Philippines Local News

Metro not a poll hotspot

Philstar.com - Monday, November 23

MANILA, Philippines - The entire Metro Manila is not among the areas considered as hotspots during the coming May 2010 national and local elections, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. More »

  • Baguio's economy still reeling from ‘Pepeng’

    GMANews.TV - Monday, November 23

    BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - More than a month after the onslaught of typhoon Pepeng (international codename.

  • Baguio tourism still struggling after Pepeng

    GMANews.TV - Monday, November 23

    BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - More than a month after the onslaught of typhoon Pepeng (international codename.

  • Road rage slay suspect’s mom asks son to surrender

    ABS-CBN - Sunday, November 22

    MANILA - The mother of Jason Ivler, the suspect in the killing last Wednesday of the only son of a Palace official, wants her son to surrender to authorities.

  • Sulu political leaders condemn beheading of public school teacher

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    JOLO, Sulu - A group of political leaders led by Sulu 2nd District Rep.

  • Geneva body probes use of landmines

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    A three-man body - led by Chris Rush - of the Geneva Call are in Mindanao and are presently investigating the Philippine government's accusation that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) allegedly used landmines in the Mindanao conflict, a violation of the global ban on the use of anti-personnel mines.

    Geneva Call, or Appel de Geneve in its Swiss name, is ''a neutral and impartial humanitarian organization dedicated to engaging non-state actors (NSAs) towards compliance with IHL (International Humanitarian Law) and IHRL (International Human Rights Law) norms, consistent with common Article 3 of Geneva Conventions.''

    Geneva Call seeks to prevent the use of anti-personnel mines in conflicts across the world which ''maim and kill civilians and combatants indiscriminately, even long after hostilities have ended.''

    The MILF is one of the 39 NSAs that signed Geneva Call's ''Deed of Commitment for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine Action.''

    MILF leaders have repeatedly denied using landmines in the conflict in Mindanao and stressed their fidelity to Geneva Call's anti-personnel mines agreement.

    Rush and his colleagues were in the villages of Kitango in Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Tuka na Lipao in Mamasapano, all in Maguindanao; and in Aleosan, North Cotabato, and Matanog, Maguindanao, on Saturday accompanied by the military on their investigation.

  • WB-GEF grants P300 M for environment projects

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    ZAMBOANGA CITY - The World Bank-Global Environment Facility (WB-GEF) recently granted P300 million (approximately $6.351 million) to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fund vital environmental projects in Mindanao.

    The P300-million fund will be used to finance programs and projects under the Mindanao Rural Development Program on Natural Resources Management (MRDP-NRM) of the department, Carolina Figueroa-Geron, WB project team leader said.

    Geron formally led the launching of the program for Mindanao in Pagadian City early this month which will cover a five-year implementing period until December 31, 2014.

    The launching was also attended by top local and national government officials including members and senior officials of WB and DA.

    DA Regional Executive Director for Zamboanga Peninsula Dr.

  • Power summit to address shortage

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    ZAMBOANGA CITY - The Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) and the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry had organized the Mindanao Power Summit aimed at addressing the shrinking reserve capacity of the Mindanao Power Grid.

    The Summit will be held on December 2 and 3 at the Xavier Estates Sports and Country Club in Cagayan de Oro City and will focus on three major themes - Creating an Enabling Environment for Investors in Power Generation, Addressing Governance Issues for Sufficient and Reliable Power and, lastly, Mainstreaming Sustainable Responsible Investments in the Power Industry.

    A Mindanao Power Action Agenda will also be presented during the Summit to Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) Chairperson Zenaida Ducut.

  • LTO conducts Boracay transport inventory

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    BORACAY ISLAND, Malay, Aklan, (PNA) - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is set to conduct an inventory of land transportation systems in Boracay so it could find out how best to decongest traffic on this the country's most popular resort island.

    Valtimore Conanan of LTO-Aklan, said he had received the green light from Task Force Boracay to address concerns on the worsening traffic condition on this resort island.

    ''We expect that there are now 4,000-5,000 transport vehicles on this resort island, making it dangerous for tourists to travel because of limited land way.

  • Lovers found dead in Cebu motel

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    CEBU CITY - A 30-year-old band vocalist and his 32-year-old lover were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a motel in Barangay Mabolo last Saturday but police initially ruled out foul play in the couple's death.

