‘Key witness’ Laureano faces contempt, detention over failure to attend Senate probe

For failing to attend the Senate hearing on the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II and other corruption allegations, Laureano Gregorio, believed to be a key witness in the alleged ill-gotten wealth of Vice President Jejomar Binay, may be held in contempt and face detention.

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DOH on code white for Undas starting Friday

Hospitals and health development centers nationwide will be on Code White alert starting Friday, Oct. 31, for Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days), the Department of Health said Thursday.

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Sandiganbayan junks Jinggoy’s request to visit departed kin on Nov. 1

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday denied Senator Jinggoy Estrada's request for a five-hour furlough to visit his departed relatives and friends on November 1.

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Arbitration ruling on sea row with China may come early 2016 – DFA chief

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Thursday said the Netherlands-based arbitral tribunal may hand down a ruling on the Philippines' complaint against China’s massive claim in the disputed South China Sea by the first quarter of 2016.

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Tiu submits 1-page document to prove ownership of Batangas property linked to VP Binay

Despite repeated requests to submit documents proving his ownership of the 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas, businessman Antonio Tiu submitted Thursday morning only a one-page agreement between him and the alleged former owner Laureano Gregorio Jr.

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BI issues deportation order vs. Sueselback, bars him from returning to PHL

The Bureau of Immigration has issued a deportation order against Marc Sueselbeck, fiancé of slain transgender woman Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude, allowing the German national to finally leave the Philippines and return to Germany.

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Leaving home for the cemetery this Undas? Heed these tips from PNP

Filipinos leaving home to spend Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days) at the cemeteries this weekend may want to heed six tips from the Philippine National Police on how to secure their homes.

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AFP won’t stop Laude fiancé from leaving PHL, but still wants him banned

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it will no longer pursue a case that will prevent Marc Sueselbeck, the German fiancé of slain transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, from leaving the Philippines.

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Comelec: Voter registration suspended Oct. 31. to Nov. 2

The voter registration for the 2016 elections will be suspended during the Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days), the Commission on Elections said Thursday.

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UNA execs barred from Senate probe on Makati building

Saying they were not invited, the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee on Thursday prevented two allies of Vice President Jejomar Binay from participating in the resumption of the hearing probing the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II.

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Church destroyed by Yolanda to get P13M reconstruction grant from USA

A church destroyed by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) almost one year ago will benefit from a $300,000 (P13 million) grant from the United States government.

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Listed owners of parts of Batangas property have VP Binay ties

A map and documents from a group supporting former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado identify different owners of parts of the Batangas property purportedly owned by Vice President Jejomar Binay. The listed owners, according to GMA News Research, have links to the vice president.

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Warning out on fake priests at cemeteries

Filipinos going to cemeteries to remember their dearly departed this Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days) may have to be wary of scammers disguised as priests.

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De Lima: DOJ to expedite legal opinion on land dispute between PCMC, NHA

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday assured the public that the Department of Justice would speed up preparing a legal opinion on a land dispute between the National Housing Authority and the Philippine Children's Medical Center.

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Senate panel wants age ceiling for SK raised from 17 years old to 24 years old

The Senate committee on local government has proposed raising the upper limit of the age range qualification for Sangguniang Kabataan posts from the current 15 to 17 years old to 15 to 24 years old.

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Almost a year after typhoon, PNoy OKs Yolanda rehab master plan

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday approved the P170.9-billion master plan to rebuild areas devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda, almost a year after the powerful weather disturbance hit parts of central Philippines.

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AFP readies complaint vs. Laudes’ lawyer Harry Roque

The Army will file a complaint against lawyer Harry Roque for allegedly encouraging German national Marc Sueselbeck, the fiancé of slain transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, to enter a restricted area in Camp Aguinaldo where the American suspect US Marine Pfc. Joseph Pemberton is being detained.

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House starts hearing on SIM card registration

Lawmakers and telecommunications firms on Wednesday took another step toward finally stopping those annoying and potentially text scams that plague more than 80 million mobile phone users.

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Solon hits Palace, DFA over ‘nonsensical’ statements on VFA

A minority lawmaker on Wednesday criticized Malacañang and the Department of Foreign Affairs for their “nonsensical” comments regarding the review of the country's Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.

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Amid allegations of corruption, VP Binay to air three ads

Three advertisements featuring Vice President Jejomar Binay are set to be released soon, United Nationalist Alliance interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco confirmed on Wednesday.

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LTFRB allows 656 NCR buses to ply Undas routes

“Out of 896 units that applied for special permit, only 656 units were recommended for approval, 240 were denied for (a number of) reasons,” the PNA quoted LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez as saying.

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Army official ordered relieved for the second time in a month

An Army official who has been ordered relieved from his post has been given a new position in the AFP Medical Center — only to be relieved again.

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‘I’m excited’ to debate Trillanes, says VP Binay

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said he is "excited" for the upcoming debate between him and vocal critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

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Trader Antonio Tiu yet to submit proof he owns Batangas property – Koko

Businessman Antonio Tiu has yet to submit to the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee the documents to prove his ownership of the farm estate in Rosario, Batangas which has been alleged to belong to Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said Wednesday.

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House panel approves fair competition, anti-trust bills

A national policy prohibiting agreements that discourage business competition and other unfair trade practices is closer to becoming a law after hurdling the House Appropriations committee

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Increase in number of hungry Pinoys could’ve been higher—DSWD

The increase in the number of Filipinos who claimed to have gone hungry over the past three months doesn't mean that the government's anti-poverty efforts were ineffective, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said Wednesday.

