“Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 a.m. August 1, 2009 of cardio respiratory arrest. She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and your continued love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and our country. Hinihiling po ng aming pamilya ang konting panahon para makasama namin ang aming mahal na ina,” a statement from the Aquino family read.

Details of the former president’s wake will be announced later, the family said.

Once a reluctant housewife, Aquino was known as an icon of Philippine democracy after the EDSA ‘People Power’ revolution removed the Marcos dictatorship and restored democracy in the Southeast Asian archipelago in 1986.

Aquino served as the nation’s president until 1992 when she gave way to her successor, President Fidel Ramos. Even in retirement, she remained in the public eye and continued to speak out on political issues.

In March 2008 her family announced that Aquino had colon cancer.

Various healing masses had been held in different parts of the country after she was confined at the Makati Medical Center starting June 25. Thousands attended the masses praying that one of of the world’s democracy icons would recover. Prayers and get-well messages were also posted on her website, coryaquino.ph.

Last Monday, the Aquino family said Mrs. Aquino’s condition had turned to “guarded” due to her fluctuating blood pressure. On the same day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo started her State of the Nation Address by leading a moment of silence for her predecessor.

Her son, Senator Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, confirmed that the former leader’s cancer had already spread to her liver.

“Her weakened condition does not allow chemotherapy. We have reached the point where you’re not sure if the intervention will help or worsen the condition,” he told reporters.

Last week, her supporters tied yellow ribbons along Times St. and Examiner St. in Quezon City near Mrs. Aquino’s residence, and also outside the Makati Medical Center, symbolizing hope and prayers for her recovery and as a show of support for Philippine democracy.

People power

Aquino was propelled to the Philippines presidency in the ‘People Power’ revolution in 1986.

For three days in February of that year, the world watched as the woman in a bright yellow dress led millions in a peaceful uprising that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who had ruled with an iron fist for two decades.

During the next six years, Aquino — a devout Roman Catholic – led the restoration of democracy and changed the country’s Constitution.

But her presidency was marred by at least six failed military coups, political squabbling, insurgent attacks and her failure to change a political system dominated by elite family clans.

Time magazine in 2006 named Aquino one of Asia’s heroes, praising her “quiet courage” and describing her as “the symbol of People Power and an inspiration to others around the world struggling against tyranny.”

On June 25, Aquino was brought to the Makati Medical Center due to loss of appetite. She reportedly refused further medical treatment. Family members were by her side and the country prayed for her recovery.

Privilege and wealth

Born into the Cojuangco clan in the northern province of Tarlac on January 25, 1933, Aquino was a product of privilege, power and wealth.

Educated in the United States and Manila, she entertained no political ambitions — but all that changed when she met and married Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., a bright young journalist from another prominent Tarlac clan, in 1954.

Ninoy was seen by many to be a president in the making, but for Marcos, the then-senator was a threat. In September 1972, Marcos declared martial law and jailed hundreds of his opponents and critics, including Ninoy.

Corazon Aquino helped keep the opposition alive, speaking out on behalf of her husband and demanding change.

Aquino assassination

In 1983, against the advice of friends, Ninoy flew back to the Philippines from exile in Boston to seek an audience with the ailing Marcos. But before he could even get off the plane, he was gunned down by assassins.

His grief-stricken widow flew back to the Philippines, where she was quickly thrust into the role of uniting the opposition.

“I don’t seek vengeance, only justice, not only for Ninoy but for the suffering Filipino people,” Aquino declared as she reluctantly accepted the nomination of her peers.

Marcos won the 1986 elections, which were marred by massive irregularities.

The Aquino-led opposition, backed by the Catholic church, soon rallied about one million people on the street — “People Power” was born, Marcos was quickly ousted and Aquino took the presidential oath of office.

She quickly set up a commission to draft a new constitution, dismantled the network of Marcos cronies that controlled the economy and freed scores of political activists.

Aquino also began talks with communist and Muslim insurgents, but her efforts would soon be undermined by problems within the coalition government she built. She later survived a series of bloody coup attempts.

Citizen Cory

In retirement, Aquino remained in the public eye, often speaking out against alleged abuses in government.

Seventeen years after she stepped down from office, Aquino continued to enjoy the trust of the majority of Filipinos. A February 2009 survey of Social Weather Stations showed 3 out of every 5 adult Filipinos have much trust in the former president. She enjoyed a net trust rating of +38.

