The Philippine Headlines - October 02, 2007

Posted by Balitang Pinoy at 5:53 PM

RP-China ties won’t be affected by NBN deal row--Palace

MANILA, Philippines -- Ties between Manila and Beijing will not sour over the government's decision to suspend its $329-million telecommunications contract with China's ZTE Corp., President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spokesman said Tuesday.

Sharks mangled crewmen of sunken ship off Palawan--survivors

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines -- Four of the rescued crewmembers of a cargo ship which sank off the coast of Cagayancillo, Palawan over the weekend saw how their coworkers were eaten alive by sharks while they were calling for help, a police official said Tuesday.

Nora Aunor free as LA court drops illegal drug rap--report

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Actress Nora Aunor is free, according to a television report Tuesday.

Speaker De Venecia urged to follow Abalos’ lead

MANILA, Philippines -- Saying that the accusation against Speaker Jose de Venecia was “more serious,” a lawmaker at the House of Representatives has urged him to follow the lead of resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr.

Ex-NBI agent, secretary found dead in Makati condo

MANILA, Philippines -- The bodies of a former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent and his secretary were discovered in a Makati condominium on Tuesday but the circumstances behind their deaths were not immediately clear, a police official said.

Global stocks hit record, see end to credit woes

SINGAPORE -- Global stocks hit an all-time high on Tuesday with financial companies in the driving seat as sub-prime losses set out by big banks, including Citigroup, calmed fears that the credit crunch would derail the global economy.

Army to draft 8,400 militia men

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Army will seek additional funding to draft an 8,400 militia men in 2008 to boost its chances of meeting Malacañang's 2010 target to crush communist insurgents, the
commanding general, Lieutenant General Alexander Yano, said Tuesday.

Asia retreats from highs, ringgit falls most

SINGAPORE -- The Malaysian ringgit fell half a percent on Tuesday, leading a retreat in Asian currencies as investors exited stretched positions ahead of a string of US economic data that could determine direction for the US dollar.

Peso extends rally against dollar; central bank's hands seen

MANILA -- The peso gained further ground against the US dollar in early trade Tuesday and looked set to establish new multi-year highs as the bearish outlook for the dollar persisted.

Treasury sets 7-year bond coupon at 6.50%, raises P7B

MANILA -- The Philippines Bureau of Treasury has set the coupon rate for seven-year T-bonds at 6.50 percent and made a full award of P7 billion at an auction on Tuesday.

Puerto Princesa folks save stranded whale

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – (UPDATE) After hours of laboring to keep a stranded pilot whale alive, rescuers were able to successfully transport it to a nearby wharf where it was released back into the water.

Abalos won’t turn state witness

MANILA, Philippines -- Resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos said on Tuesday that he would not turn state witness.

RP senators 'could reject' Japan free trade deal

MANILA -- Philippine lawmakers are unlikely to ratify a free trade agreement with Japan in the deal's present form, the president of the Southeast Asian nation's Senate said Tuesday.

Slim majority expect Philippine rate cut on Thursday

MANILA, Philippines -- A small majority of analysts expect the Philippine central bank to cut its key overnight rates by at least 25 basis points this week to stymie a fund influx after the aggressive US rate cut two weeks ago, a Reuters poll showed.

Residents flee as floods hit Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro towns

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines -- Over 400 families were forced to leave their homes after a sudden rise in seawater level inundated at least seven coastal villages in Rosario, Cavite and San Luis, Batangas late Monday night, officials said Tuesday.

Consumerism integrated into public education

MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Education (DepEd) will soon integrate consumer education into the curriculums for both public and private high schools nationwide, in an effort to educate young people on consumer rights and responsibilities.

Palace asked to start nomination process for 4 Comelec posts

MANILA, Philippines -- Malacañang should start an “open and transparent” nomination process for the four impending vacancies at the Commission on Elections, Senator Francis Escudero said Tuesday.

SC justices doubt petition against ‘Garci’ probe

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Supreme Court justices questioned the two petitioners seeking to stop a Senate investigation on wiretapped tapes linking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cheating in the May 2004 elections.

(UPDATE) Oil deepens losses to below $80, looks toward data

SEOUL -- Oil deepened losses to below $80 a barrel on Tuesday, extending a profit-taking retreat to a third day amid lingering concerns about the strength of the economy.

Senators belie Arroyo intervention in Neri executive session

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Joker Arroyo did not intervene and tried to stop Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, from revealing the entire story on the $329-million government contract with China’s ZTE Corp., Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile and Francis Escudero said Tuesday.

Mike Arroyo expected back in RP Tuesday--airport official

MANILA, Philippines -- First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, accused of meddling in the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, will return to the country on Tuesday, an airport official said.

eBay replaces Skype chiefs, takes $1.43-B charge

WASHINGTON--Online auction giant eBay announced that it is replacing the founder and chief executive of its Skype online telephone subsidiary and would take a charge of $1.43 billion two years after buying the company.

Shares close higher on rate cut hopes, Dow's record close

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Shares closed higher though off their highs Tuesday, with the country's biggest conglomerates leading the pack and with index leader Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. resuming its record-breaking run on hopes of a domestic interest rate cut as soon as this week.

Sun offers ‘eco-service’ for data centers

MANILA, Philippines -- Sun Microsystems has joined the green IT bandwagon, offering a service that promotes power-efficiency in enterprise data centers.

Rockies get leg up on Padres to reach playoffs

DENVER, Colorado -- The Colorado Rockies rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 13th to beat the San Diego Padres 9-8 and advance into the National League Division Series.

Truck rams house in San Juan; no injuries reported

MANILA, Philippines -- A truck rammed a house in San Juan City Tuesday but no casualty or injury was reported, a police official said.

Yankees hope mastery of Indians carries over to playoffs

LOS ANGELES -- The New York Yankees take great pride in their accomplishments in a regular season that began with more valleys than peaks but finished with them running their consecutive playoff appearance streak to 13.

(UPDATE) 11 dead, 7 wounded in Kabul bus blast

KABUL -- At least 11 people were killed and seven wounded in a suicide attack on a police bus in the Afghan capital Kabul early Tuesday, a government official told Agence France-Presse, updating an earlier toll.

Another ex-village watchman shot same day in same barangay

Some fourteen hours after a former member of the Barangay (village) Holy Spirit Security and Police Office (BSPO) was shot to death at his doorstep, another man in the same barangay (village) was killed the same way by a still unidentified gunman Monday evening in Quezon City, police said Tuesday.

Lacson backs Arroyo call for probe on Neri closed-door leak

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Panfilo Lacson is supporting Senator Joker Arroyo’s call for an internal inquiry into the leak about what had transpired in the closed-door session with Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education.

(UPDATE) UN envoy meets with Myanmar leader

YANGON, Myanmar -- A UN envoy met with Myanmar's military leader Tuesday in a bid to end the country's political crisis, as the junta's foreign minister defended a deadly crackdown on democracy advocates that has provoked global revulsion.

New PNP chief warns influence peddlers

MANILA, Philippines -- New Philippine National Police Chief, Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, has warned those who might take advantage of his new post, saying that his business cards should not be used to escape traffic violations or crimes.

