14 Die in Sabah Fighting

The standoff in Sabah erupted in violence on Friday morning, with 12 followers of the sultan of Sulu and two police officers killed as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared his patience had run out, reports Inquirer.net. Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib told reporters that 12 members of the group led by a brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, were killed in the clash that began at about 10 a.m. and lasted for 30 minutes. The group claimed they were merely returning to their homeland as Sabah belonged​ to the Sulu sultanate.

Pinoys Win Aussie Transgender Tilt

Two transgender Filipinas recently emerged as winners in the Miss Gay and Miss Transsexual Australia Beauty Pageant in Melbourne, Australia, reports GMA News. Gabrielle Louise Mendoza from Philip Islands, Victoria, clinched the Miss Gay title, besting ten other candidates during the pageant on February 2. Now on its fourth year, the Miss Gay and Miss Transsexual Australia Beauty Pageant is an alternative beauty contest for gay men, cross-dressers, drag queens, and transsexuals.

8,000 Filipinos to Come for Haj in Saudi

A total of 8,000 Filipinos will perform Haj this year, reports Arab News. Secretary Mehol K. Sadain of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, on a five-day visit to ensure all arrangements are in place for a smooth Haj this year said, “The Saudi Ministry of Haj granted our request for 8,000 visas for our pilgrims. Last year, only 6,000 pilgrims came for Haj with a further 2,000 having requested visas,” said Sadain. He added that there is a 12,000-visa quota for the Philippines.

U.S. Open to Review of Rejected WWll Vets Claims

The United States is open to a review of the rejected benefit claims of thousands of 24,385 aging Filipino veterans who served with American forces during World War II, the chair of the U.S. House committee on veterans’ affairs said on Friday. Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, head of a congressional delegation that visited the Philippines this week, told the INQUIRER on Friday the U.S. government was willing to take a second look at Filipino veterans’ claims that were denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

Pinoy Wanted for Murder in Canada

TORONTO – Canadian authorities are searching for a 46-year-old Filipino man wanted in the death of a 78-year-old widow, reports Asian Journal. Police have issued a warrant for first-degree murder for Fernando DeCastro in connection with the murder of Manijeh Bostani-Khamsi last November. Authorities found Bostani-Khamsi’s body in her high-rise apartment in Toronto on November 17, a day after De Castro cleaned her apartment. Police believe DeCastro and his wife, who had been in Canada for the past five years, purchased plane tickets to the Philippines and left the country three days after the murder took place.  DeCastro also worked with elderly clients as a health-care provider, he added. It appears that robbery was the motive, but there is no information to suggest that the wife participated in the crime.

Filipino Groups in UK Form Network

LONDON -- Some 80 representatives of 35 Filipino groups across the United Kingdom gathered in London last Jan. 25 for an event organized by the British branch of the European Network of Filipino Diaspora (ENFiD), reports ABS-CBN News.  The gathering at a hotel in Kensington, was the first official get-together for the members of ENFiD-UK, which was formed last year. Attending groups included the Batangas Association, Colchester Filipino Community, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium, Filipino Movement (Fil-Mo), PhilJury, Philippine Women's Association, The Guardians and Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines (CHRP). The meeting tackled issues like immigration, debt management or financial education, as well as the vulnerable or elderly people.

Warning Vs. Fake Medical Jobs in Singapore

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned against an online scam luring Filipino medical workers to non-existent jobs in Singapore, reports GMA News. Tan Zhiyi, the Human Resource  Division of Singapore General Hospital,  alerted the POEA that Filipino workers were asking about the authenticity of the job offers sent through the following email addresses: singaporegenhosp@zoho.com; singaporegeneralhosp @ojooo.com; and singaporegenhosp@hush.com.  Tan noted that  their official emails use the internet address sgh.com.sg. The scammers require victims to pay P3,800 (US$93) for visa interview preparation fee through a bank account not owned by  the hospital.  

Irish Betting Site Gives Tagle 25-to-1 Odds as Pope

Irish bookmakers as of Thursday were giving Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle 25-to-1 odds of succeeding Pope Benedict XVI when he steps down on February 28, reports Interaksyon.com. Betting site PaddyPower.com places the Philippine Catholic leader just outside of its Top 10 bets for the papacy. The site’s odds makers in previous days had given Tagle as high as 16-to-1 odds, according to Reuters. PaddyPower's favorites, however, are Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana (5-to-2), Archbishop Angelo Scola of Italy (3-to-1) and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertoni, also of Italy (7-to-2). The Catholics of Argentina, Brazil, and Honduras were also well represented in the Top 10. As of Thursday, Tagle was ranked No. 12.