She also became a vocal critic of current President Arroyo, whose family has been accused of massive corruption, and joined street protests against her until she was diagnosed with colon cancer in March of last year.

In the 1990s, Aquino said the presidency had taught her a valuable lessons in governance.

“I realized that I could have made things easier for myself if I had done the popular things, rather than the painful but better ones in the long run. After all, in the long run, I wouldn’t be around to be blamed,” she said.

As “Citizen Cory,” she was active in non-government organizations promoting democracy, peace, and woman empowerment, and in recent years, micro-enterprise.

Until her last years as a private citizen, she remained a strong political influence and moral force, opposing moves toward charter change, which many fear will lead to a term extension for President Arroyo.

But on March 24, 2008, Mrs. Aquino faced another tough battle. Her children, Noynoy and Kris, announced that the former president had been diagnosed with colon cancer.

Aquino underwent chemotherapy, and in public remarks made in May 2008, she said she had been responding positively to treatment.

But on Saturday, she lost, perhaps, her toughest battle.

———————————————————————————————–

Watch the live coverage of the different stations of the Philippines!

available at: http://theexaminer-ph.blogspot.com

The President and the First Lady were speaking at an event for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Month in the White House when they heard the quacking.

“Whose, whose duck back there?” asked the President.

“Where do you guys get these ringtones by the way,” he said, “I’m just curious.”

CEBU, Philippines (AP) — The Filipino inmates who shot to global fame with a YouTube video of their “Thriller” dance swayed and stomped again Saturday in a behind-bars tribute to their idol, Michael Jackson.

After being told of Jackson’s death Thursday in Los Angeles, the 1,500 inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center hit the exercise yard, practicing for nine hours Friday night — and into the wee hours of Saturday morning — for the show. They took breaks only to eat or when it rained, said professional choreographer Gwendolyn Lador, hired by the prison to teach the inmates the dance.

“I felt sad because we lost our idol,” said inmate Wenjiel Resane, who plays the role of Jackson’s girlfriend in the video.

Crisanto Nieri, 38, was feeling a little extra stress. He danced Jackson’s part in “Thriller.”

“Even as a kid, he was already my idol,” said Nieri, who is serving seven years on drug charges. “I am happy that our video became famous, but I feel some pressure to perform well.”

A crowd of 700 Cebuanos and foreign tourists watched the performance from a second-floor corridor, swaying to the music and applauding as the inmates, dressed in orange prison T-shirts and sweat pants, stomped and clapped in unison in the hilltop prison, behind thick stone walls topped by electrified razor wire.

Other numbers included “Ben,” ”I’ll Be There” and “We Are the World.” The inmates then held up a 5-by-10 foot (1.5-by-3 meter) tarpaulin showing Michael Jackson holding a sword with his name written below it.

Others waved the flags of the Philippines and other nations.

Before the show, the performers dedicated a prayer to Jackson’s family.

“I was sad because one of the songs of Michael Jackson, ‘Thriller,’ made us famous around the world,” said Francis Mercader, 36, who has spent a year in detention while on trial for drug charges.

Byron Garcia, the Cebu provincial security consultant who came up with the idea of adding synchronized dancing to poorly attended exercise sessions, said he was surprised by the popularity of the 2007 video — one of more than a dozen inmate dance numbers he has posted on YouTube.

“Thriller” has attracted 24.3 million hits since it was posted two years ago, with nearly a million of them in the 24 hours since news of Jackson’s death spread.

The inmates “consider Michael Jackson as a god here,” Garcia said. “If not for Michael Jackson, they would not have this international recognition.”

“The fame brought them back their self-esteem,” he told reporters. “So that’s why we have these public performances.”

Inmate Alfredo Gaballo, 52, says Jackson “inspired us, so we are all sad about his death.”

“The performance today has been amazing,” said Karen Benrad, 29, from London. She and about two dozen foreign and local tourists later joined the inmates at the prison quadrangle, dancing to the tune of “Macarena” and “I just can’t get enough.”

Kim Hua-sung, a 23-year-old South Korean student in Cebu who watched the inmates’ performance, said he is also a Jackson fan. “I’m sad that I can’t listen to more songs from him.”

In Taiwan, two top Michael Jackson impersonators donned fedora hats and sequined outfits Saturday, moonwalking to “Billie Jean” in their own tribute to the pop star.

Thirty-year-old Wang Chih-wei told The Associated Press he secured a photo op with his idol during Jackson’s whirlwind tour in 1993 after winning an impersonation contest.