Dollar stays off record lows vs euro, yen up

TOKYO -- The dollar held above a record low against the euro on Tuesday ahead of a wave of economic data and central bank meetings.

Strong earthquake rattles western Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake hit the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert.

(UPDATE) Arroyo leaves for China

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left for China on Tuesday for a two-day official visit to boost trade and political ties amid a high-profile bribery scandal that led to the suspension of a broadband contract with a Chinese company.

Diana inquest finally set to open in London

LONDON -- The inquest into the car crash death a decade ago of Princess Diana was finally set to open in London on Tuesday, amid hopes it will put claims of a British establishment murder plot to rest.

Police raid NPA lair in Sorsogon town

CASTILLA, Sorsogon -- Police operatives, acting on a tip from residents, raided a hideout of the New People's Army (NPA) in Barangay (village) San Isidro here at dawn Tuesday, an official of the Sorsogon provincial police office said.

10 killed in Basilan clash

MANILA, Philippines -- Four elite Navy men and six armed bandits were killed in an early morning encounter in the southern island province of Basilan Tuesday, a spokesman for the Philippine Navy said.

Dollar stable after US shares jump

TOKYO -- The dollar was steady in Asian trade Tuesday, pausing close to its record low against the euro as a surge in US share prices offered some respite to the ailing greenback, dealers said.

Crude prices flat in Asia after profit-taking

SINGAPORE -- Crude prices were flat in Asian trade Tuesday after profit-taking on renewed concerns the US economy was slowing, which could affect oil demand, dealers said.

Gold off 28-year highs, platinum tumbles after rally

SINGAPORE -- Gold faltered on Tuesday as investors booked profits after pushing prices to a 28-year high the previous day, while platinum lost steam after a fund-driven rally.

Arroyo: Name 4 senators who leaked Neri executive session

Senator Joker Arroyo said he would file a resolution this Tuesday seeking to identify the four senators who revealed what transpired in last Wednesday’s Senate executive session with Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education and former director-general of National Economic and Development Authority

Rupiah up at 2-month high; foreign inflows help

SINGAPORE -- The Indonesian rupiah hit a two-month high against the dollar in an otherwise sluggish trading session in Asia on Tuesday, helped by demand from foreign investors for Indonesian stocks and bonds.

Shares sharply up in early deals; PLDT hits all-time high

MANILA, Philippines -- Shares were sharply higher in early trade Tuesday, buoyed by Wall Street's record-breaking start to the fourth quarter as investors put the credit crisis behind them on optimism that the Federal Reserve will again cut interest rates by the end of the month.

Mutombo re-signs with Houston

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Houston Rockets re-signed free agent center Dikembe Mutombo, the National Basketball Association team announced on Monday.

Keith Urban crashes motorcycle on way to AA meeting

SYDNEY, Australia -- Country music singer Keith Urban crashed his motorcycle on his way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Australia, but was uninjured, the star said.

Metrobank offers P5B Tier 2 notes

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines' largest bank Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) said Tuesday it is offering P5 billion in lower Tier 2 peso-denominated subordinated notes, the first tranche of its planned P10-billion offer intended to boost its capital base.

Global stocks hit record on sub-prime relief

SINGAPORE -- Global stocks hit a record high on Tuesday, lifted by financial companies after big banks, including Citigroup Inc. set out their losses from sub-prime crisis, raising hopes that the worst may be over.

14 crew missing after cargo vessel sinks off Palawan

MANILA, Philippines -- Four of the 18 crew of a cargo vessel were rescued after their ship sank off the coast of Palawan province last Sept. 28, a radio report said Tuesday.

Sophos warns against Firefox security risk

MANILA, Philippines -- Anti-virus firm Sophos has warned end-users against a recent vulnerability detected in Mozilla Firefox web browser.

Roh walks across border to NKorea summit

DEMILITARIZED ZONE, Korea--South Korea's President Roh Moo-Hyun on Tuesday walked across the heavily fortified border with North Korea en route to a historic summit, the first Korean leader ever to do so.

CIA aims to recruit more Asian, Middle Eastern spies

WASHINGTON -- The US Central Intelligence Agency is making a concerted effort to recruit minorities to aid in the American "war on terror," the agency's top spy said in an interview published Monday.

'Game Plan' tops North America box office

LOS ANGELES--"The Game Plan," a family comedy about a professional athlete who discovers he has a daughter from an old relationship, won over the North American box office this weekend, final figures showed Monday.

Urban revolution hits Silicon Valley capital

SAN JOSE, California--Silicon Valley's capital city San Jose is undergoing an urban development revolution calculated to keep it as the thriving heart of a region renowned for technological innovation.

Britney Spears loses custody of children

LOS ANGELES -- Pop star Britney Spears on Monday temporarily lost custody of her two sons after a court battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, judicial sources said.

Suicide bomber in burqa kills 16 in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber disguised in a woman's burqa blew himself up at a busy police checkpost in northwest Pakistan Monday, killing at least 16 people including four policemen, officials said.

Austrian makes record dive in Mexico's Cenote Angelita

VIENNA -- Austrian diver Christian Redl announced he has set another world record in Mexico, diving to a depth of 60 meters in one minute and 46 seconds without oxygen, according to his personal website.

Pamela Anderson gets Vegas license for marriage No. 3

LOS ANGELES -- TV star and pinup queen Pamela Anderson applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas to wed one of Paris Hilton's ex-boyfriends, the celebrity website TMZ.com reported Monday.

Shares outlook higher on Wall Street gains

MANILA, Philippines -- Shares are likely to open higher Tuesday, tracking Wall Street's record-breaking start to the fourth quarter as investors put the credit crisis behind them amid growing optimism that the Federal Reserve will again cut interest rates.

US to implement rules for Internet gambling ban

WASHINGTON -- US authorities unveiled rules Monday to implement a law passed last year banning Internet gambling, which would prohibit payments made through US-based banks, credit cards and other systems.

Myanmar urges Swedish, Danish media to leave country

STOCKHOLM -- Several Swedish and Danish news media outlets said Monday they had been contacted by Myanmar regime officials urging them to withdraw their reporters from the country for their own safety.

RP startup adds more Pinoy content to online video service

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino startup Netvision Inc. said it is talking to more local companies that would help add to its growing library of local video content.

‘Limited storm surges’ felt in Cavite, Batangas

MANILA, Philippines -- Two coastal towns in Southern Luzon were affected by sudden storm surges late Monday evening, a radio report said.

‘Ineng’ almost stationary in north Luzon

MANILA, Philippines -- Tropical storm “Ineng” remained almost stationary in northern Luzon for the last six hours, the weather bureau said in its 5 a.m. bulletin Tuesday.

Japan's business confidence weathers financial storm

TOKYO -- Japan's top executives remain upbeat despite recent financial market turmoil, with business confidence holding steady close to a two-year high, a central bank survey showed Monday.

IMF chief: Subprime crisis won’t affect world growth much

PARIS -- New IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Monday the crisis in the US "subprime" loan sector should not have a dramatic impact on growth in the world economy.

