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PAGASA: Thunderstorms in parts of Luzon Sunday, expect more across PHL on Monday

 News
May 052013
 
PAGASA: Thunderstorms in parts of Luzon Sunday, expect more across PHL on Monday

(Updated 7:52 p.m.) While state weather forecasters do not expect the rainy season to arrive until at least late May, thunderstorms brought moderate to heavy rain to several parts of Luzon Sunday. PAGASA, in posts on its Twitter account, said the thunderstorms occurred over parts of Southern Luzon and Ilocos in the afternoon, and Central Luzon in the evening. As of 7:11 p.m. Sunday, PAGASA noted a thunderstorm with moderate to heavy rain affected parts of Mariveles, Limay, Orion and Bagac in Bataan. Light to moderate rain may fall over parts of Mindanao, while Metro Manila and the rest of the country may expect isolated rain showers and thunderstorms on Monday, state weather forecasters said Sunday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said easterlies or warm winds from the east are affecting the eastern section of the country. “Caraga and Davao region will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” it said. Metro Manila experienced a high temperature of 35.6° Celsius Sunday, and may expect temperatures of 25 to 36°C on Monday. Also expected to have a high temperature of 36°C on Monday are Angeles and Olongapo Cities in Central Luzon. For Monday, moderate to occasionally strong winds from the northeast to east will prevail over Northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to ocassionally rough. Light to moderate Read More …

DOTC: 8 domestic flights canceled due to aircraft situation

 News
May 052013
 
DOTC: 8 domestic flights canceled due to aircraft situation

At least eight domestic flights were canceled Sunday, six of them due to “aircraft situation,” the Department of Transportation and Communications said. In posts on its Twitter account, the DOTC said four of the flights belonged to air carrier Cebu Pacific, while the other four belonged to Zest Air. Two of the canceled Cebu Pacific flights included 5J-919: Manila to Caticlan and  5J-920: Caticlan to Manila The other two were 5J-341: Manila to Kalibo and 5J-342: Kalibo to Manila Meanwhile, the canceled Zest Air flights were: – Z2-202: Manila to Marinduque– Z2-203: Marinduque to Manila– Z2-412: Manila to Busuanga– Z2-413: Busuanga to Manila The DOTC did not give further details on the “aircraft situation” that caused the cancellations. Caticlan is a gateway to world-famous Boracay, while Busuanga and Marinduque are also popular tourist attractions. — LBG, GMA News

PPCRV: 350,000 volunteers ready for poll duty

 News
May 052013
 
PPCRV: 350,000 volunteers ready for poll duty

With just one more week to go before the May 13 elections, a Church-based poll watchdog group on Sunday declared that 350,000 of its volunteers—including 70,000 frontliners—are ready for poll watching duties. The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting said it is finalizing preparations to enhance the visibility of the 70,000 frontliners who will be assigned to help desks and polling places. “Okay ang deployment ng volunteers. Ang aming pinag-abalahan ngayon nakakuha kami ng materials, pero hanggang ngayon sourcing ako sa T-shirt. Nakaprint na ng 50,000 shirts sa kagandahang loob ng donor, nagsisigasig pa ako makakuha ng 20,000,” PPCRV chairperson Henrietta de Villa said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said the 70,000 volunteers should be wearing PPCRV shirts and IDs as they have to enhance their visibility at help desks and polling places. The PPCRV is a deputized citizens’ arm of the Commission on Elections for the May 13 elections. De Villa also downplayed the effect of some Catholic dioceses’ cutting their working ties with her group, saying there are still many volunteers willing to work with the PPCRV. Volunteers being ‘pirated’ De Villa also said that some volunteers are being “pirated” by political parties for the elections, but that the group is not worried. “Siyempre doon may bayad [pero] ako hindi sumasama ang loob ko. Sabi ko mabuti na lang naka-training sa amin ang tamang pagbantay hindi lang sa pamamagitan ng isang technical poll watching consideration. Pati ang values meron kami nioon sa training,” she said. De Read More …

