Will Ona be back as DOH chief? Palace can’t say for certain

Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s month-long leave of absence will end on Friday, but his fate in President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet remains uncertain.

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DOJ wants raps vs. 59 suspects in Zambo siege dropped —source

The Department of Justice has recommended the dismissal of the criminal charges against 59 of the more than 200 alleged members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) implicated in the Zamboanga crisis in September 2013, a reliable source said Thursday.

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Palace: EDCA talks can continue despite SC, Senate proceedings

Formal discussions between the Philippines and the United States on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) can continue despite legal questions the deal is facing before the Supreme Court (SC) and the Senate, Malacañang said Thursday.

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Chiz Escudero: Where did P137B for Yolanda rehab go? I don’t see it

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance on Thursday questioned the government's handling of the P137-billion that Congress earlier set aside for the rehabilitation and reconstruction in areas affected by supertyphoon Yolanda.

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Miriam bares ‘red flags’ for choosing leaders in 2016

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday urged the youth to support politicians who resist to make corruption a routine practice in the government.

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DOJ indicts importer of stinking shipment from Canada

The Department of Justice has recommended the filing of criminal charges against a company responsible for importing garbage from Canada to the Philippines.

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Miriam: Abad statement shows 2015 budget not free of ‘pork’

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday said that despite Budget Sec. Florencio Abad's insistence that the proposed budget for 2015 is free of pork barrel, there are some indications that it is not.

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Senate hearing on EDCA set on Dec. 1

The Senate committee on foreign relations will discuss next week whether the chamber should concur with the controversial new defense agreement the Philippines entered into with the United States — an pact that, according to Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, could be a ground to impeach the president.

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Orphans, youths to welcome Pope Francis as he arrives in Manila

Some 1,200 youths led by two orphans will greet Pope Francis as he arrives in the Philippines at dusk of Jan. 15 for his four-day visit.

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Bureau of Immigration posts ‘no escorting’ signs at NAIA

With the holidays approaching, the Bureau of Immigration has posted signs in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport against "escorting."

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Walang Pasok: List of schools in Vis-Min with no classes due to TD Queenie

Classes were suspended in several areas affected by Tropical Depression Queenie.

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Phivolcs: No tsunami threat from mag.-7 quake in Indonesia

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Wednesday evening allayed fears of a tsunami from a magnitude-7 quake that hit Indonesia.

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PNoy signs law allowing tech-voc graduates to earn units for undergrad degrees

President Benigno Aquino III has signed a law enabling graduates of technical-vocational (tech-voc) schools to earn units for college degrees.

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SC asked to stop Comelec’s bidding for new counting machines

The Supreme Court on Wednesday has been asked to stop the Commission on Elections from conducting a public bidding for the purchase of additional and new counting machines for the 2016 elections.

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Belmonte: LP can ‘definitely’ choose an outsider to be its standard-bearer

Echoing the sentiments of some party leaders, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Wednesday that the Liberal Party need not limit the search for its standard-bearer in 2016 to within its ranks.

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12,245 pass Criminologist Licensure Exam –PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Wednesday announced that 12,245 out of 28,187 passed the Criminologist Licensure Examination given last October.

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Pope Francis visit a ‘big challenge’ to security –Roxas

The five-day visit of Pope Francis in January next year will pose a “big challenge” to security, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas admitted Wednesday, noting the large number of Filipinos who want to see the pope in person.

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China silent on PHL protest on Kagitingan Reef activity – DFA exec

China seemed to have ignored a Philippine government protest over its ongoing reclamation activity on a Manila-claimed area in the disputed South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

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768 stranded due to Queenie

At least 768 people were stranded Wednesday due to bad weather conditions brought by Tropical Depression Queenie, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

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Belmonte: No railroading of P23-B supplemental budget

Although he is bent on approving Malacañang’s request for supplemental budget before 2014 ends, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Wednesday the proposal will have to go through the legislative mill just like other measures.

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Manny Villar asked if VP Binay probe had his go-ahead—wife

Certain personalities have asked the Nacionalista Party leadership whether the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee's investigation into the alleged corrupt activities of Vice President Jejomar Binay had the blessing of NP president former Senate President Manuel Villar.

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US Embassy in Manila closed Nov. 27 for Thanksgiving

The United States Embassy in Manila will be closed on Nov. 27, Thursday, in observance of Thanksgiving, a holiday in the US.

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Farmers hope PNoy will release P71-B coco levy fund, not just interest

Farmers who marched for 71 days from Davao to Manila on Wednesday voiced hopes the full P71-billion coco fund levied on them decades ago would be released in full, and not just the P3-billion interest their money gained after the government took control of it.

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‘There are offers but Manny Villar won’t run for VP’

Former Senate President Manny Villar has yet to say whether he'll make another run at the presidency in 2016 but he certainly won't run for Vice President, his wife Senator Cynthia Villar said on Wednesday.

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Ombudsman indicts ex-PCGG chair Sabio for influence peddling

The Office of the Ombudsman has indicted former Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Camilo Sabio for graft after he allegedly tried to influence his brother, then a magistrate in the Court of Appeals, as regards an ownership row in the Manila Electric Co. (MERALCO) in 2008.