Congress urged to remove hybrid rice subsidy

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations has urged Congress to stop the inclusion of hybrid rice subsidy in the Department of Agriculture’s 2008 budget.

Dow closes at record as credit concerns ease

NEW YORK -- US stocks surged on Monday, sending the Dow industrials to a record close, as investors bet that Wall Street may have seen the worst of the credit squeeze after three big banks detailed potential losses from the turmoil.

World oil prices retreat from record highs

NEW YORK -- World oil prices fell further from recent record highs Monday as speculators engaged in profit-taking amid concerns about US economic growth and the potential knock-on effect on global oil demand.

RP lady shooter scores stunning upset

Grace Tan has just put the Philippines in the practical shooting world map after she bagged the ladies’ open crown in the European Intercontinental Handgun Championship held recently in Cheval Blanc, France, besting reigning world ladies champion Gabriele Kraushofer of Austria.

Nietes is 4th Filipino world ring champ

CEBU CITY -- Unheralded Negrense Donnie Nietes won by unanimous decision over previously undefeated Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand to capture the World Boxing Organization minimumweight crown at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel Sunday night and give the Philippines its fourth world title this year.

ERC allows power firms to give ‘special rates’

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is allowing power firms to offer “preferential rates” to their customers even without its prior consent.

Eagles gear up for next season’s flight

MANILA, Philippines -- A day after Ateneo de Manila University bowed out of the UAAP basketball competition, the Blue Eagles continued to feel the sting. Not just the one caused by long-time rival De La Salle University, but also the one jabbed on them by the National University Bulldogs.

Peso seen firming up to 43:$1 by yearend

French banking giant BNP Paribas is very bullish on the peso, expecting the local currency to firm up at 43 to the dollar by yearend, zoom to 37 next year and further to 30 -- at par with the Thai baht -- by end-2009.

Pacquiao drives to battle site

LOS ANGELES -- Manny Pacquiao Monday had an overdue haircut, shaved his goatee then looked at the mirror and quipped that he looked much younger now. He motors to the battle site in Las Vegas Tuesday for the monumental Oct. 6 rematch with Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera.

$329-M deal zaps Abalos

MANILA, Philippines -- The $329-million broadband scandal that has hounded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration for weeks claimed its first casualty -- or sacrificial lamb as some critics put it -- when Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos resigned Monday.

Comelec Employees Cheer Abalos Resignation

Resigned Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos is leaving behind a damaged institution. Thus, it came as no...

(GMA7) Abalos resigns as Comelec chair, but vows to fight back

(Updated 1:31 p.m.) Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos on Monday announced that he is resigning as head of the Commission on...

�Everyday Islam� Photo Contest Winners Known

...

Abalos Offered Me P200M � Neri

Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos tried to bribe former economic planning secretary Romulo Neri over the national broadband deal...

Supreme Court Justice Suspected of Accepting Payoff (update)

Justices scheduled to take it up in en banc meeting today

India, Philippines to sign agreement on abolition of visa requirement

New Delhi, Oct. 1 : The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for signing of an agreement between India and Philippines on the abolition of visa requirement for the holders of diplomatic and official passports.

10 dead in clash between Philippine navy, terrorists

Manila, Oct 2 (Xinhua) Four Philippine navy soldiers and six suspected militants were killed in a clash Tuesday on a southern Philippine island while two other soldiers were wounded, a military spokes...

Nietes bags 4th Filipino boxing crown for 2007

Boxer Donnie "Ahas" Nietes became the fourth Filipino to win a world championship this year after scoring a unanimous 12-round decision over previously undefeated Thai Pornsawan Kratingdaeng...

Slim majority expect Philippine rate cut on Thursday

Lacson backs Arroyo call for probe on Neri closed-door leak

Senator Joker Arroyo's call for an internal inquiry into the leak about what had transpired in the closed-door session with Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education. Like Arroyo, L...

New PNP chief warns influence peddlers

SC to hear petition vs 'Garci' probe

MANILA, Philippines -- The Supreme Court will hear this Tuesday the petition seeking to stop three Senate committees from proceeding with the investigation of alleged wiretapped tapes. These recordin...

Name 4 senators who leaked Neri executive session

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Joker Arroyo said he would file a resolution this Tuesday seeking to identify the four senators who revealed what transpired in last Wednesday's Sena...

Philippine stocks up 2.2 per cent

Manila - Philippine share prices rose 2.2 per cent on Tuesday amid a buying spree triggered by Wall Street's rally overnight. The 29-share composite index of the Philippine Stock Exchange gained 79.27...

Malaysia may pull peace monitors from Philippines

MANILA (Reuters) - Malaysia has threatened to withdraw monitors overseeing a four-year ceasefire between the Philippine army and the country's biggest Muslim separatist guerrilla group because of dela...

Underpass to Quezon Memorial Circle now open

MANILA, Philippines - Pedestrians who want to go to the Quezon Memorial Circle from the Quezon City Hall-and vice versa-no longer have to dodge speeding vehicles on the busy Elliptical Road. They can...

Ex-barangay watchman shot dead in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines - A former barangay watchman was shot dead by a man on board a motorcycle yesterday morning in Quezon City. Carlos Francisco, a 40-year-old widower, was sipping coffee in front of...

13 passengers hurt in 3-vehicle collision in QC

They were passengers of the Nova Transport (TWR 949) or FT Liner (NYH 619) buses. Also injured were Francisco Ignacio, the driver of the Isuzu truck (XAS 910), his assistant Daniel Berot and another ...

Columnist Jarius Bondoc's dilemma

Close this Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos has resigned over allegations that he was a major player in the National Broadband Network project scandal. The public is awaiting th...

Doctor in Mendez slay shows up at NBI

MANILA, Philippines - The doctor who brought suspected hazing victim Cris Anthony Mendez to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center finally surfaced at the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday afte...

Muntinlupa City university tutors fired

MANILA, Philippines - Around 50 officials and employees of the city government-run Pamantasang Lungsod ng Muntinlupa (PLMun) have been laid off from work since June for no clear reason. Among those f...

Philippine economy seen growing over 7% in Q3

MANILA -- The Philippine economy likely expanded more than 7 percent in the third quarter on the back of brisk consumer demand, sustaining the growth trend of the previous quarters, a top economic off...

Philippine Elections Chief Resigns Amid Bribery Allegations

Jim Gomez, Associated Press MANILA, 2 October 2007 - The scandal-tainted Philippine elections chief announced his resignation yesterday, amid allegations he tried to bribe a Cabinet official and a bus...

Gov't seeks dismissal of pleas v. broadband deal

STATE lawyers on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss all petitions questioning the constitutionality of the questionable US$329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) contract entered by ...

Philippines government experts to conduct greenhouse trial on Bt cotton before year end

SEAMEO SEARCA The Philippines is looking to conduct a greenhouse trial on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton before the end of the year, officials from the

SC told to junk pleas v. anti-terror law

GOVERNMENT lawyers on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss for lack of merit all six petitions seeking to declare unconstitutional Republic Act (RA) 9372, also known as the Human Security Ac...

Hawaiian's Manila route OK'd

(Amex: HA), will fly 264-passenger Boeing 767s to the Philippines. Hawaii has about 300,000 residents with Filipino ancestry. Manila has more than 10 million residents. The new air route will make...