DFA chief: Chinese envoy's decision to skip PHL in Asian tour a prerogative

 News
May 052013
 
DFA chief: Chinese envoy's decision to skip PHL in Asian tour a prerogative

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said the decision of China’s new foreign minister not to visit the Philippines in his Southeast Asia tour is a prerogative. In a text message, DFA chief Albert del Rosario said his office has “not given a second thought” to newly-appointed Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s choice of countries in the region to visit. “The plan for these visits is his prerogative… We look forward to meeting at the appropriate time with the new foreign minister and working closely with him,” Del Rosario said. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte meanwhile said the Palace does not want to speculate why the Philippines was not included in the Chinese foreign minister’s itinerary. “It will not be healthy to engage in speculation. We recognize the prerogative of the Chinese foreign minister to set his own agenda for his trips outside his country,” Valte said in a separate interview over state-run dzRB radio. Last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced that Wang will be visiting Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam from April 30 to May 5 “at the invitation” of the foreign ministers of these Southeast Asian countries. Chinese news service China Briefing said the four Southeast Asian countries are Wang’s first overseas destinations since his appointment in March. Also, it said the tour marks the first time in over 15 years that a Chinese envoy gave priority to Asian destinations. The news agency likewise said the four countries “were likely picked for being Read More …

SC OKs Aquino appointment of MMDA exec, says ex-official can't have his post back

 News
May 012013
 
SC OKs Aquino appointment of MMDA exec, says ex-official can't have his post back

(Updated 8:43 p.m.) A former general manager at the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) cannot return to his post because his tenure ended when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left office in 2010, according to the Supreme Court. In a 14-page decision penned by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the high court sitting en banc denied a request from former MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations (AGMO) Emmanuel de Castro to oust Emerson Carlos, who replaced him in the post. Arroyo appointed De Castro to the position on July 29, 2009. More than a year later, on November 2, 2010, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino issued Memorandum Order No. 24 installing Carlos as officer-in-charge AGMO. Tolentino used as basis for the appointment President Benigno Aquino III’s Memorandum Circular No. 2, which gave non-Career Executive Service Officials (CESO) occupying Career Executive Service (CES) positions only until October 31, 2010 to vacate their posts. De Castro sought clarification from the Career Executive Service Board (CESB), which at the time said the position of AGMO had not yet been classified and could not be considered as belonging to the CES. The CESB said that De Castro, therefore, was not covered by OP Memorandum Circular No. 2. De Castro demanded that he be continuously paid his salary and receive financial benefits as AGMO of the MMDA. On January 4, 2011, however, President Aquino formally appointed Carlos as the new AGMO of the MMDA. Carlos took his oath of office on January 10, 2011. This prompted De Castro Read More …

Rainy Thursday expected in NLuzon, but 36°C heat to prevail in NCR

 News
May 012013
 
Rainy Thursday expected in NLuzon, but 36°C heat to prevail in NCR

Rain from the tail-end of a cold front may affect parts of Northern Luzon while Metro Manila may expect temperatures to zoom up to 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday, state weather forecasters said Wednesday afternoon. PAGASA said the tail-end of a cold front is affecting Extreme Northern Luzon while easterlies or warm winds from the east are affecting the eastersn section of Visayas and Mindanao. “Cagayan valley, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Ilocos provices will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” PAGASA said in its 5 p.m. bulletin. It added Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be “partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.” For Wednesday, Metro Manila experienced a high temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius. PAGASA’s extended forecast indicated Metro Manila may experience temperatures of 25 to 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday. It added Tuguegarao, Angeles and Olongapo Cities may expect temperatures of 24 to 35 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, PAGASA said moderate to occasionally strong winds from the northeast will prevail over extreme Northern Luzon and the coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the east to northeast with slight to moderate seas. — TJD, GMA News

PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

 News
May 012013
 
PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

President Benigno Aquino III is not out to check if his allies in the provinces will support the entire administration slate in the upcoming midterm polls, his spokesperson said Wednesday. In a phone patch interview, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda denied a statement from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the administration’s rival coalition in this year’s elections, that the President is already conducting loyalty checks on Liberal Party members on the ground. “Wala hong loyalty check po na nangyayari ngayon. I think they’re just deflecting the issues right now on the performance of the Team UNA candidates vis-à-vis the Team PNoy candidates based on the surveys that have just been released,” Lacierda said. He added that the President is satisfied with the performance of administration candidates in recent surveys. On Tuesday, UNA campaign manager Tobias Tiangco came out with the statement accusing LP of being “jumpy and paranoid” in the last few weeks leading up to the elections. Aquino chairs the ruling Liberal Party. “Loyalty checks are a sign of desperation and panic. Hindi nila kayang kontrolin ang mga leader nilang sumusuporta sa UNA,” Tiangco said. He attributed the supposed “undue pressure” being exerted by the ruling party on its allies to Albay Governor Joey Salceda’s move to meet with UNA candidates in his province over the weekend. Salceda heads the LP in the Bicol Region. Lacierda countered Tiangco’s claims by saying that the LP has “no reason to panic,” since it has the upper hand in the senatorial race based Read More …

