Panda Love May Reconcile China & Taiwan
(Beijing Bureau)

On the 18th of December officials explained how a pair of giant pandas will be sent to Taiwan next Tuesday as the latest sign of warming ties across the Straits. The long promised pandas will symbolise peace, unity and friendship.

The pandas were originally offered to the island in 2005 but were rejected by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party administration.

Ma Ying-jeou, the current leader of the island has however accepted the pandas from the mainland as a gesture of goodwill to nurture future ties.

On December 23 the four year old pandas will fly out from Chengdu in the southwestern Sichuan province for Taiwan. The panda’s names are Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan and when you link them together, they mean “reunion” in Chinese.

Li Weiyi, a spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office told the China Daily how Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan would carry with them the deep attachment that people from the mainland have toward their compatriots in Taiwan.

In Chengdu, the pandas are recieveing the best treatment while being pampered on in every imaginable way to ensure that they remain healthy.

Li explained that the pandas have both been intensively trained to make sure that they have a healthy sex life. This is to ensure that the pair will later give birth to more babies ‘envoys’ once settled in the island.

The China Daily stated Li saying “Animal handlers from Taiwan have arrived on the mainland to get familiar with the pandas, and are even talking to them in local dialect so that the pair understands them during their stay in the Taiwan zoo,”

Huang Zhi, a keeper who works at the Bifengxia Base of the Chinese Giant Panda Research and Protection Center in Ya’an county, Sichuan province told how everyone is making careful arrangements to see that the pandas have a safe departure.

The pandas are currently being kept in “No. 2 House”, which is of course the biggest and best-equipped pen at the base. Within the pen, the pandas have two outdoor play areas and two dens inside. The pandas are being looked after by two veteran keepers and the principal of the animal husbandry department.

Deputy director of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, Li Desheng, said in a press conference how the pandas are in a perfectly healthy condition. Li continued by explaining how the pair has undergone a very thorough physical examination and was pleased that the results came back satisfactory.

The pandas will be expected to have their first baby as soon as they are settled in Taiwan.
The China Daily stated Li saying, “usually pandas have their first baby at the age of six. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are now four years old. In all probability, they will have their first baby in Taiwan.”

To help strengthen the pandas bodies they are taken for a run everyday. This exercise will also make them have a successful and healthy sex life.

However, the male, Tuan Tuan does have to suffer a bit more than just a run. His legs need to be strengthened so the keepers are holding apples and corn bread above his head to make him stand on his two back legs for nearly 20 minutes every day.

The male panda has to be able to stand on his hind legs through out the duration of mating so they keepers are doing their best to ensure that Tuan Tuan is ready for the task ahead of him.

The arrival of the astronauts

Amber Butler-Davis (Staff Reporter)

On September the 28th, China’s astronauts returned home after completing the country’s first space walk during their 68 hour Shenzhou VII mission. Zhai Zhigang, 41, has marked his name in history with his 15 minute space walk that occurred on the 27th of September.

Premier Wen Jiabo has described the space mission as an important milestone in the nation’s desired rise in becoming a global power. At the control center in Beijing, Wen explained how the space mission was an important step towards the development of Chinese space technology. He continued explaining how China has now become the third country in the world to independently acquire the skills for extra-vehicular activity. The mission has important implications to strengthen China’s economy, military and nation Wen said.

Congraulations and praise were given to the three astronauts and the scientist who were all involved in making the mission possible. Astronauts Zhai, Lui Boming and Jing Haipeng also received loud applauses as they step out from the reentry module after succesfully passing all compulsory medical checks. A very happy Zhai told how he was proud of his motherland and how the mission was challenging but full of successful results. Jing commented how the three days in space made him feel cared for from the country and his family. Jing is glad to be back home safely.

The leaders of South Korea, Loas, Pakistan, Sudan and Togo also gave their congratulations for the completion of the mission.

In northern Inner Mongolia, the 3,240-kilogram reentry module landed successfully at 5.37pm in the empty, flat tundra of Siziwangqi. The red and white striped parachutes, which take up nearly 1,200 square meters, which is close to half the size of a football field, were the first things spotted 10 kilometers above the ground. Shortly after the sighting of the parachutes, the module was located in the lying position by air and ground patrol vehicles.

