Pork barrel scam: Ombudsman upholds probable cause to sue Lanete, et al.

The Ombudsman on Monday affirmed its earlier ruling finding probable cause to file plunder and graft charges against Masbate Governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete and three other former lawmakers in connection with their alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.

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Raids fail to stop drug ops inside Bilibid, De Lima admits

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said the Bureau of Corrections is "under siege" as she admitted that the series of surprise raids conducted by law enforcers had failed to stop the drug operations inside the New Bilibid Prison.

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Bicolanos start trips to Leyte for papal mass

Catholics in Bicol over the weekend started flocking to Leyte to take part in the Mass that Pope Francis will lead in Tacloban City on Saturday, Jan. 17.

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CBCP’s Villegas: Leyte to be ‘the centerpiece’ of Pope Francis’ visit

Pope Francis' visit to Tacloban City and Palo in Leyte will be the "centerpiece" of his five-day visit to the Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a forum Monday.

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CAAP sets more no-fly zones during papal visit

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has set additional no-fly zones for Pope Francis' visit from Jan. 15 to 19.

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PNoy picks QC judge as new CA justice

President Benigno Aquino has appointed a Quezon City judge as the newest associate justice of the Court of Appeals to fill up the post vacated by Court of Appeals Associate Justice Amelita Tolentino.

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VP Binay camp still optimistic of public support despite record-low satisfaction rating

The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday remains optimistic of the people's trust in him despite the record-low decline in his satisfaction rating in the fourth quarter of 2014 based on a recent Social Weather Stations survey.

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Bettor bags P160M Superlotto jackpot

A lotto bettor bagged a P160-million jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Superlotto 6/49 draw Sunday night.

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LTFRB to taxi drivers: Sport IDs by Jan. 15 or else

Hefty fines await taxi drivers who still do not sport the new IDs specified by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board by Jan. 15, Thursday.

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Pope Francis to use 3 popemobiles during PHL visit

Pope Francis will be using three Popemobiles during his visit to the Philippines on Jan. 15 to 19, Bishop Ruperto C. Santos of the Diocese of Balanga said on Sunday night.

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VP Binay satisfaction ratings drop to record low in Q4 2014 – SWS

Vice President Jejomar Binay's net satisfaction rating fell to a record-low in the fourth quarter of 2014, a new Social Weather Stations poll found.

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PNP, govt agencies start ‘expanded’ dry runs for papal visit

For the next three days, the Philippine National Police and other government agencies will hold more dry runs of their responses to various scenarios that may occur during Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines.

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VP Binay denies plan to use PAGIBIG ads for mileage

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Sunday denied that he planned to use the advertisements of the Home Development Mutual Fund, better known as the PAGIBIG Fund, for media mileage, "24 Oras" reported.

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Activists to welcome pope with postcards on plight of the poor

Christian activists will welcome Pope Francis with postcards that they will deliver on Monday to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, where Pope Francis will be staying during his five-day visit to the Philippines.

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Comelec to Lagman: Show us PCOS results can be tampered with

The Commission on Elections has invited former poll commissioner Gus Lagman to show how the results of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines can be altered.

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NUJP slams court’s decision to allow Maguindanao Massacre suspect bail

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Sunday accused the justice tasked to hear the case of the Maguindanao Massacre of “betraying her mandate” by allowing the son of the prime suspect to walk free on bail.

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Palace: Military, cops focusing on security ahead of Pope’s visit

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the intelligence community are continuously working to detect and prevent security threats days before Pope Francis arrives in the country, Malacañang on Sunday said.

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MMDA: Traffic plan for papal visit out Monday

The Metro Manila Development Authority will announce which roads will be closed for Pope Francis’ Jan. 15 to 19 visit on Monday, Chairman Francis Tolentino said.

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Palace: DOJ still reviewing executive clemency recommendations

The Department of Justice is still reviewing recommendations for the list of inmates who would be endorsed to receive executive clemency from President Benigno Aquino III, a Palace official on Sunday said.

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CAAP warns vs. violation of no-fly zone, no drone policies during Papal visit

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Sunday warned owners of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones against violating the no-fly-zone policy during Pope Francis' visit in the country.

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PNP appeals for discipline during Pope’s visit

While the Philippine National Police and other allied agencies in charge of security during Pope Francis’ visit are “100 percent ready,” a police official on Sunday called on the public to exercise discipline from Jan. 15 to 19, to show the world that Filipinos are “civilized.”

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Palace asks Pinoys to cooperate with authorities at papal visit events

Malacañang on Sunday asked Filipinos attending the papal events next week to cooperate with authorities.

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PNP issues crowd-related health tips during papal visit

Bring plenty of water, no pushing while in a crowd, and know your location. These were among the health tips the Philippine National Police offered to those wishing to take part in public events during Pope Francis' Philippine visit.

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LOOK: PHL, Vatican flags set up at Palace

Philippine and Vatican flags are now in place at the Malacanañ Palace complex in Manila, days before Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines for a five-day visit.

