MANILA, June 3 (Mabuhay) -– Singer Charice ended speculations about her sexual preference by finally admitting that she is indeed a lesbian. In an interview with “The Buzz,” Charice admitted: “Opo, tomboy po ako.” “Mayroon po akong chance na gawin lahat ng ito internationally. Pero pinili ko po dito dahil malaki ang utang na loob […]
By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:33 pm | Wednesday, June 5th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — All Philippine missions overseas are now on alert for the coronavirus, a deadly respiratory disease known to have originated in the Middle East but has spread to parts of Europe. No Filipino has so far been reported to have contracted the disease, but all Philippine embassies and consulates around the world are now closely watching developments relating to the virus, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. “As you know, this has already spread to other countries, so all of our embassies and consulates around the world are closely monitoring developments in their respective jurisdictins and they regularly seek updates from their host governments,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez in a briefing. He also reiterated the government’s advice to Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, the country currently worst-affected by the virus, with 25 known deaths out of 39 reported cases. There are some 1.5 million Filipinos currently in Saudi Arabia as workers or residents. “The personnel of our embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia can effectively relay relevant information regarding the virus to our compatriots, and they have already done this,” said Hernandez. “What we really need now is our citizens’ cooperation. Filipinos should heed the advice of our embassy and consulate and relevant authorities of the host country,” he added. He said Filipinos in affected countries–now including France, Germany and Great Britain–should immediately consult Read More …
The administration-led Liberal Party will retain its hold on the House of Representatives in the coming 16th Congress after its candidates won the most number of seats in the lower chamber in the May 13 mid-term polls, according to data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The party, which is chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, counted 108 winning candidates in various districts across the country. Among them are House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., who led the party’s sweep in all six congressional seats for Quezon City, including those at the newly created fifth and sixth districts. The opposition has said it intends to put forward their own bet, LAKAS president and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez – who is also the nephew of former first lady and Ilocos Rep. Imelda Marcos – against Belmonte in the next Congress. “We’re officially declaring that we’re going to challenge the leadership of the House,” Minority Floor Leader Danilo Suarez told the media last May 23. But Belmonte is confident that he will retain his post on the strength of the LP’s alliance with other parties. “We expect that we’ll form the same coalition that we did last time—principally with the NPC, NUP, and the NP (Nacionalista),” he said. Comelec results show that the remaining 126 congressional districts went to candidates from the following groups: * Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC), 43 seats* National Unity Party (NUP), 24 seats* Nacionalista Party (NP), 20 seats* Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS-CMD), 14 seats* United Nationalist Alliance Read More …
The United States was just being “prudent” when it issued an alert notice to its citizens in the Philippines, Malacañang said Wednesday as it downplayed the advisory. “That’s part of their alert notice to their citizens. Very recently, they made a travel alert also. Again, this part of their being prudent as someone who would like to protect their citizens here,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing. In an advisory, the US State Department cited the growing terrorist groups particularly in Mindanao that are targeting foreigners. The report also classified the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed branch, the New People’s Army (NPA), as terrorist groups. Lacierda said although the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit group still exists, its numbers have been “effectively decimated” by the military. “We are aware of the presence of Abu Sayyaf. It is not a secret but the Abu Sayyaf is more or less a bandit group already. Our Armed Forces have effectively decimated their numbers,” he said. “They have been reduced to a kidnap-for-ransom group and that’s the status right now, and we continue to pursue lawless elements in the country,” Lacierda added. Lacierda, however, refused to comment on the US State Department’s classification of the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group. “Well, it’s not for us to say ‘do we agree or not’. That’s how they would like to classify the CPP-NPA,” he said. — Patricia Denise Chiu/KBK, GMA News
Senator Loren Legarda said Wednesday that she has declined an offer from Senator Franklin Drilon, who is being eyed as Senate president in the 16th Congress, to be the next majority floor leader. “Napag-usapan namin at sinabi ko na hindi ako interesado. Hindi dahil sa ayaw ko na magtrabaho, pero dahil nanggaling na ako riyan,” Legarda told reporters. However, she added, she might consider the offer to become the Senate president pro tempore next Congress. “Kung andiyan na at wala namang ibang interesado at kung ako ay pipilitin, baka pag-isipan,” she said. Legarda was majority floor leader from 2002 to 2004, when Drilon was Senate president. She won a fresh Senate term during the 2013 midterm polls under the administration slate, which was managed by Drilon. The senator likewise said she would rather “focus on committee work” rather that handle a top Senate post during her third term. “Nanggaling na ako riyan. Give others a chance. Sabi ko nga, ipaubaya na sa iba,” she said. — BM, GMA News
