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PAGASA: Rain over parts of Mindanao, 36-degree Celsius likely over NCR

 News
Apr 182013
 
PAGASA: Rain over parts of Mindanao, 36-degree Celsius likely over NCR

Satellite Image as of 7:30 a.m., 17 April 2013. | Weather Central Rain caused by the trough of a low-pressure area may fall over parts of Mindanao on Friday, while Metro Manila braces for another hot day with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Chris Perez said there is no sign of any weather disturbance or potential cyclone that may enter the Philippines in the next 24 hours. “Sa Metro Manila at natitirang bahagi ng ating bansa, mainit at maalinsangan na panahon pa rin aasahan natin,” Perez said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the forecast temperature for Metro Manila for Friday is between 24 and 36 degrees Celsius. PAGASA’s extended weather outlook indicated a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius for Metro Manila also on Saturday. Tuguegarao, Angeles and Olongapo Cities may have a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Friday outlook PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin said the trough of a low-pressure area is affecting southern Mindanao while the ridge of a high-pressure area is extending across Luzon. “Davao region, ARMM, SOCCSKSARGEN and the provinces of Agusan and Surigao del Sur 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,” it said. It added light to moderate winds from the east to southeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the east over Mindanao. The coastal waters Read More …

PNoy one of Time's '100 Most Influential People'

 News
Apr 182013
 
PNoy one of Time's '100 Most Influential People'

(Updated 12:17 a.m., 19 April 2013) Time magazine has included Philippine President Benigno Aquino III in its list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”. Aquino and 22 other personalities including Pope Francis and U.S. President Barack Obama were among 23 “leaders” in the list. Others in the list were divided into categories such as artists, icons, titans, and pioneers. “In a country of nicknames, Filipinos proudly call their President PNoy — a pun on the word they use for themselves: Pinoy. For his courage, however, he really should have the pet name the family gave his eldest sister Maria Elena: Ballsy,” Time news director Howard Chua-Eoan wrote in describing Aquino. Chua-Eoan said Aquino inherited the legacy of his late father former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and received a boost from sympathy over the death of his mother former President Corazon Aquino. But he said Aquino “quickly began making his own name” and pushed through the Reproductive Health law. The Time article even credited Aquino for “[becoming] the face of the regional confrontation with Beijing over its claim to virtually all of the South China Sea.” “It is a brave stance, the long-term consequences still unknown,” said Time. Meanwhile, Aquino, upon being told of the Time article, credited the country for his inclusion in the list: “Ito po ay dahil sa inyong lahat.” The Presidential Communications Operations Office called attention to the Time story Thursday night. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda added this was the first time Aquino appeared Read More …

PHL authorities confident in safety of fertilizer plants, shops

 News
Apr 182013
 
PHL authorities confident in safety of fertilizer plants, shops

Over 100 hurt in Texas fertilizer plant explosions. A wrecked vehicle is seen near the burning remains of a fertilizer plant after an explosion in the facility in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early Thursday, April 18. The deadly explosion ripped through the fertilizer plant late on Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people, leveling dozens of homes and damaging other buildings including a school and nursing home, authorities said. Reuters/Mike Stone Following a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in the US, the Philippines’ Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) on Thursday assured the public that stringent regulations govern the operations of fertilizer shops and plants in the country. Also, according to a report aired on GMA 7’s “24 Oras”, the FPA noted distributors, processors, importers, exporters and plant operations of fertilizer and pesticide companies are currently under going inspections. The government agency also provided photos of those inspection visits to prove that they were made. The explosion and subequent fire at the West Fertilizer Co. plant located in Texas on Thursday (PHL time) took at least 15 lives and hurt more than 160 others as it razed the facility and nearby establishments. Since 2002, the FPA noted, the use of ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate had been banned in the country. Besides as a component for making fertilizer for fruit-bearing trees, the chemicals could also be used to make improvised explosives. “Ang napagkasunduan as per resolution, banning the importation of ammonium nitrate,” Gabino Barlin, FPA executive director, said Read More …

