It is so sad to learn that 24 persons have been declared dead due to a fire inside the Unitop store in Ormoc City on Christmas Day. It was just a few years ago when the city saw a tragedy that many residents still remember until now - the Ormoc City flood that killed hundreds of people.
My story for Manila Bulletin below:
-----------------------------------------------
Store blaze kills 24 on Christmas day
By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
ORMOC CITY, Leyte – At least 24 persons have been confirmed dead as of press time yesterday while several others were still missing following a fire that broke out inside a department store in Real Street, this city on Christmas Day.
Ormoc City Mayor Eric Codilla said 23 bodies, charred beyond recognition, were pulled out from the Unitop General Merchandise store as of press time yesterday, while a female survivor died at the hospital due to carbon monoxide inhalation. The victims included a baby, two children, and a pregnant woman.
Codilla said the number of fatalities could increase as soon as rescue workers will be done with the mopping up operations to pull out all of the remains of the victims. Most of the charred bodies were discovered at the toilet of the store as fire investigators discovered that the exit door of the store was padlocked.
A funeral worker said one body was found hugging a smaller charred body while most of the pulled out bodies were found piling up on each other.
Initial investigations revealed that the fire started at 4:40 p.m. last Monday when a boy allegedly lit a firecracker that ignited the other firecrackers sold at the department store’s entrance. The fire spread quickly, trapping shoppers inside.
“It was very quick. I heard a series of explosions and then I saw fire inside the store,” said Armando Adaya, an ambulant vendor who happened to pass by the one-story store during the incident.
The fire went on until it was placed under control at 7:30 p.m. said Ormoc City Fire Chief Mauro Costa, adding that those killed included customers, vendors, and store employees. People who were near the entrance managed to escape but others were forced to go deeper into a restroom, where 23 charred remains were found.
The 24th fatality died of injuries overnight and 15 were treated in two Ormoc hospitals. Two of them are in critical condition, Costa revealed.
Codilla, meanwhile, said he has already ordered a thorough investigation to determine the real cause of the blaze even as he believed that the firecracker blast could have something to do with the fire. He also stressed that the store was not permitted to sell firecrackers.
The mayor also said that the city government of Ormoc will be providing financial assistance to the families of the victims.
The store’s management has not issued any statement regarding the incident as of press time yesterday but one of the owners of Unitop in Cebu, who requested anonymity, said their stores have passed fire-safety standards.
The owner, who claimed to be a business partner of the owner of Unitop in Ormoc City, admitted that they sold firecrackers at the entrance of their stores but only those firecrackers that are approved by authorities. #
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Monday, December 25, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
ASEAN Summit and all that talks
An event organizer faxed me this morning the new schedule of activities for the 12th ASEAN Summit in January. The fax says the delegates (including the international media) will start arriving on January 4, just few days behind the January 11 schedule. But until now I am still in the belief that the ASEAN Summit will not push through. If it indeed pushes through, that will be a big boost to the country that has been receiving criticisms from dignitaries around Southeast Asia.
I was at the International Media Center inside the Cebu International Convention Center when Amb. Marciano Paynor, the secretary general of the 12th ASEAN Summit, announced that the summit was postponed due to bad weather. There was immediately an atmosphere of doubt among the local and international media. A reporter from a Japanese newspaper asked Paynor whether or not the hot issue on Con-Ass and the impending mass actions have prompted the government to postpone the Summit. Paynor immediately downplayed the issue, saying there was no other reason except for the weather.
But as days passed by, information have started to surface regarding the real reason of the postponement. A military officials claimed that authorities have been tracking down an alleged member of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the group that allegedly planned to sow terror during the summit together with its local counterpart - the Abu Sayaff Group, but failed to locate the terrorist.
This has prompted security officials to call off the summit for fear that the alleged terrorist will succeed in doing a car bombing operation in Cebu City. Prime ministers of ASEAN member countries have allegedly also been informed about it, prompting them to call off their participation.
This was seen as the real reason behind the postponement of the summit. This is very valid as compared to the weather (by the way, typhoon Seniang didn't do much damage to Cebu as what was feared. We cannot compromise security specially that our Air Force does not have the capability to foil air attacks. What our authorities can do is just watch a plane that goes straight to the path of the summit venue.
The summit has been rescheduled in January. With the hectic schedules of presidents and prime ministers, I don't think the organizers can convene at least half of the leaders of the ASEAN member countries. And if (fingers crossed) the summit pushes through this January, let's all hope that any acts of terrorism will be foiled and the summit will go on peacefully.
