Remains of 42 elite cops killed in Mamasapano clash en route to Villamor Air Base

The remains of 42 of the 44 elite police forces killed in the "misencounter" in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao last Sunday are on their way Thursday morning to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, where arrival honors are being readied.

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BI arrests 73 foreigners in illegal online gambling operation

More than 70 foreigners from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, America, Australia, Singapore, and South Korea were arrested during a raid on a gambling den in Makati by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Wednesday morning.

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CJ Sereno to Pinoys: Ponder PHL future after Mamasapano incident, sacrifice of 44 PNP-SAF

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes on Wednesday called on Filipinos to ponder the country's future after 44 police officers sacrificed their lives in an operation to serve arrest warrants on two wanted terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

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Sacked PNP-SAF chief: Hunt for terror suspects to fail if coordinated with MILF

The operation against suspected terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Commander Marwan and Abdul Bassit Usman wouldn't be successful if the government forces coordinated their actions with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the recently relieved head of the PNP-Special Action Force told GMA News on Wednesday.

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FULL TEXT: Transcript of PNoy’s News Conference on the Mamasapano Incident

President Benigno Aquino III answered the media's questions after delivering a speech on the Mamasapano incident on Wednesday.

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How can MILF show sincerity? PNoy says step aside and let govt arrest Usman

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday expressed confidence in the sincerity of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the peace process but added he also expected the MILF to step aside and allow the government to pursue suspected Abu Sayyaf Group bandit Abdul Bassit Usman, the other target in the Mamasapano operation.

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PNoy to Congress: Honor slain cops by passing Bangsamoro law

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Timeline of the Mamasapano clash, according to President Aquino

During a televised address on Wednesday evening, President Benigno Aquino III recounted the events that led to the killing of 44 members of a special unit of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force on Sunday after a firefight against Moro rebels. Here's a timeline of events, as told by the president:

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PNoy says Purisima knew of ops, unaware why Roxas didn't

PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima continued to advise President Benigno Aquino III on the plan to arrest suspected Jemaah Islamiya leader Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Commander Marwan, even if was serving a six-month preventive suspension because of a graft charge before the Ombudsman.

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House panel approves SK reform bill

After more than a year of extensive deliberations, a measure seeking to reform the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) was unanimously approved by the House committee on local government on Wednesday.

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FULL TEXT: President Aquino's speech on the Mamasapano clash

Below is the full text of President Benigno Aquino III's speech about the encounter between members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and Moro rebels in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao.

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PNP spokesperson, intelligence officer swap posts

The Philippine National Police on Wednesday announced that Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. has replaced Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor as the officer-in-charge for PNP's Public information Office.

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Senate orders Junjun Binay's arrest

After an hour-long passionate debate Wednesday, the Senate upheld the decision of the blue ribbon committee to order the arrest on Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and five others for allegeldy refusing to cooperate in an investigation on corruption allegations on the Binay family.

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PNoy admits knowing about Mamasapano operation

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday admitted knowing about Sunday's police operation in Maguindanao, which left 44 elite law enforcers dead in the hands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

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PNoy to declare national day of mourning after Mamasapano clash

President Benigno Aquino III will declare a national day of mourning for the policemen killed in Sunday's clash witMoro Islamic Liberation Front members and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

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COA: Pag-IBIG retirement packages for top execs illegal

Some 60 executives and employees of the Pag-IBIG Fund had received double their intended retirement benefits, the Commission on Audit (COA) said in an audit report released last week.

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Aquino told: Explain Mamasapano clash

Lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Benigno Aquino III to explain the bungled operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that resulted in the deaths of 44 policemen in the hands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters over the weeked.

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Mamasapano folk start returning to clash site

After the 11-hour firefight that killed 44 officers of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) on Sunday, residents of the affected barangay in Mamasapano, Maguindanao are returning to their houses amid fear caused by the clash.

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Parañaque rescue center exposed homeless children to abuse—group

Homeless children were placed in a facility that exposed them to physical and even sexual abuse ahead of the papal visit, GMA News TV's "Balitanghali" reported on Wednesday.

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5.5M Pinoy kids trapped in child labor –EU ambassador

There are 5.5 million children engaged in labor in the Philippines, majority of them trapped in the “worst forms” of hard work, an European Union official said Wednesday.

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No one should be spared from liability on SAF-MILF ‘misencounter’ –Bam Aquino

No one should be spared from liability in connection with last Sunday's supposed misencounter between elite policemen and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao, a neophyte senator said Wednesday.

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Ex-SAF member in Congress: Coordination results in leaks, bungled operations

Coordinating an operation to catch suspected terrorists add to the risk of leaked information that could lead to failure, a founding member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force said in a television interview on Wednesday.

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PNP relieves spokesperson days after Mamasapano clash

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday relieved its spokesperson from his post, but officials were tight-lipped as to the reason why.

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Days after clash, peace panels to discuss MILF disarmament in KL

Days after the deadly clash between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Moro rebels, peace panels of the Philipppine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will meet in Malaysia on Friday on the decommissioning of MILF arms and forces.

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PNoy must give an account on deadly Mamasapano ops – militant group

A militant group on Wednesday said President Benigno Aquino III "has a lot of explaining to do" about the operations in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, where 44 elite police officers were killed Sunday.

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AFP offers Mass for slain elite police in Mamasapano clash

A Mass was offered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday morning for the members of the police's Special Action Force who were killed in last Sunday's clash with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Maguindanao, a report on Unang Balita said.

