From his own mouth:
CJ Corona’s guidelines in the use of SALNs & ITRs to prove ill-gotten wealth

KBP & Guests: (Standing, L-R) Marlon Baula, Dodie Conejero, Nancy Cudis, Maricor Banzon, Leo Lastimosa, Atty. Ruphil Bañuc, Carlo Dugaduga, (sitting, L-R) Col. Jefferson Omandam, Msgr. Achiles Dakay, Edward Abad, General Ronald Roderos and Col. Anthony Obenza

The Chernobyl incident in Ukraine in 1986 was considered the world's worst nuclear accident until now. A carbon-fed fire sent the radioactive elements high into the atmosphere affecting every country in Europe.

Statement

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

On the Philippine Azkals winning over the Mongolian Blue Wolves during the 2012 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup prequalifying match on March 15, 2011

[Released on March 15, 2011]

The Filipino people stand united in congratulating our Philippine Azkals on their 3-2 aggregate win against the Mongolian football team during their prequalifying playoff match for the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup.

This is a victory borne out of the constant striving for excellence of our very own Azkals. Their excellence is not borne of luck, but of the perseverance that characterizes true athletes: discipline, cooperation, teamwork.  Along with their sportsmanship, these values continue to provide a rallying point for our countrymen. They symbolize our nation’s new era of transformation, in which our people stand at the cusp of greater glory on the world stage.

The Azkals can remain assured of the support and the encouragement of the Filipino people as they continue on to the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers.

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MANILA, Philippines - Taiwan has lifted the restrictions it imposed on visa applications and work permits for Filipino workers.

"We will immediately lift the restrictions on visa applications for all Filipino workers and resume the method used to process their work permits prior to Feb 7, 2011," the Taiwanese government said.

Taiwan made the move after noting the Philippines’ sincerity in repairing the damage caused by the deportation to China of 14 Taiwanese accused of fraudulent activities.

“We have taken note of (the Philippines’) concern over the restrictions imposed by Taiwan on the applications by your nationals for visa application and work permits,” Taiwan said.

Taiwan will also make available its online visa applications to Philippine tourists.

“(Taiwan) would like to thank you for the tireless and extraordinary efforts you have taken to bring our relations back to normal. We appreciate in particular the Special Emissary’s visit, which paved the way for a quick resolution to this unfortunate incident," the government said.

Special Emissary Manuel Roxas was tapped by President Benigno Aquino III to smoothen the strain ties between the 2 countries. He arrived on Tuesday from a second visit to Taiwan.

In a press conference, Roxas clarified that the Philippine government did not issue its apology regarding the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China.

“Hindi tayo nag-apologize noon at ngayon. Nagkaroon lang ng mas malawak na paguunawa,” explained Roxas.

The incident triggered Taiwan to implement stricter measures on Filipinos applying for visas and work permits in the country.

“Noong nagkaroon ng insidente, nagdagdag ang Taiwan ng mga bagong rekisitos doon po sa mga naga-apply na mag-trabaho sa Taiwan,” said Roxas.

Roxas said that Taiwan required applicants to obtain their Social Security System (SSS) card as an additional requirement.

He added that the clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which they used to accept had to be authenticated by the foreign affairs department and Malacañang.

“Clearly, mga pampahaba ng proseso at halos mahihirap talaga ito,” Roxas said.

Also, employment documents and contracts must pass through a district court in Taiwan.

“Usually, mga 2 weeks of processing, humaba na ng mga 4 months. Kaya nangamba yung mga OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) doon,” he said. With ANC

Govt assures country is ready to face problem

MANILA, Philippines - Government officials assured the public today that even if the radiation from the devastated Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant moves up to Chernobyl-like levels, the Philippines would still be relatively safe.

In a press conference in Malacañang, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo also stressed the Philippine Nuclear Research Institution (PNRI) will update the public every now and then if there is a change in the radiation levels in the air. A new bulletin will be issued at around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. today.

DOST-PNRI Director Alumanda dela Rosa explained that the meltdown in the plant is at alert level 4, which means that humans are not allowed at least 20 kilometers radius around the plant.

In the Philippines, this does not mean anything yet since alert levels remain at zero, she said. This is the same status as last Sunday when news broke out of the damage in the oldest nuclear plant in the Fukushima prefecture.

“Even in a worst-case scenario, there is little extent [impact] in the Philippines,” she added.

Montejo cited, for example, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986 in Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is the only one in history classified as a level 7 event.

“What happened in Chernobyl, it reached the Netherlands. But the Philippines is far from Japan…By then, the [composition] would have already dissipated,” he stressed.

In case there is a plume, the Philippines is still protected from the direction of the wind.

It is moving east from Japan towards the Pacific Ocean, Montejo explained. The winds will move in this direction at least until May 15.

PNRI has the capacity

“To reassure you, however, the Philippines has the capacity of measuring radiation [in the air],” dela Rosa stressed.

She explained that there are natural and man-made radiation levels present in the air right now, even in the food that we eat.

For example, man-made radiation contributes to about less than 0.06 millisievert per year. This comes from medical equipment and power plants, for example.

Sievert is the unit of dose of the biological effect of radiation.

There is no obvious effect of a 0 up to 250 millisievert of radiation absorbed by the body. When it reaches 250 to 1000 millisievert, the human will experience temporary nausea, a damage in blood cells, and sterility among men.

Death is already possible once the levels reach 1000-3000 millisievert. Above 3000, many are expected not to survive.

Dela Rosa explained that as of  7:30 p.m. on Monday, there was a 57 micro-sievert per hour detected in the air. Micro-sievert is 1000 less than a millisievert.

If Japan raises its alert level, “a similar move from the country will still depend on the level of radioactivity…we will have a dose assessment,” she added.

The country is ready

In the event that the Philippine will be affected, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) will put into action the already existing National Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (Radplan), officials said.

"The RADPLAN establishes an organized emergency response capability for timely, coordinated action of Philippine authorities in a peacetime radiological incident or emergency. Participating agencies such as the PNRI and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) are given authority and responsibilities for coordinating activities of other agencies involved," the NDRRMC said in its website.

Montejo stressed there is not even an immediate need to test the products entering the country. In any case, the government would post on its website the products that would be prohibited.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona, for his part, said there is not even a need to stock up on iodine pills. These medicines are used to combat radiation at certain levels.

“I don’t think there is a necessity, but we know where to get it if necessary,” he said.

MANILA, Philippines - Several branches of Banco Filipino on Tuesday said they were closed for a bank holiday.

A person in one branch said management is "fixing something with the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas]." Banco Filipino officials couldn't be reached for comment.

Banco Filipino has been seeking P25 billion in rehabilitation assistance and P19 billion in damages from the central bank for the 1985 closure that the Supreme Court said was illegal.

Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco and two deputy governors didn't immediately reply to text messages seeking a statement.

Spokeswoman Fe dela Cruz said a statement would be forthcoming.

In a separate development, Banco Filipino's thinly traded stock was delisted by the stock exchange last week, together with four other companies, for failure to submit regular reports. ANC Business