Blog Posts by Rio Rose Ribaya

The country's bishops are hopeful that Pope Francis will visit the Philippines in 2016.

Leaders of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Vatican has asked that a global event in Cebu be moved to an earlier date due to the pope's schedule.

Vatican wants the 51st International Eucharistic Congress originally slated in May 2016 to be held in January of the same year instead.

"Two weeks ago, we received a letter from Archbishop Marini asking us if we could move the event to the second preferred date because the pope has another schedule in May," CBCP President and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said.

He was referring to Archbishop Piero Marini, the president of the Pontifical Committee on the International Eucharistic Congress.
 
"We told them that January is fine because our suggestion was to make the pope's visit to the Philippines a priority," Palma said further.

The IEC, which is held once every four years, is expected to draw thousands of participants including Church

No one, even a senator, is above the law.
 
This, Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas reminds his friend, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., after the lawmaker cried about “Martial Law” allegedly in effect in Cavite province.
 
Roxas insisted his department’s findings that the police involved in a stand-off against a group of armed men near Revilla’s compound in Bacoor City were just enforcing the gun ban on May 13.
 
“Patakaran ng aking pamamahala dito sa DILG na walang sinisino ang batas. Dahil dito, kahit na ang aking kaibigang si Senator Bong Revilla – senador man sya, sikat na artista o big shot sa Cavite – ay hindi pwedeng pumaibabaw sa batas,” Roxas said in a statement.
 
Citing the investigation he personally oversaw, Roxas claimed the involved cops were just following Philippine National Police (PNP)’s standard operating procedure for gun ban.
 
On Election Day, police personnel were following tips about a group of men with high-powered firearms, allegedly seen outside Revilla’s

Several party-list groups admired comedienne Ai-Ai de las Alas for her big confession on Sunday.
 
Even the Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) commended de las Alas for her bravery in telling the public about her ordeals with her husband amid their painful separation.
 
“Going public about such a painful experience requires courage and guts. Ai-Ai has that. Many women prefer to hide their humiliation,” GWP Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said.
 
Expressing her support for de las Alas, Ilagan however called on the actress “to chart her life and avoid the same mistakes.”
 
Youth Against Corruption and Poverty (YACAP) party-list Rep. Carol Jayne Lopez urged women, especially the younger ones, to emulate de las Alas.
 
“Ai-Ai's case is a pervasive and repetitive case amongst women of today probably in any part of the world. While I commiserate with the situation of our abused women, we nonetheless call on all Filipinas to know and assert their rights,” Lopez said.
 
“We have only ourselves to blame if we choose to

The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has formally congratulated Team PNoy for leading nine of its candidates to victory in the 2013 senatorial polls.
 
But Vice President Jejomar Binay’s opposition coalition reminded them they will continue to expose “the politics of the past.”
 
“The United Nationalist Alliance would like to extend its congratulations to those who have been elected by the Filipino people,” UNA said in a statement.
 
“We fought a good fight. But it was not a fight against other political parties. It was a fight for the common man,” it added.
 
The opposition coalition, which only won three seats in the Senate in May 13 elections, also believes they succeeded in reminding Aquino administration about issues that matter.
 
Most of the nine bets they fielded in the senatorial race vowed to create more jobs and more food on "the table of every worker, farmer, fisherman and the urban poor.”
 
“We are glad to hear several senators-elect identified with Team PNoy saying some of the very

Senator-elect Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito Estrada can’t wait to perform his duties in the Senate.
 
And it seems like the outgoing San Juan City lawmaker is more excited to be a senator than work closely with his half-brother, Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada.
 
When asked about how feels at the prospect of working with Manila Mayor-elect Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s son with former Senator Loi Estrada, Ejercito replied:
 
“Well, siguro I’m more excited to perform my duties sa Senate because not everybody is given this privilege,” Ejercito, Estrada' son with Guia Gomez, told Yahoo! Southeast Asia.
 
But Ejercito, who ranked 11th after getting 13,552,991 votes in the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s partial and official tally on Saturday, expressed hope things will get better for him and his brother.
 
“Well, we’ll see. I hope (Senate will bring us closer),” he added.
 
At the height of 90-day campaign period, the son of former President Estrada with San Juan City Mayor-elect Guia

“I can help former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.”

This was what the daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay said about the Team PNoy candidate, who lost in the senatorial elections last May 13.

“I never had an issue against her. And at this point, we should not dwell on this (issue). It’s all in the past,” Senator-elect Nancy Binay said.

“We should all be preparing for a lot of work waiting in the Senate,” she added.

Binay made the comment after being asked if she is bent to fulfill her campaign promise to engage Hontiveros in a debate.

To prove her sincerity, Binay said she is willing to help Hontiveros pursue the pieces of legislation she wants to be approved in the Senate.

“Who knows if we meet in public forum, where we can debate. Who knows if she runs again in 2016? But at this point, we should all help each other out,” she said.

“Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros may still have some measures she wants to pursue and I am willing to help her get this done in the Senate,” she added.

For newly-proclaimed Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan, this could be his last six years as senator.
 
This explains why the former military general’s proclamation as senator at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay on Saturday came as a bittersweet event for him and his family.
 
“Before I ride into the sunset, I think I have six years left. This is my last consecutive six-year term,” Honasan said, hinting of taking a break and possibly, retirement from politics.
 
Honasan, who bumped off former Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon in the 12th and last spot in the Magic 12, promised to leave the election fever behind and start working.
 
“We’ve been very cohesive. We’re also friends and I think we will move forward and respond to public interest wherever we are,” Honasan said.
 
“I have talked to some of his people and he’s okay. In fact, the other members of our senatorial line-up are all okay,” he added.
 
Honasan said he will immediately re-file Freedom of Information (FoI)

Vindicated.
 
This is how re-elected Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III felt when he showed up at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City for his proclamation on Saturday.
 
“This will be my first time if ever to be proclaimed by Comelec (Commission on Elections) itself. So, I’m happy at least it’s a vindication of my cause, of my fight and at the same time, redemption of Comelec,” Pimentel said.
 
“I mean, nagbago na rin ang image ng Comelec,” he added.
 
Pimentel arrived an hour earlier before Comelec commissioner Sixto Brillantes Jr. announced the National Board of Canvassers will be proclaiming the last batch of senatorial winners.
 
Wearing a barong Tagalog, the senatorial bet who ranked eighth in Comelec’s partial official count, said he was just trying to check how secured the poll body’s AES is for the 2013 mid-term elections.
 
“I used to be a part of the canvassing but that was manual so I wanted to see how canvassing for automated polls go at least for a