China think tank rejects PHL ‘triple-action plan’ to calm tense South China Sea

HAIKOU CITY, China - China's think tank on issues related to the South China Sea has rejected a Philippine proposal meant to reduce tension in the area as it questioned the timing and origin of the so-called "triple-action plan."

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Coco farmers start 71-day march to Palace

At least 71 coconut farmers are now marching toward Malacañang from Davao, in a bid to ask President Benigno Aquino III to enact a law channeling some P71 billion in sequestered coconut levy for a trust fund for coconut farmers.

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Profile: Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong

Even prior to his dismissal from government, it has not always been smooth-sailing for anti-graft court Associate Justice Gregory Ong throughout his 16-year Sandiganbayan tenure that was rocked by a citizenship mess and a botched Supreme Court appointment.

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PNoy: Marcos lost right to hero's burial when he usurped power

For President Benigno Aquino III, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos lost his right to a hero's burial when he usurped power for 13 years by declaring Martial Law.

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JBC seeks reversal of ruling that got Jardeleza installed as SC justice

The appointment of Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza to the Supreme Court may not yet be a closed book because the Judicial and Bar Council has asked the high court to reverse its ruling that let justice take his place on the SC bench.

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Gloria Arroyo complaining of back and shoulder pains—lawyer

Former President and now Pampanga Representatives Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been complaining of back and shoulder pains lately, nearly a month after she choked on a broccoli stem.

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Germany says no change to Iraq policy after PHL hostage threat—reports

BERLIN—Germany said Wednesday it would not withdraw support for US action against jihadists in Iraq and Syria following a reported ultimatum from Philippine Islamist militants threatening to kill a German hostage. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the German government had "heard about the report" but stressed that "threats are not an appropriate way to influence our policy in Syria and Iraq".

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Solons apprehensive BBL will lead to break up of cities, provinces

Even as government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) negotiators gave the assurance that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) won’t lead to the country’s breakup, some lawmakers on Wednesday expressed apprehension that the manner of territorial expansion provided in the bill will lead to the fragmentation of certain cities and provinces.

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Political association with VP Binay a ‘kiss of death’ –critic

Open about his plans to run for president in 2016, Vice President Jejomar Binay has been under fire from critics, who even say that being associated with him in politics is a "kiss of death."

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Cayetano dares Binay: Open your bank accounts

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday dared Vice President Jejomar Binay to open his bank accounts after Binay said that his and his family are open to lifestyle checks "anytime."

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Palace says it’s not threatened by VP Binay’s party

Malacañang says it is not threatened by Vice President Jejomar Binay's move to formally turn the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) into a political party for the 2016 polls. During a press briefing on Wednesday, presidential spokesman Secretary Edwin Lacierda confidently shrugged off Binay's meeting with his political allies earlier in the day to set up the new party.

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Napoles’ acquittal in Kevlar helmets case haunts Ong

Dismissed Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong was the chairman of the Sandiganbayan's Fourth Division, which acquitted Janet Lim-Napoles in 2010 of the charge of conspiring with public officials in malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents and violation of Section 3 (e) of the RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft Law.

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Criminals have more fun in the Philippines, Sotto says

Senator Tito Sotto on Wednesday delivered a privilege speech urging his colleagues to bring back the death penalty, noting that criminals do not seem to fear the prospect of life imprisonment, currently the heaviest penalty meted on people convicted for heinous crimes.

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UNA members form new party for Binay candidacy in 2016

Members of the opposition have converted the United Nationalist Alliance into a political party, a report on GMA News TV's Balitang Pilipinas said on Wednesday.

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