March 31, 2009 Major News Stories

April 6 a holiday—Palace

Filipinos will enjoy two successive long weekends starting this week, after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Monday a holiday.

Lower cooking gas price set

COOKING GAS users would benefit from a one-peso-per-kilogram cut in prices effective tomorrow due to a huge drop in world contract prices.  Members of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPGMA) will implement an P11 reduction in the prices of 11-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder tanks due to the $54 drop in contract price.

With the reduction, cooking gas prices now range from P470 to P532 per cylinder tank.

Oil falls over 2% to near $51

Oil fell more than 2.0 percent to hover near $51 a barrel on Monday, extending the previous session's losses, as a bleak near-term energy demand outlook prompted investors to take profit on its recent rally.

MCWD abunda og tubig bisan ting-init

Dunay igong supply sa tubig ang Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) niining panahon sa summer o ting-init sumala sa pasalig ni Engr. Ernie Delco, ang assistant general manager for operations sa MCWD.

Samuya workers positive for salmonella

Some of the 53 employees of Samuya Food Manufacturing Inc. were tested positive for Salmonella contamination, the Department of Health said Monday.

WB sees OFW remittances shrinking 4%

The World Bank said the Philippines might finally see an end this year to the trend of rising money remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), expecting inflows to decline by four percent from the 2008 level because of recession-induced job cuts in advanced economies.

15,000 Mactan ecozone workers affected

 Over 15,000 workers, roughly a third of the direct employees at the state-run Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ), have either been retrenched or affected by temporary work schedule adjustments or temporary suspension of operations due to the global financial crisis.A survey conducted by the MEZ administration showed that there have been a total of 15,311 affected workers as of last March 15. The zone has 105 locators that employ 43,389 direct employees.

Some 487 workers were re-trenched, a total of 3,182 were affected by their employers' suspension of operations and 11,642 workers are under temporary work adjustments such as forced leave, compressed workweek, reduction of shifts per day, work rotation, and no overtime.

The survey showed that 68 companies, roughly 65% of the zone's locators, have been affected by the crisis. Six companies re-trenched, while 20 temporarily suspended operations for as brief as four days to as long as six months, and 42 locators adjusted work schedules. 

2,000 senior citizens receive financial aid

Almost 2,000 senior citizens aging 70 years old and above in the three towns of Cebu's fourth district recently received cash assistance from the government under its Katas ng VAT Program.

Transport strike ikinasa ng ACTO

Nagbanta ng isang malawakan at malakihang transport holiday ngayong linggong ito ang mga kasapi ng Allianced of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) upang tulig sain ang mataas na ba yarin ng fines at penalties ng mga traffic violators sa Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Higher traffic violation fines stay — DOTC

Higher fines for traffic violations will stay, says the Department of Transportation and Communications, if only to enhance road safety in light of increasing vehicular accidents.

Porontong, sandals, medyas, PUV drivers 

Para naman maging neat at professional look ang mga driver ng mga pampasaherong sasak yan, payag na ang Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) na magsuot ang mga ito ng porontong, sandals na may strap at may medyas.

Mini bus gisuspenso sa LTFRB

Gisuspenso og 30 ka adlaw sa LTFRB-7 ang prangkisa sa EDC Mini Bus Liner nunot sa nahitabong aksidente sa kadalanan niadtong Sabado sa kaadlawon nga mikalas og 14 ka mga tawo human kini misungag sa usa ka container truck.

Same busline in second accident

IF passengers feel their drivers are being reckless on the road, they should send a text message to the nearest town police station.

Drug test for mini bus drivers eyed

Following the worst road accident so far this year, which claimed 14 lives and seriously injured four others when a mini bus collided with a trailer truck in Naga City last Saturday, the president of the mini bus operators association in the south is pushing for a periodic drug test of their drivers.

Deadline for claims vs Legacy extended

 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has extended the deadline for filing claims under the closed Legacy group of companies namely Legacy Consolidated Plans, Scholarship Plan Philippines Inc., and All-Asia Plans Inc. until April 15 this year to accommodate late filers. 