Final testing, sealing of PCOS machines begins Thursday in selected precincts

 News
May 012013
 
Final testing, sealing of PCOS machines begins Thursday in selected precincts

The final testing and sealing (FTS) of PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines is set to start in selected polling precincts Thursday, May 2, ahead of the original May 6 schedule. Poll chairman Sixto Brillantes said Wednesday the schedule was changed due to the arrival of the machines and the readiness of the board of election inspectors (BEIs) to test and seal them for the May 13 polls. “Pag dumating na ngayon at ready na ang BEIs gusto na nila i-testing agad kasi hindi sabay-sabay ang dating. Tsaka pag andun na ang PCOS, ready na paraphernalia, ready na for FTS, pwede na mag-umpisa,” he told reporters. One of the areas to first conduct an FTS on Thursday is Pasay City, first district. The whole of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is expected to conduct FTS on May 10. Brillantes said most of the areas will have their FTS on May 6. During the FTS, BEIs test the usability and accuracy of each PCOS machine by feeding it 10 test ballots to check that they are received and counted by the machine, said Brillantes. He said the ballots will also be counted manually to check for discrepancies. The detailed instruction for BEIs on the testing and sealing of PCOS machines and voting, counting and transmission of results on May 13 is stated in Comelec Resolution 9640. After the FTS, the PCOS machine will be sealed again and stored in the school or returned to the hub where it will be secured by Comelec security personnel Read More …

Low turnout for local absentee voting dissapoints Comelec chief Brillantes

 News
May 012013
 
Low turnout for local absentee voting dissapoints Comelec chief Brillantes

Poll chief Brillantes casts vote 14 days ahead of Election Day. Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. casts his vote on the second day of the local absentee voting at the poll body’s head office in Intramuros, Manila on Monday. Government officials and workers, including police and military personnel, and, for the first time, approved, media practitioners who will be on duty on Election Day, are allowed to exercise their right of suffrage in advance. Danny Pata Even as he has yet to receive the final report on the recently-concluded three-day local absentee voting, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. is not satisfied with the low turnout of voters in the electoral exercise. In an interview with reporters Wednesday, Brillantes said that based on initial figures, the registration and number of those who voted was lower compared to the 2010 elections. “Definitely hindi ako satisfied. Hindi maganda ang registration dahil lumiit compared to 2010, lumiit ang registration from 33,0000 I think in 2010, ngayon 18,000 lang. Tapos ang turnout hindi ko alam kung gaano kalaki,” he said. Of the 18,332 who registered for this election’s local absentee voting, only 12,732 were found qualified to vote. The local absentee voting was conducted from April 28 to 30. Data from the Comelec-National Capital Region showed that of the 366 media personnel who registered for local absentee voting, only 200 availed of the privilege. In the past, only government officials and employees, and members of the National Police and Armed Forces who are temporarily assigned to Read More …

2 bettors share P95.932M Superlotto jackpot

 News
Apr 302013
 
2 bettors share P95.932M Superlotto jackpot

Two lucky bettors will be about P47.96 million richer each after bagging the jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Superlotto 6/49 draw Tuesday night. In a post on its website, the PCSO said the two got the combination of 06-10-16-24-09-05 to jointly win the jackpot worth P95,932,278. As in the past, the PCSO is not likely to name the winners for security reasons. Just last Monday, a lone winner won the Megalotto 6/45 draw, getting the combination of 34-37-17-09-14-21 to bag the night’s jackpot worth P45,049,768.20. Last April 20, a lone winner became P132 million richer after bagging the PCSO Grand Lotto draw jackpot. But the biggest lotto prize ever won is still the November 2010 draw, when a lone bettor won P741.176 million for getting the winning combination 11-16-42-47-31-37. — DVM, GMA News

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