Arangkada of Leo Lastimosa for August 5, 2009

Arroyo condoles with Aquino family

Straight from the airport, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on early Wednesday morning condoled with the family of former President Corazon Aquino.

Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III received the President in behalf of the family.

With Arroyo were members of her Cabinet, including Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who was agrarian reform secretary and immigration chief during Aquino's time.

Senator Aquino spent a few awkward moments at the President's left side. On the President's right side on the pew was the senator's aunt and the President's image consultant Lupita Kashiwahara.

The President and her entourage stayed only for about 10 minutes before the public viewing resumed at the Manila Cathedral.

Arroyo to pay respects to Cory Aquino

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is ready to brave the taunts and raised eyebrows when she steps into the packed funeral wake for the former president Corazon Aquino on Wednesday.

Arroyo son mulls going to Aquino wake

Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, the President's eldest son, is mulling over going to the wake of former President Corazon Aquino at the Manila Cathedral.

Thousands queue for last glimpse of Cory

With only a few hours left before former President Corazon Aquino is brought to her final resting place at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City, thousands continue to say goodbye to her at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros.

Cory supporters' thank you in eulogies

In heartfelt eulogies and in song, former President Corazon Aquino's supporters paid tribute to her in a necrological service at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday, the eve of her burial.

Noynoy denies snubbing Marcos children

Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Tuesday denied he snubbed the visit of the children of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos who went to the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros Manila to pay their last respects to his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

Aquino, the only son of the former president, was not around when Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., his wife Liza, and his sister, former congresswoman Imee Marcos, went to the church where the former President's remains lie in state.

The senator said when he was advised that the Marcoses were on their way to the church, he could not leave to meet with them because he was still writing the family's response to Tuesday's necrological rites for his mother, as well as their response to Wednesday's final mass.

Marcoses at Cory wake not reconciliation

The Marcos family should first repent and publicly apologize to the people before they seek reconciliation with the Aquino family, Senator Aqulino Pimentel Jr. said on Tuesday.

Be like Aquinos, prelate tells 2010 hopefuls

Those who aspire to become president of the Philippines should look to the late President Corazon Aquino and her martyred husband, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., as role models and they will get the trust of the people, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said.

Cuenco, Gwen can join mass for Cory

PAYING respects to former president Corazon Aquino will go beyond politics, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said, and even his political foes will be invited.

Osmeña has not finalized the date for the mass at the Carmelite monastery in Barangay Mabolo yet, and it might not be anytime soon because he wants any of Aquino's children to be present.

The mass will be open to everyone, including Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, with whom he had a falling-out, and all the other government officials and former politicians who want to honor Aquino.

The mayor said he will form a "neutral" committee that will organize the mass, and will also consult those who worked closely with Aquino at that time.

In Manila today, Cuenco and his wife Nancy and Vice Mayor Michael Rama will attend the requiem mass and funeral of Aquino.

Cuenco said he will also attend the mass that Osmeña will organize.

Security aides can stay with Aquinos

If the Aquino family so wishes, the two former security escorts of the late President Corazon Aquino will stay with them, a Philippine National Police (PNP) official said.

AFP to honor Cory with 21-gun salute

Military camps around the country will again boom with volleys of cannon fire Wednesday as the Armed Forces of the Philippines gives its highest honor—a 21-gun salute—to a revered Commander in Chief on the day of her burial.

For 21 minutes, a cannon blast will be heard every minute from the major camps the moment the coffin bearing the remains of former President Corazon Aquino leaves Manila Cathedral after the 9 a.m. Requiem Mass, AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. told the Inquirer Monday.

A brigade of honor guard will also perform departure honors for Aquino at Manila Cathedral on Wednesday morning, the spokesperson added.

While Malacañang had declared a 10-day period of national mourning for the departed icon of Philippine democracy, Brawner said the military would follow its own tradition of flying flags at half-staff for 30 days.

