Mar 092015
 
Treason charges filed vs Aquino

President Benigno S. Aquino III huddles with the ASEAN Law Association (ALA) Officials and Delegates, led by ALA president Indonesian Chief Justice Dr. Hatta Ali, for a snap shot during the courtesy call at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Friday (February 27). A non-government organization, ALA brings together all the different branches of the law profession – judges, law teachers, law practitioners and government lawyers. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malacañang is not concerned about the treason complaint filed by a former assemblyman against President Benigno Aquino III and several other officials over the government’s peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In a text message on Thursday, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the accusations made by lawyer Homobono Adaza and Herman Tiu-Laurel did not have any solid basis. “Hindi natitinag ang determinasyon ng Pangulo na isulong ang prosesong pangkapayapaan sa kabila ng mga paratang na walang matibay na batayan,” Coloma said. On Wednesday, Adaza and Tiu-Laurel lodged a treason complaint against Aquino and members of the Philippine government’s peace panel with the Office of the Ombudsman. The complainants accused Aquino of allowing the MILF, which they described as a “terrorist organization,” to have a “territory, more powers and more new institutions” through the comprehensive peace deal signed by the group and the Philippine government last year. They cited Article 114 of the Revised Penal Code, which states that an individual is guilty of treason when he or she “levies war against the Philippines Read More …

Mar 062015
 
Pacquiao more mindful of mistakes

Manny Pacquiao does his daily routine of exercises at Griffith Park in Los Angeles as the Filipino pugilist is in deep in training for the “fight of his life” against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Benny Uy Los Angeles, United States | AFP| – Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao has matured a lot since his six-round knockout loss to Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. “He has learned a big lesson out of that. He became more cautious and has matured a lot as a fighter,” says Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez, a long-time associate and the assistant trainer for Pacquiao. Fernandez said Pacquiao was winning the fight and was about to finish off Marquez when he became hasty. “He is a fearless fighter inside the ring. In his desire to end the fight in a convincing fashion just to make the fans happy, he went for the kill in the dying seconds of the sixth round. And he paid dearly for it,” recalled Fernandez. Now, Fernandez says, Pacquiao has remained ferocious but is no longer a careless fighter. “His punches now are sharper and harder than before. We’ve been training together for years and I can say it based on actual experience,” said Fernandez, who suffered a cut on his mouth during the punch mitts session at the Fortune Gym on Tuesday. Several times during the punch mitts session, Fernandez was dazed due to non-stop pounding from the Pinoy Read More …

Mar 062015
 
Are Claudine and Marjorie on good terms again?

Claudine Barretto (MNS Photo) Are feuding sisters Claudine and Marjorie Barretto on good terms anew? This was the question among fans of the former actresses after Claudine, on Instagram, shared photos of her and Marjorie’s sons together on Tuesday. The photos, which appear to have been taken inside the campus of Ateneo de Manila University, show Marjorie’s son Leon holding Claudine’s son Santino on his shoulder as they pose for the camera. In the photos’ captions, Claudine said, unedited: “With my 2Boys.Leon & Santino… My 2 blue eagles. Leon & Saint.i missed u soo much Leon! … “I luv u so much.im so so happy to see u today Leon.Mama loves u so much!” Just last week, Claudine also posted a photo of her taping what appears to be a video message for Julia Barretto, another of Marjorie’s four children, for the young actress’ debut on March 10. The rift between the sisters stems from Marjorie’s supporting the claims of Raymart Santiago, Claudine’s estranged husband, that she is mentally ill and has a history of drug abuse. Claudine and Marjorie’s other siblings, Gretchen and JJ, also attested to Santiago’s sworn statement in his legal feud with the actress. Over the past decade, Gretchen, Marjorie and Claudine – who are the youngest siblings of seven, in order – were estranged at different times due to conflicts within their family. Notably, Gretchen and Marjorie had a falling out over the former’s reported tiff with her sister’s husband Dennis Padilla in 2004. Claudine Read More …

Mar 062015
 
PHL halts exploration in ‘disputed’ sea: contractor

In this photo taken Feb. 25, 2014 by surveillance planes and released Thursday, May 15, 2014, by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel, top center, is used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands at South China Sea, Philippines. The Philippines has protested China’s reclamation of land in the disputed reef in the South China Sea that can be used to build an airstrip or an offshore military base in the increasingly volatile region, the country’s top diplomat and other officials said Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The white arrow was added by the source. (MNS photo) Manila, Philippines |   – The Philippines has suspended operations at a South China Sea natural gas project because it is also claimed by China and the dispute is before a UN tribunal, its contractor said Tuesday. UK-listed Forum Energy said the Philippine energy department’s order halted its exploration activities at the Reed Bank section of the sea, as of December 15 last year. “Forum… today confirms that the Philippine Department of Energy has granted a force majeure on Service Contract 72 because this contract area falls within the territorial disputed area of the West Philippine Sea,” said its mother firm Philex Petroleum. The area “is the subject of an United Nations arbitration process between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China”, according to the Philex disclosure released by the Philippine Stock Read More …

Mar 062015
 
Over 30? Flu less frequent: study

Coming down with the flu is never pleasant, but the good news is it happens only twice a decade after age 30, according to recent research.©Dirima/shutterstock.com (Relaxnews) – It may not seem that way when you’re lying in bed, asking “why me?” but according to a new study, adults really only catch the flu twice a decade. Many pathogens can cause influenza, according to the London-based research team, which has made it difficult to assess how often people come down with it. In the study, the team analyzed blood samples from volunteers in Southern China and counted antibodies that came from an array of nine flu strains that had passed through the area between 1968 and 2009. Data led them to conclude that while children come down with the flu every other year, on average, adults over 30 get it twice per decade. Flu symptoms are sometimes caused by common cold viruses including rhinovirus and coronavirus, says author Dr. Adam Kucharski of Imperial College London, and some never know they caught the flu because they show no symptoms. “In childhood and adolescence, it’s much more common, possibly because we mix more with other people,” says Dr. Kucharski. “The exact frequency of infection will vary depending on background levels of flu and vaccination.” To account for changes in human immunity to flu that occur over time as we are exposed to different strains of it, the research team developed a mathematical model. The model supports prior research suggesting that our immune Read More …