Party-list solons slam PNoy for insensitivity after arrival honors snub

Progressive lawmakers on Thursday called President Benigno Aquino III "insensitive" after he failed to show up at the arrival honors for 42 of the 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) who died in a clash with rebels over the weekend.

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Sacked SAF chief on slain cops: We were like family

Police Director Getulio Pascua Napeñas, the ousted head of the police's Special Action Force, on Thursday expressed his sympathies to the families of the 44 SAF members killed in an encounter with Moro Islamic Liberation Front members in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last Sunday.

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44 PNP-SAF officers slain in Mamapasano clash to be promoted

The Philippine National Police on Thursday revealed that the 44 slain elite cops from the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force will receive posthumous promotion after sacrificing their lives to capture suspected terrorists in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Departure and arrival honors for PNP-SAF men killed in Mamasapano clash

At Awang Airport on Thursday, policemen based in Maguindanao accord departure honors to 42 of their 44 comrades killed in the January 25 Mamasapano clash. Two other slain officers from the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force were earlier laid to rest in Zamboanga City in accordance to Islamic rites.

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Senate subcommittee releases Junjun Binay

The Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee on Thursday released Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. from detention even with his citation for contempt and continued refusal to answer questions from the panel looking into allegations of corruption against him, other city officials and his father Vice President Jejomar Binay.

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Junjun Binay, 2 others brought to session hall despite his opposition

After three hours of waiting, the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee on Thursday ordered the bringing in to the session hall of Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr and two other personalities despite their opposition.

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PNoy no-show at arrival honors for 42 slain SAF men at Villamor Air Base

A young lawmaker blasted President Benigno Aquino III for his non-appearance during the arrival of the bodies of the 42 slain policemen at the Villamor Air Base on Thursday morning.

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Erap, FVR at odds over Bangsamoro peace process

Two former presidents have varying opinions on how the Aquino administration should proceed with the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following Sunday's encounter in Maguindanao that resulted in the deaths of 44 elite policemen.

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Senate subcommittee to recommend citing Pag-IBIG Fund director in contempt

The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee will recommend citing University of Makati and Pag-IBIG Fund director Tomas Lopez in contempt, for a graver act after failing to attend the hearing on Thursday despite his promise to do so.

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Junjun Binay does not want to appear at the Senate hearing —Remulla

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr. will not appear at the blue ribbon subcommittee hearing on Thursday despite his being at the premises of the Senate.

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Abigail Binay tells Mercado: Return kickbacks to gov’t

Vice President Jejomar Binay's daughter has challenged her father's erstwhile ally, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, to return the kickbacks he had admitted to receiving from government projects when he was a local official.

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CAAP: ‘Bomb joke’ causes delay of flights in Tacloban

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Thursday said a man who allegedly made a bomb joke caused fear and delay of flights at the Daniel Z. Romualdez International Airport in Tacloban City late Wednesday afternoon.

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Junjun Binay arrives at Senate after arrest

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr. arrived at the Senate Thursday morning accompanied by officers of the Senate sergeant-at-arms who arrested him in compliance with the order of the Senate due to his continued refusal to attend the hearings on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.

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Makati Mayor Junjun Binay on way to Senate

Makati Mayor Junjun Binay is on his way to the Senate Thursday morning after the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms arrived at the Makati City Hall to enforce an arrest order against the mayor.

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Senate sergeant-at-arms staff on the way to arrest Junjun Binay, 5 others

The members of the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms left the Senate compound Thursday morning to arrest Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr. and five other personalities cited for contempt for their continued refusal to attend the Senate hearings on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.

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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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