“I didn’t know much English so I could only tell him, ‘I love you,’” Wang said. “He was very friendly. I melted when he put his hand on my shoulder for the photo.”

CEBU, Philippines (AP) — The Filipino inmates who shot to global fame with a YouTube video of their “Thriller” dance swayed and stomped again Saturday in a behind-bars tribute to their idol, Michael Jackson.

After being told of Jackson’s death Thursday in Los Angeles, the 1,500 inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center hit the exercise yard, practicing for nine hours Friday night — and into the wee hours of Saturday morning — for the show. They took breaks only to eat or when it rained, said professional choreographer Gwendolyn Lador, hired by the prison to teach the inmates the dance.

“I felt sad because we lost our idol,” said inmate Wenjiel Resane, who plays the role of Jackson’s girlfriend in the video.

Crisanto Nieri, 38, was feeling a little extra stress. He danced Jackson’s part in “Thriller.”

“Even as a kid, he was already my idol,” said Nieri, who is serving seven years on drug charges. “I am happy that our video became famous, but I feel some pressure to perform well.”

A crowd of 700 Cebuanos and foreign tourists watched the performance from a second-floor corridor, swaying to the music and applauding as the inmates, dressed in orange prison T-shirts and sweat pants, stomped and clapped in unison in the hilltop prison, behind thick stone walls topped by electrified razor wire.

Other numbers included “Ben,” ”I’ll Be There” and “We Are the World.” The inmates then held up a 5-by-10 foot (1.5-by-3 meter) tarpaulin showing Michael Jackson holding a sword with his name written below it.

Others waved the flags of the Philippines and other nations.

Before the show, the performers dedicated a prayer to Jackson’s family.

“I was sad because one of the songs of Michael Jackson, ‘Thriller,’ made us famous around the world,” said Francis Mercader, 36, who has spent a year in detention while on trial for drug charges.

Byron Garcia, the Cebu provincial security consultant who came up with the idea of adding synchronized dancing to poorly attended exercise sessions, said he was surprised by the popularity of the 2007 video — one of more than a dozen inmate dance numbers he has posted on YouTube.

“Thriller” has attracted 24.3 million hits since it was posted two years ago, with nearly a million of them in the 24 hours since news of Jackson’s death spread.

The inmates “consider Michael Jackson as a god here,” Garcia said. “If not for Michael Jackson, they would not have this international recognition.”

“The fame brought them back their self-esteem,” he told reporters. “So that’s why we have these public performances.”

Inmate Alfredo Gaballo, 52, says Jackson “inspired us, so we are all sad about his death.”

“The performance today has been amazing,” said Karen Benrad, 29, from London. She and about two dozen foreign and local tourists later joined the inmates at the prison quadrangle, dancing to the tune of “Macarena” and “I just can’t get enough.”

Kim Hua-sung, a 23-year-old South Korean student in Cebu who watched the inmates’ performance, said he is also a Jackson fan. “I’m sad that I can’t listen to more songs from him.”

In Taiwan, two top Michael Jackson impersonators donned fedora hats and sequined outfits Saturday, moonwalking to “Billie Jean” in their own tribute to the pop star.

Thirty-year-old Wang Chih-wei told The Associated Press he secured a photo op with his idol during Jackson’s whirlwind tour in 1993 after winning an impersonation contest.

“I didn’t know much English so I could only tell him, ‘I love you,’” Wang said. “He was very friendly. I melted when he put his hand on my shoulder for the photo.”

“Gusto ko rin talagang mailabas itong katotohanan, gawing legal and moral ang tamang gawin, magsabi ng totoo [I want to bring out the truth and do the legal and moral thing],” Mancao said in an interview inside the plane that touched down on Philippine soil early Thursday morning.

He added that even as his life could be under threat, he is prepared to face the consequences by telling the truth on the Dacer-Corbito twin killings.

“Kung hustisya ang pinag-uusapan, ay haharapin ko naman [If it’s for justice, I will face the consequences],” he said.

Despite fears that the people he had linked to the deaths of Dacer and Corbito might get back at him, Mancao said Philippine government officials had assured him of his safety.

“Panatag ‘yong loob ko na mapo-protektahan nila ako. Kasi maraming mga grupo na puwedeng mga nabangga ko noon [I am confident they would protect me because there are a lot of groups I’ve stepped on in the past],” he said.