Diplomats pay respects to Aquino

Members of the diplomatic community heaped praises on the late President Corazon Aquino during her wake at the Manila Cathedral on Tuesday.

Cory recalled around the world

Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta and Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda will arrive on Wednesday to personally deliver their respective governments' letter of condolences to the family of former President Corazon Aquino and the Philippine government.

Cory wished to travel to Holy Land

It was former President Corazon Aquino's unfulfilled wish to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with her family, Cavite Bishop Luis Tagle said.

Cory birthday is Democracy Day in QC

The Quezon City council has approved a resolution declaring January 25, the birthday of former president Corazon Aquino, as Cory Aquino Democracy Day in Quezon City.

'Cory National Hero' resolutions filed

Two resolutions have been filed in the House of Representatives seeking to declare former President Corazon Aquino a national hero.  

Another People Power difficult w/o Cory

Another revolt similar to the 1986 People Power uprising that ushered the end of the Marcos dictatorship would be "difficult" without the leadership of former President Corazon Aquino, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said on Tuesday.

Civil disobedience vs Glo may build up

Filipinos' collective grief over former president Corazon Aquino"s death may snowball into political moves that may include acts of civil disobedience against the Arroyo administration, according to veterans of successful movements to oust previous leaders.

The action – the very same effort used by the late president to help topple the Marcos dictatorship – may take place nine days after the former leader's burial, said Pastor "Boy" Saycon, secretary-general of the Council on Philippine Affairs (COPA), the group that helped depose President Joseph Estrada in January 2001. 

RP's most important postwar president

Pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) extended its condolences to the family of the late former President Corazon Aquino, who it called the country's most important postwar president.

The SWS cited its first quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey where three out of five adult Filipinos have much trust in Cory Aquino.

It said the survey from February 20 to 23 found that 60 percent of adult Filipinos have much trust and 21 percent have little trust in former Mrs. Aquino, for a good net trust rating of +38 (% much trust minus % little trust, correctly rounded).

"Former President Aquino's net trust rating has been traditionally very positive, ranging from moderate +14 to very good +50 from September 1989 to September 2000," it said.

It became mostly neutral between November 2000 and November 2002 before recovering to moderate +22 in March 2003.

Her net trust ratings had since been at level +20s and above, ranging from moderate +20 in November 2003 to her highest rating of very good +51 in March 2008.

Public trust in former President Aquino tend to be highest in Mindanao, at good net +49 (68% much trust, 19% little trust), followed by the Visayas, at good +37 (62% much trust, 25% little trust), Balance Luzon, at good +34 (55% much trust, 21% little trust), and Metro Manila, at good +34 (55% much trust, 21% little trust).

Former President Aquino's net trust rating is highest among the upper-middle class ABC, at good +49 (62% much trust, 13% little trust), followed by class D or the masa, at good +38 (60% much trust, 21% little trust, correctly rounded), and class E, at good +35 (59% much trust, 24% little trust).

Public trust in former President Aquino is higher among women, at good net +43 (62% much trust, 19% little trust), compared to men, at good
+33 (57% much trust, 24% little trust).

By age group, trust in former President Aquino is stronger among 25-34, at good +46 (64% much trust, 18% little trust), 18-24, at good +45 (64% much trust, 19% little trust), and 35-44, at good +40 (60% much trust, 20% little trust), compared to 45-54, at good +31 (55% much trust, 25% little trust, correctly rounded), and 55 and above, at good +30 (55% much trust, 25% little trust).

The First Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey was conducted over February 20 to 23, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for area percentages applied to the survey.

On the other hand, Mangahas said in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last July 11 that it was through Mrs. Aquino's leadership that the country got out from under the authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos, and democracy was restored.

