Erap happy, thankful for SC junking of disqualification petition

Former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday said he is happy and thankful the Supreme Court junked petitions for his disqualification.

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SC junks disqualification case vs. Joseph Estrada

The Supreme Court has junked the petitio lodged before it to disqualify former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

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US blog criticizes passing of host ‘like a beach ball’ at papal Masses

The Eucharist seemed to have been "desecrated" with lay people passing it on "like a beach ball at a concert" during the large papal Masses here last week, a US-based online magazine on "Catholic news, commentary, and information" said.

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SC to tackle Joseph Estrada disqualification case

Will the question surrounding former President Joseph Estrada's legitimacy as Manila Mayor finally be settled today?

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Pope Francis names Mindanao cardinal as envoy to Japan meet

Pope Francis has designated a Mindanao-based cardinal to represent him in an event in Japan this March, the Vatican Information Service (VIS) reported.

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Lotto bettor bags P16M prize in Superlotto 6/49 draw

A lone lotto bettor bagged the P16-million jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Superlotto 6/49 draw Tuesday evening.

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Pope Francis chose regular raincoat instead of special one in Tacloban, says stage designer

Amid heavy rain upon his arrival in Tacloban last Saturday, Pope Francis chose to use the regular raincoats worn by the pilgrims during his Mass.

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PHL-US strategic bilateral talks gets underway

The Philippines and United States on Tuesday started their fifth Philippines-United States Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD), the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

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Issue on new committee handling Bangsamoro law could delay its passage—Marcos

Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed apprehension Tuesday that the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law might be delayed after the inclusion of a third committee to handle it was questioned on the floor.

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Jesuit priest: Pope Francis good news for those in ‘fringes of the Church’

Pope Francis is an answered prayer for the the people who are having trouble with their faith. This was how Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, president of the Ateneo De Davao University, described the impact of Pope Francis' leadership of the Catholic Church with its 1.2 billion members.

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Palace firm on RH Law even with Pope Francis’ pro-life remarks in PHL

Malacañang on Tuesday stood firm on implementing the Church-opposed Reproductive Health (RH) Law, a day after Pope Francis finished a five-day Philippine trip in which he indicated a strong pro-life stance.

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COA tells PAGCOR to sell untouched condos meant for execs, employees

The Commission on Audit has instructed PAGCOR to quickly dispose of the remaining condos to recover idle funds. The audit body also suggested that the gaming corporation offer up the condos for sale to the general public.

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257 pass practical phase of Dentist Licensure Exam –PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Tuesday announced that 268 out of 725 passed the December 2014 Dentist Licensure Examination (Written Phase) and 257 out of 271 passed the Dentist Licensure Examination (Practical Phase) given by the Board of Dentistry in Manila this month.

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Palace: Expediting Ampatuan massacre trial already beyond executive’s powers

After getting a “bad” survey rating in resolving the Ampatuan massacre case, Malacañang on Tuesday said it already exhausted all means to fast-track judicial proceedings on this case.

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MNLF faction tells Congress: Preserve gains of previous peace pacts in crafting BBL

The leader of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has cautioned the government against disregarding the previous peace agreements signed by Moro groups with the Philippine government in its desire to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

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PNoy’s criticisms vs. Church officials accurate, truthful –Palace

President Beningo Aquino III was only telling the truth when he openly criticized Filipino Church officials right in front of Pope Francis last week, Malacañang said Tuesday.

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Bilibid inmates’ kin hold protest under Alabang Flyover, seek resumption of visitation rights

Relatives of inmates in the New Bilibid Prison on Tuesday held a demonstration under the Alabang Flyover in Muntinlupa City, calling for the reinstatement of their visitation rights.

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Pimentel wants Junjun Binay, 6 others cited in contempt

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III has recommended that Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and six other Makati local officials be cited in contempt for their continued refusal to attend the hearings on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.

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Ex-PHLPost execs face graft charges

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has approved the filing of graft charges against three former Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) officials for the alleged illegal appointment of former Assistant Executive Secretary Antonio Corrado as PhilPost's legal/ management consultant.

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Senate OKs bill banning reappointment of JBC members who have served two full terms

Voting 17-0, the Senate approved on third and final reading Tuesday a bill seeking to ban the re-appointment of a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council who has already served two full terms, whether consecutive or not.

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Govt spent ‘responsibly’ during papal visit, Palace assures

Although it could not yet release official figures, Malacañang on Tuesday assured the public that the government spent “responsibly” during Pope Francis’ five-day Philippine visit.

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Church officials meet to discuss Pope’s call to end poverty, corruption

Catholic Church officials in the Philippines met on Tuesday to discuss Pope Francis' call against poverty, a day after the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff left Manila following a memorable five-day visit.

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Makati local officials insist on getting questions before attending Senate inquiry

The officials of Makati City want to get a copy of the questions to be asked of them by the senators during the hearing on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II before they attend the proceedings, their lawyer said Tuesday.

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COA orders LLDA to return P3.67M in unauthorized bonuses

The Commission on Audit has ordered the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to return to the government P3.687 million in bonuses given to its employees for its anniversary, saying it had no authority to give such.

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Pope Francis coming again? Cebu starts yearlong preparations for IEC 2016

Spurred by the prospect of Pope Francis coming for the 2016 International Eucharistic Congress, Cebu officials have start mapping out security arrangements one year in advance.

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What’s in the Pope’s bag? ‘Not a key for the atom bomb!’

