Purisima denies hand in Mamasapano operation

Suspended national police chief Director General Alan Purisima on Friday denied that he was the one who was giving orders during the January 25 operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which left 44 elite policemen dead.

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PNoy warns MILF: ‘We'll get Usman with or without your help’

Despite a peace deal with the secessionist group, President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday warned the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) not to get in the way of the government's manhunt for the suspected terrorist Basit Usman.

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FULL TEXT: PNoy’s speech on Marwan’s death, Purisima’s resignation and the Mamasapano clash

"Noong ika-24 ng Enero, nagsagawa ng operasyon ang ating Special Action Force sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Target nila ang dalawang kilabot na terorista: Pangunahin ang Malaysian na si Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias Abu Marwan, at si Basit Usman. Tagumpay po ang operasyon laban kay Marwan."

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PNoy accepts suspended PNP chief Purisima's resignation

President Benigno Aquino III has accepted the resignation of his longtime pal, suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima.

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PNoy claims responsibility over fate of Fallen 44

President Benigno Aquino III on Friday said the 44 police commandos who died in the Mamasapano encounter were his responsibility.

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LIVE UPDATES: President Aquino addresses the nation

President Benigno Aquino III addresses the nation live on Friday, February 6, 2015. Get the latest updates as they happen from the President's speech.

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TIMELINE: Events before and during the Mamasapano clash

Different law enforcement agencies in the Philippines have started their investigation on the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force's encounter with Moro groups in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao on January 25 that led to the deaths of 44 elite police officers

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Stop harassing our fishermen, PHL tells China

The Philippines on Friday told China to refrain from actions that will complicate a maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

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SAF man upset over chance that 2 MILF members will get Marwan bounty

"Sila na nga ang nangbangga sa aming tropa, sila pa ang bibigyan? Hindi dapat." Thus, said a member of the Philippine National Police's Special Action Force, who refused to be identified due to lack of authority to speak to media, said when asked to comment on the possibility of two members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front getting the $5-million reward for the death of suspected international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.

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43 bank accounts, 28 properties, 15 vehicles among Bong Revilla’s assets ordered frozen

For the next couple of months, or even years, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.’s 43 bank accounts, 28 properties and 15 vehicles would be idle assets.

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Station commander in Cebu also goes bald for Fallen 44

A Cebu City police station commander who was formerly with the police's elite Special Action Force joined the ranks of police personnel who had their heads shaved to honor 44 SAF men killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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PNoy faces growing political storm over deadly Mamasapano raid

President Benigno Aquino III is facing his biggest political crisis over an operation to capture a wanted militant, amid revelations that a suspended police general who is a close friend of the president played a central role in the raid.

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Court allows lawyers to visit Bilibid inmates at NBI

Lawyers of the high-profile convicts earlier taken out of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City can now visit their clients who were transferred to the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila.

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Prosecutors to probe Mamasapano clash named, given two-month deadline

Justice Leila de Lima has named the five prosecutors who would make up the Department of Justice (DOJ) task force that will conduct a parallel investigation on the bloody January 25 Mamasapano clash that left 44 elite policemen dead.

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PNP: No claimants yet for P7.4-M PHL reward for Marwan’s head

No one has come forward yet to claim the P7.4-million reward offered by the Philippine government for information that will lead to the neutralization of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, police said Friday.

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Sandiganbayan raffles off cases vs. 5 ex-solons in ‘pork’ scam

The Sandiganbayan on Friday raffled off the cases filed against the second batch of lawmakers accused of pocketing money from the alleged pork barrel fund scam.

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PNoy to address nation again on Friday night

President Benigno Aquino III will once again deliver a nationwide address on Friday night.

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No gun ban for SK polls yet

No, the gun ban for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections is not yet in effect. For now, the start of the gun ban has been postponed to March 26.

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Sandiganbayan junks ex-PNP chief Razon’s petition to post bail

The Sandiganbayan has denied the petition of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Avelino Razon Jr. to post bail for his malversation cases in connection with the alleged anomalous repair of PNP armored vehicles amounting to P385.5 million.

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PNP no information on Purisima’s resignation — spokesman

The spokesperson of the Philippine National Police on Friday said they have no information on the supposed resignation of suspended PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima.

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PNP ready for sympathy attacks over Marwan death

The Philippine National Police is prepared for any sympathy attacks by armed groups over the death of Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, following an operation that also cost the lives of 44 Special Action Force troopers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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China dredging at Panganiban Reef – Navy official

China has started dredging around the disputed Panganiban (Mischief) Reef in the South China Sea, a Philippine navy commander said on Thursday, signalling Beijing may be preparing to expand its facilities in the area.

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MILF considers returning fallen 44 SAF men’s firearms

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is considering returning the firearms of the 44 Special Action Force troopers slain in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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Chief GPH negotiator: Due process needed in turnover of MILF fighters, SAF guns

The head of the government's peace panel said Thursday that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is leading an internal investigation for the return of the firearms and other items taken from troopers of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force who fell in a clash in Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

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Sandiganbayan freezes Bong Revilla’s assets

The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has ordered its sheriff to freeze more than P200 million in assets of Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. in connection with the plunder and other cases he is facing related to his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

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MILF needs to prove goodwill after Mamasapano clash —AFP

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front needs to prove their commitment to the peace process after international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan was recently neutralized in their territory, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday.