Mancao arrived before 5:30 a.m. Thursday on board Philippine Airlines Flight PR 103 escorted by elements of the National Bureau of Investigation headed by lawyer Ricardo Diaz, head of the agency for the National Capital Region.

In a brief interview with GMA’s Arnold Clavio, Mancao said he was having mixed emotions. “I am happy. I am sad. Thank you for welcoming me.”

Diaz said Mancao was not handcuffed during the flight.

Mancao is expected to testify on the twin killings of Dacer and Corbito in November 2000. Among those he implicated in his Feb. 13, 2009 affidavit were Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former President Joseph Estrada. The two have repeatedly denied involvement in the crime.

Asked what compelled him to possibly testify against Lacson, Mancao said: “Sinakripisyo ko career ko. Iniwanan ko pamilya ko. Sinunod ko yung utos ng taong nirespeto ko at pumusta rin ako. It’s about time. Bago ako mahuli, humingi ako ng tulong, wala naman akong maasahan na.”

[I sacrificed my career and left my family. I took risks and followed the orders of the one I respected. It’s about time. Before I was arrested, I asked for help, but there was no one I could rely on.]

Back to US?

Earlier reports have it that as part of an arrangement with the Philippine government, Mancao would fly back to the US after giving his testimony on the case.

But Diaz told Clavio that he is not aware of the reported arrangement. “That’s for the Department of Justice to decide…I am not aware of that.”

Mancao, for his part, said his possible return to the US might be unlikely. “’Di pa ako makakabalik ng Amerika siguro. Matatagalan pa [I don’t think I can go back to the US anytime soon].”

The former police official fled to the United States at the height of the investigation on the Dacer-Corbito double murder case in July 2001.

Asked whether he would return to government service, Mancao said that while he is “considering the matter,” it is not really part of his immediate plans.

NBI custody

After his arrival in the Philippines, Mancao was brought straight to the NBI office in Manila where he will be secured while in the country.

Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez said that Mancao is considered a detainee and “prospective witness” for the imminent reopening of the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.

In a separate television interview, Gonzalez said that the reopening of the case would be hastened with the impending arrival of former police Superintendent Glenn Dumlao.

The Constituent assembly, or Con-ass, was called different names–from “immoral” to “treachery of the highest order.” Civil society and militant groups braved the rains and marched the streets in thin crowds dramatizing their sentiments, including baring their butts. A religious leader said he is depending on prayers to knock some sense into the lawmakers.

Opposition to the Con-ass is couched on three main points: its wrong timing (The country is in the brink of recession), its questionable motive (The extension of President Arroyo’s term limits), and its shaky legal basis (It snubs the 23 senators’s participation in the process).

The latter is supposed to bring the Supreme Court in to decide whether the Con-ass could proceed. New appointments to the High Court could sway the results as they’ll need the nod of President Arroyo–the alleged beneficiary of the Con-ass issue–before they could assume their post.

The Con-ass approval brought two questions to the fore: Will the May 2010 national elections push through? And is another people’s revolution in the offing?

Allies of President Arroyo, who is on an official trip to Russia, insisted Wednesday that the measure will not lead to the cancellation of the presidential elections next year. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said, “We cannot do anything if the legislature passed it. We have to abide by the law.”

Prayers

The Catholic bishops did not mince words in their objections. In a statement, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said the lawmakers “betrayed the people” by approving the Con-ass mode. “When power corrupts, it corrupts absolutely,” the religious leader noted.

Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes described the Con-ass as “immoral” and “self-serving.”

Lagdameo said, “I am praying that it (charter change) will not happen. I am praying that they (lawmakers) will not succeed.” He added, “I hope people would pray, too, and do something against the plan.”

Even the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), a business group widely considered allied with the administration, thumbed it down. PCCI president Edgardo Lacson told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak in a phone interview that any move to change the constitution now is “just a big distraction” to the fact that the Philippine economy is already on the brink of a recession.

Lacson said, “Considering we had a 0.4% growth in the first quarter–which is not a respectable growth–we need to be unifying to improve the economy. On the contrary, the Con-ass is divisive and a polarizing exercise.”

Not popular

Over the years, tinkering with the constitution to extend President Arroyo’s term has not been popular. Since pollster Social Weather Stations’s August 2005 survey, those against term extension through Cha-Cha has remained above 64 percent. In its latest survey fielded over February 20 to 23 this year, 2 out of 3 (or 66 percent) of Filipinos were opposed to charter change–if it would allow President Arroyo to stay in power after her term ends on June 30, 2010.

