Singson, Jimenez don't need Drilon to defend ICC project –Palace

Malacañang on Thursday said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson do not need Senate President Franklin Drilon to defend the controversial Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) project.

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VP Binay apologizes to KBP for retreating from debate

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday apologized to Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas for backing out of the debate supposedly on November 27 with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

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De Lima: Identities of Binay probers classified

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday said the identities of the National Bureau of Investigation agents probing Vice President Jejomar Binay would be kept secret to allow them to "freely discharge" their tasks.

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VP Binay camp downplays death threat on Alan Cayetano

The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday dismissed as the claim of Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano's office that he received a death threat on Wednesday as part of the senator's "squid tactics."

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PNoy to step away from VP Binay probe? Coloma thinks Koko may have been misquoted

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma on Thursday said that Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel may have been misquoted when reports about Pimentel's alleged statements for President Benigno Aquino III to back off the Senate probe on Vice President Jejomar Binay surfaced.

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No hospital arrest, just checkup, Revilla insists

Detained Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. on Thursday said he has no plan of seeking hospital arrest despite his request to the court to allow him to stay overnight at the St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) in Taguig.

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ICC construction undergoing audit –COA official

The construction of the Iloilo Convention Center is undergoing audit, a Commission on Audit official said Thursday as he refused to answer questions during the blue ribbon committee hearing on the alleged overpriced establishment.

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Guingona acts as referee between Nancy Binay, Trillanes

Senator Teofisto Guingona III found himself serving as "referee" between warring Senators Nancy Binay and Antonio Trillanes IV Thursday during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged overpriced construction of the Iloilo Convention Center.

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Sandiganbayan admits major evidence vs. Revilla in ‘pork’ case

The First Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on Thursday admitted almost all of the evidence presented by the prosecution panel against Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. for plunder charges in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-billion pork barrel fund scam.

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ASEAN countries agree to discuss code of conduct in South China Sea

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to discuss a code of conduct in a bid to solve maritime disputes in the South China Sea, parts of which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, a television report said Thursday.

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Belmonte lauds PNoy’s ‘icebreaker’ meeting with Xi Jinping

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Wednesday hailed the landmark meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Chinese President Xi Jinping as an “icebreaker” that could pave the way for the possible resolution of current and long-standing conflicts between the two countries.

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Singson to resign if proven to have benefited from alleged ICC overprice

In maintaining that the Iloilo Convention Center was not overpriced, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said he will resign if proven to have benefited or received even P1 from the construction of the public building.

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DOH OIC: Protective gear was not needed for returning peacekeepers

No personal protective gear was needed for the personnel who welcomed the 133 Filipino United Nations peacekeepers who returned from Liberia Wednesday, Department of Health's OIC Janette Garin assured Thursday.

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Senate panel allows Syjuco to testify against Drilon in ICC probe

The request of a former Iloilo representative to testify against Senate President Franklin Drilon in the probe on the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) has been granted by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday but he will have to wait.

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Drilon insists Iloilo Convention Center not overpriced, inhibits from Senate probe

Senate President Franklin Drilon insisted Thursday that the Iloilo Convention Center was not overpriced as alleged by his former staff. “In defense of my name, my honor and my family, I specifically and categorically deny the baseless, speculative, and wild allegations of Mr. (Manuel) Mejorada. I did not commit any wrongdoing in the construction of the Iloilo Convention Center,” Drilon said in his speech at the start of the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

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Heroes’ welcome await peacekeepers after 21-day quarantine

A heroes' welcome – and another medical procedure – await the 133 Filipino peacekeepers who arrived Wednesday from Ebola-stricken Liberia, once they complete their 21-day quarantine at on an island in Manila Bay, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday.

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Customs officials arrest BOC employee in an entrapment operation

A 12-year veteran employee of the Bureau of Customs was arrested on Wednesday after receiving P7,000 in marked money in an entrapment operation led by Customs Deputy Commissioner Jessie Dellosa.

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House energy panel still hopeful on emergency powers for PNoy

House of Representatives energy committee chairman Reynaldo Umali is still interested in allowing President Benigno Aquino III to wield emergency powers although the president has said those powers are no longer a viable solution to the looming power crisis next year.

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PNoy pushes anew for Code of Conduct in South China Sea

President Benigno Aquino III made a fresh push for a code of conduct to solve territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea during the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Myanmar.

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LP eyeing Roxas-Poe tandem in 2016 –Erice

A Liberal Party official on Wednesday bared that the ruling party is considering the tandem of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Sen. Grace Poe in the 2016 elections.

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Alan Cayetano gets a death threat: ‘Isang bala lang siya’

The staff of Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday night claimed receiving a phoned-in death threat against the senator at his office.

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Drilon, Cabinet members confirm presence in Iloilo Center probe

Senate President Franklin Drilon and the two Cabinet secretaries implicated in the alleged overpricing of the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center will be present when the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee starts its inquiry on the matter on Thursday.

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Iloilo officials rally behind Drilon on eve of Senate probe on ICC

About 200 officials in Iloilo City have expressed support for the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) on the eve of the first hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on its alleged overpricing.

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Prosecution blocks Jinggoys’s request for subpoena on Benhur’s bank records

State prosecutors on Wednesday opposed Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s bid to have bank accounts of whistleblowers subpoenaed, saying such a broad request was nothing but a “fishing expedition.”

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Aquino blames Tacloban execs for slow post-Yolanda rehab

If politicking was the reason for the slow pace of rehabilitation in Tacloban, it's not coming from the administration, President Benigno Aquino III said on Tuesday evening.

