and imaging centers that offer the lowest prices for blood tests, X-rays and MRIs.

“Around here, people feel responsible for their bills and I’m not sure they would come in if they lost insurance and couldn’t pay,” Wergin said.

Some patients, reached through social service organizations that helped them sign up for Obamacare, are aware of the potential loss of subsidies and are trying to schedule medical procedures before the Court rules.

Yolanda Diaz, 27, is one of them. A single mother of two, she suffers from occasional blackouts that last several minutes. She cannot afford the full premium on her wages as a pantry manager at Brevard County, Florida, community center so she pays $74.95 a month and the rest is covered by a $205 Obamacare subsidy.

Her coverage began this month, Diaz said, and the first thing she did was make appointments for an MRI and CT scans in hopes of identifying the cause of the blackouts.

“I would hate to have to go to the ER, but if the subsidies get taken away I don’t know what I’ll do,” she said. U.S. law requires hospitals to treat all emergency cases regardless of ability to pay, so many uninsured patients seek care there.

Of those expected to be priced out of insurance in case of unfavorable ruling, the Urban Institute estimated 81 percent are, like Diaz, employed full- or part-time.

So is Theresa Cabot-Walmer. The 58-year-old Pennsylvanian pays $79 a month and receives a subsidy of about $400. On her 5-hours-a-day job as a shipping clerk she could never afford the full premium, she said.

Her coverage has allowed her to see a physical therapist for a serious knee injury and avoid a knee-replacement surgery.

If the Court eliminates subsidies, she plans to ask if the therapist will accept lower payments. But because that is not a sure thing, Cabot-Walmer is considering her plan B.

“I might try to schedule knee-replacement surgery while I still have insurance.”

(Reporting by Sharon Begley and Caroline Humer; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Tomasz Janowski)

Former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Nananawagan si dating Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño sa Department of Energy (DOE) at Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) na tutukan ang distribusyon ng kuryente ng mga power plant upang maiwasan ang brownout ngayong tag-init.

Ayon kay Casiño, dapat patawan ng mataas na multa ang mga power plant na hindi makakatugon sa committed capacities ng power generators para sa darating na dalawang buwan.

“Iyong pagtaas naman ng kuryente at iyong shortage hindi kasalanan iyan ng mamamayan at ng consumers, so dapat ayuda na iyan ng gobyerno dahil nga hindi naisagawa ang mga planta ng kuryente at iba pang proyekto para matiyak na walang brownouts,” pahayag nito.

Hindi rin aniya dapat pagkakitaan ang Interruptible Load Program (ILP) at sagutin na lamang ng gobyerno ang budget na kakailanganin para sa pagpapatakbo ng generators ng mga mall at mga industriya.

“Hindi dapat sagutin ng mamamayan iyong kanilang operational costs sa pagpapatakbo ng kanilang negosyo.”

Kailangan rin aniya na masiguro ng DOE at ERC na masasapatan ng power plants ang kanilang ipinangakong suplay ng kuryenteng kakailanganin ng mga mamamayan upang hindi magkaroon ng aberya at maantala ang operasyon ng mga industriya ngayong tag-init. (Aiko Miguel / UNTVNews)

Ang mga residente sa bahagi ng Blumentritt Road corner Sto Tomas Street sa Sampaloc, Manila habang nasusunog ang ilang kabahayan sa lugar na ito nitong umaga ng Marso 4, 2015. (Rovic Balunsay / Photoville International)

MANILA, Philippines – Walumpong pamilya ang nawalan ng tahanan dahil sa sunog na umabot sa 4th alarm sa may Susan St. sa Sampaloc, Maynila, ala-7:56 ng umaga ngayong Miyerkules.

Nagsimula ang sunog sa isang 2-storey apartment at nadamay ang ilan pang kalapit na bahay.

Sa inisyal na imbestigasyon ng Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), posibleng problema sa linya ng kuryente ang sanhi ng sunog.

“Most probably kasi ang pinagmumulan ng sunog nga yung mga electrical, electrical wiring kaya dapat ang ating mga kuryente dapat laging tsini-check yan, monthly check up,” pahayag ni Fire Insp. Efren Bereña, Commander ng BFP Sub Station Sampaloc.