PO2 Tanggol gipasakaan og kaso

Kasong reckless imprudence resulting to homicide ang ipasaka sa kapulisan sa dakbayan sa Sugbu batok kang PO2 Ramil Tanggol kinsa nakapusil-patay sa usa ka dinakpan sulod sa detention cell sa Waterfront Police Station niadtong Domingo sa kaadlawon.

Pastor explains his suspicious behavior

MORE than a month after he was released from what the court said was an improper arrest, Pastor Leonardo Jastiva resurfaced to formally answer the charge that he killed his wife.  The pastor of Seventh-Day Adventist Church Reform Movement charged for allegedly masterminding the killing of his wife had accused the police hastening the investigation against of the case reportedly because of the attention media has given it.

Tulo ra positibo's drugtest

Tulo ka tinun-an sa high school sa Sugbu ang positibong tiggamitan og ginadiling drugas human ipagawas ang resulta sa random drug screening sa nagkadaiyang eskuylahan sa Metro Cebu.

500 subling manumpa pagkapari

Gibana-banang 500 ka mga pari ilawom sa Archdiocese of Cebu ang subling manumpa sa ilang panaad pagkapari karong adlawa diha sa Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Kadaugan sa Mactan mas gamay og gahin 

Gahin sa Kadaugan sa Mactan 2009 mas gamay karong tuiga kun itandi sa milabay'ng tuig 2008 gumikan sa krisis sa ekonomiya apan gipasalig sa dakbayan nga mabulokon ug sadya gihapon kini.Si Lapulapu City Councilor Damian Gomez ang chairman sa Committee on Tourism Affairs sa dakbayan sa Lapulapu nagkanayon nga P830 mil nalang   ang ilang gamiton.

Sa milabay'ng tuig P1.7 milyones ang pundong gahin nga maoy gibayad sa tanang gikinahanglan lakip na ang talent fee sa mga artistang midala sa papel ni Lapulapu ug Rayna Bulakna.

Gonzales proposes 'transition government'

 National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales on Monday proposed a transition government in 2010, reiterating his assessment that the way the nation does politics is the greatest threat to its future.  "We need Charter change, but we will never get to doing it until we have a transition president who is willing to carry it out and call for a new election under a new political system afterwards," Gonzales said, adding the transition period may take two to three years.

If the transition president is still interested in the leadership of the country after the transition period, he or she can seek a new mandate from the people under the new political system, he added.

He also challenged the presidential candidates in next year's elections to be this transition president.

Teodoro vows loyalty to Arroyo first

Although he belonged to the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said his loyalty belonged to President Macapagal-Arroyo.

ASG insists on 'total pull out' or else

 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) sub-commander Albader Parad, in an interview with ABS-CBN's Ces Drilon, issued fresh threats on Monday after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) allegedly failed to honor the group's demand for a total pull out.

Pope urges Abu Sayyaf to free hostages

 VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI Monday urged the Abu Sayyaf group to free three Red Cross workers they kidnapped 10 weeks ago, the Vatican said in a communique.

ICRC pres. appeals anew to kidnappers

With time running out, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made another appeal to the Abu Sayyaf to release its three workers who were abducted last Jan. 15.

Marine slain in Basilan clash

A Marine soldier was killed and two others were wounded when government forces encountered an undetermined number of Moro rebels in Guiong village in Sumisip, Basilan Monday.

Military condemns mutilation of 7 soldiers

The military is ranting on the alleged mutilation by renegade Moro rebels of the seven soldiers killed in running firefights Friday in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

School sinunog ng MILF rebs

Muli na namang nasang kot sa paghahasik ng karaha san ang mga rebeldeng Moro Islamic Liberation Front renegades matapos na sunugin ang eskuwelahan sa bayan ng Sumisip, Basilan, ayon sa ulat kahapon.

CHR probes vigilante killings in Davao

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has started its inquiry into the killing spree in Davao City that victimized more than 800 people. A team headed by CHR chairperson Leila de Lima went to the area on Monday to conduct public hearing on the deaths allegedly perpetrated by the vigilante group Davao Death Squad.

Duterte denies role in Davao killings

 Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was grilled by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) during the public inquiry held Monday on the summary killings in Davao City. 

Wider CHR probe on killings sought

Senator Loren Legarda on Monday commended the Commission on Human Rights for looking into the cases of extra-judicial killings in Davao City but said the body should expand its inquiry to other localities where similar incidents had taken place.

