Philippine Daily Inquirer articles from August 2010

Philippine Daily Inquirer archives from August 2010

Aces release Fonacier; Express firm on 2 picks.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Musong R. Castillo ALASKA TRADED Larry Fonacier with a heavy heart on Sunday, sending him to Talk N Text after playing a vital role in its title romp over San Miguel Beer in the recent PBA Fiesta Conference. Salary cap rules...

Boracay reels from backlash.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas ILOILO CITYBoracay, the countrys premier tourist destination, has lost at least P15 million in canceled bookings by tourists from Hong Kong and China following the bloody hostage-taking in Manila...

Whatever happened to Boom Boom, Noy?
August 31, 2010... Byline: Recah Trinidad THEY BOTH submitted tragic, embarrassing results in their first big fight. It has thus become inevitable that President Aquino be likened to the comebacking boxer Boom Boom Bautista. Bautista, his injured punching...

Bogus borrowers bought houses.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon (Last of two parts) CITY OF SAN FERNANDOThe housing projects of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. in Bacolor, Mabalacat and Angeles City in Pampanga appear to have been funded by Pag-Ibig...

Business as usual in Chinatown despite hostage drama.
August 31, 2010... Byline: DJ Yap A STROLL through Ongpin Street in the heart of Manilas Chinatown revealed next to nothing about the Chinese communitys collective sentiment regarding the hostage drama last week that left eight of their compatriots dead. ...

Cavite town wants own SWAT team.
August 31, 2010... BACOOR, CaviteIts cityhood still pending, this municipality is forming its own Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team that will handle hostage-taking situations, setting aside some P300,000 in initial training fund. Bacoor (pop.: 697,000)...

Cebus M. Lhuillier Group eyes PBA stint next year.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas THE M. LHUILLIER Group is reportedly keen on joining the Philippine Basketball Association next year. A source privy to the interest of the company owned by businessman and sports patron Michel Lhuillier said the...

Church: Pray for healing, forgiveness.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Jocelyn R. Uy AMID HONG KONGS outrage over the massacre of eight Chinese tourists during a botched hostage rescue in Manila last week, the Philippine Catholic Church is urging the Filipino faithful to storm the heavens with prayers...

Exports to Japan grew by 27% in H1.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Abigail L. Ho THE VALUE of goods shipped from the Philippines to Japan grew 27.4 percent in the first half to $3.7 billion, from only $2.9 billion in the same period last year. Data released by the Japan External Trade Organization...

First Gen eyes partners stake.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Amy R. Remo THE LOPEZ-LED First Gen Corp. plans to exercise its right of first refusal should its partner, British Gas, pursue a proposed sale of its 40-percent stake in First Gas Holdings, to a probable competitor. Francis Giles...

Group proposes ways to cut subsidy to MRT.
August 31, 2010... THE GOVERNMENT should take out of the box steps to lower subsidies given to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line on Edsa, which costs over P5 billion a year in taxpayers money. In a statement, concerned citizen group Subsidiarity Movement...

IslandRose.net eyes regional growth.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Riza T. Olchondra ISLANDROSE.NET, the largest wholesaler and retailer of roses in the Philippines, aims to grow roots in markets outside the Philippines to sustain growth, founder and marketing director Dustin Andaya said in an...

LRT Cavite extension to cost $1B.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Paolo G. Montecillo THE FIRST phase of the extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 from Baclaran to Cavite may cost as much as $1 billion, according to an early estimate of the World Bank. The government, however, has no...

The ghost is out after all.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Den Somera THE SUPPOSED ghost of the Chinese ghost month, following local Chinese tradition and belief, should have come out and made its presence felt since the beginning of August. But nothing of that sort seemed to have...

Meralco to complete customer refund by Dec.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Amy R. Remo MANILA ELECTRIC Co., the countrys biggest power distributor, expects to complete two of its refund payments to customers by the end of the year, according to a ranking company official. Rafael Andrada, Meralco first...