As he walked out to the tarmac on Monday at the end of his five-day visit to the Philippines, Pope Francis was seen carrying his own bag, an ordinary black leather satchel. Ever wonder what's in it?

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Pope Francis on Christians, Catholics who engage in corruption: It is a plague

Pope Francis has called on to Christians and Catholics to resist falling into the trap of corruption.

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Papal visit forces SC to reset en banc session

The just concluded apostolic and state visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines has forced Supreme Court magistrates to reschedule their weekly Tuesday collegial session to the following day.

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A day after pope leaves, lots of trash still at Luneta

A day after Pope Francis left the Philippines, lots of trash of pilgrims who attended the concluding Mass of his visit still littered the LUneta Park, including the Quirino Grandstand Tuesday morning.

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Satisfaction with Aquino Admin steady at ‘good’ in Q4 2014 – SWS

Satisfaction with the Aquino administration was still rated “good” in the fourth quarter of 2014, despite a drop in the Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao satisfaction numbers, according to a new poll taken by the Social Weather Stations.

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Aboard flight back to Vatican, Pope Francis talks of upcoming travels, issues

Speaking with reporters about "Shepherd One" while en route to Rome, Pope Francis talked about his upcoming trips, including his visit to the United States, a hoped for visit to Africa and his wish list for Latin American countries he would like to visit in 2015-2016.

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Mother of volunteer who died in Tacloban papal mass accident back home

The mother of the volunteer who was died in an accident shortly after Pope Francis' Mass in Tacloban City last Saturday arrived home from Hong Kong before dawn Tuesday.

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Pope Francis admits to being deeply moved by affection shown by Pinoys

Speaking to journalists onboard the papal plane, Pope Francis said on Monday that the genuine show of affection that he had received from the millions of people who had attended events during his four day trip had deeply moved him.

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Pope Francis back in Rome after 5-day PHL visit

Pope Francis arrived in Rome early Tuesday morning, organizers of his five-day visit to the Philippines said over social media.

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Vatican-approved popejeep likely to go around PHL parishes

Two weeks before Pope Francis' arrival in Manila, the makers of his Filipino-style popemobile still had to raise the roof of the white jeep to accommodate the pontiff's tall swiss guards, GMA News' "24 Oras" reported on Monday.

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Volunteers revive pulse-less heart attack victim in papal visit

After millions of Filipinos tried to get a glimpse of Pope Francis at engagements during his five-day visit to the Philippines, the Philippine Red Cross recorded more than 3,000 cases of medical emergencies during the period.

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Pope’s pro-life stance contradicts his anti-poverty push –RH advocates

While millions of Filipino Catholics were touched and inspired by Pope Francis' statements during his five-day state and apostolic visit to the Philippines, not everybody is impressed.

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Congress asked to review 48-year-old Magna Carta for Public School Teachers

A lawmaker has asked Congress to review the 48-year-old Magna Carta for Public School Teachers to determine if it is still adequate to meet the present concerns of educators.

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DOLE probes possible liability of scaffolding maker in Kristel Mae’s death in Tacloban

The Labor Department is now looking into the possible liability of the maker of the collapsed scaffolding which led to the death of 27-year-old volunteer Kristel Mae Padasas during the papal Mass in Tacloban last Saturday.

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Body of woman killed in Leyte papal Mass accident brought to Manila

The body of the 27-year-old woman who died from a freak accident at the Tacloban Airport just after the papal Mass last Saturday arrived at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on board a C130 military plane on Monday.

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Military thanks public for ‘generally peaceful’ papal visit

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday thanked the millions of Filipinos who cooperated with the authorities during Pope Francis' five-day visit to the Philippines.

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PNP ready for possibility of Pope Francis’ return in 2016

With the success of Pope Francis' five-day stay in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday welcomed the possibility that the well-loved pontiff would return to the Philippines early next year.

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PNoy: Gov’t already working on Pope’s call vs. corruption, poverty

The Philippine government is already working on Pope Francis' call against corruption and poverty even before the papal visit, President Benigno Aquino III said Monday.

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House panel waits for DOF comment on firecracker tax

A proposal to regulate the use of firecrackers by imposing a 20-percent excise tax on their sale remains stuck at the House Ways and Means committee, with the Department of Finance (DOF) yet to submit its position paper on the measure.

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Congress to prioritize Bangsamoro Law in 2015—Drilon

Senate President Franklin Drilon assured Monday the Senate will prioritize this year the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law alongside bills ensuring sustainable economic growth.

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Pinoys see hope, challenge after Pope leaves PHL

A heightened sense of hope and challenges are among the things Filipinos expect after Pope Francis leaves at the end of his five-day visit to the Philippines.

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Palace fails to pardon inmates in time for papal visit

Pope Francis already left the Philippines on Monday, but Malacañang has yet to pardon sick and elderly inmates as the government earlier planned to do in time for the papal visit.

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Pinoys’ warmth, discipline made Pope Francis’ visit successful —Palace

For Malacañang, Pope Francis' five-day state and apostolic visit to the Philippines was “successful” and “meaningful.”

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Papal nuncio relays Pope’s thanks to Pinoys for successful papal visit

Pope Francis on Monday thanked all those involved in his recently concluded five-day visit to the Philippines.

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LOOK: What Pope Francis talked about when he visited the Philippines

What did Pope Francis talk about in the Philippines? GMA News Online processed the text of his various addresses and generated this interactive word cloud to give a visual representation of topics he spoke on while on his five-day visit.

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