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List of flights canceled due to bad weather

At least two domestic flights were canceled Wednesday due to bad weather brought by Tropical Depression Queenie.

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Protesters from Mindanao vandalize AFP HQ walls in picket

Some of the militants demanded justice for alleged human rights violations committed by the military's Oplan Bayanihan.

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Jinggoy returns to PNP Custodial Center after therapy

Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada was returned to his detention facility shortly after noon Wednesday, after having therapy at a San Juan hospital.

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DOJ eyes ‘conspiracy’ between drug lords and officials in New Bilibid Prison

Authorities are looking into a possible conspiracy between officials at the New Bilibid Prison and drug lords who are able to continue their operations even in detention, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Wednesday.

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Pro-transparency group defends House version of FOI bill

Even though lawmakers under the Makabayan bloc have decried the recently-approved Freedom of Information (FOI) bill as “watered down” and “toothless,” a civil society coalition counters that the approved measure was a “genuine” and “strong” one that balances the peoples’ right to information and the interests of private individuals and the government.

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Manila prepared to secure Pope Francis, Erap says

The Manila city government is prepared to secure Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines in January next year, former President and incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada said.

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10 non-catholic leaders to meet with Pope Francis in PHL

Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines in January will indeed be an inclusive one, as far as religious groups are concerned.

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Jinggoy leaves Crame in convoy for therapy

Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada on Wednesday morning left the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame for physical therapy for shoulder pain.

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LP eyes De Lima, Lacson for admin's 2016 Senate ticket

The Liberal Party is considering Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson for the administration's 2016 senatorial slate, a ranking LP official said Tuesday.

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DOH reorganization had Ona’s blessing –Garin

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin on Tuesday said the recent reorganization within the Department of Health (DOH) has nothing to do with the ongoing investigation on the agency's alleged anomalous purchase of vaccines in 2012.

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Protesters from Mindanao turn Mendiola into camping site

Members of indigenous groups from Mindanao and Southern Luzon held a protest march headed for Mendiola near Malacañang Monday and spent the night there.

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Erap sees investment boom in Manila after transfer of Pandacan oil depot

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to uphold his order to transfer the oil depot in the Pandacan district out of the city by January 2016.

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Belmonte on Miriam’s claim 2015 budget is pork-laden: That’s her opinion

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday brushed off Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s claim that the proposed P2.6-trillion national budget for 2015 is laden with hidden pork barrel or lump-sum funds that can be used at the President’s discretion.

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Garin to detractors: ‘Let the DOH move on’

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin on Tuesday appealed to their detractors to let the department "move on" and do its work "with or without" Secretary Enrique Ona, who is currently on leave.

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SolGen: EDCA not a guarantee of US defense if China attacks

The country's Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States carries no assurance that the superpower will come to the Philippines' defense if China attacks in connection with the disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea, the solicitor general said on Tuesday.

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Vietnam warships visit PHL amid South China Sea dispute

Vietnam on Tuesday showed off its two most powerful warships in the first-ever port call to the Philippines but an official said it was not trying to challenge China's superior naval forces amid tension in the South China Sea.

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China says Manila violated its sovereignty with fines on fishermen

China said on Tuesday that the fines imposed by a court in the Philippines on nine Chinese fishermen for catching sea turtles in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea had violated its sovereignty, in the latest row between the two over territory.

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Sandiganbayan allows Jinggoy to undergo therapy in Cardinal Santos

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Tuesday allowed detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to leave Camp Crame twice a week for two weeks to undergo physical therapy for shoulder pain.

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Palace: 2015 budget not for 2016 polls, follows SC rulings

Malacañang on Tuesday maintained that it followed Supreme Court rulings against the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) in crafting the proposed 2015 budget, which is now being questioned before the high court.

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Proposed 2015 national budget not riddled with ‘pork,’ Chiz insists

Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday denied that the 2015 proposed national budget is riddled with "pork," assuring the public that the “lump sum” funds in the measure will not be a source of corruption.

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Pinoy peacekeeper back on Caballo Island after recovering from malaria –DOH

The Filipino peacekeeper from Ebola-hit Liberia who fell ill with malaria two weeks ago has been taken back to Caballo Island to complete the 21-day quarantine period, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

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BuCor director, prison guards get death threats from drug lord inmates —De Lima

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Tuesday revealed that Bureau of Correction director Franklin Bucayu and prison guards have received death threats from drug lords inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

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SC junks ER Ejercito’s motion vs. disqualification

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision unseating Laguna governor Emilio Ramon "ER" Ejercito.

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SC asked to declare proposed 2015 budget unconstitutional

Former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr. on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to declare the P2.606 trillion proposed 2015 budget unconstitutional for allegedly containing funds already declared illegal by the high court.

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DFA: Note verbale sent to China over reclamation activity on Kagitingan Reef

The Department of Foreign Affairs has already sent a note verbale to China protesting Beijing's reclamation activity on a Philippine-claimed reef in the disputed South China Sea.

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