"Survey data on Cory Aquino go back to the July 1985 socio-political opinion poll by the Bishops-Businessmen's Conference, which looked into the popularity of potential opponents to Marcos in the next presidential election, then scheduled for 1987. Cory was not at the top of the list at that time, but somewhere in the middle. I recall that Salvador "Doy" Laurel, Jovito Salonga and Agapito "Butz" Aquino were more popular than she was," he said.

Dispute tough to settle: NCMB

THE Visayan Electric Company Employees Union (VCEU) and the management agreed to continue their negotiation at 9 a.m. on Aug. 7, said Director Edmundo Mirasol Jr. of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB).

Since the VCEU strike vote won by a majority of 171 votes last July 30, the union can already legally hold a strike against the management on Aug. 7.

Those who attended yesterday's marathon hearing were the entire VCEU board headed by its president Casmero Mahilum, officials of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), and the management's human resource manager and lawyer.

Capitol orders 29 families to vacate Tejero

TWENTY-nine families stand to lose their houses, after receiving from the Capitol a notice to vacate the Province-owned property at the back of the old provincial jail in Barangay Tejero.

Consolacion police chief transferred

The chief of police in Consolacion town was relieved after Mayor Avelino Gungob sent a request to Cebu Provincial Police Office chief Sr. Supt. Jesus Gaquing.

9M Filipino families see selves as poor

More than nine million Filipino families consider themselves poor, while nearly two in five say they are "food poor," according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

2 Filipinos on hijacked German ship freed

Two Filipino seafarers on board a German-owned container vessel that was hijacked off the Gulf of Aden were freed on Monday night, the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi said.

Boy killed as grenade explodes in Butuan

A 14-year old boy died when a grenade exploded in a remote village in Butuan City Monday morning, a police official said on Tuesday.

CHR probe to include killings in Manila

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will investigate the "unexpected number" of summary executions in Metro Manila at the same time that it probes the so-called Davao Death Squad.

Iloilo council declares state of calamity

The city council has declared the entire Iloilo City under a state of calamity on Tuesday due to the flooding spawned by monsoon rains that started since last week.

Napocor seeks power rate hike

State-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) wants to increase power rates in Luzon by P1.5058 per kilowatt-hour and in the Visayas by P1.3383, according to a petition it filed before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) last week.

Phoenix hikes gasoline, diesel prices

Oil firm Phoenix Petroleum announced that it would raise oil prices effective midnight Wednesday, following the lead of the three big firms.

Telcos agree to lower mobile rates by Dec.

Telecommunication companies (telcos) have agreed to implement in December a new billing system for mobile phone calls that would result in lower charges than the one-minute-per-pulse system currently in place.

Pilot dead, 42 hurt after Thai jet crashes

A pilot was killed and seven passengers hospitalized Tuesday when a Bangkok Airways jet skidded and hit an old control tower as it landed on Thailand's resort island of Ko Samui, the airline said.

Bill in North Korea, meets Kim Jong-il

Former US President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea and met its reclusive leader on Tuesday to try to win freedom for two jailed American journalists in a move that could re-energize nuclear talks.

More RP golds seen in Laos SEA Games

The designated point man of the national team to the Southeast Asian Games is confident that the Philippines could capture 15 gold medals without a sweat in just three sports.

Artists sing Cory's faves

Big artists from the music industry will gather together Wednesday at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila where a memorial service for former president Corazon Aquino will be held. 

"During the liturgy itself, we will be singing Eucharistic and liturgical songs. And then after the Mass, that's when we can bring in our inspirational songs," composer Fr. Manoling Francisco said.  

Renowned singers Jose Mari Chan, Lea Salonga, Apo Hiking Society, Dulce, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Regine Velasquez and Martin Nievera are among those who will give tribute to the former leader by singing her most favorite songs including "I Have Fallen In Love (With the Same Woman Three Times)."

The song was originally a poem written by Mrs. Aquino's husband, former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., for her. Chan will sing it in the memorial service Wednesday. 