I was at the International Media Center inside the Cebu International Convention Center when Amb. Marciano Paynor, the secretary general of the 12th ASEAN Summit, announced that the summit was postponed due to bad weather. There was immediately an atmosphere of doubt among the local and international media. A reporter from a Japanese newspaper asked Paynor whether or not the hot issue on Con-Ass and the impending mass actions have prompted the government to postpone the Summit. Paynor immediately downplayed the issue, saying there was no other reason except for the weather.
But as days passed by, information have started to surface regarding the real reason of the postponement. A military officials claimed that authorities have been tracking down an alleged member of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the group that allegedly planned to sow terror during the summit together with its local counterpart - the Abu Sayaff Group, but failed to locate the terrorist.
This has prompted security officials to call off the summit for fear that the alleged terrorist will succeed in doing a car bombing operation in Cebu City. Prime ministers of ASEAN member countries have allegedly also been informed about it, prompting them to call off their participation.
This was seen as the real reason behind the postponement of the summit. This is very valid as compared to the weather (by the way, typhoon Seniang didn't do much damage to Cebu as what was feared. We cannot compromise security specially that our Air Force does not have the capability to foil air attacks. What our authorities can do is just watch a plane that goes straight to the path of the summit venue.
The summit has been rescheduled in January. With the hectic schedules of presidents and prime ministers, I don't think the organizers can convene at least half of the leaders of the ASEAN member countries. And if (fingers crossed) the summit pushes through this January, let's all hope that any acts of terrorism will be foiled and the summit will go on peacefully.
Friday, December 08, 2006
ASEAN Summit Postponed Due To Typhoon (Updated 6:20pm)
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), scheduled to open on Sunday, has been postponed to January because of a strong storm that is expected to hit Cebu, ASEAN National Organizing Committee Chairman Amb. Marciano Paynor Jr. confirmed yesterday.
In an emergency press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday, Paynor, together with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee, announced the development as tropical depression Seniang was eyed about 1,000 kilometers east of Leyte island and was forecast to make landfall Saturday, before moving toward Cebu on Sunday.
“The summit is postponed to January due to typhoon Seniang… and it is nothing that we can do about so we just have to accept it,” said the saddened Paynor, infront of the international media who were clearly dismayed over the meeting’s postponement.
This decision was made in full consideration of the safety and welfare of the participants, the private individuals and groups involved in the different aspects of holding the event, and the officials who are carrying out the preparations, said Paynor.
As the leaders participating in the Cebu Summit are determined to continue with the work of building A Caring and Sharing Community, the Cebu Summits will be held in January 2007. The specific dates of the Cebu Summits will be determined after further consultations with the governments of the Leaders participating in the Cebu Summits, said Paynor.
Paynor is confident that the slight change in the dates of the Cebu Summits will not in any way affect the determination and the commitment of the Leaders and all officials involved in achieving the objectives of the Summit nor will it diminish the significance of their work.
Even if Typhoon Seniang will change path in the next few hours, Paynor said the postponement will push through because the typhoon could hit other ASEAN member countries. Although the dates have been changed to first week of January, Paynor clarified that the summit will still be held in Cebu.
ASEAN Summit spokesman Victoriano Lecaros said the decision to postpone the summit was reached by the NOC after consulting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Officials of the ASEAN members countries have also been consulted prior to the decision to postpone the summit, Lecaros stressed.
“We were not able to prepare for it,” said Lecaros, referring to the typhoon.
Lecaros said the organizers and everyone who worked hard for the summit were dismayed with the postponement but urged Filipinos to be patient and wait for another one month.
He also clarified that only the leader’s summit has been reset while the ministerial meetings, which started since December 7, will proceed as scheduled. He did not give specific date when the ASEAN Summit will be held saying the schedule will depend on the different schedules of the ASEAN leaders.
Paynor, meanwhile, denied reports that the real cause of the postponement was the travel advisory from five countries who warned their citizens about an impending terror threat in the Philippines, especially in Cebu. He earlier stressed that the organizers have not received any specific threats of terrorism during the ASEAN Summit.
“If there are two persons in this room who want this summit to push through it will be me and Gov. Garcia. We have been working hard to see to it that the summit be held here, but like our health, the weather changes unexpectedly and we can’t do anything about it,” said Paynor.
He said the NOC will negotiate with the hotels with regards to the cancellation of bookings and their current expenses for checked-in guests.
Paynor said the NOC will negotiate with the hotels with regards to the cancellation of bookings and their current expenses for checked-in guests. #
In an emergency press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday, Paynor, together with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee, announced the development as tropical depression Seniang was eyed about 1,000 kilometers east of Leyte island and was forecast to make landfall Saturday, before moving toward Cebu on Sunday.
