No contract awarded to Smartmatic for PCOS repair –Comelec chief

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to enter into a contract with Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) for the refurbishment of 82,000 voting counting machines, although it has approved the consortium's proposal to examine the equipment for possible glitches, chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Tuesday.

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No consular services in NCR during Papal visit –DFA

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said its satellite offices in the National Capital Region will be closed from January 15 to 19, 2015 in accordance with Proclamation No. 936.

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Cops assigned to secure Pope Francis start crowd control training

Police personnel assigned to secure Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines have started training on crowd control techniques.

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Group to ask SC to keep Smartmatic away from PCOS repair contract

An election watchdog plans to ask the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Elections from contracting Smartmatic- Total Information Management (TIM) for the repair of its Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.

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Pope Francis ‘to go around’ Luneta to bless crowd before concluding mass

Pope Francis is expected to go around Luneta before the concluding mass for his visit in keeping with his custom of "greeting" the crowd at papal events, a church official said Monday.

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Manila to close roads around Pope Francis’ home in Manila

The City Government of Manila will close roads around the Apostolic Nunciature, Pope Francis' official residence during hist visit to the Philippines, GMA News' "24 Oras" reported on Monday.

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Peace talks with CPP-NPA-NDF must be ‘time-bound, doable’ – Palace

The Philippine government does not want talks with communist rebels to drag on without progress, a Palace spokesman said Monday at the prospect of a return to the peace table.

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NBI chief calls bureau a failure after inmates smuggle cash into jail

The head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Virgilio Mendez called his own agency "a failure" after high-profile inmates taken out of the New Bilibid Prison managed to sneak in large sums of money while inside their detention cells at the NBI headquarters in Manila.

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PNP: 62 stray bullet incidents during holidays cause 44 injuries, 1 death

The Philippine National Police on Monday revealed that there were at least 62 stray bullet incidents during the just-concluded holiday season, resulting in 44 reported injuries and one death.

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Govt planning pardon for sick, elderly inmates before Pope’s visit

The Department of Justice is drawing up a list of inmates who would be recommended to receive executive clemency from President Benigno Aquino III before Pope Francis arrives in the country for a five-day visit a week from now. De Lima said elderly inmates and those who are terminally ill would get prioritized by the President.

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Laude camp wants judge in murder case out

Public prosecutors on Monday filed a motion to recuse Olongapo City Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde from the Jeffrey (Jennifer) Laude murder case.

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BoC seizes P400-M shabu from Hong Kong

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Monday seized P400 million worth of high-grade methamphethamine hydrochloride or "shabu" from Hong Kong.

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Group urges Congress to amend ‘problematic provisions’ in FOI bill

A public policy group has asked Congress to amend certain provisions in the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill which it believes will curtail the public’s access to information.

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Ex-deputy Ombudsman pleads guilty, gets four months for ten-year perjury case

The Sandiganbayan has found a former overall deputy Ombudsman guilty of perjury after failing to declare a P3-million property in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

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Probers checking how Bilibid inmates sneaked in cash, lechon inside NBI cells

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said investigators are focusing on two theories on how the 19 high-profile inmates taken out of the New Bilibid Prison still managed to sneak in prohibited items like huge sums of money while inside their new detention cells at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila.

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Amid fare hike controversy, MRT gets a new general manager

A new general manager has been appointed to oversee the operations of the Metro Rail Transit amid a controversial fare hike that greeted commuters in the new year.

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Emulate ‘peaceful’ EDSA 1 attitude at Rizal Park Papal mass, Pinoys asked

With millions expected to gather at Quirino Grandstand for Pope Francis' concluding Mass on January 18, Filipinos attending the event were asked to emulate the "peaceful" attitude displayed at the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution.

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DOJ: Inmate in Bilibid rape case found positive for illegal drug use

An inmate accused of attempting to rape an eight-year-old girl inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) has tested positive for illegal drugs, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima revealed on Monday.

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Lacson challenges PNP: Clean ranks to regain public trust

Outgoing rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson on Monday urged the Philippine National Police to seriously take the challenge of cleaning their own ranks to regain the trust of the people, a television report said Monday.

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CBCP: Masses to be celebrated by Pope Francis will be in English

The two masses open to the public during Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines will be in English, in the pontiff's bid for the congregation to understand him better, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.

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Manila Archdiocese starts adoration, novenas for Pope Francis Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 6, parishes in the Manila Archdiocese will start novenas and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for Pope Francis' health and safety during his visit to the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19.

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Voter registration resumes on Monday

After a two-week break, the Commission on Elections will resume its voters' registration on Jan. 5, the first working day of the year.

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House panel to urgce PCSO to let lotto winner with defaced ticket claim P12-M prize

Not all hope is lost for the Batangas resident who failed to become an instant multimillionaire after his daughter accidentally burned a portion of his winning lottery ticket.

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Palace: Police to show ‘maximum tolerance’ vs. MRT, LRT fare hike protesters

The police will exercise "maximum tolerance" in dealing with those protesting the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit's (LRT) fare increases, Malacañang said Sunday.