“Sabi katulong lang daw naiwan diyan, umusok na raw tapos umiiyak lang yata tapos nung lumabas malaki na yung apoy,” saad naman ni Edgardo Roque, may-ari ng apartment.

9:49 na ng umaga nang tuluyang maapula ang apoy kung saan aabot sa P1.5 million ang halaga ng pinsala ng sunog.

Samantala, pansamantala namang nanatili sa gilid ng kalsada ang mga residenteng apektado ng sunog.

Nagtayo ng tent ang mga tauhan ng barangay upang mayroon silang pansamantalang masisilungan.

Ayon sa isa sa mga nasunugan na si RJ Samson, “Ok naman po kami pero wala lang po talaga kaming nalabas na gamit.”

“Maghahanap na po kami ng titirhan na iba. Wala pa nga kaming 1 year diyan, wala pa kaming 1 year tapos ganyan ang nangyari,” pahayag naman ni Marjie Canapia.

Paalala naman ng Bureau of Fire Protection ngayong fire prevention month na kailangan ang ibayong pagiingat upang makaiwas sa sunog. (Victor Cosare / UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: Department of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima at Mamasapano clash hearing at Senate (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Nananawagan si Department of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima sa mga mamababatas na ituloy na ang mga pagdinig sa proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law habang hinihintay ang resulta ng Mamasapano investigation.

“Sana ihiwalay ang usapin na yan. Magfocus din sila dun sa BBL ba as presented to Congress. Would this pass constitutional scrutiny, lahat ba yan papasa based on limitations sa constitution, dun sana sila mag-focus, wag muna nila ihalo itong issue nitong Mamasapano,” saad ni De Lima.

Iginiit rin ng kalihim na hindi mamadaliin ng joint National Bureau of Investigation-National Prosecution Service (NPS) Special Team ang ginagawang imbestigasyon sa Mamasapano incident na ikinasawi ng 44 na PNP-SAF troopers, 18 MILF fighters at ilang sibilyan.

“Even if ang talagang hinihintay natin katarungan for the SAF 44, huwag ho naman nating kalimutan na may sinasabi din po ang MILF na meron din silang mga biktima, at may biktima ring mga civilians. So yun ang gusto naming tignan din, di lang yung tungkol sa SAF, kundi mga biktima rin from the other side,” pahayag pa ng kalihim.

Samantala, hinihintay na lamang ni De Lima ang kopya ng ulat ng MILF tungkol sa pagkakasangkot ng mga miyembro nito sa Mamasapano incident.

Una nang sinabi ng MILF na isusumite rin nila sa Malaysian government ang kanilang report hinggil sa engkwentro.

Inaasahan namang matatapos ng NBI at NPS ang kanilang report hinggil sa insidente sa Abril 2.

(Bianca Dava / UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: Presidential Communication Secretary Herminio ‘Sonny’ Coloma Jr. (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañan is one with the nation in the commemoration of the fallen SAF44’s heroism during the January 25 Mamasapano operation.

This is Malacañan’s statement regarding the scheduled protest march on Sunday in honor of the fallen SAF troopers.

Malacañan also warned the public to be watchful on groups that may take advantage of the occasion.

“Notice that in recently, the demand for the President’s resignation arose with the threats of coup d’état and destabilization efforts, opportunist groups took advantage of the 29th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution to incite the public in using the people power again against the current regime,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in an interview.

Malacañan is confident on the PNPA Alumni Association who shall lead the protest march that it will not be mixed with politics.

Coloma admits that there are those who keep on contesting the Aquino administration and attempt to obstruct the peace process in Mindanao.

“We know that as we reach the realization of our ambitions, the more the challenger become desperate, it would be better for them to lay down alternative solutions aside from criticizing. We can’t stop thinking they don’t want true peace because they benefit from violence and conflict and they want Filipinos to divide and lose trust on one another to push their own agenda,” he added.

The Secretary warned opportunist groups that it is illegal and unconstitutional to call for support from the military and people power to oust President Aquino from office. (Nel Maribojoc / UNTV News)

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Datu Salibo, Pagatin, Mamasapano and Shariff Aguak – these are the areas in Maguindanao dubbed by the Philippine Army as the ‘SPMS Box’ where the camps of the 300 members of BIFF were once located.

Since the all-out offensive operations against the terrorist group BIFF was declared by Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., a camp with a factory for bomb-making was seized.