Salonga will perform "Bayan Ko" while the Apo Hiking Society will sing "Handog ng Pilipino Sa Mundo," which is said to be the theme song of the 1986 people uprising that catapulted Mrs. Aquino to the presidency. 

"The Prayer" will be performed by Nievera and Velasquez. Dulce and Padilla, meanwhile, will sing "Your Heart Today" and "Hindi Kita Malilimutan," respectively.  

"Your Heart Today," composed by Francisco, talks about the Aquinos and their sacrifices and love for the country. Dulce first sang it in 1993. 

"Malaking karangalan na makapagbigay ka ng konti, maka-pagshare ka. Kasi iyong gagawin mong yan, katiting [lang yan kumpara] sa maraming nagawa ng pamilya niya sa ating bayan," Dulce said. 

During rehearsal Tuesday, Dulce was already in tears. "Sana maitawid namin ang mga kanta… mabigat talaga, masakit."

Sarah Geronimo (Magkaisa), Erik Santos (Our Father) and Piolo Pascual (Sa'yo Lamang) are also part of the musical tribute.

"Ang mga sisters ko kasi crush si Piolo. So, nakiusap talaga ako sa mga boss ko para maging happy sila. Si Martin had a special place in mom's heart," Kris, Mrs. Aquino's youngest daughter, said. 

Meanwhile, Christian Bautista (Ugoy ng Duyan), Kuh Ledesma (Somewhere), Rhap Salazar (You Raise Me Up), Ivy Violan (Hilumin), Jamie Rivera (Heal Our Land) and Rachelle Ann Go (Only Hope) sang their farewells during Tuesday's necrological service.  

"I'm very happy, very honored na I'm here today, to be part of this," Bautista said.

CCP scores Glo's National Artist picks

The Cultural Center of the Philippines has deplored Malacañang's disregard of "established process" in choosing the country's National Artist awardees.

"While we respect the President's prerogative to name her choices, we deplore the disregard of the established process whereby our National Artists are chosen," Emily Abrera, chair of the CCP Board of Trustees said Tuesday.

This as she denied the CCP was consulted on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's final picks of inductees, at least one of them is deemed ineligible to be conferred membership in the Order of National Artists.

"We wish to clarify that we were never consulted about these final choices, nor have we been officially informed about them to this day," Emily Abrera, chair of the CCP Board of Trustees said Tuesday.

Presidential Political Adviser Gabrial Claudio on Saturday defended Arroyo's choice of inductees, saying it was a result of consultation with the CCP and the National Center for Culture and Arts.

The title National Artist of the Philippines is given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. The selection committee is composed of representatives from the CCP and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

This year's inductees are Magno Jose Carlo Caparas (visual arts and films), Jose Pitoy Moreno (fashion design), Cecille Guidote-Alvarez (theater), Francisco Bobby Mañosa (architecture), Lazaro Francisco (posthumous award for literature), Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (visual arts, paintings, sculpture and mixed media), and Manuel Conde.

But Abrera said only Francisco, Conde and Alcuaz had gone through two years of rigorous screening.

At the same time, she said musician Ramon Santos, who got the most number of votes from the selection committee, was dropped from the list by Malacañang. The selection committee is composed of representatives from the CCP and the NCCA.

Meanwhile, the CCP board in a statement said Caparas failed to pass the first phase of the screening process while Alvarez, an Arroyo ally, was not even among the nominees.

"She had not even been nominated, did not go through the selection process and she was a significant part of as the head of NCCA," Behn Cervantes, member of the CCP Board said.

Alvarez is head of the NCCA.

The four on the shortlist of the selection committee are Santos, Francisco, Conde, Aguilar and Alcuaz.

"We are saddened by these turn of events and regret the furor all this has caused," Abrera said.

"Throughout the history of the National Artist Awards, Presidents of the Philippines have exercised the privilege of adding their choices to the final list of National Artists Awardees," said Abrera. "But never was there an instance when the name of a person deemed truly deserving and who went through the rigorous process of selection
was struck off the list."