    Police said it is possible that Gerald Espinosa, a veterinary medicine student, shot first his girlfriend Gay Murielle del Rosario, a band vocalist, before pulling the trigger on himself afterwards.

    PO3 Julius Mabunay of the Cebu City Homicide Division said the two checked in the motel Friday night and told motel attendants they will be checking out at noon on Saturday but a room boy heard at least five gunshots before 10 a.m. on Saturday.

    The room boy told the police he did not bother to knock on the lover's door.

  • CSU receives $1.8-M robotics lab from US firm

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    CEBU CITY - Just a few weeks after being converted into a full-blown university, the Cebu State College of Science and Technology received Saturday $1.8 million worth of laboratory equipment for robotics and meteorology from a US-based computer firm.

    Executives of San Jose, California-based Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST), a well-known producer of hard disk drives, turned over $1.8 million worth of metrology and robotics laboratory facilities to the institution, now known as the Cebu Technological University (CTU) , the first recipient of such hi-tech laboratory in Central Visayas.

    The donation is part of Hitachi GST's Integrated University Program launched last year, which aims to help develop hard disk drive industry talent in the country by providing scholarships, research grants, lab equipment and on-the-job training to both students and faculty members.

    ''Hitachi is impressed by the highly skilled workforce in the Philippines,'' said Dr.

  • Bohol pushes for algae research center

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    Barring any hitches, Bohol will soon most likely be the country's first commercial producer of gasoline additive from seaweeds.

    This, after Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, accompanied by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Country Director In Kim and Seoul, Korea-based Biolsystems Co., Ltd.

  • Bohol tops NFCP in Central Visayas

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol - The Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) tops other police offices in Central Visayas in the implementation of the National Firearms Control Program (NFCP) or Bilang Boga.

    BPPO accounted for a total of 1,096 firearms in its drive since August to September, topping all police offices in the region in the implementation of the NFCP, records from the Police Regional Office 7 showed.

    The Cebu Provincial Police Office, however, beat BPPO in active anti-illegal firearms interdiction operations or operation Kontra Boga when it accounted for 433 in the last four months of operations.

    Operations Bilang Boga and Kontra Boga are active police operations launched to account for and recover an estimated 49,000 plus firearms in the country.

    BPPO's total haul is 23 percent of the estimated 4,232 loose firearms from threat groups and criminal elements or those basically un-renewed in the last years, explains PInspector John Gano, Camp Dagohoy Information Officer.

    While topping the charts in Bilang Boga operations, or accounting for total loose firearms targetted for recovery, Bohol garnered third place in operation Kontra Boga (anti-loose fire-arms interdiction operations), with BPPO operatives accounting for only 44 firearms in the same period.
    BPPO contended with the Cebu Provincial Police Office, Cebu City Police Office, Lapulapu City Police Office, Mandaue City Police Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office and the Siquijor Provincial Police Office.

    Regarding such achievement, outgoing Police Director PSsupt Edgardo Ingking said he was happy that his men delivered and seriously cascaded the national gun amnesty campaign in their areas.

    Ranking next to Bohol in Bilang Boga Operation is Siquijor Provincial Police Station, the province with the least criminality in Central Visayas.

    Siquijor scored seventy two firearms, all of them unrenewed in the last years over the estimated 337 loose fire arms in the island.

    In Central Visayas, Cebu Province has the most number of loose firearms at 14,143, followed by Cebu City at 13,585.

    For operation Bilang Boga, following Bohol and Siquijor are Cebu City Police Office, Manadue City Police Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, Cebu Provincial Police Office and Lapulapu City Police Office.

  • Regional Mobile Group holds training activity

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    CAMP BRIG. GEN. OSCAR M. FLORENDO, La Union - The Regional Mobile Group 1 (RMG 1) launched Sunday a sportsfest cum skills training activity dubbed ''RMG 1 Sports and Tactical Skills Challenge'' with a festive ceremony held at the Police Regional Office 1 (PRO 1) grandstand here.

    Sr.

  • 17 HIV-AIDS-related deaths listed in Baguio

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    BAGUIO CITY - The City Health Office (CHO) here confirmed that at least 17 persons allegedly died due to the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) in the city over the past 17 years.

    Since 1992, the social hugeness clinic of the CHO has recorded 33 HIV and AIDS cases and over 50 percent of the said cases have already expired.

