Thursday 30 October 2014

PIA News Dispatch - Tuesday, October 14, 2014

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)