February 9, 2009 Major News Stories

Floods in Santander, Samboan 

The rains last Saturday spurred flashfloods in the southernmost towns of Santander and Samboan forcing authorities to evacuate some residents.  The local government of Samboan has evacuated the residents of barangays Poblacion, Tangbo and Bato to the Poblacion gymnasium because houses, if not washed out, had been filled with mud and rocks.  In Santander, flashfloods caused damage in five barangays — Pasil, Lilo-an, Talisay, Looc and Kanlumakad.  In barangay Pasil alone, almost 30 families have been affected by the flooding as their houses have been totally washed out. Fortunately, no one was hurt.  In barangay Talisay, almost half of the place was washed out by the flood.

Floods thrash 10 barangays

AT LEAST 10 coastal barangays in the southern Cebu towns of Samboan and Santander were affected by flash floods and allegedly by a buhawi (waterspout) Saturday afternoon.

Govt calls for multi-sectoral job summit

The government has called on 200 leaders to participate in a multi-sectoral job summit on Monday to help government and industries cope with the impact of the global economic downturn on the country's labor force. A top government official had earlier warned that some 800,000 Filipinos are in danger of losing their jobs this year as the global economic slowdown hits the export sector.

8 illegal recruiters to Canada arrested

The Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment chaired by Vice President Noli de Castro has arrested eight persons for recruiting factory workers to Canada without authorization from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

OFWs benefit from NZ dairy industry

The rapid expansion of New Zea-land's dairy industry continues to benefit Filipino workers flocking to that country in search of the proverbial "greener pasture".  More than 3,000 workers are needed to fill the gap created by the rapid expansion of the dairy industry.

DOLE belittles US, cites other markets

A UNITED STATES Senate proposal to ban companies availing of a federal government bailout from hiring highly skilled foreign workers would not have a major impact on the Philippines insofar as the Department of Labor and Employment is concerned.

18 Legacy Group employees charged

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) filed 116 counts of falsification of public documents and two counts of false statements against 18 employees and agents of four rural banks under the Legacy Group, which collapsed over highly questionable investment schemes.

Legacy banks faked borrowers - BSP

The rural banks belonging to the Legacy Group pulled off the "grandest" banking scam in the country"s history, the central bank said, by luring depositors with "double-your-money schemes" and siphoning deposits into fictitious accounts.  Bank examiners discovered a bevy of "ghost" borrowers through which the rural banks diverted funds to themselves and affiliate companies.  Furthermore, these ghost borrowers were paid "commissions" ranging P10,000 to P15,000 by Legacy officials for loans running into the "millions of pesos."

Be tough on oil firms

With gas prices rising in the span of a month, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes should go tough on oil companies, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said on Sunday.

OPEC to cut output, Iraqi exec predicts

Iraq's oil minister on Saturday predicted that OPEC will cut production in March, and said that the price of a barrel of crude should not be less than 70 dollars.

CHED asks schools to hold off tuition hikes

Commission on Higher Education-7 officer-in-charge Candelario Aytona asked the 153 colleges and universities here in Cebu not to have a tuition fee increase for this school year 2009-2010.

Cebu ready for random drug tests

Twenty teams from the Department of Health and Department of Education central offices in Manila will be coming to Cebu on February 16 for the random drug tests on selected high school and university students.

Coast Guard issues new vessel travel rules

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) published last week the revised rules on grounding of vessels during extreme weather conditions, with the shipping industry saying it would better facilitate trade and commerce.

Wanted: 1,000 new coast guards

The Department of Transportation and Communications is recruiting 1,000 new coast guards as part of the government's effort to beef up security measures along the country's coastline.

Villar warns of Charter change 'decoy'

Senator Manny Villar has warned that the plan to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution could be simply a "decoy" that would eventually lead to the complete overhaul of the country's fundamental law.

Miriam:  Mike's testimony via deposition

The head of the Senate panel investigating the alleged rigging of bids for World Bank-funded road projects in the country is bent on hearing the testimony of First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, one of several personalities named by the World Bank in its report.

Show real proof vs Mike Arroyo

Malacañang dared administration critics to present solid evidence that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was involved in rigging the bidding for World Bank-funded public works projects.

Pimentel: Ban blacklisted firms in RP

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel on Saturday proposed in Senate Bill No. 3036 that construction firms blacklisted by international funding agencies for corrupt practices be permanently banned from participating in infrastructure projects of the government.

Arroyo got 'tired for nothing' in US

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did not embarrass herself or the nation when she rushed to an event in the US in a bid to personally meet US President Barrack Obama, a staunch ally in the Senate said on Sunday.

