Palace downplays calls for PNoy resignation due to Mamasapano clash

Malacañang on Saturday downplayed anew calls by some groups for President Benigno Aquino III to resign from office following the Jan. 25 Mamasapano, Maguindanao clash that killed 44 Special Action Force troopers.

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DFA chief: Norway assured PHL of its commitment to Mindanao peace process

Despite the bloody clash between government troops with Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and other armed groups in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao last January 25, Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende assured Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario that Norway remains fully committed to the peace process in Mindanao.

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Trillanes: ‘Political opposition’ behind supposed destabilization plot

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday corroborated talk of a destabilization plot, pointing at members of the "political opposition" as organizers of rallies that are expected to start next week.

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Ompong Plaza asks Sandiganbayan to dismiss pork barrel scam raps

Former Agusan Del Sur Representative Rodolfo Plaza has asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to dismiss the multiple cases filed against him in connection with his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.

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EXCLUSIVE: 29 of SAF 44 were shot in the head – autopsy reports

Twenty-nine of the 44 police Special Action Force members killed in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao were shot in the head, GMA News' early evening newscast, “24-Oras”, reported on Friday.

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Amid rush to buy flowers on Valentine’s Bishop reminds Filipinos of true meaning of love

“Karamihan mga bulaklak, mga tsokolate ay nagiging negosyo, nagiging commercialized na at ito ay nawawala at lumilipas, pero isa dapat nating bigyang pansin yung tunay na pag-ibig at ang tunay na pag-ibig ay nagliligtas ng buhay, nagpapatawad at yun ang dapat nating bigyang pansin," Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said on Church-run radio.

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In wake of first MERS-CoV case, DOH calls for honesty in filling out health checklist

Following the first confirmed case of MERS-CoV in the country, the Department of Health on Friday asked those arriving in the Philippines to be truthful in filling out the Health Declaration Checklist upon their arrival at the airport.

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Group seeks closure of education programs of worst performing schools

The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) renewed its call for the closure of the teacher education programs of the schools that have performed poorly in the last five years.

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Failure to inform Aquino on Mamasapano clash sooner shows incompetence, Poe says

Senator Grace Poe said on Friday that not telling President Benigno Aquino III about the Mamasapano clash when it happened last January 25 is a sign of incompetence in the country's security officials.

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Garin, health execs troop to San Pedro to allay MERS-CoV fears

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin on Friday went to San Pedro City in Laguna to help ease the worries of the residents there after it was reported that the first confirmed case of MERS-CoV in the country was from there.

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Government can prevent MERS-CoV from spreading – Palace

Malacañang on Friday assured the public that the government is capable of preventing the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, as the Department of Health continues to monitor 11 individuals with MERS-CoV flu-like symptoms.

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Pangasinan farmers deny receiving pork-funded projects

Two farmers from Pangasinan on Friday denied receiving any agricultural kits from projects supposedly funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel allocations of lawmakers.

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Mamasapano probe takes prosecutors to clash site

Prosecutors from Department of Justice are set to fly to Mamasapano in Maguindanao to conduct an ocular inspection of the site where 44 police commandos were killed in an encounter with armed rebels on Jan. 25.

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PHL stands firm on diplomacy amid China’s reported military posturing

The Philippine government is standing firm on diplomacy despite a US military official’s statement that China is preparing to use military force in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

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215 pass Master Plumber Licensure Exam –PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Friday announced that 215 out of 432 passed the Master Plumber Licensure Examination given this month.

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SC saw no criminal liability over DAP —Palace

Two associate justices may have opined that President Benigno Aquino III should answer for the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), but Malacañang said Friday that the majority ruling did not impute liability on anyone for the controversial spending mechanism.

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Ex-Benguet solon posts P530,000 bail for ‘pork’ cases

Former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa has posted bail amounting to P530,000 for his temporary liberty even before the Sandiganbayan rules on whether there is probable cause to try him and order his arrest for multiple charges stemming from the pork barrel fund scam.

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Group: Despite progress in 2014, Mamasapano clash delays Bangsamoro peace deal

The peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front may have made significant progress in 2014, but the recent clash in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao last January 25 had caused setbacks in the efforts for the creation of a new Bangsamoro political entity.

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Basit Usman: The big fish who always slips through the net

Security forces are currently hunting down alleged Filipino bomb-maker Akmad Batabol Usman alias Abdul Basit Usman, who escaped during the Mamasapano operation which left 44 police commandos dead.

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PNP panel yet to receive inventory of Fallen 44’s firearms

The PNP Board of Inquiry has yet to receive an inventory of the firearms taken from the Fallen 44—the members of the Special Action Force who died in clashes with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters after killing a suspected international terrorist in what is believed to be MILF territory on Jan. 25.

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Comelec delists 39 party-list groups

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has delisted 39 party-list groups for their failure to obtain at least two percent of the votes cast for the party-list system.

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Sandiganbayan issues hold departure order vs. ex-Benguet solon, others

The Sandiganbayan on Friday issued a hold departure order against former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa and 32 others for malversation, graft and direct bribery charges in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.

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Who was updating PNoy on Mamasapano mission? Palace can’t say

Malacañang on Friday failed to provide answers when asked who was providing updates to President Benigno Aquino III on the Mamasapano operation that left 44 police commandos dead.

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NBI tracks down place where viral Mamasapano clash video came from

The National Bureau of Investigation has already tracked down the place where a video of a purported PNP-Special Action Force commando being shot at close range was uploaded.

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DOH: 11 in close contact with Pinoy MERS-CoV patient showed symptoms

Eleven of the 56 people identified to have had close contact with the female Filipino nurse who tested positive of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) showed flu-like symptoms, including her husband, the Department of Health said Friday.