“The summit is postponed to January due to typhoon Seniang… and it is nothing that we can do about so we just have to accept it,” said the saddened Paynor, infront of the international media who were clearly dismayed over the meeting’s postponement.
This decision was made in full consideration of the safety and welfare of the participants, the private individuals and groups involved in the different aspects of holding the event, and the officials who are carrying out the preparations, said Paynor.
As the leaders participating in the Cebu Summit are determined to continue with the work of building A Caring and Sharing Community, the Cebu Summits will be held in January 2007. The specific dates of the Cebu Summits will be determined after further consultations with the governments of the Leaders participating in the Cebu Summits, said Paynor.
Paynor is confident that the slight change in the dates of the Cebu Summits will not in any way affect the determination and the commitment of the Leaders and all officials involved in achieving the objectives of the Summit nor will it diminish the significance of their work.
Even if Typhoon Seniang will change path in the next few hours, Paynor said the postponement will push through because the typhoon could hit other ASEAN member countries. Although the dates have been changed to first week of January, Paynor clarified that the summit will still be held in Cebu.
ASEAN Summit spokesman Victoriano Lecaros said the decision to postpone the summit was reached by the NOC after consulting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Officials of the ASEAN members countries have also been consulted prior to the decision to postpone the summit, Lecaros stressed.
“We were not able to prepare for it,” said Lecaros, referring to the typhoon.
Lecaros said the organizers and everyone who worked hard for the summit were dismayed with the postponement but urged Filipinos to be patient and wait for another one month.
He also clarified that only the leader’s summit has been reset while the ministerial meetings, which started since December 7, will proceed as scheduled. He did not give specific date when the ASEAN Summit will be held saying the schedule will depend on the different schedules of the ASEAN leaders.
Paynor, meanwhile, denied reports that the real cause of the postponement was the travel advisory from five countries who warned their citizens about an impending terror threat in the Philippines, especially in Cebu. He earlier stressed that the organizers have not received any specific threats of terrorism during the ASEAN Summit.
“If there are two persons in this room who want this summit to push through it will be me and Gov. Garcia. We have been working hard to see to it that the summit be held here, but like our health, the weather changes unexpectedly and we can’t do anything about it,” said Paynor.
He said the NOC will negotiate with the hotels with regards to the cancellation of bookings and their current expenses for checked-in guests.
Paynor said the NOC will negotiate with the hotels with regards to the cancellation of bookings and their current expenses for checked-in guests. #
ASEAN Summit Postponed Due To Typhoon
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), scheduled to open on Sunday, has been postponed to January because of a strong storm that is expected to hit Cebu, ASEAN National Organizing Committee Chairman Amb. Marciano Paynor Jr. confirmed yesterday.
In an emergency press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday, Paynor, together with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee, announced the development as tropical depression Seniang was eyed about 1,000 kilometers east of Leyte island and was forecast to make landfall Saturday, before moving toward Cebu on Sunday.
“The summit is postponed to January due to typhoon Seniang… and it is nothing that we can do about so we just have to accept it,” said the saddened Paynor, infront of the international media who were clearly dismayed over the meeting’s postponement.
Even if Typhoon Seniang will change path in the next few hours, Paynor said the postponement will push through because the typhoon could hit other ASEAN member countries. Although the dates have been changed to first week of January, Paynor clarified that the summit will still be held in Cebu.
In an emergency press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday, Paynor, together with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee, announced the development as tropical depression Seniang was eyed about 1,000 kilometers east of Leyte island and was forecast to make landfall Saturday, before moving toward Cebu on Sunday.
“The summit is postponed to January due to typhoon Seniang… and it is nothing that we can do about so we just have to accept it,” said the saddened Paynor, infront of the international media who were clearly dismayed over the meeting’s postponement.
Even if Typhoon Seniang will change path in the next few hours, Paynor said the postponement will push through because the typhoon could hit other ASEAN member countries. Although the dates have been changed to first week of January, Paynor clarified that the summit will still be held in Cebu.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
International Media Center at the CICC
I am writing this entry inside the new International Media Center of the Cebu International Convention Center, one of the venues of the 12th ASEAN Summit of leaders. This place is so huge it can handle more than 1,000 journalists and has more than 200 computer units, all linked to the Internet.
This is my first time to cover an international event. Journalists here come from different countries but what I can see right now are mostly Filipinos (or maybe I am just mistaken as we all know that Filipinos look almost exactly the same as that of our Asian counterparts).
Coffee is free-flowing outside and so is the snacks.
