by : Myrna Aquitania On Friday, April 26, 2013, the Filipino American Press Club of Los Angeles (est. 1978), Inc. presented the awards to the winners of the Essay-Writing Contest during award ceremonies held at the Rizal Hall of the Philippine Consulate General.The essay-writing contest for 11th graders, awarded nearly $2,000 to six contest winners. The On-The-Spot […]
MANILA, Apr 30 (Mabuhay) — Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party chairperson and Team PNoy senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate “illegal checkpoints” set up by the New People’s Army (NPA) in certain areas. In a 3-page letter complaint, Hontiveros cited the recent ambush try on 78-year-old Guingoog City Mayor Ruthie […]
Joaquin Barretto believes that one way to resolve their family feud is to “fix” his youngest sister, Claudine. Joaquin said Claudine “needs professional help,” considering her current condition. “Huwag ibigay kung ano ang gusto ni Claudine, ibigay kung ano ang kailangan. Get her a psychiatrist, get her… If she has a problem, she should seek […]
By Christian V. Esguerra Philippine Daily Inquirer 9:39 pm | Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Philippines — A tall order for Vice President Jejomar Binay? This Monday (May 6), the 5’0″ Binay will come face-to-face with Yao Ming, the 7’6″ retired Chinese basketball superstar who will pay him a courtesy call at the Coconut Palace. Binay confirmed the affair on Wednesday, saying he would in fact take a break from a provincial campaign sortie to accommodate Yao, a former NBA All-Star who last played for the Houston Rockets in 2011. A foot injury cut short his professional career and he is now part-owner of the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association. The Sharks will be in Manila for a couple of exhibition games with the Philippine national team and a selection from the Philippine Basketball Association. “Yes, he will come that’s why I will cancel my visit in the province,” he told reporters in Filipino after leading the distribution of land titles and certificates at the Almont Inland Resort here. But Binay immediately turned defensive, saying he would continue working despite his campaign obligations for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). “Dito sa kinaroroonan n’yo nagtatrabaho ako ha? Hindi porke ako ay nag-iikot para sa kampanya eh nagpapabaya ako sa aking trabaho (Here, I’m still working, okay? I may be campaigning here but I’m not neglecting my work),” he said.
In developing a new approach to peace negotiations with the Communist rebels, the government is undertaking discussions and consultations with civil society groups and various sectors, according to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles. “The peace panel is conducting consultations with stakeholders nationwide, side by side with inter-agency discussions and workshops within […]
(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 …
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
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 …
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines will soon be able to mount flights to New York once the United States Federal Aviation Administration lifts its ban on additional flights from the Philippines. The ban comes after the US FAA downgraded the country’s standing as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization, placing the Philippines in Category 2 or unsafe status. After a five-day audit early this year, ICAO found out that the country managed to address and resolved its safety concerns, seen to bring the Philippines back to Category 1 status. “With the lifting of the US FAA sanction, we can go to New York already,” PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said. PAL currently flies to Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Ang said that according to a meeting of civil aviation authorities in Brussels, Belgium, the 27-nation European Union, which also imposed a similar sanction, is likely to lift its own three-year ban on Philippine air carriers “within the year.”
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 …