70,000 houses for typhoon victims to be constructed next year – Abad

About 70,000 housing units are set to be constructed next year for the victims of typhoons and other natural calamities, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said Tuesday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Anti-crime group bats for a more modernized PNP

After being kidnapped twice, architect Ka Kuen Chua now leads a group that is helping the police force secure the proper tools and values necessary for crime prevention.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Sandiganbayan subpoenas bank accounts of Napoles NGOs

State prosecutors have been allowed to examine the bank accounts of non-government organizations linked to businesswoman and alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

JBC’s Mejia: Two terms good for regular council members

A member of the Judicial and Bar Council has no problems with a Senate proposal seeking to limit to just two full terms the length of stay of the body's regular members

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

SC stops road project in Benguet for now

The Supreme Court has temporarily stopped the road opening activities at Mount Santo Tomas watershed in Tuba, Benguet, following claims that it is causing environmental degradation in the area.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Purisima rates himself a 9; Grace Poe gives him a 4

Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima rated his efforts for the PNP nine out of 10, but Senator Grace Poe believes his credibility was way below because he apparently didn't tell the whole truth in Tuesday's hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Abad: No salary increase for gov’t workers in 2015

Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad on Tuesday said the government couldn't grant salary increases for government employees next year, as the government needed to fund other programs after the country was hit by natural disasters in 2013 and earlier this year.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

LP solon to partymates: Think twice about switching parties

Liberal Party (LP) members who are thinking about moving to another political party should think twice now that Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II moved up in the latest Pulse Asia survey only shows the ruling party will remain in power beyond 2016, an administration ally said Monday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PNP internal affairs office unaware it could investigate Purisima

The office tasked to investigate Philippine National Police personnel was unaware that it could can probe the PNP chief.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

No activities monitored after BIFF pledge of allegiance to ISIS – Army official

An Army regional commander maintained Tuesday that they have not monitored any unusual activities after the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Abu Sayyaf rebels pledged support to the militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

DOJ to look into criminal liability of sacked Sandiganbayan Justice Ong

The Department of Justice will check the possible criminal liability of dismissed Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory Ong for his links with Janet Lim-Napoles, who is facing plunder and malversation charges over the P10-B pork barrel fund scam.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Palace: No hand in newspaper ads calling for PNoy's 2nd term

Malacañang is not behind the full-page advertisements in national newspapers clamoring for a second term for President Benigno Aquino III and trumpeting the fiscal and economic reforms the administration has instituted since taking over the helm of government in 2010, as well as his fight against corruption as the main points why he should be re-elelected come 2016.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

P1.5M only? Grace Poe questions Purisima’s huge discount on Land Cruiser

Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday quizzed Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima’s purchase of a Land Cruiser for only P1.5 million.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Despite Pulse Asia poll, De Lima remains undecided on 2016 plans

Despite her inclusion in the latest survey on preferred senatorial bets, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is still undecided on becoming a lawmaker.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Abad denies LP’s hand in pro-PNoy re-election ad

The ruling Liberal Party has nothing to do with the full-page newspaper ad that was published on Tuesday urging President Benigno Aquino III to seek re-election in 2016, Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad said.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Palace backs Purisima’s decision to stay as PNP chief

Malacañang on Tuesday backed Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima's decision not to quit his post amid accusations of hidden wealth and irregularities in a construction project inside the national police headquarters.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

NDRRMC: Over 2 million people affected by TS Mario

More than two million people have been affected by Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) as of Tuesday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

DOH extends anti-measles campaign

The government's anti-measles campaign has been extended by three days, an official of the Department of Health said Tuesday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PHL pushes UN for top-level action for peacekeepers’ security

Following the recent experience of its United Nations peacekeepers there, the Philippines this week called for top-level action for the security of peacekeepers in the Golan Heights area.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PHL scores ‘expansionist territorial claims’ at UN assembly

The Philippines on Monday (US time) scored China anew for its "expansionist territorial claims," this time before an assembly at the United Nations.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

AFP, PNP begin preparations for Pope's visit

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have already started preparing for Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines in January 2015.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Sandiganbayan finds probable cause vs. 2 Napoles children

A Sandiganbayan special division has found probable cause to try two of detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles' children for graft in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

After USS Guardian case, SC justice sees need to refine sovereign immunity doctrine

The writ of kalikasan plea on the grounding of a US Navy minesweeper in the Tubbataha Reef in January 2013 might have been junked by the Supreme Court but the ruling has opened doors for a possible review of the doctrine of sovereign immunity as applied in the Philippines.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Dismissed justice Ong tried influencing SC magistrates –Leonen

Dismissed Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong allegedly tried "influencing" Supreme Court justices while he was being investigated over his links with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Jante Lim-Napoles, according to one of the magistrates.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Sandiganbayan orders Marcoses' ‘ill-gotten’ paintings seized

The Sandiganbayan’s Security and Sheriff’s Services Division has been tasked with recovering eight paintings — including one by Michaelangelo and another by Pablo Picasso — currently in the possession of the family of former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

House panel to oversee amendments to proposed nat'l budget

The House of Representatives has tasked a panel with overseeing amendments to the P2.6-trillion national budget for 2015 that the lower chamber approved last week after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reportedly said it plans to change the definition of savings for some items.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PNP chief Purisima to answer allegations before Senate panel