President surprised by resignation

President Gloria Arroyo was surprised by the resignation of Chairman Benjamin Abalos of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), but Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Palace respects his deci...

Hawaiian Airlines to serve Philippines

(Amex: HA), will fly 264-passenger Boeing 767s to the Philippines. Hawaii has about 300,000 residents with Filipino ancestry. Manila has more than 10 million residents. The new air route would mak...

Arroyo off to China for bilateral meet

Presidential Management Staff director general Cerge Remonde said the President is all right dismissing the hospital visit as part of a regular and long-scheduled medical check-up.Remonde said proof t...

Impeachment moot, Senate to continue probe

The resignation of Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. of the Commission of Elections (Comelec) renders his impeachment case moot and academic, but the Senate will continue its investigation into the c...

GMA flies to China to repair frayed ties

President Arroyo will try to repair the damage created by the National Broadband Network project controversy as she visits China this week, a senior official said.

Pardon of Estrada too early, ill-advised says prosecutor

The government prosecutor in the trial of former President Joseph Estrada feels that a presidential pardon is too early to be considered and ill-advised.

Arroyo called a hypocrite over UN rights speech

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has drawn a sharp rebuke from the mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos and from a human rights group over a speech she d...

Storm Kills 5 In Philippines, Heads for Vietnam

PHILIPPINES: October 2, 2007 MANILA - Tropical depression Lekima swept off the Philippines on Sunday, leaving five people dead and four missing, a disaster official said, warning that floods and lan...

Oct. 12 declared a holiday

MALACA ANG declared October 12 as a non-working holiday in celebration of the end of Ramadan or Eid'l Fitr.Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Proclamation 1397...

Rise and fall of Chairman Abalos

In February 2001 or right after EDSA 2, Abalos was appointed chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Before his appointment as MMDA chairman, Abalos was busying himself...

$329-M deal zaps Abalos

Moot and academic House Speaker Jose de Venecia welcomed Abalos' resignation, saying it rendered "moot and academic" the impeachment case lodged against him by Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico for brib...

Sing, solons tell Abalos

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Will he be the next whistleblower or will he just fade quietly into the sunset? Now at the twilight of his career, Benjamin Abalos Sr. could do the country ...

Palace declares Eid Al-Fitr holiday

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Malaca ang has declared October 12 a non-working holiday to mark Eid Al-Fitr, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Presidential Spokesman ...

More rains expected with entry of tropical depression Ineng

MANILA, Philippines -- The weather bureau is predicting more rain this week after a new tropical depression, "Ineng," developed east of northern Luzon a day after tropical depression "Hanna" swirled o...

DepEd earmarks P6B subsidy for poor students nationwide

MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Education has set aside P6 billion in financial assistance to 600,000 poor but deserving students enrolled in selected private high schools nationwide for the ...

No application, no pardon

MANILA, Philippines -- Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said on Monday the Arroyo government would not discuss pardon for former president Joseph Estrada until getting a final and executory judgment in...

Neri freezes funds for CHed's call center lab

MANILA, Philippines--Commission on Higher Education (CHed) Chairman Romulo Neri has stopped the agency's P550-million call center laboratory project pending the results of an investigation on alleged ...

Election stakeholders 'relieved' over Abalos's resignation

MANILA, Philippines--There were few words of support, if at all, for beleaguered and now resigned Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. from election stakeholders who had to d...

Comelec to meet Tuesday to select OIC--spokesman

MANILA, Philippines-In the wake of the resignation of its chairman, the Commission on Elections will meet Tuesday in an en banc session to elect an officer in charge, the poll body's spokesman has sai...

Neri free to talk about what he knows on NBN deal

MANILA, Philippines -- Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said on Monday the Arroyo administration would like former socio-economic planning secretary Romulo Neri to continue talking on what he knew abou...

one scandal after another

MANILA, Philippines -- "Resigning might be misconstrued as guilt," Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. would often say this in reply to calls that he and his fellow commissioners step do...

Estrada not his usual jolly self, says police official

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) His graft conviction and his mother's frail health made disgraced leader Joseph Estrada really looked old and depressed, a police official has observed. "He was not hi...

House drops impeach case against Abalos

MANILA, Philippines -- With the resignation of Benjamin Abalos Sr. as chairman of the Commission on Elections, the House of Representatives will now send the impeachment complaint filed against him to...

Catholic bishops 'thank God' that Abalos has quit

MANILA, Philippines-The country's Catholic bishops have thanked God that Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Sr. has resigned, saying it was an answer to their prayers. "Thank God Mr. A...

Danga gets new government post

MANILA, Philippines -- Retired Vice Admiral Tirso Danga, one of the key figures in the 2005 wiretapping controversy, has been give a new post in government, affording him protection from Senate summon...

Benjamin Abalos, Filipino elections official, resigns in a scandal that may threaten Arroyo

MANILA : The man at the center of a corruption scandal that threatens to reach President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resigned Monday as chairman of the Philippine election commission and promised to sue h...

Philippine President Arroyo Makes Forbes List

Asian Journal , Posted: Oct 01, 2007 NEW YORK - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ranked 51st in Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in the World list, reports Asian Journal. The m...

Manila's Arroyo vows to end political violence

MANILA (Reuters) - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday ordered the Philippine police to take steps to end political violence, which she blamed on both communist rebels and rogue elements in th...

From accountant to welder

MANILA, Philippines -- Alpha Dasmari as wanted to work abroad because her job as an accountant bored her. Wanting a more challenging and unique job, she went back to school to study. A strong advoca...

Cory Aquino to visit Abalos in Mandaluyong--spokesperson

MANILA, Philippines -- Former President Corazon C. Aquino, as of this posting, is on her way to see Benjamin Abalos at his residence in Mandaluyong, said her spokesperson. Deedee Sytangco said Aquino...

Thirteen killed in the aftermath of storm in the Philippines

Manila - At least 13 people were killed in the aftermath of a powerful storm that swept through the Philippines, disaster relief officials said Monday. The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC...

Resignation statement of Abalos

WHAT FOLLOWS is the full text of the resignation statement of Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos: Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. Salamat at dumalo kaydo dito sa press conference na...

Palace 'respects' Abalos' resignation

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Malaca ang said it "respects" Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos' decision to resign, and at the same time "wished him well" in clear...

Arroyo orders new PNP chief to act on extrajudicial killings

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered newly installed PNP Chief Deputy Director General Avelino Razon to put a stop to the killing of activists and journalists....

Cellphones double as electronic wallets in Philippines

SAN MIGUEL, Philippines -- It's Thursday, so 18-year-old Dennis Tiangco is off to a bank to collect his weekly allowance, zapped by his mother -- who's working in Hong Kong -- to his electronic wallet...

Philippine bourse reports best turnover in 80 years

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) reported its annual value turnover which reached 22.4 billion U.S. dollars after just three quarters of 2007, creating a new record in the bourse's 80-year existenc...

Philippines cuts borrowings to 7.69 billion dollars in 2008

The Philippines has slashed its foreign and domestic borrowings by 12 percent next year as it hopes to end an era of budget deficits that spanned over a decade, reports said on Monday. Data from the P...