10 minutes after landing, the hatch of the module was opened and Zhai gave the victory sign to the awaiting crowd full of family, fans, ground staff and journalists, according to a personnel from the China Central Television.

That night the astronauts were flown to Hohhot by helicopter, for further medical exams before being able to return to Beijing the following day. Medical experts said that all three astronauts were in a satisfactory condition.

Over 300 people gathered in front of the big television screen in Hong Kong’s Times Sqaure in Causeway Bay to watch the landing of the module. One spectator commented how they were really proud of the astronauts and how the Chinese can now reach a high level in the international community.
Hong Kong Space Museum curator Chan Ki-hung said the Shenzhou VII mission was as successful as those for Shenzhou V and VI. Chan also stated how the biggest breakthrough in this mission was the China-made spacesuits that the astronauts wore when they did their spacewalk.
In addition to the spacewalk, this 68-hour mission included collecting research samples in space and sending a Chinese satellite into orbit that took photographs from between 4 meters to 2 kilometers.

Tigers attack cleaner – Singapore Zoo
(Singapore Bureau)

On November the 13th a cleaner jumped in the white tiger enclosure at the Singapore Zoo and was killed by the animals as the horrified crowd watched helplessly from above.

The cleaner, Malaysian Nordin Montong, 32, was killed by two of the three big cats around noon in the enclosure. Eyewitnesses say they saw Mr Nordin shouting and flinging items around shortly before the cats pounced upon him. Mr Nordin jumped a low wall and landed in the surrounding moat in the enclosure, which is four meters below street level.

Mr Nordin was carrying a yellow pail and broom and he was seen crossing the 1.75meter deep moat. He then proceeded towards a rocky ledge where the big cats were and began agitating them by swinging his broom around.

Two eyewitnesses, an Australian couple, told the police that Mr Nordin covered his head with his pail, laid down curled himself into the foetal position on the ground when the two tigers advanced towards him. It was only a matter of seconds; the rare white tigers were on top of him. One of the tigers swiped at Mr Nordin with his paw, which is about the size of a softball ball, W.R. de Boer, Dutch tourist described that is when Mr Nordin began screaming as though he was in pain. W.R. de Boer explains how the 30 or so on lookers thought that the intrusion into the enclosure was part of a show. But when Mr Nordin began screaming, everyone looked on in horror. Many of the on lookers began screaming at the tigers to ‘go away’ and some were just yelling to scare the tigers away from their prey.

The intense shouting from the tiger enclosure caught the attention of the zoo staff and the alarm was raised immediately. Within minutes, there were 20 zoo staff standing around the enclosure looking down on the incident occurring below them. Some of the staff started throwing brooms and dustbin covers at the tigers to prevent the attack from continuing. While other staff members quickly ushered way the terrified crowd

Two of the zookeepers were armed with rifles and live ammunition, but for some reason they were never fired. Despite all the efforts of the zookeepers, one of the tigers continued attacking Mr Nordin for several minutes. The animals finally stopped attacking the cleaner when one of the doors to the tigers’ feeding area was opened from within the enclosure, however Mr Nordin remained lying motionless on the ground.

As soon as the tigers were safely inside the feeding area, and the doors that separate it from the rest of the enclosure were firmly closed tight, the other keepers were then able to get to where Mr Nordin was lying. But it was too late. Mr Nordin, who is from Sarawak, had been bitten on the neck and also suffered a fractured skull. He died before the police arrived on the scene.

Mr Nordin’s colleagues told the zoo staff later on that day how the contract worker, who had been working at the zoo for nearly five months, had begun to behave in quite a strange manner minutes before the incident occurred. Mr Nordin had apparently thrown is cutters and meal tickets into a nearby bin and then told his colleagues in Malay ‘Goodbye, you won’t be seeing me again,’ and rode off on his bike.

The Australian tourists also commented on how they saw the cleaner shouting and throwing things into the crocodile enclosure only 10 minutes before he was seen at the tiger enclosure.

This incident is the first time anyone has been killed by an animal at the zoo since it opened in 1973. Before this, the most serious incident that has occurred at the zoo was in 2001 and a bull elephant, Chawang, gored his keeper of 18 years, Mr Gopal Krishnan. Mr Krishnan had suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He was in hospital for nearly two months before making a full recovery.

