February 18, 2009 Major News Stories

Oil falls below $37 as demand wanes

Oil prices fell below $37 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as a deepening global slowdown weighed on expectations for crude demand.

Bakers yet to adjust price w/ cheaper flour

Millers have begun using duty-free wheat to produce flour, causing local flour prices to fall by as much as P60 per sack from December levels, an industry official said Tuesday.

City to help family in fire tragedy

THE Lapu-Lapu City Government is offering a P15,000-emergency shelter assistance to the parents of the three children who were killed in a fire Sunday evening.

Kap gireklamo sa 3 kagawad

Tulo ka mga konsehal sa barangay Labangon lakip na sa ilang SK chairman ang nireklamo batok sa ilang barangay kapitan.  Ang mga reklamante mao sila si Konsehal Victor Buendia, Jojo Lozano, Rudy Tabasa ug ang SK chairman nga si Gabriel Ledesma.  Ilang gireklamo si Kapitan Felix Abella tungod kay hangtud karon giingong wala gihapon ihatag ang ilang tag-P10 mil nga extra bonus.  Si Cebu City DILG Director Patricio Gabuya nitakda sa husay sa mga reklamante diha mismo sa barangay hall sa Labangon karong adlawa.

Barangay chief won't heed court order

POBLACION Pardo, Cebu City Barangay Captain Danilo Lim said he will not honor it if the court issues a writ of execution ordering him to step down.

CA denies Wakee, orders hearing resumed

International boxing promoter Rex "Wakee" Salud lost.  A division of the Court of Appeals (CA)—three justices rendering a unanimous decision—has KO-ed a petition for certiorari that he filed to stop the lower court from attaching his property to pay off a P10-million debt to a Cebuano businessman.  With the ruling, the original case against Salud, filed by businesswoman Almacita Paray in 2004, will go back to the lower court for hearing.

State stimulus plan questioned

The P330-billion stimulus package of the government is "overstated" and "recycled" as it contains items being funded even before the onset of the global economic crisis, while delay in approving this year"s budget is putting the plan"s effectiveness increasingly in question.

DILG to sue LGUs over 'pass-through' fees

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno warned local chief executives yesterday against charging "pass-through" fees from delivery trucks going through their areas of jurisdiction, saying they face criminal and administrative charges if they do so.

TF rejects Misuari passage request to ICRC 

The task force handling the hostage crisis in southern Philippines involving three Red Cross workers has denied the request of former rebel leader Nur Misuari to have a passageway to the hostage-takers.

Boy rescued in Basilan; 2 suspects dead

Security forces on Tuesday rescued a seven-year-old boy hours after two gunmen abducted him in the southern province of Basilan, a military official said.

RP thanks Lebanon for repatriation of OFWs 

The Philippine government formally thanked Lebanon on Monday for the safe repatriation of some 10,000 Filipinos during the Hezbollah-Israeli war in 2006.

Peso slumps to P47.85 on risk aversion

The peso Tuesday extended its losing streak against the dollar after investors avoided risky assets.

Japanese PM to be first Obama guest

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso will visit President Barack Obama next week, making him the first foreign leader to visit the Obama White House, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Tuesday.

Rama ok si Bimbo paduolon ni Burden

Walay supak si acting Mayor Michael Rama nga si City Administrator Francisco Fernandez maoy makigsabot sa pamilyang Burden.

CCTC to mull ouster of Rodriguez

AMID the controversy on the Miss Cebu 2009, the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) will meet today to discuss preparations for next year's pageant and the reported request of the Burden family for a revamp.

Kongresista tinawag na insekto ni Miriam

Tinawag ni Senadora Miriam Defensor-San tiago na maliit na insekto at malapit nang mag-menopause si Akbayan Rep. Theresita Hontive ros-Baraquel bilang sagot sa panawagan ng huli na mag-inhibit ang senadora sa imbestigasyon tungkol sa report ng World Bank kung saan nakakaladlad sa katiwalian sa bidding ng mga road projects si First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Hontiveros: Menopause is not the issue

Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday challenged administration Senator Miriam Santiago to stick to the issues instead of zeroing in on personal matters.

Imelda denies offering fortune to Obama

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos has denied lawyer Oliver Lozano's claims that he is working to set up a meeting between her and US President Barack Obama.

Super Lotto jackpot still waiting for winner

Hope remains alive for millions of lottery bettors after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced Tuesday evening that there is still no winner of the more than P230 million 6/49 Super Lotto jackpot.

China bans actors from medical shows

China has banned actors and celebrities from appearing in radio and television medical ads, part of efforts to crack down on marketing that involves fraudulent or outlandish claims.