Swiss photographer who escaped Abu Sayyaf brought to NCR

After escaping from the Abu Sayyaf, Swiss wildlife photographer Lorenzo Vinciguera is now in Manila for medical treatment.

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NDRRMC: No confirmed reports yet of Ruby casualties

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday said there are no confirmed reports yet on casualties due to Typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit).

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Australia advises citizens in PHL to follow instructions on evacuation due to Ruby

Australians in the Philippines were advised Sunday to follow Philippine authorities' instructions, including those in possible evacuation, due to bad weather conditions from Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

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China denounces PHL ‘pressure’ over sea dispute arbitration

China denounced the Philippines on Sunday for putting it under political pressure with an international arbitration case over disputed waters, and refused again to participate a week ahead of a deadline to respond in the case.

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Typhoon Ruby tears down homes in disaster-weary PHL

Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) tore apart homes and sent waves crashing through coastal communities across the eastern Philippines on Sunday, creating more misery for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters.

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NDRRMC: No Ruby casualties recorded, thanks to forced evacuations

While areas hit by Typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit) have recorded some damage to property, no lives have been lost thanks to early evacuations and preparation by local government units, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said early Sunday morning.

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NDRRMC: 2,459 passengers stranded, power outages reported due to Typhoon Ruby

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday said more than 2,000 passengers have so far been stranded due to Typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit). Power outages were also reported in many areas.

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DOH cautions residents in areas affected by Ruby vs. diarrhea via contaminated food, drink

The Department of Health on Saturday night advised residents in areas affected by Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) to be more careful about the food or water they consume, lest they get diarrhea.

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Coast guard: 2163 passengers stranded due to Ruby

At least 2,163 passengers were stranded in various ports due to bad weather conditions brought by Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), the Philippine Coast Guard said Saturday afternoon.

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US Embassy offers planes, personnel as AFP continues preparations for Ruby

The US Embassy has offered the use of some American aircraft and personnel to help with Typhoon Ruby even as the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to prepare for Typhoon Ruby.

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Typhoon Ruby could affect 26.8 million people, GDACS warns

Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) could affect 26.8 million people in the Philippines, according to Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS).

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AFP deployed to help prevent crime, looting in Typhoon Ruby's wake

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. has deployed military troops to areas that are under threat of typhoon Ruby to maintain peace and order, and prevent looting incidents.

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CAAP: 6 airports closed due to Typhoon Ruby

At least six domestic airports in Eastern Visayas and Bicol were closed Saturday due to bad weather conditions from Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

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Walang Pasok: List of class and work suspensions for Dec. 8 to 9

Here follows a list of class and work suspensions for Dec. 8 to 9, categorized by groups who have declared them. Check back on GMA News Online for more updates.

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Ruby accelerates, to make landfall Saturday night in Dolores, E. Samar

Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) is now expected to make landfall on Saturday night in Dolores, Eastern Samar after picking up speed.

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Rains lash disaster-weary PHL as Typhoon Ruby nears

Heavy rain and strong winds began to hit the eastern Philippines Saturday ahead of a giant storm threatening more devastation to areas yet to recover from a super typhoon that killed thousands last year.

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Swiss hostage escapes Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

A Swiss national managed to escape from the Abu Sayyaf but was shot and wounded in the process, the military's Western Mindanao Command said Saturday.

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952 stranded due to Typhoon Ruby as Coast Guard cancels 49 trips

A total of 952 people were stranded while 49 trips have been canceled as of early Saturday due to bad weather conditions from Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), the Philippine Coast Guard said.

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Typhoon Ruby triggers massive evacuation in PHL

More than half a million people in the Philippines have fled from a powerful typhoon in one of the world's biggest peacetime evacuations as the storm churns towards central provinces that still bear the scars of a super typhoon 13 months ago.

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Comelec: Electronic voting systems for 2016 polls to be awarded by Feb. 2015

The contracts for the 2016 polls automated election system will be awarded by February next year using a longer "two-stage competitive process", the Commission on Elections' bids and awards committee said Friday.

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Walang Pasok: List of areas that have suspended classes on Dec. 6

The following areas have declared class suspensions on December 6. Keep checking back on this page for updates:

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De Lima to Laude camp: Let prosecutor resolve murder complaint

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday warned the camp of slain transgender woman Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude against calling the prosecutor handling the case unfair and biased without basis.

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CA affirms ruling allowing Manila court to push through with Pestaño trial

The Court of Appeals has affirmed its earlier decision allowing a Manila court to continue hearing the murder case against 10 Navy officers and enlisted personnel accused in the death of Ensign Philip Andrew Pestaño in September 1995.

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Cardinal Tagle: Storm heavens with prayer vs. calamity

As Typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit) bears down on the archipelago, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged Catholics to pray the “Oratio Imperata for Deliverance from Calamaties” on Saturday.

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DBM urged to release survey on pay hike of govt workers

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday appealed to the Department of Budget and Management to immediately complete and release the survey determining if there is a need to raise the salaries of government employees.

