Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians' deaths

 News
Jun 242013
 
Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians' deaths

Three politicians from Mindanao had reportedly died after receiving stem cell treatment in Germany, although it was not established yet if the deaths were directly connected to the treatment, the head of the biggest association of doctors in the country said Monday. According to Leo Olarte of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the politicians may have died due to “anaphylactic shock” following a hypersensitivity reaction to the stem cells from animals, especially sheep. Anaphylaxis is a deadly allergic reaction that causes difficulty in breathing and sudden drop in blood pressure. “Kapag ikaw ay nabigyan ng stem cell galing sa tupa, aatakihin ng katawan ‘yan kasi ito ay hindi inherent sa katawan… Magkakaroon ng hypersensitivity reaction na magdudulot ng anaphylactic shock sa pasyente,” Olarte said in a phone interview with GMA News Online. He also cited possible death due to delayed graft function, which is a complication after an organ transplantation. The politicians, who were not identified as requested by their families, had illnesses in the lungs, heart and liver before the treatment, Olarte said. However, he was quick to add that it has yet to be proven if the stem cell treatment was the real cause of the three politicians’ deaths. “Ito ay mga hearsay pa lang,” he said. “Baka naman namatay dahil sa kanilang orihinal na sakit.” He said the families of the deceased are coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police for further investigation. Treatments in hotels Meanwhile, Olarte urged the public to Read More …

LTO yet to scrap mandatory drug tests for driver's license application

 News
Jun 242013
 
LTO yet to scrap mandatory drug tests for driver's license application

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has yet to stop requiring mandatory drug tests for applicants for driver’s license despite a law revoking it. “Kailangan po iyon,” LTO chief Virginia Torres said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “Kape at Balita” Monday when asked if drug testing is still required in the application or renewal of driver’s license. Torres, however, said she would meet with some government agencies this week to discuss Republic Act 10586, which, according to its principal author Sen. Tito Sotto, scraps “costly” drug tests as a requirement. “Ito nga po ay pag-aaralan namin ng mabuti,” Torres said, adding agencies that will participate in the meeting are the Department of Health, National Police Commission, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Science and Technology. “At syempre iimbitahin din namin ang mga taga-OSG [Office of the Solicitor General] para maesplika talaga ang batas na ito sapagkat nagkakaroon nga po ng iba’t ibang interpretation,” she said. “Iyan po ay malalaman namin after June 27,” Torres added. In a statement, Sen. Vicente Sotto III said the mandatory drug test, a requirement under the Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, has been revoked by the RA 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013. He said the scrapping of a “useless requirement” will allow motorists “a respite from costly drug tests,” which is worth P200. Sotto stressed that the Repealing Clause in RA 10586 “specifically stated that the clause on mandatory drug testing was among Read More …

Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

 News
Jun 242013
 
Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

The government will make sure that the P18,000 that will be granted to each of the families living near Metro Manila waterways will solely be used for finding temporary homes while their resettlement areas are being built, a Malacañang spokesperson said Monday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is in the process of identifying who the “real” informal settlers are. “We understand that concern pero napag-aralan na po ng DILG ‘yan. We’re identifying who are the real informal settlers and those who are professionally making this as a means of squatting,” he said. Lacierda added that the DILG is also studying the possibility of giving the P18,000 subsidy in tranches so that it will be certainly used for paying monthly rent for temporary housing. DILG Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez, in-charge of relocating informal settlers in Metro Manila away from danger zones, earlier said the government is planning to shell out P18,000 for each of the 20,000 affected families to encourage them to leave their houses near waterways. Clogged waterways as a result of informal settlers living near them have been blamed for the flood problems that constantly hit Metro Manila every rainy season. Relocation budget In a separate text message, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the P18,000 subsidy will be sourced from the budget allocated by the government for relocating informal settlers. “Since 2011, the government has been setting aside P10 billion to relocate informal settler families living dangerously along Read More …