I am here inside the controversial CICC. Costing more than 600 million, this facility has been criticized, battered, and spitted several times by critics who claimed this will not be finished for the ASEAN Summit. But, here I am. Inside the CICC. The elevators are functioning. The air condition system works excellently. The carpets are outstanding. This is one hell of a convention center!
Nothing much to say. :) I'll update this blog everyday while I am here inside the CICC covering the ASEAN Summit.
This is my first time to cover an international event. Journalists here come from different countries but what I can see right now are mostly Filipinos (or maybe I am just mistaken as we all know that Filipinos look almost exactly the same as that of our Asian counterparts).
Coffee is free-flowing outside and so is the snacks.
I am here inside the controversial CICC. Costing more than 600 million, this facility has been criticized, battered, and spitted several times by critics who claimed this will not be finished for the ASEAN Summit. But, here I am. Inside the CICC. The elevators are functioning. The air condition system works excellently. The carpets are outstanding. This is one hell of a convention center!
Nothing much to say. :) I'll update this blog everyday while I am here inside the CICC covering the ASEAN Summit.
Fourth Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business and Investment Summit at Cebu City on December 7 to 10, 2006
FOR the past four years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business and Investment Summit, an event held immediately prior to the annual ASEAN and East Asian Leaders Summit, has been providing business and corporate leaders with invaluable insight into the implications of ASEAN integration for the strategies of the regional and global business and investment communities. At the same time, the summit provides an opportunity for the corporate world to engage heads of government and heads of state on urgent issues that are of importance to the corporate world.
The Philippines, as president of ASEAN this year, convenes the business summit meetings in Cebu City starting on December 7 to 10, 2006, the site of the subsequent ASEAN Leaders Summit on December 11 to 13, 2006. In keeping with the conference theme "Bringing ASEAN Business to the World," the invited speakers include heads of government and the captains of major enterprises in the region and the world. They will lead discussions on regional and global issues and business dialogues that will help businesses make better decisions about their future and contribute to the development of government policies to support the further integration of ASEAN's business and investment community.
The 2006 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit has designated priority products and services in developing models for economic integration. These products and services are clustered in 12 categories, namely: Agribusiness; logistics and supply chain management; air transport; electronics; information and communication technology (ICT) and e-ASEAN; health care; automotive; travel and tourism; professional services; banking and financial services; textiles and apparels; and rubber-based products. One session of the conference has been set aside for discussion of progress made within these sectors and what needs to be done to encourage further integration. In addition to the plenary discussion, a number of simultaneous workshops will consider individual industry sectors in detail with a view to developing recommendations for further action that can be carried to the Leaders' Summit.
We congratulate the participants and organizers of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit headed by ASEAN Business Advisory Council Chairman Jose S. Concepcion Jr. and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Atty. Miguel B. Varela and President Donald G. Dee and wish them success in all their endeavors. We welcome the foreign participants and wish them an enjoyable stay in our country. (Manila Bulletin Editorial, Dec. 7, 2006)
The Philippines, as president of ASEAN this year, convenes the business summit meetings in Cebu City starting on December 7 to 10, 2006, the site of the subsequent ASEAN Leaders Summit on December 11 to 13, 2006. In keeping with the conference theme "Bringing ASEAN Business to the World," the invited speakers include heads of government and the captains of major enterprises in the region and the world. They will lead discussions on regional and global issues and business dialogues that will help businesses make better decisions about their future and contribute to the development of government policies to support the further integration of ASEAN's business and investment community.
The 2006 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit has designated priority products and services in developing models for economic integration. These products and services are clustered in 12 categories, namely: Agribusiness; logistics and supply chain management; air transport; electronics; information and communication technology (ICT) and e-ASEAN; health care; automotive; travel and tourism; professional services; banking and financial services; textiles and apparels; and rubber-based products. One session of the conference has been set aside for discussion of progress made within these sectors and what needs to be done to encourage further integration. In addition to the plenary discussion, a number of simultaneous workshops will consider individual industry sectors in detail with a view to developing recommendations for further action that can be carried to the Leaders' Summit.
We congratulate the participants and organizers of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit headed by ASEAN Business Advisory Council Chairman Jose S. Concepcion Jr. and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Atty. Miguel B. Varela and President Donald G. Dee and wish them success in all their endeavors. We welcome the foreign participants and wish them an enjoyable stay in our country. (Manila Bulletin Editorial, Dec. 7, 2006)
Friday, December 01, 2006
Dumaguete Gathering
I was in Dumaguete City, particularly at the Southsea Beach Resort, recently for the 1st Multi-sectoral Media Dialogue on the Peace Process, a media forum and consultation on Peace Journalism organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process or OPAPP (my friend Felix from West Leyte Weekly Express has a funny meaning of OPAPP, but I won't tell you).
