NBA fines Bryant $100,000 for anti-gay slur

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The NBA fined Kobe Bryant $100,000 on Wednesday for using a derogatory gay term in frustration over a referee's call.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a swift disciplinary ruling after the Los Angeles Lakers' five-time NBA champion guard cursed and used the homophobic slur when referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul on him Tuesday night in the third quarter of a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

"Kobe Bryant's comment during last night's game was offensive and inexcusable," Stern said. "While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. ... Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society."

Stern's action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that had demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and condemnation of his words by the Lakers. Bryant, the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history, issued a statement earlier Wednesday saying his words came strictly out of anger and shouldn't be taken literally.

"We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said. "We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context."

Bryant's words and actions were captured by TNT's cameras during the network's national broadcast of the Lakers' regular-season home finale.

Bryant punched his chair before taking a seat on the bench, throwing a towel on the court near his feet in frustration after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. He got his 15th technical of the season for arguing the call, one shy of the cumulative trigger for a one-game NBA suspension.

"What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period," Bryant said in a statement issued through the Lakers. "The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

The 32-year-old Bryant is a former league MVP, a 13-time All-Star, the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history and sixth on the NBA's career list after passing Moses Malone last month. He was the MVP of the last two NBA finals while leading the Lakers to back-to-back titles.

Bryant has been among the NBA's most popular players worldwide for most of his 15-year career, spent entirely with the Lakers, even after he was arrested and accused of sexual assault in 2003 in a case that was later dropped. He has several lucrative endorsement deals with companies ranging from Sprite to Turkish Airlines.

His No. 24 jersey was the league's best-selling uniform among fans during each of the past two seasons, and Bryant's jersey finished second to LeBron James' new Miami uniform in the NBA's annual rankings released earlier Wednesday.

Gay-rights groups quickly denounced Bryant's actions against Adams. Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, saw an opportunity to put a spotlight on the unacceptable nature of anti-gay slurs.

"Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility," Barrios said. "The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable."

Known as a fierce competitor with a nasty edge, Bryant has ranked among the NBA's top 10 accumulators of technical fouls during each of the past six seasons, and he has edged right up to the line of serious NBA discipline this spring. He ranks second only to Orlando's Dwight Howard in technical fouls this season, mostly for arguing with referees.

Bryant was called for an additional technical foul that was rescinded Monday. If Bryant gets another T in the Lakers' season finale at Sacramento on Wednesday night, he would be suspended for the first game of next season, not for a playoff game.

The Lakers will open the playoffs this weekend at Staples Center.

Labor chief: OFW displacement to slash remittances by $1.6B

Threatening to displace over two million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the escalating unrest in Middle Eastern and North African countries could bring down annual OFW remittances by $1.6 billion, government figures show.

Citing remittance figures from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz disclosed that about 2.4 million OFWs work in strife-torn countries in the Middle East.

In North Africa, some 64,736 OFWs in similarly conflict-ridden states such as Egypt and Libya face threats against their personal security and employment.

The projection, however, excludes possible losses from OFWs in countries with lingering conflict such as Iran, which employs 4,420 OFWs, Iraq with 6,215, and Israel with 39,000.

Employment in Qatar

Vice President Jejomar Binay meanwhile said that job openings await OFWs in Qatar -- at $88,233 per person, it has the world’s highest per capita I ncome, surpassing Norway and Luxembourg.

In his meeting with Binay, Qatar Labor Minister Nasser bin Abdulla Al Hamaidi expressed his eagerness to see more OFWs in Qatar as the country prepares to host the World Cup in 2022.

Welcoming Binay, Crown Prince Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani also said, “Filipinos are always welcome in Doha. Our doors are open to them. They are hardworking, disciplined, highly skilled and very professional, and they have become part of our culture." 
OFW remittances have buoyed the Philippine economy, reaching nearly $19 million in the last two years. — PE/VS, GMA News Online

PHL Embassy in UK warns vs forged signatures, fake verification stamps

Philippine officials in the United Kingdom (UK) warned Filipino workers on Sunday to be wary against the forged signatures of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office there (POLO-UK) and fake job verification stamps.

The Philippine Embassy in the UK issued the warning after learning that at least one recruitment agency presented forged Job Order Verification Stamps and signatures of authorized officials of the POLO-UK.

"The Embassy reiterates its advice to verify any job offers, particularly those secured online, with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency or the POLO-UK at
polo.london@yahoo.co.uk or embassy@philemb.co.uk," it said in a news release posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website.

The embassy said the case involved one JP Recruitment Agency with address at 290 Queens Road, Bootle, Liverpool, United Kingdom and contact number 00-44701114753.

Citing information reaching it, the Embassy said the agency presented a Manpower Request/Job Order bearing a fake POLO-UK verification stamp and the forged signature of the Labor Attaché based in London to a Philippine recruitment agency.

However, the DFA did not say if the agency was sanctioned for the action.

