Aquino inducts new officers of Filipino Society of
Composers, Authors, and Publishers
President Benigno S. Aquino III administered the
oath of office to the new officers of The Filipino Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP) in a simple ceremony at the President’s
Hall of Malacañang Palace on Tuesday.
The FILSCAP officers were led by Arturo Lui Pio,
popularly known as Nonoy Tan, who was sworn in as Chairman.
Award-winning singer and songwriter Noel Cabangon,
a staunch supporter of the Aquino administration, was inducted as President,
and Jaime Paredes, member of the defunct OPM band APO Hiking Society, as Vice
President.
Also installed into office were Leocadio Sanchez
III (Corporate Secretary); Ma. Victoria Benedicto (Assistant Corporate
Secretary); Raquel Dacillo (Assistant Treasurer); and board members Katrina
Belamide, Rodolfo Cayamanda, Ramon Chuaying, Nathaniel De Mesa, Alvin de Vera
and Roberto Rigor.
Those who failed to attend the event were
Rivermaya vocalist Rico Blanco; Sixto Adolfo Rapadas, lead singer of the
defunct band Neocolours; and Adoracion Saturno who has been elected as
Treasurer.
Established in 1965, FILSCAP is a non-stock,
non-profit association of composers, lyric-writers, and music publishers who
undertake collective rights management for public performances and use of songs
in television, radio and movies.
It is the holder of deeds of assignment to collect
royalties from artists in the Philippines and abroad.
The role of FILSCAP is to provide consistent income
for its members through creative licensing, efficient collection, accurate and
timely distribution of performance, mechanical reproduction and synchonization
royalties.
It has more than 800 local members, including
famous songwriters Ryan Cayabyab, Jose Mari Chan, Danny Javier, and Vehnee
Saturno to name a few.
FILSCAP is a member of the Paris-based
International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), the
umbrella organization of all composer societies across the world.
As CISAC member, FILSCAP is recognized worldwide
as the sole and official music copyright society in the Philippines, and is
subject to the strict regulations and statutes of CISAC. PND (jb)
Philippine, U.S. governments will follow VFA in
dealing with Olongapo murder, says Palace
The governments of the Philippines and the United
States will follow the provisions of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in
seeking justice for the murder of a Filipino allegedly by an American
serviceman in Olongapo City, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
"Susundin po ang mga detalyadong proseso ng
VFA, na ang pangunahing layunin ay gawaran ng katarungan ang mga krimeng
magaganap," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press briefing at the Palace.
The VFA contains specific provisions on the legal
processes to ensure that justice will prevail, Secretary Coloma said, assuring
that the ongoing investigation will not be whitewashed.
On the treatment of American soldiers committing
offenses in the Philippines, Coloma cited Article 5 of the VFA on criminal
jurisdiction.
Article 5, Paragraph 1(a) states that “Philippine
authorities shall have jurisdiction over United States personnel with respect
to offenses committed within the Philippines and punishable under the law of
the Philippines.”
Article 5, Paragraph 6 meanwhile states that the
“custody of any United States personnel over whom the Philippines is to
exercise jurisdiction shall immediately reside with United States military
authorities, if they so request, from the commission of the offense until
completion of all judicial proceedings.”
He noted that the aspect of criminal jurisdiction
is different from the aspect of custody.
"Sa aspeto ng criminal jurisdiction, ang
mayroong hurisdiksyon sa mga paglabag sa batas sa loob ng bansang Pilipinas ay
ang pamahalaan ng Republika ng Pilipinas. Sa aspeto naman ng custody, ayon sa
VFA, ang may custody ay ang pamahalaan ng Estados Unidos," he explained.
Coloma said that in the meantime, they will wait
for the Philippine National Police, as the lead agency of the Philippine
government, to announce the details of the investigation, which also involves
the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.
Initial reports point to a US serviceman as the
suspect in the killing of a transgender in a lodge in Olongapo City on Saturday
night.
Police have identified the victim as Jeffrey
“Jennifer” Laude, 26, of Barangay (village) West Tapinac, Olongapo City.
Laude's body was found inside a comfort room, with
his head slumped in the toilet bowl. Police said Laude could have been
strangled to death. PND (as)
Government preparing to repatriate Filipino
workers, peacekeepers from Ebola-hit countries
The government is preparing for the imminent
repatriation of Filipinos from three countries in West Africa struck by the
deadly Ebola virus, a Palace official said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. told reporters
that the government is establishing a protocol to repatriate an estimated 1,755
Filipino workers from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, as well as 145
Filipino peacekeepers in Liberia.
"The government is undertaking all necessary
measures to protect the health and well-being of our nationals or citizens in
keeping with the established protocols on managing the Ebola virus disease.
This includes preparations for raising to level 3 the crisis alert level for
the Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, effective mid-November 2014,"
he said.
Secretary Coloma estimated Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) in Sierra Leone at 1,044; in Guinea at 511; and in Liberia at
200, a total of 1,755.
There are also 145 Filipino peacekeepers in
Liberia -- 115 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 29 from the Philippine
National Police, and 1 from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, he
said.
Based on the records of Labor Secretary Rosalinda
Baldoz, most of the OFWs in the three countries are in the construction, mining
and technical industries.
"Ang focus ng ating pamahalaan ay ang
kalusugan at kaligtasan ng ating mamamayan na nandoon mismo sa sentro ng
epidemic. Kaya nga ang inatas sa mga concerned agencies ng pamahalaan ay
paghandaan ang maayos, sistematiko at siyentipikong paglilikas sa ating mga
mamamayan para mailayo sila sa panganib ng Ebola virus disease," Coloma
said.
He said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
will eventually raise the crisis alert in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia to
Level 3, which entails voluntary repatriation of Filipinos in the three
countries.
"Ang punto ng lahat ng aking ginagawang
paglalahad ngayon at pagpapaliwanag ay iisa lamang: na napakahalaga sa ating
pamahalaan na magkaroon tayo ng matatag na depensa laban sa Ebola virus
disease," Coloma said. PND (ag)
