5 Korean, 12 Filipino mountaineers arrested in Mt. Banahaw

Inquirer News - An environment official and policemen arrested five South Koreans and 12 Filipino mountaineers inside the prohibited areas of Mount Banahaw in Dolores, Quezon, on Sunday.

Salud Pangan, park superintendent for Banahaw, identified the foreigners as Hak Su Kim, Eob Kyo Lee, Yanug Su Kim, Nak Si Ji and Chang Yong Lee, all of Barangay (village) Iruhin in Tagaytay City. They were members of one of two mountaineer groups found in an area which was still closed to outsiders, she said.

“They claimed that they were not aware that Banahaw is still closed (to the public). But it is impossible for any mountaineer not to know that,” Pangan said by phone.

The Filipino mountaineers with the Koreans were identified as Jeffrey del Rosario, Dave Dela Cruz, Bryan Maglalang, Roderick Perez, Aries Ilocario and John Paul Dulan.

Pangan said she received information on Friday that two groups of mountaineers, including some foreigners, would sneak into the mountain.

“I immediately alerted our forest guards to monitor the entrances, but the trespassers eluded my men when they sneaked very early (morning) and under cover of darkness,” Pangan said.

Police said the first group was composed of five Koreans and six Filipinos, while the second had 17 Filipinos from Metro Manila.

The 17 were identified as Wilson Labrador, Jonorie Boticario, Jaybee Laurel, Feil Gulane, Feves Estacion, Mark Arnold, Vilson Gahoy, Anne Estipona, Ronald Tugade, Dana Alarcon, Jan Ann, Rommel Anthony Britana, Michael Joseph Abalos, Jedeah Mariz Claro, Serlina Surian, Dennis Pensotes and Alfred Lazona.

The climbers were brought to the Dolores police station and were expected to be transferred to Lucena City on Monday. They will be charged with violating Republic Act No. 9847 or the Mounts Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape (MBSCPL) Act of 2009.

The offense is punishable by a fine of P5,000 to P500,000 or imprisonment of one to six years or both.

Pangan warned mountaineers and religious devotees that they would be arrested if they entered the prohibited mountain spots. They could only go as far as areas identified by billboard signs, she said.

In February, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) stopped pilgrims and mountaineers from sneaking into the closed areas through the backdoor being offered by several resorts at the foot of Banahaw.

In 2004, the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) started a a five-year program to resurrect the mountain’s resources which were damaged by slash-and-burn farmers and visitors who littered the place with trash.

With barbed wires, the PAMB sealed off several trails leading to certain areas in the bosom of Banahaw.

Protest Planking in Manila

PROTEST PLANKING. A police officer tries to dissuade protesters from carrying on their "planking" by lying prone on the pavement, blocking briefly the traffic at a busy roundabout in Manila, Philippines, Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 to support calls for a nationwide "transport holiday" following unabated oil price increases in the past weeks. The sign at left reads: Transport Strike Against Oil Price Hikes! AP Photo/Bullit Marquez.

I don't need Pacquiao: Mayweather

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The prospect of a long awaited mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Filipino Manny Pacquiao seemed as distant as ever after the flamboyant American's fourth-round knockout of Victor Ortiz.

Though Mayweather improved his perfect professional record to 42-0 by claiming the WBC welterweight title from Ortiz, he was reluctant to commit to the showdown most desired by the boxing world.

"I don't need Pacquiao," Mayweather, 34, told reporters after beating Ortiz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "With or without Pacquiao, every time Floyd Mayweather goes out there, he's going to make over $70 million.

"I don't need him. Where was Pacquiao in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 when I was dominating the game? He never asked me (for a fight) when I was in my twenties or when I was in my teens."

A duel between the defense-minded Mayweather and the aggressive Pacquiao, the two biggest drawcards of their generation, would decide the mythical title of the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

Five-division world champion Mayweather had been expected to meet Pacquiao last year until negotiations collapsed over the American's demand for random drug testing.

Shane Mosley then stepped in to take the Filipino's place but he was outclassed by Mayweather in a non-title welterweight bout in May.

Pacquiao is scheduled to fight Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in November and, should he win that bout, there is speculation the Filipino southpaw could finally meet Mayweather next May.

However the American, who made a minimum of $25 million from his victory over Ortiz, repeatedly questions how Pacquaio could have won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight classes.

"Sugar Ray Leonard, we knew he was going to be great from his Olympic days," Mayweather said. "Michael Jordan, we knew from college he was going to be a great professional.

"Floyd Mayweather, from the beginning of his career in the '90s, we knew he was going to be a great professional. Now ask yourself, a fighter just don't get to 25 years old and all of a sudden he becomes great," he added, referring to Pacquaio.

Mayweather also criticized Pacquiao for riding on his coat tails financially and also with the selection of his opponents.

"Pacquiao is famous because he is attached to my name," the American said. "When they say Pacquiao, they say that's the guy they are trying to get to fight Floyd Mayweather. When they say Floyd Mayweather, they say the greatest ever. All Pacquiao is doing is fighting my leftovers man.

"Before he goes about fighting Floyd Mayweather, he has to get his business in order. We're talking about a guy that gives up, when he fights, 30 percent of his check to two different companies. I keep 100 percent of the revenue."

For his part, Pacquiao continually defers any talk of a Mayweather mega-bout to his promoter.

"I'm not going to fight anybody as long as there is a problem with the decision of the promoter," the Filipino said earlier this year. "That's my promoter's job. I'm just a fighter to do my job and train hard for the fight."

(Editing by Julian Linden)

'American Idol' finalists to perform in Manila

MB - She failed to get the coveted ‘American Idol’ crown, but Fil-Am Thia Megia will still get the chance to shine onstage — with her fans and ‘kababayans” right here.

Megia, a Season 10 finalist of the iconic American Idol (AI) TV show, will perform with 10 others, including eventual winner Scotty McCreery.

Reports said they will perform at the Araneta Coliseum for two nights — Sept. 20 to 21.

They arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Philippines Airlines PR-103 flight before dawn Saturday.

The youngest Idol’s finalist after they lowered the minimum age limit to 15, Megia said she was excited on her second visit to the Philippines.

She said she was only four years old when she and her family came back to the Philippines.

“It’s been 12 years since I was here,” said the 16-year-old lass.

“I want to go back to my roots,” she stressed.

She also said the Idol finalists are raring to have a taste of Filipino hospitality, as well as local cuisines.

“We’ve been told we had a lot of Filipino fans,” she added.

McCreery, whose deep-baritone voice, wowed the voting fans, is eager to experience Filipino food.

Aside from Megia and McCreery, in town are finalists Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Stefano Langone.

The Top Ten are usually featured in the Idol’s Tour but a “save" by judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez allowed an eleventh one — Abrams — to break into the elite group.

The Top 11 are expected cover a wide range of musical genres from country, pop, jazz to rock.

Llullaillaco Maiden mummy

Llullaillaco Maiden, a 15 year old girl sacrificed during the Inca Empire for both purposes of religious rite and social control. She was chosen a year prior to her death, fed a ritualistic diet for an approximate twelve months to make her gain weight, then was drugged and left on the shrine at Volcano Llullaillaco, where she was left to die of exposure. For five hundred years, her body had been preserved at 82 ft. She is considered to be the best preserved Andean mummy ever uncovered. - found in tumblr