10 telecoms employees got P20,000 for wiretap ops--Doble

MANILA, Philippines -- About 10 employees of telecommunications companies received P20,000 in monthly allowance during the wiretapping activities of the Project Lighthouse operations that captured the...

House justice committee to act quickly on Abalos impeach rap

MANILA, Philippines -- THE HOUSE justice committee that will handle the impeachment case against Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr has vowed to expedite its proceedings in view of hi...

Razon strived, waited, prayed for 'his moment'

Oscar Calderon who has retired. In his speech before the 120,000-strong PNP force at Camp Crame general headquarters Monday, Razon said he had waited long for "his moment." "As a plebe in the Philip...

Arroyo arrives at Camp Crame

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has arrived in Camp Crame to install the new chief of the Philippine National Police. Clad in an all-blue coat and pants, Arroyo will lead the...

Cabinet execs no show at 'Garci' probe

MANILA, Philippines -- Three Cabinet executives and five military officials who were subpoenaed by the Senate for its investigation into the wiretapping scandal during the 2004 presidential elections ...

President had routine check-up, says PSG chief

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not confined at the hospital but had a routine check up on Sunday evening, her chief guard said. Arroyo had her check up at the Asian Hospi...

DPWH responds to Citizens Call complaint

To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request

Suicide or murder QC cops probing police official's death

MANILA, Philippines -- Police said they were still trying to determine whether or not there was foul play in the death of a Quezon City police official before midnight Saturday. The body of Supt. Jos...

Makati honors 101-year-old grandmother

MANILA, Philippines -- She has literally seen the growth of Makati City from the time it was still known as San Pedro Makati to its rise as the financial capital of the country. Today, 101-year-old P...

8 People Killed in Philippine Landslide

Julie Javellana-Santos, Arab News MANILA, 1 October 2008 - At least eight people were killed in a landslide in the northern Philippine province of Ifugao amid heavy rains unleashed by tropical depress...

Philippine bank wary of inflation ahead of rate meet

Manila: The Philippine central bank is concerned about high oil and food prices, according to senior officials, with one saying any interest rate cuts might not curb inflation-stoking foreign exchange...

House Speaker proposes BOT scheme for infra projects

HOUSE Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said government infrastructure projects that have "financial viability and can stand on their own balance sheets" should be undertaken through the Build-Operate-Trans...

500T Pinoy infants open to preventable diseases

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed alarm over reports that about 500,000 Filipino infants annually remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles, neonatal tetanus, p...

114 juvenile offenders released

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered the release of 114 children-in-conflict-with-the-law (CICL) in compliance with the latest directive of President Gloria Macapagal...

UN envoy meets Aung San Suu Kyi

YANGON: Myanmar's ruling junta, facing international condemnation over a violent crackdown on mass protests, on Sunday allowed a UN ambassador to meet with detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi...

Ong fights to retain job at anti-graft court

Insisting he is not Chinese, the antigraft justice who was at one time appointed to the Supreme Court is now struggling to cling to his post.

Coast Guard to hire 1,000 recruits

The Coast Guard has 4,000 personnel, said officer in charge Vice-Adm. Danilo Abinoja, adding that "we need an optimum number of 25,000 men and women to be able to perform our duties well."

New Bilibid to be like alien planet to Erap

(Editor's note: The first part described the inmates that former President Joseph Estrada might meet if the court sends him to the New Bilibid Prison. Despite the presence of some star-studded i...

Labor cases expedited under new guidelines

Department of Labor and Employment has adopted new measures to hasten the disposition of labor cases, including those placed under the jurisdiction of the labor secretary and cases submitted by disput...

Sacked anti-graft prober violated confidentiality rules

MANILA, Philippines--The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) has defended its dismissal of an official who was investigating the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp., say...

Estrada to ask court for longer visits with ailing ma

MANILA, Philippines--With talk of presidential pardon still up in the air, convicted plunderer and former president Joseph Estrada said on Sunday he would ask the Sandiganbayan anti-graft to allow him...

Abalos may be all alone in fall--solon

MANILA, Philippines--In what could be a calm before the storm, administration congressmen have yet to receive "marching orders" on the fate of the impeachment complaint against Commission on Elections...

I have nothing more to say on broadband deal--Neri

MANILA, Philippines -- Senators who hope that Commission on Higher Education Chairman Romulo Neri could provide the missing piece in the story that would "directly link" President Gloria Macapagal-Arr...

Army chief orders commanders to improve PR with media

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines--Deviating from the usually tight-lipped military culture, the Philippine Army chief has encouraged his field commanders to "engage the media" and take a proactive public r...

Landslide leaves eight dead in the Philippines

Manila, Sep 30 (Xinhua) Eight people were buried alive in a landslide triggered by tropical storm that washed away residential houses in a village in northern Philippines.The victims were members of t...

Philippine storm leaves at least five dead

Manila - At least five people were killed in a landslide triggered by a tropical storm that battered the northern Philippines, the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said Sunday. Four people were still mis...

India, RP to boost trade, political ties during Arroyo visit

NEW DELHI--Boosting languishing trade and political ties will dominate the first visit to India in a decade by a Philippines president beginning on Tuesday, officials and analysts say. President Glor...

Philippine government urges workers in Nigeria to go home

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Saturday urged Filipinos working in Nigeria to go home voluntarily, after another Filipino worker was kidnapped this week. The DFA said this is to av...

Lim eyes ecozone in South Harbor

Close this MANILA, Philippines--THE MANILA GOVERNMENT Saturday announced its plans to establish a special economic zone in the city to attract more investors. According to Mayor Alfredo Lim,...

Arroyo told women's group to ask Myanmar to free Suu Kyi

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged a Women's Group in New York, organized by American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to come up with a formal letter asking the Myanmar government to free Bu...

AFP says Miranda's condition is not serious

Join forum on Sandiganbayan's guilty verdict on Estrada plunder case. Post comments here. In a statement, AFP public information office chief Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said the 55-year-old ...

Pardon good for all

Pardon will be good for Estrada. It will end incarceration and isolation that have lasted six years, five months and one week. His guards, numbering at least 20, will leave his Tanay rest house....

Erap pardon to have short-term fallout

That would be for 2008. Beyond that year, as the Erap pardon issue recedes into the background of people's memory, the debate on it waged only by partisans and focused only on the quality of lif...

Pardon for Estrada, pardon for all

A Frenchman once defined amnesty as a tyrant's attempt to make amends for his injustices. So may a pardon be, in favor of one never credibly linked to anything like Expo, Impsa, Macapagal Boulev...

Fuel, LPG prices rise anew

MANILA -- Escalating world oil prices have prompted local oil firms to again hike prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene by 50 centavos a liter and of cooking gas by 56 centavos a kilogram, inclusive...

Senators will continue to grill Neri--Villar

Close this ILOILO CITY, Philippines--The Senate will continue to question former National Economic and Development Authority Director General Romulo Neri on the controversial National Broadba...

'Military, not NPA, poses threat to barangay polls'--Rosal

LUCENA CITY, Philippines -- The biggest threat to peaceful barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or youth council) elections is not the New People's Army (NPA) but the Armed Forces of the Ph...