There, the BIFF also suffered about 50 casualties.

To ensure that the residents surrounding these areas can go back home safe, the AFP extended it’s clearing operations to 3 more days.

The military’s all-out offensive law enforcement operation against BIFF was triggered last week by senseless attacks to the group led by a certain Commander Kagi Karialan in different communities of Pikit, North Cotabato.

There were also violent clashes between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and BIFF due to “rido” or clan war in Pagalungan, Maguindanao.

About 25,000 residents evacuated as an aftermath.

According to the newly appointed spokesperson of the AFP Brigadier General Joselito Kakilala, AFP has extended its clearing operations for another three days in the SPMS Box and other surrounding areas.

“General Catapang has extended the conduct of clearing operations for another three days after which we will conduct detailed assessment for our future actions,” Kakilala said.

Once the military gets rid of the armed bandits and terrorists from the affected areas, it will facilitate the safe return of the civilians back to their homes.

Kakilala also said that the MILF has supported the military’s ongoing operations and they have voluntarily relocated to stay away from the affected areas.

The AFP is confident that after declaring an all-out offensive operation against the terrorist groups, these groups will be reduced to an insignificant force and their capability to perform terror activities in Mindanao will eventually be degraded, in three to six months time. (Joan Nano / UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – The President has no sole authority when it comes to the foreign policy of the nation.

This, according to Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, citing the constitution.

According to Santiago, the foreign policy power is divided between the Executive branch and the Senate.

An example is a treaty that is approved by the President; in this case the Senate would still have to ratify this.

In short, the President cannot make decisions on foreign relations of the nation unless it is ratified by the upper chamber of Congress as a representative of the people.

“Where is the Senate authorization for the President to conduct this negotiation sometimes called, so called peace process, he does not have an instrument of that nature,” Santiago said.

“He just assumed that he had the power but he does not, with a treaty alone, the concurrence of the Senate is already required, much more the formation of a sub-state,” she added.

Santiago also questioned as to why the MILF is representing the entire Bangsamoro.

“Who gave the MILF authority to represent the Bangsamoro? Among all those science of the breakaway groups MNLF, MILF, BIFF and others that are now spinning to existence, which one of them shall be validly allowed to claim that is represents Bangsamoro? Or the entire Islamic people within Philippine territory,” the Senator said.

Senator Santiago’s position remains that the Bangsamoro Basic Law is unconstitutional and she will include it with the committee report she will make because they have finished the hearing on the BBL.

“It would be best if we started the process all over again. First of all let’s find out in the Senate whether it is willing to grant powers to the President to negotiate.”

Malacañan said that the drafting of the BBL including government negotiations, are according to the constitution.

“It would be good to use the perspective of the members of the constitutional commission, because they themselves made the constitution. They are saying that the important principle there is about social justice and human development,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio ‘Sonny’ Coloma Jr. said. (Nel Maribojoc / UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: MILF Chief Negotiator Mohagher Iqbal (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Sec. Leila De Lima sent a letter to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) asking for a copy of its investigation report on the Mamasapano incident.

MILF Chief Negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said yesterday that they already sent a reply to De Lima’s letter.

But according to the Secretary, she is yet to receive a response from the MILF.

De Lima earlier said that the MILF fighters and civilians involved in Mamasapano clash last January are included in the investigation of the joint National Bureau of Investigation and National Prosecution Services (NBI-NPS) Special Team.

“I haven’t seen it yet. But I don’t know to whom he sent it. Probably, he coursed it through CCH. It’s not yet on my desk,” she said.

“I wanted to send a follow up letter because we haven’t received any response. I have the draft follow up letter already. They have to give us the MILF report and it would be better if they really cooperate. Our investigation is balanced,” De Lima added.

Like the DOJ, PNP Board of Inquiry and Congress, MILF conducted its own investigation on the encounter.

De Lima said, it is important for DOJ to have a copy of the MILF investigation report for them to know who their casualties are and to see the proofs of their death.

She explained, proofs of death are needed in criminal cases.

“We are still hoping at this point that MILF will cooperate, since we want a balanced, impartial, objective investigation. We want to hear the side of the MILF. We want to see their report, their account of the incident,” she said.

De Lima is optimistic that the NBI and NPS will be able to conclude their investigation on the incident before the April 2 deadline. (Aiko Miguel / UNTV News)