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NGCP: 5-hour power interruption in Aklan Jan. 12

A power interruption lasting five hours may affect parts of Aklan province on Monday, Jan. 12, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said.

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FDA warns public vs unregistered glutathione kit product

The Food and Drug Administration has warned the public against an unregistered glutathione kit reportedly being sold online or via dermatologic clinics.

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Magnitude 5.7 quake hits Zambales

A magnitude-5.7 earhtquake jolted Luzon at 3:31 a.m. Sunday, with state seismologists warning of possible aftershocks.

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CBCP chief: Let church bells ring at 5:45 pm on Jan. 15 to welcome pope

The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on Saturday evening called for the ringing of church bells across the country at 5:45 p.m. of Jan. 15 to "welcome" Pope Francis.

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NDRRMC: Seniang damage breaches P1-B mark

The damage from Tropical Storm Seniang breached the P1-billion mark as of Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

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PNP asks public to be alert vs ‘attacks’ during papal visit

The Philippine National Police over the weekend asked the public to be alert against possible activities by those wishing to disrupt the visit of Pope Francis.

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Palace advises Pinoys: Make ‘GMRC’ part of baon to papal events

Aside from snacks and medicine, Filipinos who want to attend the public events during Pope Francis' visit may want to bring one more item: good manners and right conduct.

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Ateneo de Manila releases ACET results

The long wait has ended for high school seniors who took the Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET) for school year 2015-2016, as the results have been released early Saturday.

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MIAA announces int’l flight sked revisions for Jan. 15

The Manila International Airport Authority over the weekend announced flight revisions for Jan. 15, the date of Pope Francis' arrival for a five-day visit to the Philippines.

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NCR chills at 18.9 degrees Celsius

Metro Manila chilled early Saturday at 18.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature so far this year and since the Northeast Monsoon started affecting the country last October.

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DOH: Don’t bring jewelry, gadgets to papal events

Don't bring jewelry or expensive gadgets to the public events of Pope Francis. This was one of the pieces of advice the Department of Health issued over the weekend in time for the papal visit from Jan. 15 to 19.

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PCSO: Megalotto bettor gets P22.1M jackpot

A lotto bettor bagged the P22.1-million jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Megalotto 6/45 draw Friday night.

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Potential terrorist threats in parts of Mindanao cited in US worldwide caution

The United States on Saturday cautioned its nationals in the Philippines against travel to parts of Mindanao due to the threat from the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah.

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PAGASA: LPA could make papal visit to Leyte a rainy one

Pope Francis' visit to Leyte this coming week could be a rainy one if an approaching low-pressure area does not dissipate and heads for Eastern Visayas, state weather agency PAGASA said Saturday.

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Look: Vatican gives first official glimpse of popemobile

The Vatican posted shortly after midnight Friday an image of a Philippine-flavored Popemobile to be used by Pope Francis during his Philippine visit from Jan. 15 to 19.

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COA asks PCGG to explain P59.4M in undocumented cash disbursements

The Presidential Commission on Good Government, the government panel charged with recovering ill-gotten wealth, must itself explain around P59.4 million in undocumented cash releases, according to a Commission on Audit report.

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NDRRMC: One dead, 154 hurt in Black Nazarene procession

At least one death and 154 medical incidents were recorded in Friday's Traslacion marking the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday night.

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Witness: Imee Marcos among Napoles visitors at JLN offices

A witness in the multi-billion peso pork barrel fund scam on Friday testified that several personalities including Ilocos Norte governor Imee Marcos used to visit Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains of the scam, at her office in Ortigas Center.

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LOOK: Pomeranian joins Black Nazarene parade

While many devotees of the Black Nazarene bring children and grandchildren to the yearly feast, at least one brought with him a different "loved one" - his pet dog.

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PHL seals deal for two C-130 aircraft

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has inspected two Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft that the Philippines will purchase from the United States, the US Embassy said on Friday.

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Napoles: No plans to seek birthday furlough

Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam, is resigned to fact that she will be spending her 51st birthday in jail.

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Napoles: No plans to seek birthday furlough

Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam, is resigned to fact that she will be spending her 51st birthday in jail.

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Sandiganbayan wants to fast-track trial of Enrile, co-accused

The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Friday ordered the defense and prosecution panels to finish by February the pre-trial conference for the plunder and graft cases against Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and his co-accused in the pork barrel scam issue.

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BI: Children of foreign nationals married to Pinoys eligible for permanent residence

Children of foreign nationals who married Filipinos are eligible for permanent residence in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration said.

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Carlos Celdran to Pope Francis: Teach PHL bishops to be forgiving, tolerant

Controversial Manila tour guide Carlos Celdran has asked Pope Francis to have a dialogue with Filipino bishops to teach them to be forgiving, reasonable and tolerant.

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AFP’s concern: Controlling crowd of millions during Francis’ visit

Just days before the visit of Pope Francis in the country, the Armed Forces of the Philippines expressed concern about crowd control during the historic event as they expect an estimate of five to six million attendees.

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