Storm strands hundreds of passengers in the Philippines

Manila - Hundreds of passengers were stranded Saturday in the eastern Philippines as coastguard officials stopped sea vessels from sailing due to strong waves and heavy rains caused by a tropical stor...

Manila 'al-Qaeda' blacklist bared

MORE than 500 people, including a former US attorney general, were on a Philippine government blacklist banned from entering the country because of supposed links to terrorist groups, an international...

Tropical storm poised to hit northern Philippines

MANILA: Tropical storm Hanna was poised to hit the northern Philippines on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and raising fears of mudslides, government agencies warned.

Top US lawyer on Manila's Al Qaeda blacklist

manila The Philippines has put rights activists, including a former US attorney-general and members of church groups, on an immigration blacklist drawn up ostensibly to stop terrorists from entering...

Value-added mobile services tagged as key to continued telecoms growth

MOBILE TELEPHONY will continue to be a key driver of
telecommunications growth for the next five years, but
telecommunications companies should be prepared to spice up the market
with value-added services even as prices are expected to drop.

The battle for mile-high luxury takes off

HONG KONG -- The contract to provide carpeting on planes
is perhaps not the most glamorous side of aviation.

Users of Facebook site trade privacy for friends?

PARIS -- Social networking sites like Facebook have wooed
millions of users with their easy format for keeping in touch but left
them navigating the pitfalls of interacting online -- is it really
private?

Philippine Silicon Valley: NBN secrecy? What secrecy?

Do you remember playing with those Rubik's Cubes? Remember how the
color of each side of the cube could be jumbled up but if you knew the
sequence to reassemble them, you could get the colors all unique to each
side?

Cebu, Pasig, Baguio cited among world's emerging outsourcing favorites

BANGALORE -- A study by industry publication Global
Services and investment advisory firm Tholons put Cebu City as fourth,
behind the Indian cities of Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune, among the top
10 emerging outsourcing destinations for global companies.

Web TV company aims to triple subscriber base

A NEWLY FORMED Filipino company providing Web TV
broadcasting services looks to triple its subscriber base by the end of
the year.

Apple software update disables hacked iPhones

AN FRANCISCO -- A freshly released Apple software update
disables iPhones hacked to let users install custom programs or use
telecom carriers other than the authorized one, AT&T.

Transco says opportunities in telco sweeten concession

THE NATIONAL Transmission Co.'s (Transco) potentials in
the telecommunications business and its significance to the power
industry is luring investors to the Dec. 12 auction of a 25-year
contract to operate the country's power grid.

Headline: Heavy power users get to pick supplier

ERC chairman Rodolfo B. Albano, Jr. yesterday told BusinessWorld that regulators would approve the rules for �customer switching� within the next two weeks.

Corporate News: Megaworld closes airport deal

Andrew Tan-led property developer Megaworld Corp. has closed the P1.2-billion deal involving the acquisition of the old airport in Iloilo.

Banking & Finance: Peso ends at 2-month record against dollar

The peso yesterday closed at a two-month record of P44.85 per dollar, off the day's high of P44.845 after weakness in US inflation data renewed selling pressure on the greenback.

Stock Market: Gold prices, rate cut hopes boost main index

Share prices yesterday closed higher as record gold prices and hopes of lower borrowing costs sent the composite index to its best finish in nearly nine weeks.

The Economy: Central bank set to review reserves mix

The central bank will further tweak its holdings of foreign exchange reserves, as the greenback — which accounts for more than four-fifths of these reserves — continues to weaken, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. said.

The Nation: Poll chief quits amid scandal Impeachment case moot and academic

Embattled Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin S. Abalos, Sr. yesterday resigned from his post effective immediately amid a growing controversy over a $330-million Internet broadband deal involving a state-owned Chinese company.

IT Matters: Value-added mobile services tagged as key to continued telecoms growth

India, Philippines to sign agreement on abolition of visa requirement

10 dead in clash between Philippine navy, terrorists

Abalos says quitting was his legacy at Comelec

Resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos told teary eyed employees of the poll body on Tuesday that the legacy he was leaving behind was the sacrifice of having to quit his post. "...

Slim majority expect Philippine rate cut on Thursday

Name 4 senators who leaked Neri executive session

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Joker Arroyo said he would file a resolution this Tuesday seeking to identify the four senators who revealed what transpired in last Wednesday's Sena...

New PNP chief warns influence peddlers

Human rights protection a tall order - PNP chief

The chief of the Philippine National Police admitted on Tuesday that the directive of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the police organization to curb human rights violations is a tall order. ...

10 telco insiders helped ISAFP -- Doble

MANILA, Philippines -- Ex-military agent Vidal Doble told a Senate inquiry on Monday his former unit, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), was assisted by 10 inside...

No more talks; Estrada must ask for pardon -- Puno

MANILA, Philippines -- There will be no more discussions on a pardon for former President Joseph Estrada until his conviction for plunder becomes final and executory, said Interior Secretary Ronaldo P...

'Ineng' gains strength but remains stationary

Tropical storm "Ineng" (international code name: Krosa) gained more strength as it remained virtually stationary east of Northern Luzon Tuesday, the state weather agency said. In its 11 a.m. adviso...

Record 3.8-M families experienced hunger

MANILA, Philippines -- A record high 3.8-million families (21.5 percent) experienced "involuntary hunger" at least once in the last three months, according to the latest survey by the

GRP-MILF meeting in Malaysia fails to break impasse

Peace negotiators of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held a closed-door meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week but failed to resolve the impasse in their peace talks. The MIL...

Philippine stocks up 2.2 per cent

All Set for Dipolognons' October Chicago Fiesta

for this year’s celebration of the Fiesta of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary on Friday, October 5 at White Eagle Banquets in Niles, IL. The event starts off at 6 P.M. with a Holy Mass concelebr...

Arroyo flies to Shanghai to meet with China president

SHANGHAI -- Would it be business as usual this time around? With continued trade and political engagement in mind, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to arrive here Tuesday to meet with top bus...

A chance to reform Comelec

Commission on Elections . In separate interviews with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a big business group, a top poll watchdog and other election stakeholders Monday said the departure of Comelec Cha...

Arroyo is 'dead serious' in upholding human rights - Bunye

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is "dead serious" in putting an end to extralegal killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations, according to Presidential Spokesman Ignaci...

SC to hear petition vs 'Garci' probe

Traders say NBN probe is No. 1 'teleserye'

View the NBN contract and related documents MANILA, Philippines -- Unless it actually pins down Malaca ang and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the televised Senate probe of ZTE Corp.'s controversi...

Santiago sees conspiracy behind Inquirer story

MANILA, Philippines -- A conspiracy theory is playing in the mind of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Appearing to have recovered from a recent faux pas with the Chinese community, a charged-up Santiag...

Lacson backs Arroyo call for probe on Neri closed-door leak

Arroyo to discuss ZTE deal with Hu Jintao in China

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is expected to discuss with her Chinese counterpart the suspension of the government's contract with ZTE Corp. and the developments related to the national broadband ...