The zoo did stop the tram ride and prevent any more visitors from entering the zoo while Mr Nordin was trying to be rescued. And the white tiger enclosure will be temporarily closed as a precautionary measure but the zookeepers did not say for how long.
The two white tigers that were involved in the attack will not be put down as they did act naturally. The tigers, which are nine years old, were brought to the Singapore Zoo in 2001 from Sumatra.

Historic Firsts for Singapore

Amber Butler-Davis (Staff Reporter)

In 2008, Singapore has witnessed some historic firsts. Besides from hosting the first ever night race in Formula 1 here are the top five events that have occurred in Singapore to date.

Firstly, I have to mention the launch of Johnnie Walker Black Label. Amazingly the Duty Free Shops in the Changi Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have partnered with Johnnie Walker, to become the first and only retailers to unveil the long awaited for limited edition Black Label. This Johnnie Walker pack is to commemorate the Formula One night race which was also held in Singapore at the Changi Airport. The midnight black carry case for the pack was designed to resemble Singapore’s iconic skyline. The carry pack has also been styles so it incorporates elements of aerodynamics which are inspired by the Vodafone, McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 race car. These limited edition Johnnie Walker Black packs are only available at DFS in Singapore, New Zealand, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi. However the special-edition commemorative bottle will only be in Singapore.

Next in line we have the Oris AirAsia Grand Prix Challenge and Roadshow with Cortina. You would have been able to watch this event at the Millenia Walk Centre on September 17 – 30. With AT&T Williams F1 team as the official partners, a life-size F1 stimulator car was brought in so the public could experience the adrenaline rush one can get from driving on a Formula One race car. Not only was this stimualtor brought in for thrills but the top three racers with the fastest lap time will be entered into the GP Challenge and they will race against Nico Rosberg. The winner of the race received attractive prizes from Oris.

Oris also launched and exhibited its latest collection of Williams inspired timepieces. These pieces included the Team Chronograph Silver, WilliamsF1 Team Chronograph Black, WilliamsF1 Team Day Date Silver and WilliamsF1 Team Day Date Black. Cortina Watch, which is the official agent of Oris, supported the challenge with a roadshow that showcased a range of Oris timepieces. Once again these pieces were also inspired by the world of motor sport. The pieces on display included the new TT3 Chronograph collection in Pink Gold and Black.

The deal breaker for tourists to purchase one of these watches from the Oris F1 collection was that they will receive it in a three-piece leather watch box which was worth $300. However, if the purchaser was a Citibank card member they not only got the $300 three-piece watch box they also received a Oris AT&T Williams F1 polo shirt and cap.

In third place we have the 2008 Bulgari Watch Exhibition which was held at the Paragon Atrium on September 18-28. During the 10 day event, the contemporary luxury brand showcased the Bulgari Diagono collection which celebrates the company’s 20th anniversary. Watches for both men and women were on display at the exhibition. The watches, which can be distinguished by the creative and contemporary style characteristics of Bulgari made their venture in Singapore with delight from the many watch connoisseurs and avid collectors.

Coming in fourth place is the Gerald Genta Mickey Racing Singapore at the Hour Glass For F1. Gerald Genta has produced a Mickey Racing Singapore watch which has been valued at $19,700. The lovable Walt Disney character has been inseparably linked with this watch brand since 1980, when he cut a fine figure of Mickey in the center of the silver coloured carbon style embossed dial base.

This recent watch will show the infamous Mickey Mouse donning racing suit, his arm points to the retrograde minutes that are marked out on semi-circle facing him. You also have the chequered flag appearing behind Mickey and this is interrupted to leave space for the jumping-hour display emphasised by a rhodium-plated metal decorative fillet. Meanwhile, the classical central seconds hand completes an exceptionally readable overall layout.

The model also depicts the head of the famous Merlion, which is painted in red at the top of the dial where the arc begins. This is to tribute Singapore. The watch is presented in a lovely case with brushed steel bezel and a polished steel fluted band, which is worn on a rubber strap. You can distinguish the Mickey Racing Singapore automatic watch by the special engraving on the back of it.

