Last updated on Saturday, Sep. 04, 2010 at 12:53AM


Mindanao NPA told to step up offensives

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Communist rebels in Mindanao have been ordered to step up offensives against “legitimate military targets” to counter “renewed offensive activities” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines because of the extension of the counterinsurgency campaign Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL). (RD Rosauro)

Lawmakers slam planned increase in dole-outs to poor

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers on Friday heaped criticism on the administration’s proposal to increase funds for dole-out programs under the Department of Social Welfare of Development (DSWD) while slashing the budget of key agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Pag-IBIG mess could have been prevented – solon

MANILA, Philippines – The housing mess involving Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. would not have happened had there been effective checks and balances on the firm’s transactions with state-controlled Home Development Mutual Fund, popularly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund, a lawmaker said on Friday.

Marines deploying K-9s to Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Marines will be deploying a K-9 unit of 12 dogs to the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu– known lairs of the Abu Sayyaf, Moro rebels and bandits – next week to assist in combat operations there. (Anthony Vargas)

Iligan records more dengue cases in 2010

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines – The incidence of dengue in this city has increased this year, with the local health office saying it had recorded 865 cases of the mosquito-borne disease since January, an increase of 279 over the 586 cases recorded over the same period in 2009. (RV Umel)

Verzosa retiring mid-September

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa is retiring mid-September. (Anthony Vargas)

House backs HRET membership of solons facing protests

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives is standing pat on the membership in the chamber’s electoral tribunal of two lawmakers facing electoral protests.

Southern Negros villagers want zone of peace

BACOLOD CITY – Residents of three villages in rebel-infested southern Negros Occidental want their areas declared “zones of peace.”



New business laptops from Dell

After launching the ultra-thin Vostro V13 laptop, Dell goes bullish on mobile PCs for business by launching their newest business laptops under its Vostro and Latitude lines.
SOS Children's Village foster mothers honored

SOS Children’s Village foster mothers honored

For over 10 years of giving motherly love and care to orphaned children, four SOS Children’s Villages Mothers in the Philippines recently received the SOS Ring of Honour — the highest service award given by SOS Children’s Villages International.

New children's shelter opens in Bataan

New children’s shelter opens in Bataan

After nearly half a century of providing long-term family care and education to children in need, SOS Children’s Villages Philippines opens its eighth Children’s Village in Mariveles, Bataan. The 12 new Family Houses of SOS Children’s Village Bataan now serve as loving homes to 96 orphaned and abandoned children.


3,390 ‘tourist workers’ offloaded in August – BI

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) prevented 3,390 so-called “tourist workers,” or prospective overseas workers with only tourist visas, from leaving the country in August as government intensified its campaign against human trafficking.

Recruiters: Pinoy deployment to HK to continue

MANILA, Philippines – Recruitment agencies on Monday said the deployment of Filipino domestic workers to Hong Kong would continue despite the continued fallout from last week’s hostage crisis in Manila, which left eight residents of the Chinese territory, three of them Canadian citizens, dead.


Lanao Norte town ‘adopts’ endangered turtles

Lanao Norte town ‘adopts’ endangered turtles

KAUSWAGAN, LANAO DEL NORTE – For the past two months, Jellyboy Bongcawil, 25, a small fisherman from the coastal village of Magoong in Linamon town, Lanao del Norte, and his family had been keeping a well guarded secret. (RV Umel)


‘We have debating clubs but no dialogue clubs’

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/30 August) – “How can we promote dialogue and cultural cohesion if in schools we churn out graduates every year who are not used to dialogue?” Jesuit priest Albert Alejo asked the Philippine Economic Society’s “Regional Conference on the Development Agenda for Mindanao Under P-Noy” at the Ateneo de Davao University last Saturday. (Carloyn O. Arguillas)

Cagayan de Oro: History of lumad marginalization

CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews/26 August) — The ancestors of Cagayanons could be the sea-faring sub-tribe of the Manobo, the Higaonons. (BenCyrus G. Ellorin)



Judge had to postpone massacre hearing – Marquez

MANILA, Philippines – The decision of Quezon City regional trial court Judge Jocelyn Solis to cancel the scheduled September 1 start of the trial of several of the persons accused for the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre was right, Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said Thursday.


Weekly Reflections: Other root cause of poverty

One of the campaign slogans of President Noynoy’s Liberal Party goes, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” (No corruption, no poverty). Apparently, President Noynoy and his party believe that corruption in the government bureaucracy is the root cause of poverty. Instead of being used to uplift the living conditions of the poor, government resources are rather used to satisfy the unquenchable greed of people in government. (Rev. Luna Dingayan/nordis.net)

COMMENT: P-Noy flunks

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/26 August) — In the aftermath of the bloody August 24 hostage crisis that splattered worldwide, President Bengino S. Aquino III rationalized, ordered the Secretary of Justice to conduct a “thorough” investigation; so did the Philippine National Police Director who, while admitting mistakes, yet justifying the “rescue?” operation. (Patricio P. Diaz)


ABS-CBN STATEMENT ON AUG. 23 HOSTAGE TRAGEDY

Media’s job is to tell the story, but no story is worth even one life.

Taken, though not for granted

Movies help people live out fantasies that are otherwise bone-breaking.

Preventable death

Aug. 24, 2010 | Yesterday’s carnage at the parade grounds that once hosted the Southeast Asian Games opening and closing rites is a sample of how stupid upon stupid causes preventable death.

SLEX extends link to STAR Tollway

With the intent of decongesting the constantly heavy traffic…

Kung ako si Shalani at boyfriend ko si Pres. Noynoy…

Siguro ang una kong gagawin ay patigilan sa paninigarilyo si Noynoy.