Joker wants Inquirer article against him probed

After saying that the Senate was spending too much time investigating the national broadband network (NBN) project, Senator Joker Arroyo on Tuesday moved to further drag Senate discussions on the issu...

Nietes bags 4th Filipino boxing crown for 2007

Boxer Donnie "Ahas" Nietes became the fourth Filipino to win a world championship this year after scoring a unanimous 12-round decision over previously undefeated Thai Pornsawan Kratingdaeng...

'Thank God, Mr. Abalos responded to our prayer'

Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos had departed from their midst. A topnotch election lawyer, Leila de Lima, who had tangled many times with Comelec officials over allegations of poll frau...

Abalos resignation stops House impeachment case

View the NBN contract and related documents MANILA, Philippines -- His resignation has brought the impeachment case against him to an abrupt end, but he is not yet off the hook. Not only does resign...

Gov't tells high court ZTE offered the best deal

Supreme Court its decision to award to China's ZTE Corp. the $329-million contract for the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, saying the firm had offered the best deal. The Office of the Solic...

Jervy Cruz joins RP-Harbour squad

MANILA, Philippines -- A couple more collegiate players will join the all-amateur Philippine team set to see action in the Southeast Asian Games this December in Thailand. University of Santo Tomas s...

ACSAT makes UCAA finals

MANILA, Philippines -- Eric Suguitan canned two free throws with 4.5 seconds left in overtime to carry the Asian College of Science and Technology to an 85-83 win over Las Pi as College and hand the L...

Malaysia may pull peace monitors from Philippines

Sawin-ay, Topia rule Oro Milo run qualifier

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Veteran runner Roger Sawin-ay of Bukidnon and the upcoming Cecille Faith Topia of Pagadian City topped the 21-kilometer qualifying race of the 31st National Milo Marathon Monday...

Favorites, locals rock national boxing tourney

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The favorites, led by Godfrey Castro and Joegen Ladon, stamped their class even as local bets made their presence felt at the start of hostilities in the National Open Boxing Ch...

Execs seek PUV access to Kennon

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET, Philippines - The province's peace and order council shot down a proposal to declare the regional chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications persona non grata t...

Settlers demand relocation site, funds for trade

TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Philippines - Hundreds of members of an urban poor group trooped to the Cavite provincial capitol here on Monday to ask for a moratorium on the ongoing demolition of squatter area...

Veggie towns urged to draw up waste plans

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET, Philippines - Local environment officials have urged the province's vegetable producing towns to draw up solid waste management plans to deal with increased garbage generation, i...

Xavier captures Passerelle crown

MANILA, Philippines -- Xavier School held off a fiery rally by Ateneo de Manila University to win, 60-57 and capture the Passerelle crown Sunday in the 2007 Milo-sponsored BEST Center SBP/Passerelle t...

San Beda relives Caloy Loyzaga's golden era

MANILA, Philippines -- While it is too early to talk about it, I say prospects look good for San Beda College, the back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association champion, to score a "three-pea...

Board OKs P9 pay hike for Cebu workers

CEBU CITY, Philippines -The regional wage board agreed on Saturday night to implement a minimum wage increase of P9 for Metro Cebu and P5 for other parts of Central Visayas. Elias Cayanong, regional ...

Towns have duty to keep forests green

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET, Philippines - Environment officials have asked officials of the province's 13 towns to muster enough political will and assume the task of protecting their communal forests as re...

Passengers, crew of vessel rescued from stormy seas

ILOILO CITY, Philippines - The Coast Guard has rescued the passengers and crewmen of a vessel that ran aground Sunday off the coast of an Iloilo town. Commander Harold Jarder, Coast Guard chief in Il...

British jin bulldozes Briones' Beijing bid

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND -- Alexander Briones showed a lot of heart, but heart rarely register on the scoreboard. The last jin deployed by the Philippines to hunt for an Olympic berth engaged hometown pos...

PBAP's Posadas tops SLETBA tilt

MANILA, Philippines -- Apple Posadas of PBAP-Bowlmart notched back-to-back championship titles by topping the Open Masters division in the finals Sunday of the 11th SLETBA Open at the Sta. Lucia East ...

Losses in port strike reach P20M

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines - A port workers' strike entered its fourth week yesterday, resulting in income losses of nearly P20 million to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and shipping lines. Ov...

Man stopped from stabbing Panlilio

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines -A man, who police described as insane, on Monday tried to stab Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio with a fan knife while the official was being interviewed by reporters at...

Philippine economy seen growing over 7% in Q3

Philippine Elections Chief Resigns Amid Bribery Allegations

Hawaiian Airlines to serve Philippines

(Amex: HA), will fly 264-passenger Boeing 767s to the Philippines. Hawaii has about 300,000 residents with Filipino ancestry. Manila has more than 10 million residents. The new air route would mak...

Arroyo continues her travels, leaves for China

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her official delegation left for China shortly before dawn Tuesday in a bid to drum up more investments amid the controversy surrounding the $329.4-million contra...

'Hanna' affected 12,370; left P10.6-M damage

Typhoon "Hanna" affected at least 12,370 persons and damaged P10.68 million worth of properties before she left the country last weekend, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said on Mond...

After resigning, Abalos meets with 3 Cabinet men for "fishpond" talk

More than six hours after Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr announced his resignation on Monday, journalists saw the poll executive talking with at least three Cabinet officials at a...

$329-M deal zaps Abalos

1 killed, 1 hurt in birthday rumble in Pasig

Birthday party merriment in Pasig City was shattered after a rumble erupted Tuesday morning, killing a person while injuring another, initial reports on dzBB radio said. Radio dzBB said the inciden...

Arroyo called a hypocrite over UN rights speech

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has drawn a sharp rebuke from the mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos and from a human rights group over a speech she d...

Storm Kills 5 In Philippines, Heads for Vietnam

Sing, solons tell Abalos

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Will he be the next whistleblower or will he just fade quietly into the sunset? Now at the twilight of his career, Benjamin Abalos Sr. could do the country ...

RP consular team arrives in Nigeria for abducted OFW

A Philippine consular team arrived in Nigeria Monday to follow up the case of electrical supervisor Alfredo Bacani Jr, who was abducted by armed men last Thursday. Radio dzBB reported Monday night ...

Philippines government experts to conduct greenhouse trial on Bt cotton before year end

SEAMEO SEARCA The Philippines is looking to conduct a greenhouse trial on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton before the end of the year, officials from the

Danga owes Senate new post, senator says

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Tirso Danga, one of the key figures in the "Hello, Garci" controversy, owes the Senate a debt of gratitude for his new post in the government, an opposition senator said. ...

14 crew missing after cargo vessel sinks off Palawan

MANILA, Philippines -- Four of the 18 crew of a cargo vessel were rescued after their ship sank off the coast of Palawan province last Sept. 28, a radio report said Tuesday. The 14 other crew remain ...

Palace declares Eid Al-Fitr holiday

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Malaca ang has declared October 12 a non-working holiday to mark Eid Al-Fitr, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Presidential Spokesman ...