This was lost during the hours-long debate last night, however. “LIke thieves in the night,” as described by United Opposition (UNO) chairman Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, “the cronies of [President] Arroyo in the House of Representatives approved and passed [House Bill 1109, or Con-ass] last night.”

United Opposition (UNO) President Jejomar Binay said this was “a prelude to Arroyo dictatorship.”

Even Vice President Noli de Castro, who has been topping surveys on the 2010 presidential election, said he, too, is not in favor of the Con-ass move.

Left behind

The haste by which the Con-Ass was approved during the plenary Tuesday night irked groups who have been lobbying for other laws.

Farmers groups who have been camping for weeks at the congressional compound for the passage of a key agrarian reform program forced their way inside, but were met by guards and turned away. Fortunately for the farmers, the bill was passed late today, the last day of Congress before they went on recess.

Anti-child pornography groups were not as lucky. While they pointed out that if a contentious issue as changing the charter can be easily approved, “what is taking our congressmen so long to pass non-debatable law as the Anti-Child Pornography Bill?” Group members organized a cultural serenade at the North Wing Lobby of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, an overseas Filipino workers (OFW) group in Hongkong called the Con-Ass “treachery of the highest order.” Dolores Balladares, chairperson of the militant United Filipinos in Hong Kong said that they now understand why the government has not allotted budget for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV). Registration for the OAV has met severe criticisms from Filipinos abroad citing the lack of sufficient facilities for education and machines for actual registration by Philippine overseas posts.

“Now it can be told. It was never the intention of this government to hold the elections next year. It is not only us OFWs who are being disenfranchised but the whole nation,” she said.

Rallies

Various militant youth groups held protest rallies in Mendiola despite the pouring rain.

“The youth condemns this evil maneuver to the highest level. The Charter Change was never for the people’s interests, but for the interests of the Arroyo clique,” Student Christian Movement of the Philippines chairperson Cristina Guevarra said.

About a hundred members of youth groups led by Anakbayan initially tried to remove the barbed wires to enter Mendiola but the anti-riot police stopped them. The rally ended peacefully.

In Makati City, various cause-oriented and civil society groups led by UNO president and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay met to plan for a noise barrage in the coming days at the country’s financial business district.

Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Pilipino Movement said he will not be cowered to lead peaceful assemblies. He heads and founded the Jesus Is Lord religious group, which has members nationwide who supported him in his 2004 presidential bid. “I know the Filipino peole won’t take this sitting down.”

But Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile just shrugged off talks of a revolution. “It’s not worth a revolution–yet.”

This is in consonance with Response Level 3 of the Guidelines on A (H1N1) for schools which state that school authorities should suspend classes after detection of at least one confirmed case and there is no sustained community transmission.

The new confirmed case is a 21 year-old female foreign student who arrived in the country last May 12. According to DLSU officials, classes officially started on May 25 for the first trimester of this school year. The foreign student only reported very mild symptoms on May 29 which came to the attention of school authorities.

The student consulted a health facility on May 31where she was examined and tested for the presence of the virus through a throat swab. The specimen turned positive for A (H1N1) as confirmed today by RITM.

Duque said that the DOH is currently investigating and doing contact tracing to see if there were other exposed individuals related to this new case. Initial findings reveal that there is very limited exposure of other students to the confirmed case and that both DOH and school authorities can trace them.
Meanwhile, Duque already met the officials of DLSU to discuss the situation and come up with the next steps to prevent the spread of the virus to other students, faculty and other school staff.

Brother Armin Luistro FSC, President and Chancellor of the De La Salle University, expressed his full cooperation with the DOH on the ongoing containment measures and said that DLSU will immediately invoke the recommended measures contained in the Response Level System in Schools initially released by the DOH last May 31.

Starting tomorrow, June 4, classes will be suspended at the University and will last until June 14 in accordance with the guidelines set by the DOH.

The De La Salle University has already informed the students and faculty who were in the same class as the confirmed case to do self-monitoring of symptoms at home and to report immediately at designated hotlines if they become ill.

Meanwhile, Secretary Duque appealed to these students and school staff to temporarily avoid going to malls and other crowded areas during the period of class suspension.

As a precautionary measure, although they do not belong to the affected classes, all other students, faculty and personnel of DLSU should consider self-monitoring and avoiding crowded gatherings as well.