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Govt eyes filtering system vs. online child abuse

A filtering system to control children's access to undesirable content on the Internet will soon be put in place through a joint effort by the government and telecommunication companies, according to Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy, head of the DOJ Office of Cybercrime, on Wednesday.

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De Lima takes over supervision of Maguindanao massacre case

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima has taken on the task of supervising prosecutor in the nearly five-year-old trial of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre case.

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House minority vows to oppose passage of P2.6-T national budget for 2015

The 19-member minority bloc in the House of Representatives is bent on opposing the passage of the P2.6-trillion 2015 national budget over its supposedly questionable definition of savings and the accommodation of the errata submitted by the Department of Budget and Management.

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Despite dip in world ratings, PHL still Asia’s No. 1 in gender equality

The Philippines remains on top of the gender equality game in Asia, with the country being the only nation in Asia and the Pacific that has fully closed the gender gap in both education and health, according to the Global Gender Gap 2014 report of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

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PHL-China sea row won’t be tackled in APEC summit in Beijing

The Philippines' territorial dispute with China will not be tackled during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing next month.

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Drilon on raps over alleged overpriced Iloilo center: Baseless, malicious

Senate President Franklin Drilon on Wednesday said the criminal charges filed against him in connection with the alleged overpricing in the construction of a convention center project in Iloilo has no basis and was done with malice.

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VP Binay willing to explain before Catholic bishops

While Vice President Jejomar Binay is yet to decide whether to attend the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, he has accepted the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ invitation for him to answer before Catholic leaders the allegations hurled against him and members of his family.

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PNoy to further explain why he rejected second term – Palace exec

President Benigno Aquino III will further explain why he closed his doors on seeking a second term, his spokesman said Wednesday.

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House panel OKs creation of oversight committee on socialized, low-cost housing

A resolution creating an oversight committee to review and assess the implementation of the government’s socialized and low-cost housing loan restructuring program has recently been approved by the House committee on Housing and Urban Development.

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More than 50,000 civilians to assist police for Undas security

The Philippine National Police will field about 50,000 barangay security officers and civilian volunteers to help law enforcement during the All Saints' Day weekend (Undas).

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Drilon, DOT Sec. Jimenez, DPWH Sec. Singson face raps over alleged overpriced Iloilo convention center

Former Iloilo Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada, Jr. has filed charges against Senate President Franklin Drilon, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson in connection with the alleged overpricing of the construction of a convention center project in Iloilo.

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Senate blue ribbon formally invites VP Binay to Makati Building II probe

The Senate blue ribbon committee on Wednesday formally invited Vice President Jejomar Binay to attend its hearing on the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II and corruption allegations against the former Makati mayor on November 6, Thursday.

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Road reblocking, number coding for provincial buses lifted at Undas weekend

To ease traffic during the yearly exodus for Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority is lifting the number coding for provincial buses starting Thursday.

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Sandiganbayan allows opening of Benhur Luy’s bank accounts

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has allowed with finality the opening of the bank accounts of pork barrel scam primary whistleblower Benhur Luy and the other witnesses in the supposed multi-billion anomaly.

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DTI monitors Undas, Noche Buena products; one supermarket found exceeding SRP

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday monitored prices of basic and prime goods including common products during Filipinos observance of All Souls' and All Saints' Day. They found one supermarket selling some Noche Buena items above suggested retail prices.

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122 health workers undergo three-day anti-Ebola training course

A first batch of personnel government hospitals from all over the country is undergoing specialized training on Ebola measures from six international experts, GMA News' "24 Oras" newscast reported on Tuesday.

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PAGCOR to finance construction of P2B-worth of classrooms

State-run gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will finance the construction of 1,500 classrooms, worth P2 billion, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday.

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Napoles controls fake NGOs, witness insists at Sandiganbayan

A former employee of Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel fund scam, on Tuesday recounted before the Sandiganbayan how the businesswoman had a direct control over fake non-government organizations (NGOs).

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Senate sub-committee to summon former owners of ‘Hacienda Binay’

The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee is set to summon the previous owners of properties that compose part of the alleged estate of Vice President Jejomar Binay in Rosario, Batangas

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Revilla says he’ll give up all of his wealth if it’s proven ill-gotten

Detained Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr on Tuesday said he is willing to give up his entire fortune if the prosecution can prove that his riches were ill-gotten.

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Laude’s mom to PNoy: Bakit ka nagbibingi-bingihan?

The mother of slain transgender woman Jennifer Laude on Tuesday slammed President Benigno Aquino III for remaining silent on the case against US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, the suspect in her child's death.

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Erice: UNA behind Oplan Nognog, Oplan Maligno

An administration stalwart on Tuesday claimed that the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) itself hatched the purported demolition plan “Oplan Nognog” to stop Vice President Jejomar Binay's recent ratings slide.

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Grace Poe: Pro-poor stance in honor of FPJ not for 2016 run

Saying she just wanted to honor her late father in pushing for the welfare of poor, Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday reiterated her earlier pronouncements that she had no plans of seeking the presidency in 2016.

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October 31 a working day, says Palace

Malacañang on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of President Benigno Aquino III declaring October 31, Friday, as a non-working holiday.

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