"The public is advised not to entertain any transactions for recruitment and employment from the said entity which allegedly bear the stamp and signature of POLO without first verifying this with the POLO-UK Office at the Embassy," it said. – VVP, GMA News

Convicted Pinoy drug courier in Thailand to appeal case

Another Filipino detained abroad on drug-related charges will fight to prove her innocence in court, as she believes that she has a strong case.

Flory May Talaban, who is detained in Thailand, is not seeking clemency before the Thai king but has instead filed an appeal before Thailand's second court.

Talaban, 28, disclosed this to her parents who visited her at the Correctional Institute for Female Offenders in Bangkok last March 28, news site Visayan Daily Star reported on Saturday.

Her mother Nede said that Flory May had told them she has filed an appeal before Thailand’s second court.

Rep. Neri Colmenares, who facilitated the visit of Nede and Florentino Talaban to their daughter, said that one has to withdraw one’s appeal in court to avail of a pardon or clemency from the King of Thailand.

Colmenares said that Flory May had said that she does not want to seek clemency because she wants to prove her innocence in court, as she believes she has a strong case.

Flory May is one of two Filipina drug mules facing life sentences in Thailand.

Colmenares said the other Filipino is Icoy Mamontong.

He added that there are 23 Filipino drug mules now detained in Thai prisons.

Thai police arrested Flory May at a Thai mall on May 4, 2009. She was supposedly carrying a book said to have 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed inside.

Police also raided her Bangkok apartment and found 2.8 kg of heroin there.

The Thai Court found Talaban guilty of “possession of a Category 1 illegal narcotic (heroin) with intent to sell."

March 28 was the first time Flory May's parents were able to see her since her arrest.

Colmenares described the meeting as "heart-wrenching."

But while Flory May and her parents wept, they were denied a chance to hug each other, as they were separated by a glass wall.

Colmenares said he asked the jail personnel if the Talabans could hug their daughter even only briefly.

It was not allowed.

They touched fingertips through a small hole in the glass, he said.

The Visayan Daily Star report quoted Nede as saying Flory May told them that she was sorry if the allegations against her had brought shame upon her family. She insisted she is innocent, and says she will prove it in court.

She told them that, as their eldest child, she wanted to be the one helping her parents rather than the one causing them pain.

Flory May said that at her first trial, she was defended by a court-appointed lawyer but that they had lost their case.

Now she has a new lawyer who had agreed to defend now and be paid later, Colmenares said.

Flory May, 28, quit her law studies at University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City to work as a teacher in China in 2005.

But when she arrived in China, there was no work available to her. She opted to stay after her father suffered a stroke and was forced to retire from work at the USLS as electronic technician.

She told her parents that she had been hired as a tutor.

Colmenares said Talaban's work visa in China had expired so she went to Thailand to renew it from there.

She also went to Thailand where she had been told that many tutoring jobs are available, Colmenares added.

Flory May told her mother that in the Thai village where she was living, she had a Nigerian acquaintance who had asked her to deliver a book to a friend of his when she went to the mall. The man also asked if he could leave a bag at her apartment.

She said she was surprised that while she was at the mall, the police arrested her and found the drugs in the book.

They then asked her daughter where she lived and she told them, Nede said.

Nede said her daughter did not know that the bag left in her apartment contained drugs. If she knew what was in it, she would not have told the police where she lived, she added.

Nede said her daughter has grown thin and has rashes and scars on her face. She is allergic to the Thai food she is eating in prison and sometimes lacks soap, Nede added.— AYA/TJD, GMA News

Ashes of 1 of 3 Pinoys executed in China brought home

The ashes of one of three Filipino drug mules executed in China were brought home before midnight Wednesday, even as relatives of the three returned home from their last meetings with their loved ones shortly before the executions.

Relatives of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva and Ramon Credo arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport before midnight Wednesday, dzBB radio reported.

The report said Credo's brother Paulo brought home Ramon's ashes from China, even as the remains of Villanueva and Elizabeth Batain are expected to be brought back to the Philippines in one week's time.


A report on radio dzBB early Thursday said members of the Ordinario and Credo families who went to China arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a China Southern Airlines flight at 10:51 p.m. Wednesday.

Teams from the Department of Foreign Affairs fetched the family members at the tarmac and transported them directly to their homes, the report said.

Villanueva's father Geronimo and sister Mylene arrived at their house in Batasan Hills, Quezon City, past midnight. When Geronimo and Mylene returned to the house, Sally's sister Mirasol became emotional, the report added.

Geronimo was quoted in the report as saying they expect the remains of Sally to be brought to the Philippines within one week.

On the other hand, it was a quiet homecoming for the Credos at their house in Bacoor, Cavite, at 11:50 p.m. Members of the Credo family quickly entered the house and requested media there to respect their privacy, at least until their mourning is over. 

The report also said Credo's mother Dolores is entertaining plans to migrate to Canada soon. 

Meanwhile, a separate dzBB report said kin of Batain are expected to arrive Thursday from China. — LBG, GMA News