    Two cases were recorded in 1992, three in 1997, one each for the years 1998 up to 2000, and two cases in 2002.

    At the same time, the health office revealed there were six AIDS cases which were recorded in the city in 2004 that includes a foreigner who was diagnosed in the city and a female blood donor.

    In 2005, three AIDS cases were recorded and two of them were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

    Another four AIDS cases were subsequently recorded in the following year, five in 2007, two in 2008 and three confirmed cases in the months of January and February this year.

    It was found out that the age ranges of the HIV-AIDS victims are from 17 to 45 years and 11 of them are female.

    Out of the 33 recorded AIDS cases in the city, 17 of them were said to be overseas workers, two are sexually active females, three are wives of persons with HIV, two are foreigners, two are blood donors and seven are male having sex with males.

    The alarming state of HIV-AIDS cases in the city has prompted the local health office to intensify its operations in night establishments so that commercial sex workers could be forced to subject themselves to the usual tests to determine if they have contracted sexually transmitted infections which could worsen if not properly diagnosed.

  • Global demand rises for Kalinga coffee

    Manila Bulletin - Sunday, November 22

    TABUK, Kalinga - The Kalinga Brew, a locally produced coffee, is now in demand in China because of its lasting aroma and caramelized taste which had attracted Chinese and other international coffee drinkers.

    Kalinga Brew was one of the 27 processed foods manufactured in the Philippines exhibited in China during recent 6th China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Expo held at Nanning, Guangxi.

    Antuza Refalda, proprietor of the Kalinga Brew, said the Chinese are now declining tea and are now looking for the locally grown and manufactured coffee because they claim it has a wonderful aroma and convincing taste plus the fact that it is said to be medicinal.

    The 500 kilos of Kalinga Brew brought by exhibitors to the famous trade fair was consumed by the Chinese coffee drinkers within a span of two days out of the seven-day exhibit period.

    Described by patrons in five countries as the best brewed coffee in the world, the local brewed coffee gained its trademark in the global market when introduced by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Cordillera in their respective places of work.

    The bandwagon for the consumption of the Kalinga brewed coffee started to be known worldwide as it was served in small coffee shops managed by OFWs, particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore and in the Middle East.

    By next year, the brewed coffee will be introduced in Thailand, Australia and other Southeast Asian countries to continue the expansion of its market to ensure the increased production of the native product.

    The local manufacturers of the brewed coffee have been receiving increasing orders from both local and foreign patrons, thus, Refalda claimed they were forced to seek the assistance from concerned government agencies to allow them to successfully purchase new coffee processing equipment.

    In response, the provincial office of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) gave the local manufacturers some P910,000 as financial assistance so that they could immediately purchase the coffee processing equipment in order for them to be able to meet their increasing orders from local and international patrons.

  • Oops! Suspected rebels apologize after shooting in Ifugao

    GMANews.TV - Saturday, November 21

    BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Suspected rebels tried to make reparations for shooting two villagers in the northern province of Ifugao during a religious activity last week.

  • Pacquiao earns P1B from Cotto fight

    Pacquiao earns P1B from Cotto fight

    ABS-CBN - Saturday, November 21

    MANILA – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will end up making $22 million or P1.03 billion for his 12th-round demolition of Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto last week.

  • Power bills now payable through credit card

    Manila Bulletin - Saturday, November 21

    CEBU CITY - In order to reduce the long queue in payment centers, power distribution firm Visayan Electric Company (VECO) announced its acceptance of electric bill payments through a credit card.

    The partnership between VECO and Unionbank for this purpose was forged last Friday.

  • Fair trade groups to seek WTO intervention

    Manila Bulletin - Saturday, November 21

    CEBU CITY - Advocates of the fair trade movement in the Philippines are encouraged to collaborate with international counterparts in a bid to influence leaders in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to support their cause.

    "We are getting together the support of fair trade groups around the world, including the Philippines to participate in pushing the fair trade principle to the WTO. The advocacy is meant to create equality in trade between world economies," said Rudi Dalvai, former President of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), and now head of the Consorzio Ctm Altromercato, the principal organization of fair trade in Italy.

    According to Dalvai, the WFTO, whose membership has grown to 70 countries worldwide with 360 member organizations, could now create a unified stand in seeking for WTO intervention.

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