Last but not least we have the Singapore Beer Festival which was held at the Fort Canning Park on October 2-5. Here thousands of beer lovers and fun enthusiasts raised there glasses or mugs to celebrate their love of beer. A wonderful selection of local and international entertainment acts kept every amused while drinking the day away.

Sorting out the Pork

Amber Butler-Davis (Staff Reporter)

In late September, local meat processors were warned that the ban of pork importation could be imposed by the Department of Agriculture. This ban could highly affect the supply of meat products especially so close to the holiday season. The Daily Inquirer stated how the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) asked Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap to immediately life the suspension of veterinary quarantine clearance (VCQ) processing for pork import applications for manufacturing-grade parts of pork in the soonest possible so we can catch up our inventory build up of processed meats intended for the holiday season.

Earlier in September, Yap ordered the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to suspend the VCQ from distributing pork, this came in the response to the appeal of Representative Nicanor Briones and an “influential group of hog raisers.” Apparently, Briones is blaming PAMPI for imported pork being present at wet markets.

Local meat processors have raised their concerns about the suspension of pork importation and how it was made without conducting a dialogue between PAMPI members and the hog raisers, or the DA and BAI, or among the three parties.

In letter from PAMPI to Yap it stated how “It is fearful to think that the DA would actually decide to sacrifice the meat processing industry so that you could submit to the pressures that Congressman Briones and the hog raisers have applied upon your department.” PAMPI explains how the suspension of pork importation will affect the delivery and manufacturing- grade parts which are needed by meat processors in the industry. These pieces include pork bellies, fats, offal and skin/rind.

In the meantime, the BAI has showed data that explains how pork importation has reached over 83,000 metric tons since the 13th of September. In 2007 at the same time pork importation had only reached 79,381 tons. While the pork import value does seem quite high this year PAMPI explains how this can not trace the importation of the manufacturing-grade pork parts alone.

Instead, the group has claimed that the high quantity of pork importation this year is however due to the increase in the shipments of cuts that meat processors do not import. PAMPI has noted that the importation of pork cuts alone had in fact reached 23.76 million kilo in August 2008.

(Singapore Bureau)

Safety first at the Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo has added more patrols around the animal enclosures and will take extra security measures after a cleaner was killed by two white tigers on the afternoon of November 13. The zoo will be installing warning buttons around the enclosures, which the public can access in the event of an emergency. They have also asked the zookeepers and staff to report any erratic and abnormal behaviour in the animals, staff and visitors.

These extra measures were put in place a day after a Malaysian contract worker was horrible mauled to death in the enclosure of the rare white tigers. The 32 year old cleaner had been behaving in a strange manner shortly before he jumped into the tiger closure, he was seen shouting and flinging items around. Carrying a yellow pail and broom the cleaner crossed the moat and provoked the tigers by swinging the broom at them. One of the tigers swiped at Mr Nordin and the on looking crowd thought it was a show until the big cats started sinking their teeth into the back of Mr Nordin’s neck and tossing him about like a rag doll. Blood could be seen oozing from the cleaners back and he was seen thrashing about in fright for nearly five minutes. After that, he laid motionless inside the enclosure.

Over a dozen zoo keepers rushed to Mr Nordin’s rescue and was able to distract the tigers and shoo them into their feeding den. The zookeepers that helped in the incident are receiving counseling by a psychiatrist to help them over come the trauma. The Singapore Zoo, which is investigating the incident, mentioned how it is now committing its time and effort to ensure the safety and well being of the visitors, staff and animals.

M Biswajit Guha, assistant director of the Zoo, mentioned in a statement that the three white tigers are also quite “stressed out” by the incident. The tiger’s ears are more perked up and their breathing is much quicker than normal. The zoo keepers are trying to keep the tigers routine as normal as possible hoping that this will help settle them down soon. The tigers are also being kept in their den, away from curious onlookers but they should be in better spirits and be able to be released back into the enclosure by the 15th. However, the tiger enclosure will remain closed to the public until further notice.