Prosecutors press for Gwen Garcia's suspension anew

 News
Jun 242013
 
Prosecutors press for Gwen Garcia's suspension anew

Government prosecutors have asked the Sandiganbayan Second Division to order the suspension of outgoing Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia anew following the objections raised by her lawyers. In a reply, the prosecutors said Garcia could no longer formally challenge the validity of criminal informations filed against her as it was done almost two months after her arraignment. “(I)t is respectfully submitted that the Motion to Quash… was not filed within a reasonable time,” the prosecutors said, adding the filing of the motion by Garcia’s lawyers “creates an impression that she is using the Rules to unduly delay the proceedings.” In a motion filed last June 5, the prosecution moved for Garcia’s suspension, but her lawyers argued in a June 19 motion that she still has a pending motion to quash precisely challenging the validity of her indictment. But according to the prosecutors, Garcia’s motion requires an evaluation and appreciation of evidence that may only be presented during a trial. Garcia is facing two counts of graft and one count of malversation concerning allegations of fraud in the provincial government’s purchase of a 24.92-hectare property in 2008 for close to P94 million. Graft investigators later found out that approximately 80 percent of the property known as the Balili Estate lies underwater. Garcia, who won as congresswoman in the May 13 elections, will serve as Cebu governor until June 30, the same day her three-year term as a legislator starts. In an earlier petition, Garcia said the motion to suspend, which came after she served a Read More …

US urged to comply with SC order to comment on Tubbataha case

 News
Jun 242013
 
US urged to comply with SC order to comment on Tubbataha case

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 2:42 pm | Monday, June 24th, 2013 In this photo taken on March 30, 2013, and released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday, April 1, 2013, the stern of the USS Guardian, a U.S. Navy minesweeper, is transferred to another ship after being lifted out of the water at the Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage site, in the Tubbataha National Marine Park, southwest of the Philippines. Tubbataha park superintendent Angelique Songco said the fine for damaging the protected coral reef would be about 24,000 pesos ($600) per square meter, so the U.S. could be facing a fine of more than $2 million. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Left leaning fisherfolk group called on the US government to comply with the Philippine Supreme Court’s order to comment on a petition calling for a filing of criminal, administrative and civil cases against those responsible for the grounding of the USS Guardian last January 17 in Tubbataha Reef. “The US government through its embassy in Manila should respond to the Supreme Court and refrain from invoking several concerns that would make it very difficult for concerned groups which filed the petition,” Salvador France, vice chair of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement Monday. “The US government must respond to and account for their crimes against the people and the environment. That is simple as ABC, nothing more, nothing less. The incident merits the filing of criminal and other appropriate charges against officials and Read More …

A WALKING TOUR OF ESCOLTA

 News
Jun 242013
 
A WALKING TOUR OF ESCOLTA

From the early 1900s to the 1960s, Escolta was the country’s premier shopping mecca. With the emergence of the commercial and business districts of Makati and Quezon City, the prestige of Escolta gradually faded. READ FULL STORY  

PAGASA: Monsoon rain over parts of the PHL, high tide may cause flooding

 News
Jun 232013
 
PAGASA: Monsoon rain over parts of the PHL, high tide may cause flooding

The southwest monsoon and the inter-tropical convergence zone may bring rain to parts of northern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Monday, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Manny Mendoza also said the high tide may cause water levels to rise as it may go as high as 1.46 meters for the day. “Ang 1.46 meters, medyo mataas na yan,” he said in an interview on dzBB radio. PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin said the high tide would reach its peak at 9:53 a.m. Earlier Monday, local governments in Malabon City and in Obando, Bulacan had suspended classes for the day in anticipation of floods brought by the high tide. Monsoon rain PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin said the weak southwest monsoon was affecting the western sections of northern Luzon while the inter-tropical convergence zone was affecting Southern Mindanao. “The regions of Ilocos, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Western and Central Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula and SOCCSKSARGEN will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” it said. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be “partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.” Moderate to strong winds from the southwest to south will prevail over the western section of Northern Luzon and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the east to southeast over the rest of the country with slight to moderate seas. PAGASA also said that Read More …

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 Economy
Jun 232013
 

ECONOMISTS are touting the Philippines as being a “sweet spot” for investments — an impressive 6.8% GDP growth in 2012, a solid 7.8% growth in the first quarter of 2013, manageable deficit and inflation, recent credit rating upgrades to investment status, strong domestic consumption, increased government spending on infrastructure, and investor confidence in President Aquino’s good governance policies.

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