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima is expected to finally personally address the allegations of corruption raised against him.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

DOJ OKs criminal raps vs. 3 in foiled NAIA bomb try

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended criminal charges against the three suspects in the alleged foiled bombing attempt at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) earlier this month.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Binay slides, Mar climbs but PNoy won’t pick ‘anointed one’ solely on popularity

President Benigno Aquino III won't choose his preferred successor based on popularity alone, his spokesman said Monday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Senate wants P14-B extra budget explained before approving DOH 2015 appropriations

The Department of Health must first explain how it intends to spend the P14 billion supplemental budget under its 2015 appropriations before the Senate budget committee gives its blessings on the P102 billion in appropriations the department is seeking from the national appropriations.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Couple in animal abuse videos sentenced to life in prison—PETA

A couple from La Union jailed in 2012 for producing fetish videos that showed live animals being abused and crushed to death has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a regional trial court, an animal rights group said Monday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

2nd plunder raps filed vs. PNP chief Purisima

A second plunder complaint has been filed against Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Tito Sotto, Kiko Pangilinan lead senatorial hopefuls in latest poll

Senators Vicente Sotto III and Ferdinand Marcos Jr., along with former Senators Francis Pangilinan, Manuel Roxas II and Panfilo Lacson topped the list of potential candidates with a good chance of being elected to the Senate in 2016. The Pulse Asia survey showed Sotto would likely get 51.6 percent of votes while Pangilinan would get 51.5 percent, Roxas 47.6 percent, Marcos 47.2 percent, and Lacson 47.1 percent.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

ARMM governor: No ISIS presence in the region

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman dismissed reports that members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have gotten into the region.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

UNA not considering alternative presidential bet other than Binay —JV Ejercito

Vice President Jejomar Binay remains to be the sole presidential bet of the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for the 2016 elections, amid plunder charges he is facing in connection with the alleged overpriced construction of Makati City Hall Building II, UNA member Sen. JV Ejercito said.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Binay slides, Roxas climbs in latest poll on possible 2016 presidentiables

Vice President Jejomar Binay continues to be the top choice for president, based on a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia, but with a notable 10-percent decline on his lead, from 41 percent in June to 31 percent in September. In contrast, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, whom Binay defeated in the vice presidential race in 2010, was in second place, getting support from 13 percent of voters. Roxas had only seven percent of the votes in the June survey.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Court gives Revilla access to Luy’s ‘pork’ files

The Sandiganbayan First Division has given Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., an accused in the pork barrel scam case, limited access to the controversial files in whistleblower Benhur Luy's hard drive.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PHL, US begin PHIBLEX military exercises near disputed seas

Thousands of Filipino and American soldiers began annual war games on Monday near disputed waters in the South China Sea, testing the readiness of the two oldest security allies in the southeast Asian region to respond to any emergency.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PHIBLEX a precursor of EDCA, solon claims

A new round of joint military exercises by Philippine and American forces in Palawan and Luzon is a “soft launch” for the activities planned under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a progressive lawmaker claimed.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PNP, AFP tighten security at Malolos court for Palparan pretrial

The Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday beefed up security at the Malolos, Bulacan regional trial court for the pretrial of detained retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

PNP chief returns from abroad but declines to talk on charges

Controversial Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima returned to the Philippines Sunday night but declined to talk about the charges against him.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Solon: Daily 3-hour brownouts in Luzon possible if power crisis not addressed

Rotating brownouts lasting three hours a day may occur several days a week in Luzon next summer if Congress does not grant President Benigno Aquino III’s request for emergency powers to deal with a looming energy crisis, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

NDRRMC: Damage from Mario breaches P3 billion mark

The damage from Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) breached the P3 billion mark as of Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Malacañang still mum on PNoy’s pick for 2016

Malacañang on Sunday remained tight-lipped about who President Benigno Aquino will endorse to succeed him in 2016, saying the administration is focused on nation-building and economic reforms, not on the upcoming polls.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

MILF starts difficult disarming process

The difficult process of disarming rebels after a decades-long insurgency has started, Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) negotiators said Sunday, with the decommissioning of a first batch of firearms expected before year-end.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Reassignment not demotion, says outgoing PNP spokseman Sindac

Outgoing Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac on Sunday clarified that he was not demoted after he was assigned as head of PNP's logistics unit.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Pinoy UN peacekeepers to guard Pope Francis during PHL visit

The Philippines has assigned a thousand-strong force of its United Nations peacekeepers to help guard Pope Francis when he visits Asia's main Catholic outpost next January, the military said Sunday.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Rep. Atienza: Bringing back death penalty won’t deter crime

Instead of reviving the death penalty, the government should ensure the police are chasing and catching criminals to improve the peace and order situation in the country, a lawmaker said Sunday. In a statement, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza called death penalty a “poison” and said it will not serve as an effective deterrent to crime.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

Aquino back from weeklong Europe-US trip

President Benigno Aquino III arrived home Thursday from a weeklong foreign trip to Europe and the United States.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation

DepEd boosts coordinators’ disaster response capacity

School officials will soon be better equipped to respond to disasters, as their Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) coordinators undergo capacity-building activities.

Read the rest of the news GMA News Online / News / Nation