HK mag says sorry for column on Pinoys

The publishers and editors of HK Magazine, which carried a column that described the Philippines as a "nation of servants," apologized yesterday for the furor created by the article.

HK article pulled out from web

The feature article of an online magazine in Hong Kong that called the Phlippines "a nation of servants" and criticized the country's pursuit of its claim to the Spratly islands has been pulled down as of Monday afternoon.

Senator eyes diplomatic protest

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday said he would file a resolution calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a diplomatic protest against a Hong Kong columnist who he said should apologize for a racial slur against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Filipinos urged to boycott Hong Kong 

Chip Tsao would go down in the short-term memory of Filipinos, along with Malu Fernandez and the Desperate Housewives slur as one who demeaned hardworking and often harshly treated Filipinos working abroad.

How should Filipinos react if RP is described as a 'nation of servants'?

* Learn to accept it as a fact * Strongly protest the insult, boycott HK products * Accept the apology offered by the HK magazine * Work hard toward attaining national progress

Asean+3 to establish $120-B crisis fund

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) group along with its partners Japan, China, and Korea (ASEAN+3) will establish the $120-billion pool of currency swaps that will aid member-nations that might experience liquidity problems.

Thai PM avoids office on 5th day 

Thailand's prime minister avoided his office Monday as thousands of protesters calling for his resignation and allied with deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded the seat of government for a fifth day.

PNG asks RP support for Asean bid

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to support his nation's bid for membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Taiwan, China militaries to meet in US

A Taiwanese newspaper says representatives from the Taiwanese and Chinese militaries will meet this summer in Hawaii in their first formal exchange since the two sides split amid civil war in 1949.

19 die in siege at Pakistan police academy

A group of gunmen attacked a police academy and rampaged through it for hours Monday, throwing grenades, seizing hostages and killing at least eight police and three civilians before being overpowered by Pakistani security forces in armored vehicles and helicopters.

8 killed in attack on US nursing home

A heavily-armed gunman shot dead eight people, many elderly and sick patients, in a North Carolina nursing home Sunday, authorities said, announcing that the shooter was in custody.

Ring Magazine sees a Pacquiao victory

At least 17 of the 20 boxing personalities polled by The Ring magazine had picked Manny Pacquiao to roll past Ricky Hatton in their May 2 showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao, Hatton "face off" in Hollywood 

The much awaited blockbuster fight between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton gets a glitzy Hollywood treatment as the promo for the "Battle of East and West" bout heats up in LA Monday night (Tuesday morning in Manila).

Pacquiao ranks 7th in TIME"s 100 

Manny Pacquiao"s compatriots and legions of fans continue to work overtime to make sure the world"s best pound for pound fighter would get his deserved spot in TIME Magazine"s 100 Most Influential People list for 2009.

Suico loses bid to regain OPBF title

 Former Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champion Randy Suico failed to regain the OPBF lightweight title at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo by losing to a Japanese fighter in a lopsided twelve-round decision at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

Banal to train under Roach

THIS year will be a defining one for promising ALA fighter AJ "Bazooka" Banal as it will determine if he is prepared for another world title shot.

Vhong first Pinoy Bingo Night millionaire

 Actor-singer Vhong Navarro was the first millionaire of ABS-CBN's Pinoy Bingo Night which aired its pilot episode Monday. 

For Erap, Ai-Ai is Box-Office Queen

No, the much-awaited movie team-up of Pres. Joseph "Erap" Estrada and Ai-Ai delas Alas hasn't been scrapped.  In fact, if Erap would have his way, he would start shooting for it anytime so it would make it to this year's Metro Filmfest in December. That's five months before the 2010 presidential elections in which, keep your fingers crossed, Erap might run in his effort to unite the opposition. The election ban on TV and movie appearances starts three months before election day (May 10).

Don't call yourselves "Honorable"

It is improper for a public official to attach the title of courtesy "Honorable" to their names because it should be the public that should make the reference to the official, the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

Shallow low-pressure area nears Bohol

A shallow low-pressure area may bring scattered rainshowers over parts of the country, state weather forecasters said Monday afternoon.  The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the SLPA was estimated at 60 kms East of Tagbilaran City as of 2 p.m.