Flash floods and landslides may be expected in parts of Bicol and Eastern Visayas in the next 24 hours from the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ), state weather forecasters said Wednesday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the ITCZ is affecting the Bicol region, Visayas and Mindanao, and may bring moderate to heavy rain. “Bicol region and Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rain and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides,” it said. Calabarzon, Mimaropa, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms, it added. Also, PAGASA said Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be “partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.” On Thursday, Metro Manila may expect temperatures of 25 to 34 degrees Celsius while Tuguegarao City may expect temperatures of 25 to 37 degrees Celsius. Angeles and Olongapo Cities may expect temperatures of 25 to 33 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, PAGASA said light to moderate winds from the east to southeast will prevail over Northern and Central Luzon and coming from the east to northeast over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate, it added. — TJD, GMA News
A ranking United States military officer is set to visit the Philippines this week to consult with defense authorities “on a range of common security challenges,” but no media event was scheduled. According to a statement from the US Embassy in Manila on Wednesday, Admiral Samuel Locklear III, commander of the US Pacific Command (USPACOM), will be in Manila on Thursday and Friday. Prior to his scheduled arrival, Locklear attended the annual Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore where he met with Asia-Pacific defense officials. In June last year, Locklear accompanied General Martin Dempsey, the highest-ranking general in the US military, to meet President Benigno Aquino III, also after attending the Shangri-la Dialogue. The following month, Locklear paid a courtesy call on Aquino to talk about maritime and regional security, as well as the US-Philippine bilateral defense alliance. Locklear’s personal decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal with one gold star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with four gold stars, Bronze Star Medal, and numerous individual, Campaign and Unit awards. The US and Philippines are allied by a 1951 mutual defense treaty. In the early 1990s US forces vacated Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, two large facilities used during the Vietnam War, after a disagreement over rents. In recent years the Philippines has been seeking to improve its defense ties with the US amid a festering territorial dispute with China over parts of the South China Sea. Some of its facilities are being used in Read More …
The Philippine Navy plans to give honors to ‘Captain Bok,’ described by a fellow passenger as the one who “calmed and led passengers to their safety” after a Cebu Pacific plane skidded off its runway Sunday night at the Davao International Airport. On Wednesday, the Navy’s Civil Military Operations Group commander, Col. Edgard Arevalo, identified ‘Captain Bok’ as Lt. Marlon Bo, who is a Navy reservist and a graduate of Philippine Merchant Marine Academy in 2003. “We have plans of bestowing him an award,” said Col. Arevalo in a phone interview. As of posting time, GMA News Online has yet to reach Bo for his side on the matter. Incidentally, Bo was mentioned in a personal account of one of the passengers, describing him as a “guiding voice” at the time of the incident. “It took the courage of one person, whom we only know as Captain Bok from the Philippine Navy, to stand up and calm everyone down. He knew what he was doing and he was in control even when the cabin crew looked like they were really at a loss about what to do,” Nino Ruel Alinsub said on his Facebook status Monday. Arevalo said Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alan, the flag officer in command, has agreed to honor Bo. “To Lt. Marlon Bo, Uwah! Hooyah! Mabuhay Ka! Ipinagmamalaki Ka namin!,” Arevalo said. The airplane has been towed from the runway Tuesday evening. Disappointed passengers of Flight 5J-971 aims to file a class suit against Cebu Pacific. Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – The Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) Terminals 1 and 2 will soon be connected to the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and the Entertainment City casino complex after the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) released P11 billion for the construction of the NAIA Expressway Phase II project, the Palace announced on Wednesday. SMC made the payment through the SMC Vertex Tollways Development, Inc. after winning the bid last April 15. The Department of Public Works and Highways sent to SMC last May 6 the formal notice for award for the project. Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the project could start some time this month, to be divided in two phases. The proposed NAIA Expresssway has a total length of 7.15 kilometers, with the first phase expected to be completed in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2015. “Hopefully before APEC, that will be completed. There’s another phase which is II-B, which will connect the Skyway to the existing tollways,” Lacierda said. The P15.5-billion NAIA Expressway Phase II project is the third public-private partnership project to be successfully bidded out by the government, the Palace reported.
MANILA, Philippines – The construction of the expressway for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) could now start after conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) gave the P11-billion upfront payment to the government for the project, a Palace official announced on Wednesday. The company released the upfront payment through the SMC Vertex Tollways Development Inc., according to Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda. San Miguel won the P11-billion bid last April 15 and a formal notice for award was given by the Department of Public Works and Highways to the company last May 6. Lacierda said that with the payment, the project could start sometime in June. The proposed NAIA Expressway, which has a total length of 7.15 kilometers, will connect the airport’s Terminals I and II to Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and the Entertainment City casino complex. The project has two phases: Phase II-A and Phase II-B. The Cabinet official said Phase II-A will be completed in time for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2015. Phase II-A will connect NAIA Terminals I and II through an elevated tollway structure to Roxas Boulevard and the Entertainment City, he said. “Hopefully before APEC, that will be completed. There’s another phase which is II-B, which will connect the Skyway to the existing tollways,” Lacierda said.