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Bangsamoro Law, FOI among measures Palace hopes get passed in 2015

As the last full year for the Aquino administration begins, Malacañang on Sunday listed priority measures it hopes Congress will pass in 2015.

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DFA: 2 Pinoy sailors in sunken ship dead, 1 rescued, 16 others missing

One of the 19 Filipino crew members of the cargo ship that sank off Vietnam last Friday has been rescued, two others have been confirmed dead, while 16 others are still missing, an official of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.

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Comelec reminder: Voter registration resumes monday

After a two-week break, the Commission on Elections will resume its voters' registration on Jan. 5, the first working day of the year.

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FDA warns vs. fake Recormon drug product

The Food and Drug Administration warned the public against a counterfeited Epoetin Beta (Recormon) solution for injection.

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Cardinal Tagle's tip for the faithful: Don't bring umbrellas to papal events

If possible, don't bring an umbrella to Pope Francis' mass at the Quirino Grandstand and other public events during his Philippine visit from Jan. 15 to 19.

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FDA warns public vs. stolen drug products

The Food and Drug Administration advised the public to be vigilant against a batch of drug products stolen from the cargo of a pharmaceutical company.

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DND denies misuse of emergency funds

The Department of National Defense on Saturday disputed allegations that it misused a big part of P352.5 million in emergency funds.

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Lawmakers want probe on CebuPac's flight schedule mess during holiday season

Lawmakers seek for an investigation on Cebu Pacific airlines over problems in flight bookings during the holiday season.

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Be ready for large crowds, Palace reminds those joining papal visit events

Those who want to participate in events during Pope Francis' Philippine visit should prepare themselves physically and mentally for big crowds, Malacañang advised Saturday.

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DOH: 730 cases of revelry-related injuries so far, 12 from stray bullets

A total of 730 cases of revelry-related injuries have been recorded as of 6 a.m. of Jan. 3, the Department of Health said, two days before it is expected to issue its final report on Monday.

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Vatican: Sri Lanka, PHL reeling from floods when pope visits

When Pope Francis visits the Philippines and Sri Lanka this month, he will find people in both countries trying to recover from recent floods.

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Palace: DND ready to address COA questions on emergency funds

The Department of National Defense will be ready to address observations raised by the Commission on Audit regarding its P352.5 million in emergency funds.

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Palace expects results from PNP probes of stray bullet cases

Malacañang on Saturday said it expects results from the Philippine National Police in investigating stray bullet cases that marred the recent holidays.

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Palace: No word yet on action to pardon inmates

Malacañang on Saturday said there is no word yet on whether President Benigno Aquino III will act on a recommendation to grant executive clemency to elderly inmates.

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Coast Guard: 308 stranded due to bad weather from cold front

More than 300 passengers were stranded Saturday morning due to bad weather from the tail-end of a cold front, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

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Palace to returning vacationers: Expect heavy traffic until Monday morning

Expect heavy traffic until possibly Monday morning. This was Malacañang's advice Saturday to vacationers returning to Metro Manila after spending the holidays in the provinces.

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NDRRMC: Death toll from Seniang up to 55; 8 still missing

The death toll from Tropical Storm Seniang went up to 55 as of Saturday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

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Look: Pope Francis items sold in Quiapo ahead of Nazarene Feast

Pope Francis is getting a share of the limelight in Manila's Quiapo district, ahead of the Feast of the Black Nazarene there on Jan. 9.

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PNoy ready to discuss PHL issues with Pope Francis – Palace

President Benigno Aquino III is more than ready to meet with Pope Francis to discuss issues concerning the country, a Malacañang official said on Friday.

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PNP to intensify campaign against loose firearms amid increase in stray bullet cases

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday vowed to intensify its campaign against loose firearms, which it said are commonly used by suspects in indiscriminate firing, in response to an increase in the number of people hit by stray bullets during the holidays.

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PNP admits efforts not enough as New Year stray bullet cases rise

With the number of victims being hit by stray bullets during the New Year revelry on the rise, the Philippine National Police (PNP) admits that its efforts to stop the practice of indiscriminate firing have not been enough.

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Don't fall in love with money, CBCP president tells clergy

Priests should not be in love with money, the head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said on Friday as he challenged the clergy to stay simple and humble, especially during the Year of the Poor.

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Palace: Total ban won't stop firecracker-related injuries

Banning firecrackers will not eliminate firecracker-related incidents, a Malacañang official said on Friday.

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Bishops thank TV network for pulling out 'No Race, No Religion' Pope Francis shirts

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the central organizing committee for Pope Francis' visit in January thanked television network ABS-CBN for pulling out its "No Race, No Religion" shirts from the market, a report on the Radio Veritas website said Friday.

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PCGG eyes full accounting of P168-B recovered Marcos ill-gotten wealth

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) wants to have a full accounting of the P168-billion ill-gotten wealth recovered from the Marcoses to determine how the money were used.

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Solon proposes making college education accessible for PWDs

A lawmaker is pushing for the availability of auxiliary learning aids and services for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in state colleges and universities (SUCs) so they can earn a degree.

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