The zoo officials explain how the tigers have never been in contact with humans since arriving at the Singapore zoo in 2001. The tigers are fed raw meat every day.
In the mean time, the contractor who employed Mr Nordin said he will be pay for the embalmimg and transportation of the body to get him back to his hometown in Kuching. Roland Tay, the undertaker who is handling the body, told The Straits Times he would donate the payment from the contractor to Mr Nordin’s family. He said the body would be flown to Sarawak on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Hamzah Isa, 24, a zookeeper who has worked in the Mandai zoo for nearly three years, said he was shocked and horrified when he heard about the tiger attack. But he did say that he did not notice any change in the victim’s behaviour when he reported for work on Thursday morning. Mr Nordin was known as a quiet man who kept to himself most of the time.

Mr Clement Ijau, 27, also from Sarawak and another cleaner who lives in the same workers’ quarters as Mr Nordin in Serangoon, commented that he did look upset early on Thursday and mentioned how he ignored the other workers in the quarters. Mr Nordin was unmarried but had mentioned how he was missing is parents back home.

Sex Ed in the Catholic Church

Amber Butler-Davis (Staff Reporter)

Sex education will now be taught in Catholic schools throughout the Philippines because House Bill 5043 was passed. House Bill 5043 makes sex education mandatory in all Catholic schools. The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) is now planning to prepare its own sex education classes that will be based on the church teachings.

Hierarchy in the Catholic Church has conflicting feelings about teaching the Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood, and Population Development Act of 2008 that is promoting contraceptives and sex education in schools. House Bill 5043, is trying to put in place a national policy on reproductive health and family planning, instructing public and private schools to teach “age-appropriate” teaching of reproductive health and sexuality, including family planning methods, from Grade 5 to fourth year high school.

Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas told the Daily Inquirer how the CEAP will create its own sex education program that will be based on the values and teachings within the Catholic Church and Catholic social teachings. A pastoral statement was released on Friday 14th of November explaining how the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said how the new legislation on family planning was very unacceptable in its present form, however at the same time it opened the floor to discussion with the congressmen who are pushing for the bill. One main objection about the bill was the fact that there would be a single reproductive health education curriculum in both public and private schools.

Villegas, the chairperson of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, explained how the CEAP would prefer to offer an alternative curriculum. Villegas believes that the CEAP’s alternatives are better than the proposed curriculum in the bill.

The CBCP agree with the reproductive health care requirements of the bill which include material such as maternal, infant and child health and nutrition, promotion of breastfeeding, adolescent and youth health, elimination of violence against women, and among others. However, the CBCP do also feel that the bill contains fatal flaws and if they are not corrected the bill will therefore be unacceptable.

As it was stated in the Daily Inquirer the pastoral statement from the CBCP said “We appeal to our legislators to state in the bill in clear categorical terms that human life from the moment of conception is sacred…to insure that the bill recognize, preserve, and safeguard freedom of conscience and religion.”

The CBCP, also strongly believe that the bill should state clearly that it is against artificial means of contraception. The CBCP also expressed how the bill should not require the employers of the schools to provide artificial means of contraception and that the bill should not penalize “malicious disinformation” against the measure. The CBCP do believe that the bill should include mandatory consultation with religious groups and/or churches.

Villegas told the Daily Inquirer that the discussion about the bill, will be done individually between the bishops and their respective congressmen.