National Artist for Theater and Design (2003) Salvador Bernal said Malacanang's act "is not only a sly but an insult to a whole body of people."

"We are appalled by the brazenness act of Malacañang," National Artist for Literature (2001) F. Sionol Jose said.

Filipino, 5 other Asians named RM awardees

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Six Asians have been chosen to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award—Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize—among them a Filipino lawyer known for successfully championing the cause of the environment in the country.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced Monday that Filipino Antonio Oposa Jr., Yu Xiaogang and Ma Jun from China, Thai Krisana Kraisintu, Deep Joshi from India, and Burmese Ka Hsaw Wa would be recognized for their achievements in awarding ceremonies to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Aug. 31.

"They are Asia's heroes, leading efforts that put scientific knowledge and tools at the service of specific and vital human concerns—affordable and effective health care, improved livelihoods, environmental destruction and basic human rights," Carmencita Abella, the foundation's president, said in a statement.

Abella said the awardees each used "calibrated strategies to craft lasting solutions to problems besetting their people" while sharing "a greatness of spirit which infuses their leadership for change."

Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine president and is considered Asia's highest honor. It is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late Filipino leader.

The six Magsaysay awardees join 271 laureates who received the honor before them. They will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of President Ramon Magsaysay, and a cash prize. 

Oposa will be recognized for "his path-breaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of the law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children and generations still to come."

Environmental law

Instead of pursuing a lucrative law practice, the Harvard Law School graduate decided to focus on environmental law and made his first mark with an unusual case that later popularized the "Oposa Doctrine" in international legal circles, the foundation said.

"This was a class action suit he filed in which 43 minors asked the government to cancel timber licenses on the grounds that rampant logging violated their constitutional right to a healthy environment," it said.

In a 1993 decision, the Philippine Supreme Court upheld the principle of "intergenerational equity," affirming Oposa's argument that the interests of future generations could be protected in court. 

"A triumph of principle, the case set a precedent for how citizens can leverage the law to protect the environment," the foundation said.

It said Oposa demonstrated this in 1999 when a citizens' group filed a case holding the government liable for the pollution of Manila Bay and responsible for its cleanup. 

"Marshalling the resources of the law and pursuing the case for all of 10 years, he won a Supreme Court decision compelling 11 government agencies to coordinate their efforts in rehabilitating Manila Bay, submit action plans, and regularly report to the court on the progress of their work," the foundation said.

It also noted that Oposa risked his life to stop illegal dynamite fishing in the Visayan Sea through his Law of Nature Foundation.

Pharmaceutical rigor

Thai awardee Kraisintu will be recognized for "placing pharmaceutical rigor at the service of patients, through her untiring and fearless dedication to producing much-needed generic drugs in Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world."

Joshi will be cited for "his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India, by effectively combining 'head' and 'heart' in the transformative development of rural communities."

Yu will be awarded for "fusing the knowledge and tools of social science with a deep sense of social justice, in assisting dam-affected communities in China to shape the development projects that affect their natural environment and their lives."

Ma will be recognized for "harnessing the technology and power of information to address China's water crisis and mobilizing pragmatic, multisectoral and collaborative efforts to ensure sustainable benefits for China's environment and society."

Ka Hsaw Wa will receive the award for "dauntlessly pursuing nonviolent yet effective channels of redress, exposure and education for the defense of human rights, the environment and democracy in Burma (Myanmar)."

Prostitutes more trustworthy than execs

Prostitutes are considered more trustworthy in China than government officials and scientists, a recent survey of more than 3,000 respondents showed.

August 4, 2009 Major News Stories

Chevron, Shell to raise oil prices

Major oil players Chevron Corp. and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. announced that they will raise oil prices effective Tuesday.  At 6 a.m., Chevron and Petron will raise the prices of their regular and E10 gasoline and diesel by P1 per liter and kerosene by P0.50 per liter, said Chevron communications manager Toby Nebrida and Petron spokesperson Virginia Ruivivar.

