MANILA (Mabuhay) — Under the new Department of Justice (DOJ) protocol on dealing with child abuse cases, the media is barred from interviewing the victims. In a chance interview after her speech at the announcement of the new protocol on Friday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said media interviews worsen the “trauma” experienced by child […]
ACTRESS Angel Locsin kept her silence on the rumored rift with Angelica Panganiban. Angel said that it wasn’t the best time to discuss the issue as Angelica has went through a lot because of the passing of her adoptive mother. “Medyo sensitive kasi yung sitwasyon ngayon sa kanya. Ayoko ko munang mag comment or makadagdag […]
A lone lotto bettor became P90.996 million richer Tuesday night after hitting the jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Superlotto 6/49 draw. The PCSO said the bettor got the winning combination of 20-05-45-35-26-21 to win the night’s jackpot worth P90,996,106.40. The PCSO is not likely to publicly name the winner for security reasons as it has in the past. Last May 20, two bettors became P23.2 million richer after winning the jackpot of the PCSO Megalotto 6/45 draw. At the time, the two bettors got the winning combination of 10-19-07-21-28-22 to share the jackpot worth P46,457,326.60. Last April 30, two lucky bettors shared P95,932,278 after getting the combination to the Superlotto 6/49 draw jackpot. The biggest lotto prize in the country’s history was still in November 2010, when a lone bettor won some P741.176 million for getting the winning combination 11-16-42-47-31-37. — ELR, GMA News
Agence France-Presse 9:02 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 Kabang, a two-year-old injured mixed breed, chews on a toy after being released from the from the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, in Davis, Calif., Monday, June 3, 2013. Kabang lost her snout and upper jaw saving two girls’ lives and is heading back to the Philippines after treatment at a California hospital. AP MANILA, Philippines — A mongrel dog is set for a hero’s welcome when she returns to the Philippines following surgery in the United States to reconstruct her face after apparently saving two girls from being hit by a motorcycle. Kabang was released from the University of California’s Davis Veterinary Hospital on Monday after eight months of treatment in which her face was partially rebuilt and she was cured of cancer and heartworm. In 2011 Kabang, then aged two and pregnant, became a hero in the Philippines after running in front of a motorcycle in what her owner said was a deliberate act to save her daughter and niece who were crossing a busy road. Thousands of dollars were raised for her treatment through an online campaign. “I think I will cry when I see her. She’s like a member of our family,” said owner Rudy Bunggal, a laborer who lives in a shanty in a poor southern Philippine town, told AFP by phone on Tuesday. In the accident Kabang’s snout and part of her jaw were torn off when Read More …
By Gil CabacunganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:45 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino and some members of his Cabinet will fly to Burma (Myanmar) on Friday to seek foreign capital and tourism dollars at the annual gathering of global leaders from business and politics–the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia–which convenes in Naypyitaw, the new Burmese capital city and administrative center. “The main reason for attending the forum is to invite foreign investors to come to the Philippines and, of course, to attract tourists as well,” said Ramon Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. “We’re going to try to reach a broad range of investors–of potential investors. [This is] similar to what happened in Davos except that here, where there’s a focus on East Asia, many of the businessmen will be from our part of the world,” he said. This will be Mr. Aquino’s first visit to Burma and the first by a Philippine president since 1997. The President will be accompanied on the one-day trip by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez. The President’s team is also expected to observe Burma’s hosting of the WEF as the Philippines will host the meeting next year. “By tradition, the incoming host personally invites Read More …
CebuPac plane’s nose mounted on truck, towing to follow . The nose of the Cebu Pacific plane that skidded off the runway of the Francisco Bangoy Int’l Airport in Davao City is mounted on a truck’s bed before it is towed out of the runway on Tuesday. All flights to and from Davao still remains canceled due to the incident. Karlos Manlupig (Updated 8:43 p.m.) The runway of the Davao International Airport — closed since Sunday night after a Cebu Pacific plane made an emergency landing — resumed normal operations Tuesday night, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). In a tweet, the DOTC said Davao Airport’s Runway 5/23 “resumed normal operations” at 8 p.m. Cebu Pacific, for its part, said the disabled aircraft was finally removed from the runway and that the airline will resume its normal flights to and from Davao City starting Wednesday. In an advisory posted on its Twitter account, the air carrier also reiterated its apology for the inconvenience caused by the plane’s emergency landing. “All Cebu Pacific (CEB) flights to and from Davao will be back to normal starting tomorrow, June 5, 2013, Wednesday, after its disabled aircraft was removed from the Davao Airport runway,” it said. Cebu Pacific said the Davao International Airport’s runway was cleared at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 48 hours after the emergency landing. On Sunday, Cebu Pacific’s Flight 5J-971 made an emergency landing amid a downpour and blocked the airport’s runway, forcing the closure of the Read More …