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MILF probes deadly Mamasapano clash

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Ex-generals: Govt should demand MILF surrender of ‘perpetrators’ in Mamasapano ‘misencounter’

A group of retired military officers on Wednesday called on the government to demand from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to surrender its men involved in a "misencounter" in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Sunday, which resulted to the death of at least 44 elite police officers.

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MILF urged to surrender Usman as an act of goodwill

Senate President Franklin Drilon on Wednesday urged the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership to surrender to authorities Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) commander Basit Usman and all those involved in the firefight with the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) over the weekend.

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Australia backs GPH-MILF peace deal despite deadly Mamasapano clash

Australia’s envoy to Manila has expressed strong support to a new Philippine peace agreement between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following a clash involving the insurgents that killed 44 police anti-terror operatives.

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Solon wants probe into use of chartered jet that flew govt officials to Tacloban

A party-list lawmaker has asked Congress to investigate the government’s use of public funds for a chartered jet that flew several Cabinet members to and from Tacloban City during the papal visit.

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Clash with MILF compelling reason for passage of BBL – GPH chief negotiator

The gunbattle between Philippine National Police (PNP) commandos, and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) gunmen over the weekend should be a more compelling reason to pursue passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the government's chief peace negotiator said on Tuesday.

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Jinggoy calls for Senate investigation into Mamasapano ‘misencounter’

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada filed a resolution Monday seeking a Senate investigation into the “misencounters” between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in which 44 Special Action Force police officers were killed.

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House suffrage committee urges poll watchdog not to put Comelec in bad light

The chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms on Tuesday admonished a citizens watchdog group for accusing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of entering into a P1.2 billion midnight deal with Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM).

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UNA wants Alan Peter Cayetano to inhibit from discussions on Junjun Binay arrest order

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano should inhibit himself from deliberations on Senate rules regarding the contempt order against Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr. and other local officials, the United Nationalist Alliance said Tuesday.

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CHR calls for accountability in Mamasapano clash, recalls Al-Barka incident in 2011

The Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday called on the government to make accountable those who may have committed operational lapses when almost 400 members of the PNP-Special Action Force went to Mamasapano town to arrest two suspected terrorists over the weekend.

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Kin of slain Muslim cops in Mamasapano clash rush to bury loved ones

The bodies of two Muslim members of PNP-Special Action Force that perished in the Mamasapano "misencounter" have been transported to Zamboanga for immediate burial.

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Suspected Mexican cartel leader claims being framed up by PNP, PDEA

Suspected Mexican drug cartel leader Horacio Hernandez Herrera on Tuesday denied the allegations against him, claiming that he was framed up by the agents of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force (PNP-AIDSOTF) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

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Lay of the land added to PNP-SAF's woes in Mamasapano clash

While the lack of coordination is being blamed for the "misencounter" that resulted in the deaths of more than 40 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Sunday, several military commanders interviewed by GMA News said the unpredictable terrain at the encounter site also contributed to the higher number of casualties.

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PHL looked into bomb threat versus Pope Francis—DILG

The Philippines investigated a report that a Malaysian suicide bomber was planning to try to kill Pope Francis during the pontiff's visit to Manila this month, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said Tuesday.

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BIFF denies brutality in killing of cops in Mamasapano clash

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) denied that brutality marked the killing of members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) during the bloody encounter in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao this past weekend.

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Only Roxas, Espina may give updates on Mamasapano clash—PNP spokesman

All questions pertaining to the tragic "misencounter" between the PNP-Special Action Force and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters will have to be referred to top officials Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director-General Leonardo Espina, the PNP spokesman said on Tuesday.

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DILG, AFP yet to explain presence of foreigners in Mamasapano aftermath

Both the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have yet to fully explain the presence of foreigners in Maguindanao in the aftermath of the Mamasapano clash between the PNP-Special Action Force and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters over the weekend.

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‘BIFF member’ answers cellphone of cop killed in Mamasapano clash

A man claiming to be a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters answered the mobile phone of one of the policemen killed in the Mamapasano clash over the weekend, GMA News' "24 Oras" reported on Tuesday.

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Peso rally extends to tenth straight day

The peso extended its rally for the 10th consecutive session on Tuesday, bolstered by the stock market's climb to new highs and the optimism on the Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter.

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Alphaland sues ex-Makati Vice Mayor for P100-M over kickback allegations

Alphaland Corp. on Tuesday filed a P100-million suit against former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado for claiming that Vice President Jejomar Binay earned P200 million in kickbacks from a land deal between Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) and the property developer.

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Magdalo solons want MILF to surrender rebels in Mamasapano clash

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front should turn in their members involved in the clash with the elite Philipppine National Police-Special Action Force and surrender the firearms and gadgets they had seized from the elite cops to prove their sincerity in pursuing the peace process, two former soldiers now in Congress said on Tuesday.

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PNP top brass unaware of Mamasapano operation—Roxas

The national leadership of the Philippine National Police was unaware when almost 400 policemen swooped down on Mamasapano, Maguindanao over the weekend to arrest suspected Jemaah Islamiya bomb maker Zulkifli Bin Hir and Abu Sayyaf member Abdul Bassit Usman.

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Will I see the sun while in Senate detention? Junjun Binay wants to know

Will Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. be able to see the sun when he is detained in the Senate?

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Canada saddened by bloody Mamasapano encounter

Canada’s top envoy to the Philippines on Tuesday said his government is saddened by the bloody encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao between the PNP-Special Action Force and Moro Islamic Liberation Front which left at least 44 government forces dead.

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