Shell will also implement the same price adjustments at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to "reflect the increase in international product prices," said Shell vice president for communications Roberto Kanapi.

Just last week, major oil players also increased oil prices by P2 per liter.

Cory brings people back to the streets

Former President Corazon Aquino drew tens of thousands to the streets one last time on Monday, amid an outpouring of support reminiscent of the 1986 revolt that she led to restore democracy in the country.

Police estimated the crowd in Makati at 25,000, while those that lined up along Edsa were estimated at 5,000, said Superintendent Rommel Miranda, spokesman of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

In the area of the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium, where the funeral procession started, the crowd was estimated at 30,000 to 40,000, said Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun, Mandaluyong City police chief.

Instead of stock prices, the Philippine Stock Exchange ticker turned yellow and displayed a message thanking the democracy icon.

Mrs. Aquino's younger brother, Jose Cojuangco Jr., led his clan from Tarlac in joining the funeral procession to the Manila Cathedral. Cojuangco, overwhelmed by the thousands who lined up Ayala Ave., flashed the "laban" sign to the crowd and reached out to shake the hands of some of the people there, saying thank you.

Employees of the Commission on Elections unfurled yellow banners and a large white tarpaulin written with the words "Salamat Pres. Cory." (Thank you, Pres. Cory)

Among those who were at the Manila Cathedral were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, former Ambassadors Henrietta de Villa and Howard Dee, Black and White Movement convenor Leah Navarro, and political analyst Lito Banayo.

So far, only Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. was the only administration figure spotted at the cathedral.

Aquino a role model for RP leaders

Former President Corazon Aquino was hailed as a "role model" for the country's leaders during a mass on the first night of her wake at the Manila Cathedral on Monday.  "Cory is known as icon of democravy but also for her simplicity and being prayerful. She is role model for all of you in public office," Cubao Bishop Honesto Ontioco said in his homily.  Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales led the mass even as Ontioco gave the homily.

Church breaks protocol for Aquino

The Catholic Church broke its protocol to bestow on former president Corazon Aquino the honor of being the first lay person to have her wake at the country's historic Manila Cathedral.

Bond of Cory, Sin relived at Cathedral

The memories of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin and the special bond he had with former president Corazon Aquino were very much on the minds of the Catholic priests who were waiting for the coffin of Aquino at the Manila Cathedral on Monday.

Aquinos to be 'civil' with Arroyo

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be treated with "civility" and "respect" when she visits the wake of former President Corazon Aquino, her son, Benigno Aquino III said.

Brace for jeers at wake, solon tells Arroyo

While saying it is her "official duty" to pay her last respects to former President Corazon Aquino, militant party list lawmakers on Monday warned President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be ready to take jeers, snide remarks and spiteful looks from the public.

Palace sorry for pullout of Aquino security

Malacañang has ordered Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Victor Ibrado to explain the pullout of the close security aides of former President Corazon Aquino, as it apologized to the Aquino family.

Cory's aides speak on 'pullout gaffe'

From what they understood, they were only being transferred units, not being pulled out of their duty to secure a former president  - but the son of the one they were securing said it was otherwise.

Senior Police Officer 4 Crispin Corpuz and Inspector Melchor Mamaril said an order was given for them to report to Camp Crame home to Philippine National Police (PNP) national headquarters two weeks ago, when Cory was still confined at the Makati Medical Center.

Mamaril and Corpuz, who had been the close-in security of Mrs. Aquino since 1986, said that from what they understood from the order, they were only being told to report to Crame to be transferred units. They said they understood they were not being pulled out of service as Cory's security detail.

However, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, son of the former president, said they received a letter from the PNP telling them that their mother's escorts would have to report back to Camp Crame.