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is about to wrap up its three-month investigation on the supposed incursion of a group of Sulu Sultan Jamalil Kiram III’s supporters to Sabah, which resulted in fierce armed clashes between the group and Malaysian authorities. NBI director Nonnatus Rojas confirmed to GMA News Online on Tuesday that his agency has not yet finished their investigation on the incident, but said they are already putting together various reports on the incident from other government agencies. “That is because we are still consolidating the NBI, Department of Justice, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s final reports,” Rojas said. Kiram’s followers, who engaged in sporadic clashes with Malaysian authorities in early March, went to Sabah in February supposedly to assert their historical claim on the disputed territory. Sabah, located in the island of Borneo close to southwestern Mindanao, is territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A Philippine claim for sovereignty over it has lain dormant for decades, but Malaysia continues to pay a yearly rent to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, who claim to be the descendants of the original Filipino sultan who had control over the territory for centuries. President Benigno Aquino III had earlier asked for an investigation on the incursion, believing that Kiram was part of an effort to sabotage the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and a supporter of Kiram’s cause, Read More …
By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:37 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday cautioned Filipinos across Turkey to be careful of large public gatherings as nationwide unrest grew amid widespread demonstrations over the planned construction over a historic park in Istanbul. “Our Embassy in Ankara continues to monitor the situation in Turkey. While there are no specific threats to Filipinos, our Embassy nevertheless advises our kababayans to take extra precaution and stay away from areas where demonstrations are held,” DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing on Tuesday. There are some 5,000 Filipinos in Turkey, according to DFA estimates. Hernandez meanwhile said no Filipinos were among casualties in the flooding in the Czech Republic and fresh tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend. He said the Philippine Embassy in Prague has sent out an alert to some 500 Filipinos there about the situation and contact numbers for emergencies. Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Hernandez meanwhile said Filipinos were spared from harm when a tornado hit central Oklahoma on May 31, killing at least 18 people. Some 100,000 Filipinos are known to be residing in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in the midwest, which was also hit by a tornado earlier last month. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step Read More …
MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The Philippine stock market extended its losses today as most investors are still wary of the developments overseas. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index dived by 1.33 percent or 89.91 points to 6,673.47. The broader all-share index lost 1.17 percent or 48.76 points to 4,128.11. Trading volume reached 1.77 billion shares worth P13.25 billion ($315.25 million) with 123 stocks declining, 53 advancing, and 41 unchanged. All six counters were down. Brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said the successive sell-off has pushed away bargain hunters from local equities, many of whom are waiting for the selling spree to taper off. “Prospective institutional bargain shoppers might bid for time, until the potential unwinding of earlier overbought positions from some overseas managed funds ceases,” 2TradeAsia.com said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The composite index tumbled following the announcement by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that they might cut stimulus if they start seeing indications of sustained growth. The brokerage said the latest descent has opened room for some investors to consider this as good technical entry to ramp-up on large-caps that quickly recovers once pessimism abates. The bargain hunters are slowly manifesting their presence in Tuesday’s trade, where investors saw the index climb back after losing more than 100 points during the session. 2TradeAsia.com advises investors to check for potential momentum build-up especially after the local index’s successive declines. Stocks in the 30-company index were mostly down. These issues include SM Investments Corp., SM Prime Holdings, Inc., Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – The country’s information technology and business process management industry is poised to hit its 1.3 million employment target by 2016 after an annual growth of 21 percent in 2012, the chief of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said on Tuesday. IBPAP president and chief operating officer Jomari Mercado said the industry is likely to meet its goal after employing 776,794 in 2012, adding 137,066 net jobs from 2011. He added that in terms of export revenues, industry earnings grew by 19 percent to $13.2 billion, well within the level required to keep the industry on track to reach its revenue goal of $25 billion by 2016. “To reach our 2016 targets, we reiterate that it is imperative that we sustain and strengthen the work we are doing with government. We have received impressive support from President Aquino and his teams in the executive branch and we were able to pass key legislation needed by the industry,” Mercado said. IBPAP and its partner associations reported that the healthcare information management posted the biggest increase in employment in the industry with an 80-percent growth in employment or 45,000 jobs in 2012. Revenues from the sector soared to $460 million representing a 66-percent growth, following the game development sector.