SC seeks Comelec, Smartmatic side on plea vs. PCOS repair

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic-TIM to comment on two petitions seeking to stop the P300-million diagnostics and repair of the 80,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) for the 2016 polls.

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AFP ready to help in Mamasapano but PNP coordination ‘too little, too late’

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang on Tuesday said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) failed to adequately coordinate with the military before conducting an operation to arrest terrorist leaders in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao which led to the death of 44 elite police troopers.

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PHL, Vietnam bolster ties amid sea row with China

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen ties as both nations confront China in an ongoing dispute over resource-rich territories in the South China Sea.

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Palace: Aquino-Roxas ties remain strong even with Mamasapano mess

President Benigno Aquino III’s friendship with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas remains “strong” even after the deadly Mamasapano operation, Malacañang said Tuesday.

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SAF ‘hesitant’ to share info during Mamasapano ops –military

There was “hesitancy” on the part of the police Special Action Force to share information regarding its operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last January 25, making it difficult for the military to respond immediately to the request for reinforcement, according to AFP spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla.

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Internal investigations are SOP for PNP – police official

Internal investigations are standard operating procedure for the Philippine National Police after an encounter and are thus common occurrences, a ranking police official clarified on Tuesday.

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Palace counters Miriam: PNoy can’t be held liable for Mamasapano clash

Malacañang on Tuesday countered Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s statement that President Benigno Aquino III can be criminally charged for the deaths of the 44 PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) during an encounter with Moro rebels last week.

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No shabu lab inside Bilibid – officials

Government officials denied Tuesday that a shabu manufacturing facility exists inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

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Palace to lawmakers: Have faith in PNP inquiry on Mamasapano clash

Malacañang on Tuesday appealed to lawmakers to give the Board of Inquiry composed of police officials a chance to probe the deadly clash in Maguindanao last week, amid proposals in Congress to form an independent Truth Commission to look into the incident.

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Mamasapano clash proof of MILF’s lack of sincerity —Sen. JV Ejercito

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SC partially grants govt MR on DAP

The Supeme Court has partially granted the government's motion for reconsideration on the case involving the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, removing one act from the list of those previously declared as illegal and ruling that only authors of DAP projects could be held liable.

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Recto wants kin of Fallen 44 to tell their ‘last moments’

A senator wanted the kin of the 44 fallen Special Action Force commandos to shed light on what happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25.

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Miriam to govt, MILF: Work together in arresting terrorists in Mindanao

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Tuesday urged the government to formulate clear strategies in targeting lawless elements while respecting peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the latter to work with the former in arresting terrorists in Mindanao.

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DOJ launches parallel probe on Mamasapano clash

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a parallel investigation on the January 25 Mamasapano clash that left 44 elite policemen and 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members dead.

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Koko asks govt to replace Bilibid with a modern national penitentiary

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday asked the national government to build a modern national penitentiary and decongest the country’s outdated, outmoded and dilapidated correctional facilities.

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Pope Francis apologizes anew for shortened visit to Palo

In yet another sign of humility, Pope Francis has apologized anew to Palo Archbishop John Du for his shortened stay in Leyte during his recent visit to the Philippines.

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Pemberton arraignment set Feb. 23

After a 60-day suspension, US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton will be arraigned Feb. 23 for murder charges stemming from the killing of Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude late last year.

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LOOK: Children send sympathy artwork to slain SAF men’s kin

In their own little way, children are expressing sympathy to families of the 44 PNP-Special Action Force personnel slain in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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SAF men did not die in vain, says Palo archbishop

The 44 Special Action Force policemen who died in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25 did not die in vain, Palo Archbishop John Du said over the weekend.

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Mass to be offered for fallen 44 SAF men, 9 days after their death

On the ninth day after their deaths, a Mass will be offered on Tuesday by a Church-affiliated poll watchdog group in Manila for the 44 Special Action Force policemen killed in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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AFP to cooperate with probe body on Mamasapano clash – Catapang

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said it will cooperate with the police Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigating the Mamasapano clash, according to a Philippine National Police (PNP) statement on Monday.

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Lotto bettor bags P149M Grand Lotto prize

A lucky lotto bettor is now nearly P150 million richer after bagging the jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Grand Lotto draw Monday night.

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MILF bid to register a political party is separate from Mamasapano clash – Brillantes

Exiting Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the bid of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to be registered and accredited as a political party in time for the 2016 elections is distinct from and should be unaffected by the January 25 Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao.

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Roxas: Investigation on Mamasapano clash will be truthful, transparent

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the police Board of Inquiry's probe on the Mamasapano clash that killed 44 elite police commandos will be "transparent and truthful."

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Bangsamoro law cannot abolish ARMM, says ex-solon

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) cannot be abolished by the proposed Bangsamoro law currently pending in Congress, a former lawmaker said Monday.

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Longtime pals PNoy, Purisima at center of controversy over Mamasapano operation

President Benigno Aquino III and suspended police chief Director General Alan Purisima are both at the center of controversy for the botched operation in Maguindanao last week, which left 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) dead.

