manila buzz

Tourists are seen on the fabled white sand beach of Boracay in...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:51:23 +0800

Tourists are seen on the fabled white sand beach of Boracay in the Philippines. The Philippines said Wednesday it had pulled a tourism promotion campaign off the Internet after just one day, after the rebrand was severely panned by industry critics. (AFP/File/Jay Directo)

Protesters, wearing masks of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:50:56 +0800

Protesters, wearing masks of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, clap their hands to celebrate her release from house arrest at the Myanmar Embassy Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, at the financial district of Makati city, southeast of Manila, Philippines. The protesters challenged the UN and ASEAN to broaden its engagement with Myanmar by rejecting the recent multi-party elections which they claimed were marred by fraud, tampering and harassment. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Filipino activists hold paper masks depicting Myanmar’s...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:50:28 +0800

Filipino activists hold paper masks depicting Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally outside Myanmar’s embassy in Manila’s Makati financial district November 17, 2010. Over 50 Free Burma Coalition-Philippines activists held a rally in Makati on Wednesday to welcome the recent release of Suu Kyi from house arrest in Myanmar. REUTERS/Erik de Castro

Police officer Rainer Ebus sits, handcuffed, before testifying...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:49:57 +0800

Police officer Rainer Ebus sits, handcuffed, before testifying during the trial of Andal Ampatuan Jr. at a court in the police headquarters in Taguig city, south of Manila November 17, 2010. Andal Jr., a former mayor in Maguindanao province is accused of masterminding the massacre of 57 people, including seven family members of a rival politician , 33 journalists and several civilians. Ebus is one of the police officers accused of taking part in the massacre. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Rubilen Amit of the Philippines lines up a shot during her...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:49:31 +0800

Rubilen Amit of the Philippines lines up a shot during her women’s 8 ball pool singles match against South Korea’s Kim Ga-yung at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Philippines’ Erica Cirila Totten swims her women’s...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:49:08 +0800

Philippines’ Erica Cirila Totten swims her women’s 800m Freestyle heat, at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

A worker unloads a fresh catch of tuna for export to the US and...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:48:44 +0800

A worker unloads a fresh catch of tuna for export to the US and Japan. Maritime clashes have been sparked by regional competition for strategic sea routes and the search for oil, but fishermen from Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam are increasingly heading outside their own territorial waters - and into disputed areas - to earn a living. (AFP/File/Romeo Gacad)

A Filipino Muslim man walks on top of a mosque in suburban...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:48:18 +0800

A Filipino Muslim man walks on top of a mosque in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines as they celebrate Eid al- Adha on Tuesday Nov. 16, 2010. Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, by sacrificial killing of sheep, goats, cows or camels. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Filipino activist talks in front of anti-G20 slogans during a...

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:58:03 +0800

A Filipino activist talks in front of anti-G20 slogans during a press conference in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines on Sunday Nov. 7, 2010. The group said that 6 Filipino activists, including from left Jess Santiago, Joseph Purugganan and Josua Mata, were allegedly denied entry upon arrival at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea where they plan to attend activities at the International People’s Conference during the upcoming G20 summit meeting. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Catholic priests bless the coffins of slain journalists after...

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:57:16 +0800

Catholic priests bless the coffins of slain journalists after the funeral mass in General Santos City, south Cotabato province in 2009. Another suspect in the Philippines’ worst political massacre was arrested on Saturday, a local police chief said, but scores more remain at large. (AFP/File/Ted Aljibe)

Members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA)...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:09:18 +0800

Members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) eat a meal consisting of dried fish to highlight their plight during a rally outside the presidential palace in Manila November 2, 2010. The protesters condemned the labour department for the ruling to retrench 2,600 of its employees. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Children of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:08:45 +0800

Children of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) organisation place flowers on pictures of disappeared victims who have no tombs, in front of a memorial shrine in Manila November 2, 2010. According to a statement released by FIND on Tuesday, at least 1,791 documented victims disappeared from 1971 to 2010. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Airport police officers handling sniffer dogs stand guard in...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:08:10 +0800

Airport police officers handling sniffer dogs stand guard in front of the departure area of Manila International Airport Terminal 3 to conduct security inspections November 2, 2010. President Benigno Aquino III said on Sunday that he was bothered by a foiled terror attack targeting the United States but assured that security in the Philippines has been tightened, local media reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

An airport police officer and a sniffer dog walk along an aisle...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:07:42 +0800

An airport police officer and a sniffer dog walk along an aisle as they conduct security inspections at Manila International Airport Terminal 3 November 2, 2010 . President Benigno Aquino III said on Sunday that he was bothered by a foiled terror attack targeting the United States but assured that security in the Philippines has been tightened, local media reported on Tuesday. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

This undated photo released by the family shows Filipino actor...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:07:15 +0800

This undated photo released by the family shows Filipino actor Kirk Abella in Cebu city, central Philippines. A village watchman allegedly mistook Abella, who was then playing a masked gunman in a British film, for a real assassin and fatally shot him during the taping of the movie Saturday night Oct. 30 at Cebu city’s Parian district. (AP Photo/Abella Family)

Fugitive Rolando Fajardo (centre) is escorted by National Bureau...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:06:30 +0800

Fugitive Rolando Fajardo (centre) is escorted by National Bureau of Investigation agents after he was arrested in Manila. Philippine investigators have arrested Fajardo who was wanted over the kidnapping of a Japanese executive 24 years ago. (AFP/Str)

A member of the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:05:45 +0800

A member of the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) wears a skull mask as they hold a rally in front of the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila, Philippines on Monday, Nov. 1, 2010. The group is condemning a recent decision of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to allow the planned mass layoff of some 3,000 employees of the national flag carrier. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Security personnel at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati...

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:42:51 +0800

Security personnel at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati use K9 on Thursday to search the area after a prankster phoned in a bomb threat. Danny Pata

Air Force personnel load relief goods to a C130 military plane...

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:42:18 +0800

Air Force personnel load relief goods to a C130 military plane at Villamor Airbase on Thursday for the victims of Typhoon Juan in Isabela. Danny Pata

Cops cordon off a bus after a blast inside killed nine...

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:41:54 +0800

Cops cordon off a bus after a blast inside killed nine passengers while traversing the Matalam-Mlang Highway in Cotabato on Thursday. Williamor Magbanua