Maniolas

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said he is “excited” for the upcoming debate between him and vocal critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. “I’m excited. Dito the public will know who is saying the truth,” Binay told reporters in Camarines Sur. “Ako ho ang naghamon, wala hong atrasan ‘to kung ako ho ang tatanungin niyo. Basta’t magkakaharapan po tayo,” he said. “Nakikiusap ho ako doon sa mga nagsasabing hindi pa ako nagpapaliwanag. Tatlong beses na akong nagpapaliwanag, hanggang ngayon sinasabi pa hindi ako nagpapaliwanag. Ito pa ho ang isang pagkakataon para marinig po ninyo ang aming banda, ‘yung paliwanag po namin,” he added. The debate, sponsored by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP), is set on November 10  but no venue has been announced yet. Binay admitted that he was hurt by the allegations hurled against him and his family. “Masakit ha, biro mo naman ‘yun sa loob at labas ng Senado tinatawag kang magnanakaw. Medyo masakit ho ‘yun,” he said. The Vice President is accused of bid-rigging and receiving kickbacks from transactions the Makati City government entered into during his term as mayor. He has also been accused of owning a 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas that was not declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. Binay has repeatedly denied the allegations, but has yet to announce whether he will heed the invitation of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to attend the hearing on November 6. Trillanes, for his part, said he is preparing Read More …

Former Iloilo Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada, Jr. has filed charges against Senate President Franklin Drilon, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson in connection with the alleged overpricing of the construction of a convention center project in Iloilo. Mejorada filed the charges before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday. In an interview with reporters before filing the charges, Mejorada said he filed charges against the respondents for plunder, malversation of public funds, dishonesty and grave misconduct, and violation of Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Practices Act. —KG, GMA News

To ease traffic during the yearly exodus for Undas (All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is lifting the number coding for provincial buses starting Thursday. MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino also said there will be no reblocking or repair works in Metro Manila this weekend. “Ni-lift natin ang number coding ng provincial buses bukas. Hindi pa ito normal na paggamit ng tunnel,” he told radio dzBB in an interview. “Pati road reblocking wala muna,” he added. An earlier report by radio dzBB’s Glen Juego said the number coding for provincial buses will be lifted from October 30 until the Undas weekend. The MMDA had also lifted the number coding for vehicles on Oct. 31, Friday, except in Makati & Las Piñas.   Odd-even scheme From Oct. 28 to Jan. 4, 2015, the MMDA allowed provincial buses to use three of four underpasses along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) – EDSA-Aurora Blvd., EDSA-P. Tuazon, and EDSA-Shaw. Provincial buses whose license plates end in odd numbers may use the underpasses on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those whose license plates end in even numbers may use the underpasses on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News

GENEVA – If you’re waiting for gender equality in the workplace, be prepared to wait a long time. While women are rapidly closing the gender gap with men in areas like health and education, inequality at work is not expected to be erased until 2095, according to a report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday. The Philippines, meanwhile, placed in the top 10 most gender-equal countries. The WEF, which each year gathers the global elite in the plush Swiss ski resort of Davos, said that the worldwide gender gap in the workplace had barely narrowed in the past nine years. Since 2006, when the WEF first began issuing its annual Global Gender Gap Reports, women have seen their access to economic participation and opportunity inch up to 60 percent of that of men’s, from 56 percent. “Based on this trajectory, with all else remaining equal, it will take 81 years for the world to close this gap completely,” the WEF said in a statement. The world would be better served to speed up the process, according to WEF founder and chief Klaus Schwab. “Achieving gender equality is obviously necessary for economic reasons. Only those economies who have full access to all their talent will remain competitive and will prosper,” he said. Some ‘far-reaching’ progress The report, which covered 142 countries, looked at how nations distribute access to healthcare, education, political participation and resources and opportunities between women and men. Almost all the countries had made progress towards closing Read More …

Laude sympathizers rally near Olongapo court. Sympathizers of slain transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude rally outside the Olongapo Hall of Justice on Monday, October 27, during the second day of the preliminary investigation on the case. Suspect US Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton was again a no-show at the probe. Rouchelle Dinglasan Prosecutors on Monday rejected a motion filed by the camp of US Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton seeking to reduce the murder complaint filed against him to homicide, saying it would be premature to do so. The 19-year-old US Marine is the suspect in killing transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, who was found dead in a motel on Oct. 11. The motion was one of three filed by the defense, led by lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores, during the preliminary investigation at the Olongapo Hall of Justice. The motions were for clarification of the murder complaint, declaration that there was no probable cause, and — in case the prosecution panel finds probable cause — the reduction of the charge to homicide. “Do not teach us what to do. We will base our resolution on the evidence that we’ve gathered,” Olongapo City Chief Prosecutor Emilie Fe Delos Santos said during the proceedings, which lasted less than an hour. All three motions were denied. Delos Santos explained that the evidence needs to be corroborated before the panel can decide if the complaint should be filed in court. Only then will the charge be determined, she said. “It is premature to determine if Read More …