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House panel to suspend BBL hearing if Mamasapano reports not submitted

A House of Representatives committee currently deliberating on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on Monday gave an ultimatum to government agencies to submit their respective reports on the bloody Mamasapano, Maguindanao clash or the panel will suspend the hearing on the BBL.

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Sandiganbayan allows Jinggoy to examine Benhur Luy’s bank records

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada got his wish Monday when the anti-graft court effectively said he could examine the bank records of key whistleblowers as part of his defense against the graft and plunder cases that he is facing.

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PHL to buy 3 naval landing craft from Australia

The Philippines will buy three surplus naval landing craft from Australia in addition to two vessels Canberra has donated to deal with future relief efforts following typhoons, a defense official said Monday.

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Palace to MILF: Return guns from Fallen 44

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should return firearms reportedly taken by some rebels from members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) killed during last week’s encounter in Maguindanao, Malacañang reiterated on Monday.

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Bongbong proposes confidence-building measures following Mamasapano clash

Despite the suspension of the hearings on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday listed gestures the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government should do to regain each other’s trust and move forward in the peace process.

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Peace in Mindanao ‘best way’ to honor 44 killed police commandos – group

The “best way” to pay homage to, and seek justice for, the 44 elite police commandos killed on Jan. 25 is to continue the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a multi-sectoral group said Monday.

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Purisima still in PHL, to attend Senate probe on Mamasapano clash - lawyer

Suspended Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima is still in the Philippines and amy even attend the Senate hearing on the deadly clash between elements of the PNP-Special Action Force and forces from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedomg Fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

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Belmonte: Congress, not truth commission, proper party to probe Mamasapano clash

“I really think that Congress is the proper party (to conduct the investigation). The Congress has inherent powers... We have the process, rules, everything is in place. We are the proper party, not some retired justices,” House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said

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Malacañang downplays coup rumors in wake of Mamasapano clash

Malacañang is not worried about coup rumors over the bungled operation in Maguindanao last week, which left 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) killed.

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Peace talks with MILF in ‘gray area’ after Mamasapano clash –UP dean

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Senate panels reset Mamasapano hearing so PNP can attend to officers’ kin

Senate panels on Monday rescheduled to next week their hearing on the firefight between members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in which 44 police officers were killed.

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Solon opposes suspension of House probe on Mamasapano clash

An opposition lawmaker on Monday opposed the decision of the House of Representatives leadership to temporarily suspend its own probe on the January 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which resulted in the deaths of 44 policemen.

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Senate OKs postponement of SK polls

The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to move the Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled slated next month to October 2016.

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Outgoing poll chief signs P240-M contract for PCOS repair

On his second to the last official day in office, outgoing Commission on Elections chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. signed a contract with Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) for the diagnotics and repairs of 82,000 vote-counting machines, a TV report said Monday.

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Outgoing Comelec chief welcomes call for IT experts to help assess automated polls

Outgoing Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes on Monday welcomed the call of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas for Catholic lay leaders and academic institutions to lend their information technology expertise in assessing the automated elections.

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30 MILF, BIFF leaders and members to be sued for Mamasapano incident—source

Criminal charges are being readied against at least 30 officials and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters over the Mamasapano clash that left 44 elite policemen dead.

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Solon wants Bilibid to be under temporary management of AFP

Following reports of VIP treatment of some inmates in the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), an administration lawmaker on Monday called on President Benigno Aquino III to place the national penitentiary under the temporary management and administration of the military.

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No whitewash in Mamasapano clash probe, Palace assures public

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Emotional Loren blasts poor implementation of environmental laws

Senator Loren Legarda turned emotional during a Senate hearing on Monday after learning that some of the environmental laws she authored are being implemented poorly.

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Miriam: PNoy may be held liable for deaths of fallen 44 SAF men

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday said President Benigno Aquino III may be held liable for the January 25 encounter between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Philippine National Police-Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao which resulted to the deaths of 44 elite policemen.

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Jinggoy wants to attend Senate inquiry on Mamasapano clash

Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday again attempted to speak in open court, this time to seek permission to be allowed to attend the Senate inquiry on the Mamasapano clash.

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Clash displaces 6,000 in Mamasapano—ARMM

COTABATO CITY—The Mamasapano "misencounter" that killed 44 policemen, more than ten Moro Islamic Liberation Front members and several civilians has also displaced 6,000 residence in six villages in the Maguindanao town, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has said.

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Court clears ex-poll chief Abalos of electoral sabotage

A Pasay City court on Monday cleared former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. of having a hand in the alleged rigging of the 2007 elections.

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Watchdog asks SC to stop Comelec resolution for PCOS repair

A citizens' elections watchdog on Monday asked the Supreme Court to strike down a Commission on Elections resolution allowing Smartmatic-TIM to conduct "diagnostics, repair, and refurbishment" of 80,000 precinct count optical scan machines to be used for the 2016 polls.

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