Secretary Duque thanked the officials of DLSU for keeping their school clinic open for any consultation during the period of class suspension. Students and faculty are therefore advised to report any symptom at this clinic which will in turn refer the cases to designated DOH referral facilities when necessary.

To date, the total number of confirmed cases of a (H1N1) in the country is now at 22.

Duque said that the three previously reported confirmed cases will be discharged today. To date, 14 of the 22 confirmed cases have already been sent home.

Since May 1, 2009, the DOH has monitored a total of 401 CUOs. Of these, 22 are positive A(H1N1) cases, 78 have pending laboratory results, and 301 are negative for A(H1N1) and have been discarded. There are 56 new Cases Under Observation (CUOs) today.

In their latest report, the World Health Organization reported 1,900 new cases and 16 deaths. There are now a total of 17,410 cases and 115 deaths from 62 reporting countries.

GENEVA, Switzerland (WHO Press Release) – As of 06:00 GMT, 3 June 2009, 66 countries have officially reported 19,273 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 117 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table and map.

Chinese Taipei has reported 14 confirmed case of influenza A (H1N1) with 0 deaths. Cases from Chinese Taipei are included in the cumulative totals provided in the table above.

Cumulative and new figures are subject to revision

GENEVA, Switzerland (WHO Press Release) – As of 06:00 GMT, 3 June 2009, 66 countries have officially reported 19,273 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 117 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table and map.

Chinese Taipei has reported 14 confirmed case of influenza A (H1N1) with 0 deaths. Cases from Chinese Taipei are included in the cumulative totals provided in the table above.

Cumulative and new figures are subject to revision

Spotter planes were dispatched in a bid to locate the jet in a vast area of ocean between Brazil and Africa, but officials said there was little hope of survivors from what appears to be the worst air accident in over a decade.

“The prospects of finding any survivors are very slim,” a grim-faced French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after talking to stunned relatives of missing passengers. “It’s a catastrophe the likes of which Air France has never seen.”

Although the exact cause of the crash remained a mystery, Air France ‘s chief executive said the Airbus A330 had sent a series of error messages shortly after crossing an area of major turbulence.

“A succession of a dozen technical messages” sent by the aircraft around 0215 GMT showed that “several electrical systems had broken down” which caused a “totally unprecedented situation in the plane,” said Pierre-Henry Gourgeon.

“It is probable that it was shortly after these messages that the impact in the Atlantic came,” he told reporters at Charles de Gaulle airport, where the flight was meant to have landed on Monday morning.

Airline officials had earlier said the plane was probably hit by lightning, but Gourgeon declined to make a direct link between weather conditions and the error messages.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he held out hope for survivors, but added that earlier he had spoken with French President Nicolas Sarkozy by telephone “and really it was an exchange of condolences.”

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso sent a message of solidarity to both presidents, and expressed his “deepest sympathies” to the loved ones of those on board.

If it is confirmed that all 228 people on Flight AF 447 are dead, it would mark the worst loss of life in Air France’s history and civil aviation’s worst accident for more than a decade.

The Brazilian, Spanish and French air forces sent out search planes to scour a vast area of ocean between Brazil and Africa. Paris also asked Washington to use its spy satellites and listening posts to help.

At Charles de Gaulle airport, tearful relatives were ushered into a private area to await developments and get counselling from a team of psychologists.

At Rio ‘s Tom Jobim International Airport stunned relatives were shown into a closed lounge, away from the news media and into the care of psychologists and doctors.

One woman, Vasti Ester van Sluijs, told AFP she had jumped into a taxi as soon as she heard the overnight Air France flight had disappeared.

“My daughter Adriana Francesca was on the plane,” she said.

Air France said the 216 passengers included 126 men, 82 women, seven children and a baby. There were 12 French crew members.

The passengers hailed from 32 countries, including 61 from France, 58 from Brazil and 26 from Germany.

French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, whose portfolio includes transport, said hijacking had been ruled out.

Airbus said the A330 has a good safety record, with no fatalities ever on a commercial flight. One did crash in 1994 during a test flight in southern France, however, killing seven people on board.

Last week Air France announced its first net loss since it merged with Dutch airline KLM in 2003 to create Europe’s biggest airline.

In July 2000 all 109 passengers and crew plus four people on the ground were killed when a supersonic Air France Concorde crashed during takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport. All Concordes were eventually taken out of service.

On August 3, 2005, an Air France A340 with 309 on board skidded off the runway after landing in a thunderstorm at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Fourteen people suffered minor injuries.