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CA agrees with QC court: 3 Maguindanao massacre suspects can’t be state witnesses

The Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling of the Quezon City court denying a request to convert three suspects in the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre into state witnesses.

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Garin dares critics to present evidence linking her to anomaly

Acting Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin, declaring her readiness to immediately resign if proven guilty of corruption, challenged her detractors on Wednesday to present evidence linking her to an alleged anomaly involving P5 billion in funds from the defunct National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor).

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Bong Revilla sets hospital date before court approves leave

Detained Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla has taken it for himself to set the date for his medical check up, even before the Sandiganbayan has given him the go signal.

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Why PNoy had Ona investigated and not Alan Purisima

Why did President Benigno Aquino III order an investigation on Health Secretary Enrique Ona and the Department of Health's P833-million purchase of vaccines in 2012 and not on the allegations of corruption against Philippine National Police chief Director-General Alan Purisima and even political ally Senate President Franklin Drilon?

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CA upholds Pasay judge’s refusal to inhibit in poll case vs. Gloria Arroyo, Abalos

The Court of Appeals has affirmed a Pasay judge's decision not to inhibit from the electoral sabotage case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. over alleged poll fraud in the 2007 mid-term elections.

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Six months after Margie Juico’s resignation, PNoy yet to appoint PCSO chair

Six months after Margarita Juico resigned as Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) chairperson, President Benigno Aquino III has yet to appoint her replacement.

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PNoy admits asking Ona to take a leave

President Benigno Aquino III has admitted asking Health Secretary Enrique Ona to take a leave following the alleged irregularities in the bidding process for the country’s immunization program.

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SC: Courts on half-day Dec. 23; non-working day on Dec. 29

Employees of the country's courts may now plan their holidays in December, after the Supreme Court declared half-day work at courts on Dec. 23, and no work on Dec. 29.

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‘Nothing wrong with PNoy relaying VP Binay’s request to Drilon’

Malacañang sees nothing wrong with President Benigno Aquino III calling Senate President Franklin Drilon to relay Vice President Jejomar Binay's request that the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee end its probe on allegations of corruption against the second highest official.

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HRVCB set to evaluate 47k compensation applications of Martial Law victims

The Human Rights Victims' Claims Board (HRVCB) has officially ended the filing of claims for compensation of human rights victims under the Martial Law, and is now set to evaluate almost 47,000 applications.

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Ona: Vaccine DOH bought cheaper than what WHO ordered

In an interview with GMA News TV's "Balitanghali," Health Secretary Enrique Ona on Wednesday said the DOH bought doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 10 (PCV-10) instead of PCV-13 because a dose of the former was almost a dollar cheaper than that of the latter.

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PHL govt can't fight Ebola on its own —DOH spokesman

Without the help of Filipinos, the Philippine government cannot stop the spread of the Ebola virus disease once it enters the country, an official of the Department of Health admitted Wednesday.

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Senate probe on Binay may last until May 2015 –Trillanes

The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee investigation on corruption charges against Vice President Jejomar Binay may last until May 2015, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said Wednesday, adding that their goal is to send Binay to jail.

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Ex-Comelec exec to face malversation, graft raps over P44.3-M unliquidated funds

The Office of the Ombudsman is set to file malversation and graft charges against former Comelec Director for Finance Services Gideon De Guzman for allegedly failing to liquidate P44.3 million he received from 1998 to 2007.

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UNA: Extended Senate probe to be ‘in aid of demolition’

The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said it expects the extended Senate hearings into alleged irregularities involving the VP would be "in aid of demolition" instead of in aid of legislation.

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VP Binay’s trustworthiness in question after withdrawal from debate —admin allies

Vice President Jejomar Binay’s ability to stay true to his word is now shrouded in doubt following his decision to back out of the debate with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, allies of the administration in Congress said Tuesday.

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Binay ‘dummies’ Gregorio, Limlingan still in PHL, says DOJ

Laureano Gregorio Jr. and Gerry Limlingan, who are tagged as dummies of Vice President Jejomar Binay, are still in the country contrary to reports, Justice Sec. Leila de Lima said.

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8-year-old girl found dead, possibly raped in Laguna; young suspect held

An eight-year-old girl was found dead – naked and face down – in a creek in Biñan in Laguna on Sunday, with authorities suspecting she may have been raped.

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FDA warns public vs. ‘Jinga Juice’ social media ads

Health authorities warned the public against what they called false and deceptive ads of a food supplement on social media and the Internet.

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FDA advises public on recalled peanut butter products

Some batches of a brand of peanut butter are being voluntarily recalled due to potential salmonella contamination, the Food and Drug Administration advised the public.

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Bettor wins P46.288M in Lotto 6/42 draw – PCSO

A lone bettor is wealthier by P46,288,040 after winning Tuesday night's Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Lotto 6/42 draw.

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Beijing, Philippines move to calm South China Sea tensions

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a "meeting of minds" on Tuesday during talks which included a territorial row that has soured relations between the South China Sea states.

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Eight women die after surgery at sterilization ‘camp’ in India

Eight women have died after undergoing sterilization surgery at a government-run "camp" in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, state officials said on Tuesday. Ten more women who also had the procedure were in serious condition.

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Amid controversies, Binay says he’s way ahead in surveys

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday said that he still had the highest public satisfaction ratings, despite dropping a few points in the wake of the weekly Senate investigation into allegations of corruption against him.

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Jinggoy Estrada asks court summon Benhur’s bank records

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan to subpoena the bank accounts of Benhur Luy, his mother, and several other whistleblowers, as well as any document on Anti-Money Laundering Council investigations over the said accounts.

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