Hillary agreed to visit RP - Palace exec

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accepted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's invitation to visit the Philippines, a Malacañang official said Sunday.

SC reverses Ombuds, case vs. mayor 

The Supreme Court has reversed a recent decision of the Ombudsman-Visayas, which cleared from graft charges Valencia, Negros Oriental Mayor Rodolfo Gonzales Jr., two other public officials, and two private contractors.  Chief Justice Reynato Puno concurred with the decision of the SC First Division that the Ombudsman Visayas erred when it cleared from charges Gonzales, Valencia municipal treasurer Rolando Obanana, provincial attorney Erwin Vergara, and private contractors Alex Abelido and Dominador Abelido.

Civilians, PNP and AFP encircle kidnappers

Police, military and 600 armed civilians have set up a loose cordon around the southern jungles where al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants are holding three kidnapped Red Cross workers.

Sulu vice gov meets ICRC kidnappers 

A government negotiator has held a second meeting with kidnappers holding Italian, Swiss, and Filipina Red Cross workers.

$10M demanded for ICRC workers' release 

A ransom of between $5 million and $10 million has been demanded for the release of three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the MILF claimed Sunday.

Abducted midwife is free in Basilan

Eleazar Gumera, abducted midwife from Lamitan City, is free from his captors and is now in a headquarters of the Philippine Marines in Basilan province.

Time to travel: Room rates, air fares down

It's a good time to travel nowadays as air fares have been slashed by as much as 50 percent while room rates are down by 10 percent.  Philippine Travel Agents Association (PTAA) vice president John Paul Cabalza said air fares have gone down by more than 50 percent to encourage more people to take a trip.  "There are some airlines that offer airfares for as low as P1,500 roundtrip for Palawan or Boracay," he said.

84 killed in deadliest Australian wildfires

Towering flames razed entire towns in southeastern Australia and burned fleeing residents in their cars as the death toll rose to 84 today, making it the country's deadliest fire disaster.

Bomb blast kills 4 in Afghanistan

A remote-controlled bomb exploded in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand Sunday, killing four people, including two US nationals.

Yemen releases 170 al-Qaeda suspects

Yemen released 170 men it had arrested on suspicion of having ties to al-Qaeda, security officials said yesterday, two weeks after the terror group announced that Yemen had become the base of its activities for the whole Arabian peninsula.

Texters send Finals to 7th game

Literally—and coach Chot Reyes knows this—Talk 'N Text got half of the job done by winning Sunday night.  Tropang Texters nearly blew a 19-point third-quarter lead before hanging on for a 99-94 victory over Alaska that set up a Game 7 for the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.

Pacquiao parties in Guam 

While Manny Pacquiao partied with showbiz friends in Guam the other night, his promoter, Bob Arum, has started lining up the Pinoy superstar's next opponent.

KC, Richard: Becoming couple possible

Inamin ng hottest love team na si KC Concepcion at Richard Gutierrez na malaki ang posibilidad na maging sila in the future.

14 ka parisang priso gikasal

Katorse ka paresan sa mga binilanggo sa Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) gikasal kagahapon sa buntag didto sa maong prisohan sa dakbayan.

'Slumdog' wins top screenwriting honor

Rags-to-riches drama "Slumdog Millionaire" continued its sweep through the Hollywood movie industry awards, on Saturday winning top honors for an adapted screenplay.

Whitney makes triumphant comeback 

A stunning-looking and strong-sounding Whitney Houston made a triumphant return to the stage at a pre-Grammy party honoring her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis.

Iraq shoe thrower goes on trial Feb 19

The Iraqi journalist who infamously threw his shoes at former US President George Bush will go on trial on February 19, a judicial official told Agence France-Presse.

Lunar eclipse visible Monday

Moon worshippers will have something to be excited about as the first lunar eclipse of the year will be visible in the country tomorrow, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.  The penumbral lunar eclipse will start when the moon enters penumbral shadow of the earth at 8:36 pm Monday and will end at 12:39 am of the next day.  According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Feb. 9 lunar eclipse will be the first of four this year. The next penumbral lunar eclipses will be on July 7 and August 6. The first three will also be penumbral while the last on Dec. 31 will be a partial lunar eclipse where a part of the moon will pass the earth's umbra, or the part where the Earth completely blocks the Sun.

Study hints at how colors affect behavior

We learn from toddlerhood that red means danger - so should we use red ink for medication warnings? And if blue signals the freedom of open skies, how about brainstorming in a room painted blue?  Maybe so, says new research into how the brain reacts to colors: Red seems to improve attention to detail while blue sparks creativity.  "People are not aware of this effect at all," marvels lead researcher Juliet Zhu of the University of British Columbia, who studies how environmental cues affect behavior.