LP solons seek 'Cory Aquino Day'

Members of the Liberal Party in the House of Representatives have proposed a "Cory Aquino Day" for the former President whom they hailed as a "great leader and heroine."  18 LP members proposed the declaration of "Cory Aquino Day" every January 25, the late President's birthday.

The resolution was signed by Representatives Lorenzo R. Tañada III, Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, Maria Evita R. Arago, Proceso J. Alcala, Rozzano Rufino R. Biazon, Mary Mitzi L. Cajayon, Liwayway V. Chato, Glenn A. Chong, Solomon R. Chungalao,Paul R. Daza, Antonio A. Del Rosario, Magtanggol T. Gunigundo, Manuel N. Mamba, Hermilando I. Mandanas, Alvin S. Sandoval, Niel C. Tupas, jr., Alfonso V. Umali Jr., and Reynaldo S.
Uy.

Joma: Aquino was true to her word

Self-exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison said he remembered the "mutual sense of gratitude" between him and former President Corazon Aquino.  He recalled the day he met Aquino in her office at the penthouse of the Cojuangco building in Makati City. He thanked her for signing the release order for political prisoners and she also thanked Sison for supporting her.  Sison claimed then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile and military vice chief Fidel Ramos tried, but failed to block his release.

Aquino was like a mother to troops

Former President Corazon Aquino was not just a commander-in-chief to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but was also a mother figure to low-ranking officers and enlisted personnel.

"Tita Cory was more like a mother to us than a typical Commander-in-Chief," said Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, chief of Task Force Zamboanga.

Baluyot was assigned as one of Mrs. Aquino's close-in security from April 1986 until her term ended in 1992.

"She assumed power as an ordinary person, stepped down after her term and still identified with ordinary people, and up to her death, she remained with the ordinary people. Sana may isa pang katulad niya [Hopefully, there will be another one like her]," he added.

Senate ratifies Carp as 'gift' to Cory

The Senate ratified on Monday afternoon the bicameral conference report reconciling provisions of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp), which would extend for another five years the land-acquisition and distribution program with a budget of P150 billion.

Congressmen pay tribute to Aquino

They were activists, students, political prisoners, journalists, professors, and what-have-you when Corazon Cojuangco Aquino was thrust into power in 1986, but each has been touched by the revered leader one way or the other.

Withdraw Cha-cha, solons asked

Halting moves to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly that could perpetuate the sitting President in power would be the "best honor" the House of Representatives could give former President Corazon Aquino, a lawmaker said on Monday.

Marcos seeks reconciliation with Aquinos

Former first lady Imelda Marcos said Monday she wanted a reconciliation with the family of Corazon Aquino, as the ex-president's coffin was taken on a solemn procession through Manila.

Ramos-Horta to condole with Aquinos

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta and Indonesia Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda will arrive here Tuesday to personally deliver their governments' letter of condolences to the Aquino family and the Philippine government.

On the Web, thousands grieve for Cory

The outpouring of condolences and support for former President Cory Aquino continues to flood the Internet, a venue for those who cannot join thousands who gathered in the streets to pay respect and mourn her passing.

Noynoy sees hard times ahead w/o Cory

Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Monday said he is bracing himself for "hard times ahead" now that he has lost his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.  The senator said their kitchen, which used to be a cheerful place, has been enveloped with gloom since his mother's death last Saturday due to cardiorespiratory arrest. He said the kitchen was one of his mother's most favorite places in their house.

Cory's rift with Danding over

Former President Corazon Aquino believed her long feud with cousin Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco was over before she succumbed to colon cancer last Saturday, her daughter Kris Aquino said.

JBC refuses to add names to SC shortlist

The Judicial and Bar Council on Monday denied Malacañang's request for the council to expand its list of nominees to the two vacancies in the Supreme Court.  Senator Francis Escudero, who represents the Senate at the JBC in his capacity as chairman of the committee on justice, said the voting to reject the Palace request was unanimous.  "The JBC already did its job. It would set a bad precedent," Escudero said.