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Seized videos show Usman giving shooting, bomb-making lessons

The laptop of wanted Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman that the military managed to seize last June yielded videos of giving shooting lessons as well as on how to make homemade bombs.

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Kin of Fallen 44 to get copies of FBI report on Marwan’s death

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II ordered that copies of the FBI findings on Marwan's death be distributed to the families of the 44 police commandos, who died in a misencounter with Moro rebels after PNP Special Action Force's successful operation against the alleged bomber.

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MILF commander denies role in Mamasapano carnage

Moro Islamic Liberation Front 118th base commander Ustadz Wahid Tundok claimed he and his troops were not involved in the Mamasapano clash where 44 elite lawmen were killed, a report from GMA's “24-Oras” said Thursday.

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Palace sees no need for loyalty checks in AFP, PNP after Mamasapano incident

Malacañang sees no need to conduct loyalty checks in the military and the police after the controversial police operation in Maguindanao last week, which left 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) dead.

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Some SAF troopers admit silence towards Aquino was due to dismay

Some members of the PNP-Special Action Force have admitted that they kept silent during a late-night meeting with President Benigno Aquino III last week because of dismay towards their commander-in-chief, a TV report said Thursday.

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Espina vows charges vs. men behind 'overkill' of SAF commandos

Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina on Thursday vowed to file charges against those behind the "overkill" of 44 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last January 25.

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Suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima has not resigned —lawyer

The lawyer of suspended Philippine National Police chief Director-General Alan Purisima on Thursday night said his client has yet to resign from the helm of the police organization.

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AFP: Gov't troops, intel agents cannot receive bounty for Marwan

The multimillion-dollar reward for the capture of suspected Malaysian bombmaker and Jemaah Islamiya leader Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, cannot go to government troops and intelligent agents, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday.

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Drilon, Binay camp say Purisima must still face Mamasapano clash probe amid reported resignation

Amid the reported resignation of suspended Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima, Senate President Franklin Drilon and the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said he should still face probe on the deaths of 44 elite policemen in the January 25 Mamasapano clash.

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Pork barrel cases vs. ex-House members reach Sandiganbayan

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday formally filed cases against five former lawmakers over their alleged involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam allegedly engineered by Janet Lim Napoles.

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China defends ship’s actions against PHL fishing boats off Panatag Shoal

BEIJING - China on Thursday defended the actions of a coast guard vessel in the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal after the Philippines accused it of ramming three fishing boats and urged Manila to increase "indoctrination" of its fishermen.

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412 pass Physical Therapist Licensure Exam –PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Thursday announced that 412 out of 766 passed the Physical Therapist Licensure Examination given in the cities of Manila and Cebu this month.

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PHL Embassy in US thanks FBI for DNA work to confirm Marwan’s death

The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. extended its gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for testing DNA samples sent by the country to the US to confirm whether they were of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan.

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CHR chief: Sanctions for ‘overkill’ of SAF men should be made ‘in context of peace agreement’

The peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front should be a factor in determining sanctions once it is proven that the policemen killed in the January 25 Mamasapano clash were mutilated, Commission on Human Rights chairperson Etta Rosales said Thursday.

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Embassy denies US drone used to locate commandos in Mamasapano clash

The United States Embassy in Manila has denied a report that a drone sent by the US helped locate Special Action Force commandos during the recent Mamasapano operation.

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LTFRB suspends bus firm for crushed Vios

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Thursday preventively suspended for 30 days the firm of the bus that flattened a sedan in a smashup in Quezon City.

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No need for loyalty check within PNP, Espina says

There is no need for a loyalty check within the Philippine National Police despite the reported low morale following the deaths of 44 policemen in the January 25 clash with Moro fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said Thursday.

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PHL donates P90M to UN Ebola global response program

The Philippines strengthened its global commitment to fight the Ebola virus by donating P90 million to the United Nations Development Programme.

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Govt panel: Coordination with MILF required even in pursuit of high-value targets

The Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the government peace panel on Thursday said government forces still needed to coordinate with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front even if they were pursuing high value targets such as international terrorists in MILF territory.

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Koko sees good deal in P240-M diagnosis and repair of 82k PCOS machines

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III believes the government will get a good deal out of the P240-million contract the Commission on Election signed with Smartmatic for the diagnostics and repairs of 82,000 vote-counting machines.

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DepEd, USAID to expand education access in conflict-affected areas

The Department of Education and the United States Agency for International Development are working to make education more accessible to out-of-school youths in conflict-affected areas.

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Visayan solons reject calls for PNoy’s resignation, impeachment

Members of the Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Thursday rejected calls for the resignation or impeachment of President Benigno Aquino III following the bloody Mamasapano incident last January 25.

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Espina renews call for return of PNP-SAF’s firearms, other items

PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina on Thursday renewed his call to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to return the firearms and other items reportedly seized from the slain PNP-Special Action Force personnel following the bloody Jan. 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

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PNoy didn’t fight with Mar over Ochoa, Purisima’s dismissal – Palace

President Benigno Aquino III did not fight with his close ally, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, over the latter's supposed demand to dismiss Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima, a Malacañang official said Thursday.

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