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De Lima: NBI has yet to probe death of Binay accuser’s partner in 2002

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday clarified that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has never investigated the death of the live-in partner of former Makati vice mayor Ernesto Mercado, a chief accuser of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

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Some Borongan residents eye hospitals as evacuation sites

Some residents in Eastern Samar are planning to stay in rooms in hospitals just to get to safer from approaching Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

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PNoy to media: Report Ruby responsibly

President Benigno Aquino III on Friday appealed to the media to report responsibly on Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), which threatens to hit central Philippines on Saturday.

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VP Binay to media: Be fair to people accused of corruption

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday lamented being the "flavor of the months" as he appealed to the media to give equal treatment even to those accused of corruption.

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Thousands stranded as PHL braces for super typhoon Ruby

Ports were shut across the country, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, and some local governments ordered forced evacuations on Friday as super-typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit) swept toward eastern coasts of the archipelago.

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PNoy not keen on seeking lower govt post after 2016

After ruling out the possibility of seeking another term, President Benigno Aquino III on Friday said he is not keen on running for a lower government post after he relinquishes his post in 2016.

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Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) Person Finder and Crisis Map

If you are worried about someone in any of the areas hit by Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), or if you're directly affected by the storm and want to inform your loved ones of your whereabouts, please fill out the following form. Your information will be entered into Google's People Finder database.

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LTFRB suspends bus trips to E. Visayas; residents evacuated in Iloilo

On orders of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, bus trips have been suspended from Metro Manila to Eastern Visayas, where Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) is expected to make landfall this weekend.

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PAGASA monitoring Angat's water level in anticipation of Typhoon Ruby

State weather agency PAGASA is keeping watch over Angat Dam in Bulacan should Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) bring heavy rain to Luzon.

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Walang pasok: Class suspensions Dec. 5 and 6

Classes on Dec. 5 and 6 have been suspended in parts of the Visayas and Luzon in anticipation of bad weather conditions from Typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit).

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CBCP chief: No pressure from Palace on Pope Francis’ PHL itinerary

The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has belied claims that Malacañang is trying to pressure it into scrapping Pope Francis' visit to Tacloban City in Leyte.

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SWS: 10.4M Pinoys without work but joblessness eases in Q3 2014

Although some 10.4 million of them were jobless in the third quarter of 2014, Filipinos are now more optimistic of work available in the next 12 months, a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations showed.

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Tiangco twits Roxas for touting ‘tuwid na daan’, cites ‘selective’ prosecution

Vice President Jejomar Binay's United Nationalist Alliance on Thursday lashed back at Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II for telling a broadsheet that he is bothered by the possibility that a Binay presidency might spell the end of “tuwid na daan (straight path).”

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Cardinal Tagle: Be good neighbors when Typhoon Ruby hits

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged everyone on Thursday to help those in need especially with Typhoon Ruby expected to make landfall over the weekend.

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Ombudsman indicts NLRC labor arbiter

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday formally charged a National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) arbiter for alleged unethical behavior.

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NGCP implements safety measures for power facilities as Typhoon Ruby approaches

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines has implemented safety measures for power transmission facilities as Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) moved closer to the country on Thursday.

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Guilt prompts ‘pork’ witness to testify vs. Napoles

A witness presented by the prosecution panel in the plunder case against Janet Lim-Napoles admitted on Thursday that she decided to testify because of the guilty feelings she is having over the illegal acts she committed under Napoles' employ.

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Typhoon Ruby: Quick Links

GMA News Online compiled these links for easy access to information as the nation deals with Typhoon Ruby and its aftermath:

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Most torture cases in PHL perpetrated by police officers – report

Incidences of torture remains prevalent in the Philippines and most of the perpetrators are police officers, international human rights group Amnesty International said.

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Prosecutors confident Jinggoy will be denied bail

After the Sandiganbayan junked the bail petitions of Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla and his two co-accused, government prosecutors said they are confident that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's plea for bail will also be denied.

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SC asked to strike down lump-sum appropriations in 2014 budget

A petitioner against the Priority Development Assistance Fund asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to strike down as unconstitutional the lump-sum appropriations in the P1.6-trillion national budget for 2014 saying these violate the court's ruling against "pork barrel" funds.

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PNP preps for papal visit, Ruby will not be affected by Purisima suspension

Security and disaster preparations for Pope Francis' visit next month and the expected landfall of Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) this weekend, respectively, will not be affected by the suspension of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima.

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Senator calls for PNP chief Purisima's resignation

Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima, whom the Office of the Ombudsman ordered suspended for six months, should resign from his post for the good of the PNP, Senator Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III said Thursday.

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Coast Guard cancels vessel trips in Bohol area

Citing the danger from big waves, the Philippine Coast Guard in Bohol has canceled trips in the area amid the threat from Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit).

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PNoy to agencies: Failure is unforgiveable

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday issued a stern warning to government officials involved in preparations for Typhoon Ruby: Failure to prepare for the weather disturbance will be “unforgivable.”

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