Palace sees 'crisis' if JBC insists on list

Malacañang warned of a "constitutional crisis" if the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) would insist on its original list of nominees for two vacant positions in the Supreme Court.  Cabinet Secretary Silvetre Bello III said on Monday the problem would crop up if the JBC would no longer submit a shortlist as required by the Constitution and insist on the original shortlist it submitted to fill up the vacancies left by retired Justices Dante Tinga and Alicia Austria-Martinez.

In the past, Bello noted that the JBC usually submitted five names for every vacancy, as was not the case now when the body came up only with six names for the two vacancies.

Included in the initial JBC list were Court of Appeals Associate Justices Martin Villarama, Hakim Abdulwahid, and Mariano del Castillo; Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Francisco Villaruz; University of Santo Tomas (UST) Law School Dean Roberto Abad; and lawyer Rodolfo Robles.

RP to show US inroads v corruption

Malacañang will submit a report card on the gains it has made in rooting out corruption in government to the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), a US government agency that gives aid to poor countries to encourage good behavior.

Don't rush talks with MILF, NDF

A civil society peace network has cautioned government against rushing the peace process with the Moro and communist rebels as the Arroyo administration enters its last 11 months in office.

Cesar Villanueva, president of Pax Christi Pilipinas and co-convener of WPP, said the best that government could do would be to focus on what could be done, and "not give concessions that it cannot deliver."

He explained that substantive issues facing the talks with both the communist and Moro rebels "necessarily have implications on the Constitution, policy framework of national governance, and socio-economic structure" that would have to be "dealt with in short, medium, and long-term phases."

22 dead or missing in floods, landslides

Twenty-two people were reported dead or missing and more than 400,000 others were displaced after several days of floods, storms and landslides in the Philippines, rescuers said Monday.

Iloilo City suspends classes due to floods

Classes at all levels in most schools in Iloilo City were suspended starting Monday morning due to flooding in many parts of the city.

New depression seen east of Luzon

A day after tropical storm Jolina left the country, another weather disturbance was seen near Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

More nurses eyed as rural midwives

Congress should build up the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS) Project toward mobilizing a larger number of unemployed nurses, this time as village midwives, a lawmaker from Mindanao said.

Soldier nabbed after robbing truck

A soldier and his companion were arrested after allegedly staging a highway robbery in Agusan del Sur province Saturday midnight, a police official said on Monday.  First Lieutenant Roel Bontuyan Hengania of the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and his companion Maximo Ucab were arrested by police after allegedly robbing a truck of more than P200,000 worth of earnings, said Chief Superintendent Jaime Milla, police regional office 13 director.

Cheaper cellphone calls by December

By December, mobile phone users will enjoy cheaper voice calls since they will no longer be charged per minute, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said on Monday.

Starting August 7, telecommunication companies will be given up to 30 days to submit their proposed flag down rates. 

One hundred twenty days after the same date, mobile phone companies should already have altered their hardware and software requirements to comply with the new six-second charging arrangement. 

SEC goes to tribunal over Legacy fund

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a petition for certiorari and a temporary restraining order before the Supreme Court in a bid to stop the Makati Regional Court's order to transfer failed pre-need firm Legacy Consolidated Plans, Inc.'s trust fund to a receiver.

Soft drink maker to invest $1B in RP

The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. will pour in $1 billion (currently P47.9 billion) over the next five years to further cement its hold on the Philippine beverage market.

185 killed in Sudan tribal violence

A local south Sudanese official says gunmen have attacked a group of displaced people camping near a river close to the Ethiopian border, killing 185 of them.

Turbulence slams Continental jet, 26 hurt

A Continental Airlines jet carrying 179 people from Brazil to Texas hit severe turbulence over the Atlantic early Monday, injuring at least 26 - including four seriously - and forcing an emergency landing in Miami, officials said.