Coast Guard: 568 more Pinoys return from Sabah

 News
Apr 182013
 
Coast Guard: 568 more Pinoys return from Sabah

At least 568 more Filipinos have returned to the Philippines from Sabah aboard three vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard said Thursday. In an article posted on its website Thursday afternoon, the Coast Guard said the 568 were from Sandakan town in Sabah, and were assisted by Philippine officials. Assisting them were teams from the Coast Guard Jolo station, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Marines. The first group of 256 arrived aboard the wooden-hulled passenger vessel ML Nur-ena, owned and operated by Hadjili Raja, arrived in Hadju Warid Pier in Patikul, Sulu. A second group of 249 arrived aboard the wooden-hulled cargo vessel ML Billy the Kid, owned and operated by HJA Habibiya Albani at Tanjung Pier in Jolo, Sulu. Meanwhile, the passenger/cargo vessel, M/V Liliflora, owned and operated by Magnolia Shipping Corp., arrived at Jolo Pier with 63 aboard. “Upon arrival at the respective piers, the returnees’ disembarkation were assisted by the personnel and representatives of [Coast Guard] Jolo, DSWD, PNP and the Philippine Marines,” the Coast Guard said. It said the Filipinos were then brought to the RPMA Terminal for medical examination, documentation, feeding and other necessities. Several Filipinos in Sabah had fled their homes in recent weeks due to the clashes between followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian security forces. Malaysian forces had conducted offensives against Kiram’s followers since March 5, following deadly clashes on March 1 and 2 that ended a three-week standoff. — BM, Read More …

In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

 News
Apr 182013
 
In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

As the government awaits developments in its case against China in connection with Beijing’s alleged excessive claim over the South China Sea, a fishing town in the province of Zambales has been feeling the brunt of the territorial dispute. According to Mayor Desiree Edora of Masinloc town, the local fishermen’s livelihoods have been “paralyzed” as a result of the continued presence of Chinese ships at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a disputed area. “Actually naga-attempt silang pumunta kaya lang itinataboy sila ng mga Chinese,” Edora said in a recent interview. “Marami na nakapaikot na mga malalaking barko. So itong mga fisherman na ito, ano naman ang kakayahan nila para lumapit nga e nakaharap sa kanila, baril. So ang ginawa nila, umalis na lang sila.” Mario Forones, a local fisherman, said ever since the standoff at the Panatag Shoal a year ago, he and his companions have to do their fishing in small boats to avoid detection by Chinese vessels. “Parang nakaw-nakaw na lang sir ang pagpupunta dun. ‘Yung bangka kong malaki lalayo, tapos yung maliliit na bangka na ganyan, [na] hindi gaanong pansinin, yan ang nangingisda doon,” he said. Edora said they have received complaints that local fishermen were being driven away by Chinese ships stationed at the Panatag Shoal’s lagoon entrance — an allegation that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) denied as early as last year. In May last year, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) declared a fishing ban around Panatag Shoal, located about 124 nautical Read More …

Resigning or not? Brillantes to decide Monday

 News
Apr 182013
 
Resigning or not? Brillantes to decide Monday

To leave or not to leave, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. will make his decision by Monday. On Thursday, Brillantes, who was extremely disappointed with the recent decisions of the Supreme Court against the Comelec, said he will talk first with his daughters, especially his eldest who is in Connecticut. “I’ll take a break Saturday, Sunday. Konting  meditation, konting pag-iisip tapos I will make a final decision by Monday. I will be talking to some people. I have to talk to my daughters, who are the people behind me. Sila lang naman ang pinaniniwalaan ko,” he told reporters. He said his daughters have been against his taking the post from the start. Brillantes has three daughters. “Matagal na nilang ayaw ako nandito e. Pinagagalitan na nga nila ako noon pa. Seryoso, sabi ko nag-iisip ako na ayoko na. ‘Di ba sinabi ko naman noon pa,’ sabi nung bunso ko, ‘hindi ka naman dapat pumunta na dyan matanda ka na e’,” said Brillantes, 73. It was only his daughter who is abroad whom he has yet to speak with. Asked if he would still pursue his meeting with the President, Brillantes said the schedule given to him was next week. He said he can dispense with the meeting with Aquino since all he wanted to ask from him was the appointment of the two new commissioners. But if the President will ask for him, he will come. Brillantes served as President Aquino’s election lawyer in 2010. He was appointed Comelec chief Read More …

Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

 News
Apr 182013
 
Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

The alleged abduction of activist Jonas Burgos was among the 101 “priorities” for investigation identified by an interagency committee tasked by President Benigno Aquino III to monitor cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who chairs the committee, said Burgos’ case will be among those to be first investigated and monitored by the panel. “Pinresent na rin sa amin sa interagency ‘yung listahan from the technical working group noong priority cases na dapat tutukan o unahin ang pagtutok sa pag-iimbestiga. Meron na po kaming initial list of priority cases for both extralegal killings and enforced disappearance,” De Lima said at a press briefing Thursday at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The justice secretary, however, refused to identify other priority cases, saying the list still has yet to be finalized. Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, both members of the interagency panel created through Administrative Order 35, were also among those who approved the initial list of priority cases during the committee’s meeting on Thursday morning. The Court of Appeals recently implicated a Philippine Army officer, Maj. Harry Baliaga, as responsible for the kidnapping of Burgos. Last Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the military leadership to disclose the whereabouts of the military personnel linked to the case. Burgos, a political activist and son of the late press freedom advocate Jose Burgos, was abducted in a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Read More …

Retired SC justice who leaked draft ruling can practice law anew

 News
Apr 182013
 
Retired SC justice who leaked draft ruling can practice law anew

Despite being suspended in 2009 for leaking a draft court ruling, 74-year-old retired Supreme Court Justice Ruben Reyes can once more practice law. In an en banc session in Baguio City last Tuesday, the 15 magistrates decided to give back to Reyes his license in the Bar and allowed him to engage anew in private law practice. “SC lifts suspension on law practice previously imposed on retired SC Justice Ruben Reyes for, among others, humanitarian reasons,” said SC spokesman and Public Information Office chief Theodore Te on Thursday. However, Te clarified that the disqualification for government employment and teaching “still remains.” The court said Reyes still cannot give government lectures on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) and the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja). Still being barred from government service, the court clarified that Reyes can only practice law in private corporations. In August 2009, Reyes was found guilty of leaking a draft SC resolution which he penned in the disqualification case against Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong filed by businessman Louis Biraogo, Olivia Paras, and Renald Villando. The election protest – questioning Limkaichong’s citizenship – was entertained but was allegedly supposed to have been dismissed by the Supreme Court en banc after 14 justices, minus then-SC chief Reynato Puno, signed a draft decision for it. The draft ruling, however, was leaked while it was not yet being promulgated.  An SC investigating committee, chaired by then-Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, probed the incident and found out that it was Reyes himself who Read More …

Over 25,000 pass teacher licensure exams — PRC

 News
Apr 182013
 
Over 25,000 pass teacher licensure exams — PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Thursday announced that 10,310 elementary teachers out of 37,117 examinees (27.78 percent) and 15,223 secondary teachers out of 38,433 examinees (39.61 percent) passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (L.E.T.) given last March 10 all over the Philippines and Hong Kong. [Click here for list of L.E.T. – Elementary passers] [Click here for list of L.E.T. – Secondary passers] The results of examination with respect to 33 examinees, however, were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.    Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card and Certificate of Registration will start on April 29, 2013, the PRC said. The dates and venues for the oathtaking ceremonies of the new successful examinees in the said examination will be announced later, the commission added. — KBK, GMA News

Palace: Annexes of Bangsamoro agreement will be signed

 News
Apr 152013
 
Palace: Annexes of Bangsamoro agreement will be signed

Despite delays in the finalization of the remaining annexes of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement, Malacañang on Monday reiterated that it was confident they will be signed in due time. “We’re still discussing the issues so nobody has walked away from the negotiating table. We’re very confident that we will come to an agreement on those annexes,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a briefing. The remaining annexes on normalization, power sharing and wealth sharing have yet to be agreed upon by the peace panels from the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Lacierda said the government is being cautious in its review of the crucial annexes, so that the final product will be “doable.” “We want a Basic Law that is doable; that is something that everybody can live with,” Lacierda said, adding that the government is paying particular close attention to the language used in the annexes. “We’re going through the language. We’re also going through the substance of the annexes. Right now, we’re going to study carefully the remaining annexes,” he said. Additionally Lacierda said that the Aquino administration remains conscientious of the workability of the landmark peace deal it brokered with the MILF. “We don’t intend to kick the can down the road. We want an agreement that is workable, that is doable, and that everybody can live with. Hindi ‘yung parang mangangako kami ngayon, bahala na ‘yung future administration na i-perform,” he said. — BM, GMA News

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