Temple Ownership

Bangkok Bureau – Reporting Asia

Thailand and Cambodia discuss ownership of temples.
Thailand and Cambodia are now at the negotiating table, a meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Siem Reap, to discuss the ongoing deadly violence that is occurring at the area near the Preah Vihear Temple. The discussion, that began on Monday, aim to end the dispute over the land which is near the temple however, Foreign Ministry officials believe that an early agreement will be highly unlikely. The centre of the argument is over the control of a 4.6 square-kilometer area, which is between the Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Preah Vihear province in Cambodia, adjacent to the ancient Khmer temple
The Foreign Ministry officials both agree that the issue will not be able to be settled in a prompt manner because the two sides can not even agree on which map to use. Both sides are using different maps as the basis for their negotiations so until one map can be agreed upon they will continue to argue. Thailand is arguing that the watershed should define the border in the area near the temple but obviously Cambodia rejects this claim.
Treaties and Legal Affairs Department director-general Virachai Plasai, told an organised public forum that they can a numerous amount of documents ready to counter Cambodia’s point of view. Virachai is one of the Thai negotiators and is being led by the retired career diplomat Vasin Teeravechyan. Senior Minister Var Kim Hong, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, is leading the Cambodian delegation.
After the Preah Vihear temple received World Heritage listing in July, the two countries gave priority to the JBC talks. In 1962, Thailand lost a World Court battle for ownership of the temple. They would like to see it back on its maps once again. The Thai officials are prepared for a heated discussion that should take two days. However, they are pleased that both countries will be at the same table so this should ease some tensions at the border and in the two capitals. A ministry official did mention how the aim of the meeting is to bring the ongoing conflict to a negotiating table. The officials believe that hard fought negotiations are much better then fighting.
A meeting between the two foreign ministers, Sompong Amornvivat and Hor Namhong will be held after the crucial JCB talks.
The discussion over the Preah Vihear temple has sparked other arguments over other spots that are along the 789 kilometer-long land border. The other spots include the Ta Muen and the Ta Kwai temples; however, Thailand insists that all of the temples in question are in the Surin province’s Phanom Dong Rak district. The tension between the countries came to an all time high when the Thai and Cambodia soldiers began fighting on the 15th of October in the area that overlaps the Preah Vihear temple as well as in Pha Mor E Daeng in Si Sa Ket. Cambodia has started complaining to neighbouring countries how the Thais are invading their territory. Bangkok has responded to these complaints by calling international attention to new landmines that Cambodia has planted near Preah Vihear.

Police vs Media

Amber Butler-Davis (Staff Reporter)
Another provocative issue that involves the Philippine National Police has just occurred, the police blotter is now off limits to the public, in particular the media. On October the 20th, PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa stated how the blotters in the police stations nationwide will no longer be available to the public or the media unless the station commander has given authorisation or “unless the disclosure is in compliance with a lawful order of the court or any pertinent authority.”
Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome, a spokesperson for the PNP told the Daily Inquirer on Thursday how the memo was intended to protect not only the victims but the suspects in crimes as well. The PNP is especially trying to protect women and children that are involved too. Bartolome explained how the new arrangement is not because the PNP does not trust the media it is in place because some victims have requested that their complaints may only be made for record purposes and not for the public. Bartolome also denied the accusations that this memo was meant to be some sort of diversion from the boiling issue of ranking police officials that were caught carrying at least 105,000 euros in the Moscow International airport early last month.
Access denied
On Thursday, the reporters that were covering the Manila Police District (MPD) were not given authorisation to read the blotter by the police officers. These police officers justified their actions with Verzosa’s memo which is titled “Decentralization of the Functions of the Public Information Office” (PIO)
Inside the memo it states how any information on any particular case can only be provided “exclusively” by a designated PIO or spokesperson “unless for justifiable reasons.” It is then up the head of office to either give out the information himself or elect suitable representative personnel to do so. The memo also states that if any information is requested, the request will be passed on and the PIO/spokesperson will obtain the information until the head of office clears it to be given out.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer did attempt to work with Senior Insp. Romana Geronimo, the head of the MPD’s PIO but she could not be found in her office. The Inquirer did also make phone calls to Geronimo’s mobile phone for a statement but none of the calls were answered. Even a text message was sent indicating compliance with the PNP memo they are still waiting for the reply.

