Pinoy sailor killed by pirate in Nigeria – DFA

 Entertainment
Feb 092013
 
Pinoy sailor killed by pirate in Nigeria – DFA

Newly recruited female marines participate in an assault drill at a river inside the marine headquarters in the town of Ternate, Cavite city, south of Manila February 5, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 6 (Mabuhay) – A Filipino seaman of a Marshall-flagged chemical tanker was shot on board the vessel by a pirate in Nigeria, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. DFA Spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Filipino, whose identity he declined to disclose, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. “The family of the fatality has already been informed of this sad development,” Hernandez told a press briefing. The vessel Pyxis Delta, hijacked on February 4, had eight other Filipino crewmembers. They are all safe on board the ship, which is anchored off the coast of Nigeria, Hernandez said. (MNS)

Tearful Melissa Ricks talks about love for Paul Jake

 Entertainment
Feb 092013
 
Tearful Melissa Ricks talks about love for Paul Jake

Melissa Ricks (MNS Photo) MANILA, Feb 7 (Mabuhay) — Actress Melissa Ricks turned emotional as she shared her happiness to finally found real love with sweetheart Paul Jake Castillo. Ricks hope that her relationship with Castillo would last forever. “Siyempre when I go into a relationship, I want it to last talaga. Hindi naman ako yung type na I will entertain someone just for the sake of entertaining them ‘ay gusto kong magpaligaw, ay gusto kong maraming nanliligaw sa akin.’ (Gusto ko yung pagmatagalan), hindi pangsandalian lang. After all that I’d been through, sobrang hulog ng langit (si Paul),” says Ricks while crying. “Ewan ko, I don’t know if people will understand where I’m coming from, basta hindi ko akalain na there would be someone who would make me even happier ever than I could imagine,” she added. Ricks’ last relationship was with actor Jake Cuenca. The actress admitted that she already moved on from the past but the pain still remains. “I think hindi mawawala yung pain but to move on from someone yung hindi mo na siya mahal wala na talaga but yung pain it’s always gonna be there. Sa mga nagawa (may pain pa),” Ricks said. (MNS)

Police nab members of syndicate involved in telephone racket

 News
Feb 082013
 
Police nab members of syndicate involved in telephone racket

By Jaymee T. Gamil Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:21 pm | Friday, February 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Careful with cheaper international calls to the Philippines. It may be the work of a “transnational” criminal syndicate. The National Capital Region Police Office reported on Friday the arrest of two members of a syndicate that uses computers and other devices to convert inbound international calls to local calls, shortchanging telecommunications companies, and the Philippine government, of millions of pesos in revenue. In a press conference at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, NCRPO spokesperson Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas Gonzales revealed that on Thursday, the regional intelligence operations unit arrested Korean female Yooun Nayong, 37, in a condominium unit on  Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City, and Filipino caretaker Carlo Dadulla, 21, in another unit in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, on the complaint of Globe Telecom. The two stand accused of violating the Access Device Regulation Act of 1998, after they were caught in possession of GSM modems with SIM ports, hundreds of Globe and Touch Mobile SIM cards, Internet modems and gateways, cellphones, laptops, antenna consolidators, computer cables and other peripherals, believed used to bypass Globe’s system and to convert calls from abroad into local calls. Globe-NCR representative Gerald Bechayda explained that with the networked devices, the syndicate allows calls to bypass the Globe International Gateway Facility. The syndicate converts the international caller’s number into a local cellphone number, so the call will be charged local instead of international rates. Gonzales said the two suspects cater mostly Read More …

Comelec to release ad urging public to report campaign violations

 News
Feb 082013
 
Comelec to release ad urging public to report campaign violations

The Commission on Elections is set to release an advertisement urging the people to report campaign violations or file complaint against candidates. “Meron ako[ng] [i]lalabas na ads. Ang sasabihin ko, isumbong mo sa Comelec. Hindi kanino man, isumbong mo sa Comelec,” poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday. “Mag-uumpisa na ang campaign sa February 12, meron ng mga violation sa campaign. Kung meron kayong makita, isumbong nyo sa Comelec at kami ang bahala sa kanila,” he added. Further, Brillantes said the public can report violations by calling the Comelec and the poll body will check if the complaint has basis. “Kung gusto mong magpresent ng evidence, sa hearing na. Magsumbong ka lang, pwede mong itawag, kami na ang bahala. Ite-check namin kung may basis, aaksyunan namin. Ibig sabihin, pag may sumbong, titingnan namin, ipapa-check natin sa election officer,” he said. In a separate interview, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the public can tweet the picture of the supposed violation to the poll body. He said the complainant needs to give his name, contact number, location and other details of the violation. He said these information are needed so they will be able to get in touch with the person but it will be kept confidential unless the complainant himself files the case. “The whole idea here is to get the public to report these violations. Basically, this is social media versus guns, goons and gold. That’s the philosophy we are working on,” said Jimenez. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News