OPAPP Undersecretary Santos talked about the importance of Peace Journalism in effectively resolving conflicts and war. OPAPP is reaching to media men to report the correct, positive side of conflicts and not just the morbid, violent details of a war or insurgency.
Everything went well. Media participants understood the message of OPAPP. Until Mr. Dejaresco (I forgot his first name), who claimed to be a mediaman himself but I'd rather consider him a newspaper businessman, talked about OPAPP spending millions of pesos in media advertisements in exchange of getting their peace message in newspapers or broacast stations.
Whaatt?!!!
"If you commit budget, if you advertise with our newspaper, we will publish your press releases or messages," I remember Dejaresco saying, though not in those exact words. Of course, USEC Santos was clearly uneasy when Dejaresco unleashed his unethical, out-of-the-topic, solicitation of money in exchange of having OPAPP's messages printed in his newspaper.
What a shame. I admired Dejaresco before for his newspapers and other media outlets. But I trashed everything to a dark pit full of garbage when I heard Dejaresco uttered those words.
Yes, media is a business. But why do we always have an editorial office and an admin office in every media outlet? Because there is a need to separate journalists from businessmen. Dejaresco was on a wrong forum, i should say. He was soliciting ad spaces, which would have been nice if he was in a gathering of media account executives.
But por dyos por santos, he was in a forum of practicing journalists and editors. Journalists report and write what is news-worthy and not because the news source has committed to place a full-page ad in the reporter's newspaper. News sources send us press releases, subject to confirmation and further investigation, and we write a news story about it. Account executives sell ad spaces. Journalists and account executives seldom talk about who are the current advertisers.
Yes, advertisers' money comes into our paycheck. But we don't write news for the reason that the source is an advertiser. That sucks. That's not journalism. And Mr. Dejaresco, at his age, I think knows about that. He's clearly a businessman. Not a media man.
Anyway, it was my first time in Dumaguete and i could say that the place rocks. It's peaceful, clean, orderly. People are friendly. Although I still have to see the proof of development in the city, I could say that Dumaguete is one of the best places to be if you want peace, quite, and a good break from the bursting, busy city life in Manila or Cebu.
More about Dumaguete in my next post.
OPAPP Undersecretary Santos talked about the importance of Peace Journalism in effectively resolving conflicts and war. OPAPP is reaching to media men to report the correct, positive side of conflicts and not just the morbid, violent details of a war or insurgency.
Everything went well. Media participants understood the message of OPAPP. Until Mr. Dejaresco (I forgot his first name), who claimed to be a mediaman himself but I'd rather consider him a newspaper businessman, talked about OPAPP spending millions of pesos in media advertisements in exchange of getting their peace message in newspapers or broacast stations.
Whaatt?!!!
"If you commit budget, if you advertise with our newspaper, we will publish your press releases or messages," I remember Dejaresco saying, though not in those exact words. Of course, USEC Santos was clearly uneasy when Dejaresco unleashed his unethical, out-of-the-topic, solicitation of money in exchange of having OPAPP's messages printed in his newspaper.
What a shame. I admired Dejaresco before for his newspapers and other media outlets. But I trashed everything to a dark pit full of garbage when I heard Dejaresco uttered those words.
Yes, media is a business. But why do we always have an editorial office and an admin office in every media outlet? Because there is a need to separate journalists from businessmen. Dejaresco was on a wrong forum, i should say. He was soliciting ad spaces, which would have been nice if he was in a gathering of media account executives.
But por dyos por santos, he was in a forum of practicing journalists and editors. Journalists report and write what is news-worthy and not because the news source has committed to place a full-page ad in the reporter's newspaper. News sources send us press releases, subject to confirmation and further investigation, and we write a news story about it. Account executives sell ad spaces. Journalists and account executives seldom talk about who are the current advertisers.
Yes, advertisers' money comes into our paycheck. But we don't write news for the reason that the source is an advertiser. That sucks. That's not journalism. And Mr. Dejaresco, at his age, I think knows about that. He's clearly a businessman. Not a media man.
Anyway, it was my first time in Dumaguete and i could say that the place rocks. It's peaceful, clean, orderly. People are friendly. Although I still have to see the proof of development in the city, I could say that Dumaguete is one of the best places to be if you want peace, quite, and a good break from the bursting, busy city life in Manila or Cebu.
More about Dumaguete in my next post.
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