The reporters that were covering the MPD did point out how the police blotter was actually a public document; therefore, the information contained inside the document must be made available to the public. A tabloid reporter commented how the PIO must be available every minute of every day if every request for the information has to be authorised by the PIO. Bartlome did issue a statement later on Thursday addressing the incident that occurred at the MPD and said that the police leadership was in no way prohibiting the media access to the police blotter and any other official reports that were requested. He simply explained how the latest move to distribute the public information was misinterpreted in the lower units and then further misconstrued by some media personnel.
Not a complete ban
Bartolome commented early Thursday how there was no “absolute prohibition” on accessing the police blotters because the unit commanders could still give the permission to hand it out. He also added how the information in the blotters is only one side to a story, the blotter is only a tool in an investigation. Bartolome understands that the police blotter is a public document but commented how not all public documents can be made available to the public. As the title of the memo indicates it is meant to “decentralize the functions” of the PNP’s Public Information Office, and that the general intent of the memo is to actually accommodate the media.
No consultation for the media
Police commanders were actually under instruction to issue press releases, conduct media briefings, answer the requests for information and interviews, and liaise with the reporters that are covering their areas and to implement public information and any other functions that will help pass on the information. However, the President of the PNP Press Corps, Alvin Baltazar told the Inquirer how reporters rely on the blotter for information, a ban like this will indeed affect their work. Baltazar, a reporter for radio dzRB also commented how Verzosa’s memo was without benefit of consultation with members of the media.
Professor Danilo Arao of the University of the Philippines’ Department of Journalism was asked to comment on the issue and stated that the police must recognise press freedom and also access to information. Journalists do not ask for special treatment. The main reason they need the blotter, is to do their work properly with the correct information and to also meet their deadlines. In Arao phone conversation with the Inquirer he stated how “The memo should be denounced as lack of transparency on the part of the police and an infringement on press freedom.”
The National Press Club viewed the memo and commented that while they do support the PNP’s stand, that an accused is innocent until proven guilty, they do however believe that the public’s right to information should not be withheld unless it will have an effect on the accused. As a journalist, it is up to them to decide if it is ethical to publish an article are not. They must follow rules and laws as well. One of the problems that journalists face when reporting on issues that are close to court cases is that they must not be in contempt with the court. By this, I mean that a reporter is not allowed to publish information or material about a particular defendant if it is going to prejudice a fair trial.
Journalists do need to be careful when reporting on police files and pending court procedures because it is contempt to publish material intending to prejudice them or to publish material that has the tendency to do so. A reporter is not allowed to publish an article that applies guilt are innocence to the accused in question. So I can understand why the police blotters are being made unavailable to the public but at the same time the police need to understand that journalists can not report on everything because they can not be seen to defame an individual.

Peacekeepers to the rescue
When the school collapsed in Haiti on the 7th of October, Filipino peacemakers rushed to the collapsed school to help pull out the victims. Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in his report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo how as soon as the Filipino Blue Berets were on the scene they immediately went into action. They were rolling over concrete slabs and digging through the rubble with their bare hands to help pull both the living and dead free from the chaos.
Nearly 50 schoolchildren and teachers were killed when the three-story La Promesse (The Promise) school in Petion-ville, situated on the sidelines of Port-au-Prince, caved in, leaving a heap of cement slabs and twisted steel rods to replace it. The top floor of the school was under construction when it caved in. Five surrounding homes were also damaged by the tragedy.
Commander of the 8th Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent, Colonel Raymundo Elefanto was responsible for leading the two platoons of Filipino peacekeepers to help with the search and rescue in Haiti. By late afternoon the team had helped recover nearly 50 bodies, majority of them being small children.
Considering there were nearly over 700 students with ages ranging from three to 20 years old inside the church-run school attending classes when it collapsed, Davide told officials that he had expected the casualty toll to be high. The narrow roadway was filled with vehicles and hundreds of distraught relatives and kibitzers trying to make there way to school so the peacekeepers were forced to run the remaining two kilometers to the accident site before they began working hard to free the victims trapped inside.
The Filipino peacekeepers did turn over the search and rescue duties to the military engineering and medical units from Brazil, Chile and Ecudor when they arrived on the scene later. The peacekeepers then concentrated their attention on restoring order by performing crowd control duties around the accident site so that the officials could work swiftly and un-interrupted by distraught relatives. Davide told the Inquirer how the peacekeepers did go above and beyond their call of duty and is grateful for putting their own lives at risk to help the victims that were trapped inside the rubble. He has paid a tribute to the members of the Philippine contingent who took part in the search and rescue operations on that terrible day.

Amber Butler-Davis
(Staff Reporter Reporting Asia)

The Philippines have been able to maintain a steady presence in Haiti since 2004 when the United Nations sent in the peace monitors. They were sent there to restore order in the impoverished Caribbean nation when massive protests led to the overthrow of the former president, Jean Bertrand Aristide. The Philippines did lose one of their peacekeepers in 2005 when gunman loyal to Aristide ambushed the UN peacekeepers, killing Army Technical Sergeant Antonio Batomalaque.
The Philippines now have 157 officers and personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force including 13 other officers from the Philippine National Police serving with the United Nations Stabilization Mission.