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Usman wounded, likely in Mamasapano — governor

Another wanted bomber targeted by Philippine authorities is wounded and is likely hiding in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, provincial governor Esmael Mangudadatu said Friday.

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FDA warns vs. 6 unregistered drug products

The Food and Drug Administration has warned the public against six unregistered drug products that it recently collected from Taytay town in Rizal province.

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Masbate gov contests probable cause finding in plunder case before Sandiganbayan

Former Masbate Representative and incumbent Masbate Governor Rizalina Lanete on Thursday sought to dispute the Office of the Ombudsman's finding of probable cause against her for plunder.

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Valentine's tribute to SAF 44: Poem reading by high school students

A poem-reading will be held in Quezon City on Friday to honor the 44 Special Action Force troopers killed in a clash in Mamasapano in Maguindanao last Jan. 25, the Department of Education said.

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PNoy knew about Mamasapano operation morning of Jan 25

Sometime Sunday morning of January 25, President Benigno Aquino III knew about the result of the Mamasapano operation, which left 44 police commandos dead.

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Miriam at the Mamasapano inquiry: ‘Nothing fails like a failure’ and other takeaways

Lung cancer and chronic fatigue may have taken the otherwise indefatigable Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago from the Senate's plenary sessions but the outspoken lawmaker could still be counted on to spew quotable commentary and ask the difficult questions when the chamber tackles controversies such as the Mamasapano clash.

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Bangsamoro law to pass only with amendments —Mindanao solon

With support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) waning in Congress, a lawmaker believes the only way for the measure to be passed is to remove the glaring unconstitutional provisions it contains.

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Cayetano: Mamasapano clash happened because MILF shot at govt forces

The Mamasapano clash happened not because of lack of coordination but because the Moro Islamic Liberation Front fired on government forces who were there to arrest two terrorists, Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said Thursday.

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Commandos’ foes hid behind trees in Mamasapano —CIDG video

The armed men encountered by the PNP-Special Action Force commandos in Mamasapano on Jan. 25 took sufficient cover behind the trees at the clash site while the troopers were caught quite vulnerable in an open cornfield, a video obtained by the Philippine National Police showed.

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Mamasapano clash puts members of PMA Class of ‘81 in spotlight

The ongoing congressional inquiry on the January 25 Mamasapano clash has put members of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981 in spotlight.

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Honasan to Espina: Let justice for Fallen 44 be your legacy

Let justice for the Fallen 44 be your legacy. This was the “advice” Senator Gringo Honasan gave his fellow military school graduate, PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

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AFP official: PNoy wanted reinforcement after getting briefed on Mamasapano clash

With "very vague" information as to what was happening at the Mamasapano operation, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. General Rustico Guerrero on Thursday said it was already late afternoon when President Benigno Aquino III was briefed about the situation.

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TIMELINE: What were PNoy and co. doing on day of Mamasapano clash?

President Benigno Aquino III was in Zamboanga City with Cabinet and military officials on January 25, the day of the Mamasapano clash that killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force. What were Aquino and his officials doing on that day? GMA News Online compiled information from the Senate hearing on the encounter on Thursday as well as Twitter announcements from the AFP Western Mindanao command, to give readers a clearer picture below.

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CBCP joins calls not to spread video of Mamasapano clash

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on Thursday joined calls not to spread the graphic video of some of the Special Action Force troopers killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

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Iqbal says MILF sees no benefit in protecting Marwan

The chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Thursday said they have no reason to protect Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, one of the two high-profile targets of the January 25 police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

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Miriam to Iqbal: How do you expect the BBL to pass after Mamasapano incident

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday grilled Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal how he expected the Bangsamoro Basic Law to get passed in Senate after the hours-long firefight in Mamasapano last January 25.

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3 of 6 pass Metallurgical Engineer Licensure Exam –PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Thursday announced that 3 out of 6 passed the Metallurgical Engineer Licensure Examination given on February 10 to 12.

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SC justices: PNoy, Abad are DAP authors, should be held liable

President Benigno Aquino III and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad should be held liable for approving and implementing acts under the Disbursement Acceleration Program, according to two Supreme Court justices.

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Sandiganbayan bars ex-Rep. Lanete, 31 others from leaving the country

Days after the second batch of pork barrel cases were filed and raffled off at the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division issued a hold departure order instructing the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation to bar former Masbate Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, her chief od staff, and 30 others from leaving the country.

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DOH says Pinay nurse with MERS-CoV pregnant

The Filipina nurse from Saudi Arabia who was tested positive of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is pregnant, the Department of Health said Thursday.

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Miriam to Purisima: ‘Kung hindi ka siguro nakisali, buhay pa sila’

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday reprimanded ex-Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima for "meddling" with Oplan Exodus even while serving his preventive suspension.

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No gag order on Cabinet execs attending hearings on Mamasapano clash – Palace

Cabinet officials have not been given orders to clam up during congressional hearings on the deadly Mamasapano operation, Malacañang said Thursday.

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Miriam notes ‘lapses’ in Mamasapano operation during Senate hearing

As far as Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago is concerned, the Mamasapano operation — from planning to execution — is full of lapses.

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AFP ready to thwart any coup attempt – Palace

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to thwart any attempt to topple President Benigno Aquino III’s administration, Malacañang said Thursday.

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LP solon wants PNoy to appoint Espina as new PNP chief

A Liberal Party stalwart has urged President Benigno Aquino III to appoint Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina in a permanent capacity as the new PNP chief, citing his professionalism and capability to lead.

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