More rains expected with entry of tropical depression Ineng

DepEd earmarks P6B subsidy for poor students nationwide

Public won't be content with Abalos resignation

Despite Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos's resignation, Amsterdam Holdings, Inc. (AHI) on Monday urged both Houses of Congress to continue their respective investigations int...

Arroyo set to leave for China Tuesday morning

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's trip to China will push through on Tuesday, two days after she returned from New York where she attended the 62nd United Nations General Assembly. Malaca&nti...

JDV confirms impeachment raps vs Abalos now 'moot and academic'

House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr on Monday confirmed that the impeachment case against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos has been rendered "moot and academic" with the latter'...

Catholic bishops 'thank God' that Abalos has quit

Doctor who brought Cris Mendez to VMMC surfaces

The physician who brought alleged hazing victim Cris Anthony Mendez to A hospital finally surfaced at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Monday afternoon. Dr. Francisco Cruz, however, refus...

Neri freezes funds for CHed's call center lab

Gov"t lawyers asks SC to junk petitions vs terror law

Government lawyers on Monday asked the Supreme Court to dismiss for lack of merit all six petitions that want the Human Security Act of 2007 declared as unconstitutional. In a 154-page consolidated...

Arroyo declares October 12 Eid"l Fitr as regular holiday

Eid'l Fitr, the Feast of Ramadan that falls on October 12 this year, will be a regular holiday throughout the country, Malacañang declared Monday night. Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye ...

Neri free to talk about what he knows on NBN deal

Estrada not his usual jolly self, says police official

No application, no pardon

one scandal after another

Arroyo, new Chinese envoy meet behind closed doors

President Arroyo had closed-door meetings with the the new ambassadors of China and Japan in Malacañang Monday. A Malacañang statement said Arroyo met with new Chinese envoy Song Tao,...

Election stakeholders 'relieved' over Abalos's resignation

Malaya publisher defends self from possible contempt raps

Amado "Jake" Macasaet, publisher of Malaya newspaper, on Monday defended himself from being slapped with indirect contempt by the Supreme Court. This, after Macasaet wrote in his column last month tha...

Comelec to meet Tuesday to select OIC--spokesman

Tell all about ZTE mess

Turn the tables on the Arroyo administration. This is what opposition lawmakers hope Benjamin Abalos Sr will do after he resigned as chairman of the Commission on Elections. "We hope he will be for...

Benjamin Abalos, Filipino elections official, resigns in a scandal that may threaten Arroyo

Thirteen killed in the aftermath of storm in the Philippines

DENR eases issuance of mining clearances in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines--The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has indicated that it is inclined to grant environmental compliance certificates (ECC) to mining projects locat...

S'pore firm wins bid for floating casino anchored in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines -- A Singapore-based company has won the Bureau of Internal Revenue's bidding for M/V Philippine Dream, a floating casino. Mandaue City Revenue Election Officer Emir Abutasil, ...

President seemed surprised by Abalos's resignation--Puno

MANILA, Philippines -- The sudden resignation of Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos, who had been in hot water for his alleged involvement in the $329-million National Broadband Project ...

Cory Aquino to visit Abalos in Mandaluyong--spokesperson

Palace 'respects' Abalos' resignation

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Malaca ang said it "respects" Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos' decision to resign, and at the same time "wished him well" in clear...

Arroyo orders new PNP chief to act on extrajudicial killings

Filipinos turn cell phones into virtual wallets

SAN MIGUEL, Philippines - It's Thursday, so 18-year-old Dennis Tiangco is off to a bank to collect his weekly allowance, zapped by his mother " who's working in Hong Kong " to his electronic walle...

Philippines cuts borrowings to 7.69 billion dollars in 2008

Philippine bourse reports best turnover in 80 years

Borra is Comelec OIC; Abalos resignation surprised poll execs

Elections Commissioner Resurreccion Borra takes over as officer-in-charge of the poll body Monday morning, as the most senior of five remaining commissioners. Borra's assumption as Comelec chai...

Abalos resigns post amid ZTE mess, says he'll face critics

(Updated 1:54 p.m.) Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos on Monday announced that he is resigning from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) amid allegations that he offered millions of pesos in bribes for...

2 more congressmen endorse impeach complaint vs Abalos

Two congressmen formally endorsed Monday an impeachment complaint against Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos over his alleged attempts to bribe government officials for the passage of the $329.4-million ...

10 telecoms employees got P20,000 for wiretap ops--Doble

Cellphones double as electronic wallets in Philippines

House justice committee to act quickly on Abalos impeach rap

Razon strived, waited, prayed for 'his moment'

Arroyo arrives at Camp Crame

Cabinet, military execs skip 'Garci' probe anew

(Updated 11:13 a.m.) Senior Malacañang executives as well as retired and active military officials skipped the Senate investigation into the "Hello, Garci!" wiretap controversy, again invoking ...

President had routine check-up, says PSG chief

Birthday party will help build town’s cultural center

MANILA, Philippines -- Civic-minded Bert Basilio turned his super, well-attended 75th birthday bash into a fund-raising affair for the “improvement and beautification of the town plaza of Pe�aranda, Nueva Ecija,” hometown of his wife, old-wealth socialite Nonie Tan.

Mayan calendar prophecies

MANILA, Philippines -- I asked the mediums or channels of three spirit entities if the predictions in the Mayan calendar were true.

Setting a record to make a point

MANILA, Philippines -- On Oct. 20, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex, Filipinos will attempt yet again to set a world record to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

What pains you?

MANILA, Philippines -- It is a race. And it becomes complicated with the passage of time.

Running a marathon is not mission impossible

MANILA, Philippines -- Running is not just for a select few. Even an ordinary person can progress from walking to joining marathons.

A biker’s life -- sort of

Commit or quit, I silently chanted. My head reeled as I perched my bike on the edge of a 20-foot-or-so sudden drop-off. As more experienced riders gleefully tackled the course like children let loose in a toy store, I knew I had to make a quick decision. This was, after all, a race.

A calendar of heritage updates

MANILA, Philippines -- The latest in the series of desk calendars and postcards published by the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) where proceeds go to fund the Society’s projects, “Heritage Recycled,” the 2008 edition of the calendar is ready.

Glitz, glam and giving back

MANILA, Philippines – Life and fashion are ever changing. Their fickleness is as unpredictable as death and as certain as taxes.

A gathering of amigos y amigas

MANILA, Philippines - “Ole Amigos” was the Spanish-themed fellowship of the Cebu Chapter of La Chaine des Rotisseurs held at the Casino Espa�ol.

Is a 75th birthday celebration a waste of money?

MANILA, Philippines – Dear Emily, My dad is celebrating his 75th birthday soon and I’m planning to give him a surprise party.

La Naval papal coronation to be reenacted Oct. 4

MANILA, Philippines - Highlighting the 100th anniversary of the canonical coronation of La Naval de Manila, the Dominican Province of the Philippines will reenact the Marian image’s solemn canonical coronation on Oct. 4 at the Sto. Domingo Parish in Quezon City, the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Getting ready for a younger look

MANILA, Philippines—Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Raul Guanzon says the best time to get a facelift is when you feel you’re ready for it. A facelift is not a one-shot deal—a patient still has to go through post-operative care, monitoring and maintenance.

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