New LPA tracked off GenSan as Amihan returns

 News
Feb 082013
 
New LPA tracked off GenSan as Amihan returns

Satellite image at 7 a.m., 8 Feb 2013. Satellite image at 7 a.m., 8 Feb 2013 Weather Central State weather forecasters on Friday afternoon started tracking a potential cyclone —a low-pressure area— off Mindanao, even as the northeast monsoon is starting to make itself felt again. PAGASA, in its 5 p.m. bulletin, said the LPA was estimated at 500 km east of General Santos City, even as the northeast monsoon is affecting Extreme Northen Luzon. However, PAGASA did not immediately say if the LPA has a strong chance of intensifying into a cyclone. If it becomes a cyclone, it will be codenamed Crising. Earlier, PAGASA had said there may be “zero to one” cyclone that may enter the Philippine area of responsibility in February. Rain over parts of PHL For the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Batanes and Calayan islands will experience cloudy skies with light rain. “Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” it added. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms particularly over Bicol and Eastern Visayas. Also, PAGASA said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Eastern Mindanao and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the northeast with slight to moderate seas. — TJD, GMA News

DOLE: Less popular jobs among best paying

 News
Feb 082013
 
DOLE: Less popular jobs among best paying

With graduation nearing, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Friday disclosed the highest-paying occupations in the last five years—and many of them are not as popular and as fashionable as, say, being a nurse or an engineer. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said some of these jobs may be “less popular and less considered but pay the highest salaries.” “I also advise them to refrain from choosing courses based on what’s in vogue or fashionable, or, to use the popular social lingo of the youth, what’s ‘trending’ and popular. Just because a neighbor’s son or daughter will take up this or that course does not mean you should follow suit,” she said. Citing the latest study of the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), Baldoz said the high-paying jobs in the Philippines include aviation, banking and finance, business process outsourcing, creative industries, cyber services, manufacturing, and mining. 10 highest paying jobs “An art director, for example, which is under creative industries, can receive a corresponding median salary of P69,286 a month, while a geologist’s salary is P64,889 a month on the average,” she said. The DOLE also said an aircraft pilot, a navigator, and a flight engineer could receive as high as P57,789 a month salary; mining engineer and metallurgical engineer, P55,638 a month; and a computer programmer, P43,573 per month. Rounding up the top 10 high-paying positions are: systems analyst and systems designer, P42,112 a month production supervisor and general foreman, P36,133 a month actuarian, with P35,480 a month Read More …

GMA Network asks SC to stop airtime limits on pol ads

 News
Feb 082013
 
GMA Network asks SC to stop airtime limits on pol ads

(Updated 5:44 p.m.) Broadcast giant GMA Network Corp. on Friday asked the Supreme Court to stop and declare as illegal two Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolutions limiting political advertisements in television and radio. In a 56-page petition for certiorari, the network said Comelec Resolution 9615 issued in January and Resolution 9631 in February imposing limits on the total number of minutes for a national or local candidate’s broadcast campaign were “too restrictive.” “We raised that the aggregate airtime for political advertisements is restrictive considering that it inpinges on the right to suffarge and the right of the people to be informed on important matters and the right of the people to free speech and expression,” said one of the network’s lawyers, Maria Estelita Arles. Under the January Comelec ruling, which was upheld by the February resolution, the following guidelines were set: For all national candidates, 120 minutes in all TV networks and 180 minutes in all radio stations For all local candidates, 60 minutes in all TV networks and 90 minutes in all radio stations. GMA Network also asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction against the Comelec ruling. It also said the Comelec ruling should be declared unconstitutional and unlawful for having been promulgated in excess or without jurisdiction. “Section 9(a) of the new rulesis a cruel and oppressive regulation as it imposes the unreasonable and nearly impossible burden on the broadcast mass media of monitoring a candidate’s or political Read More …

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