SMC urged to convert Limay plant.
August 31, 2010... PNOC-EXPLORATION CORP. is set to submit a proposal to San Miguel Corp. for the conversion of the 620-megawatt Limay combined cycle power plant in Bataan into a natural gas facility. Preparation of business proposal for the conversion of Limay...

How can you be sure you have spirit guides?
August 31, 2010... Byline: Jaime T. Licauco LAST WEEK, a Chinese-Filipino comics artist came to me with intriguing questions: I was told by a clairvoyant friend that I have spirit guides. How can I be sure I really have such spirit guides since I have never...

Moringa helps detoxify immune system and heal wounds.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cory Quirino DESIGN YOUR own personal rewards program and be more than satisfied with the resultsa stronger, more energetic body and pleasant disposition. Here are points to remember: Make your doctor your partner. As partners,...

Whats in, whats out in fitness.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Mitch Felipe-Mendoza, Contributor JUST TRY to recall how long youve been exercising and trying to lose weight, only to realize youve never really lost weight since you started. Youve spent too much on exercise clothing, workout...

Beauty queens defend Venus.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Dolly Anne Carvajal BEAUTY queens Melanie Marquez and Ma. Isabel Lopez both agree that instead of making fun of Venus Rajs answer at the Miss Universe pageant in a major, major way, we should just all be proud of her and celebrate her...

Dutch-Pinoy finalist in Hollands Got Talent.
August 31, 2010... KIM DEREK Cornel Regasa, a 9-year-old Dutch-Filipino boy, has made it to the finals of Hollands Got Talenta spin-off from the British reality talent search franchise owned by Simon Cowell. Regasa was reportedly one of 4,000 aspirants who...

If Nina could only hear Nyoys Someday.
August 31, 2010... Nyoy Volante In You MCA Music FROM the very start, Nyoy Volante has been honest about his calling. He is not angry with the world, and neither does he pretend to have opinions on social ills. He just wants to play his acoustic guitar...

City mayors urged to join peace group.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon CLARK FREEPORTWith the battle cry never again, the mayor of Hiroshima City in Japan on Friday urged the officers and members of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) to join the Mayors for...

Construction of new SJ city hall blocked.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Nina Calleja A RALLY was held yesterday at Pinaglaban Shrine in San Juan City not in celebration of National Heroes Day but in protest of a project to construct a new city hall which, according to residents, would displace at least...

DepEd union drops protest plan, willing to meet Luistro.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Tarra Quismundo BACKING DOWN from their threat to stage protest actions, the Department of Educations (DepEd) National Employees Union (NEU) yesterday said it was willing to sit down with the new leadership at the agency and discuss...

Did you know.
August 31, 2010... THE RAMON Magsaysay Award, Asias equivalent of the Nobel Prize, was created in Manila in 1957. It is awarded to persons who address issues of human development in Asia with courage and creativity and who have made contributions that have...

Psychologists needed.
August 31, 2010... IN THE aftermath of the botched attempt to rescue 22 Chinese tourists from a policeman-hostage taker, many suggestions are being made to improve preparations and procedures for dealing with possible hostage situations in the future. Some...

Evils of smoking, antitobacco tilt posters highlighted at Read-Along.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research KIDS TOOK a stand against smoking at last Saturdays Inquirer Read-Along which was held on the 15th anniversary of Junior Inquirer (JI) which was culminating its campaign against tobacco. The...

Hostage expert is one of RPs 10 best cops.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Tarra Quismundo SUPT. SIDNEY Villaflor took a chance on a tighter shot amid a drizzle and a power blackout. In a split second, the hostage-taking drama ended with a single, nonfatal bullet wound in the right shoulder of the...

Once more, with feeling.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Juan L. Mercado THATS THE title of a 2001 Broadway musical on vampires, of all things. Did the neon lights also fit the Supreme Courts flip-flop-flips on 16 towns that masqueraded as cities? In a 7-6 decision, the Court last week...

Kin of disappeared score Aquino for inaction.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Leila B. Salaverria THE INTERNATIONAL Day of the Disappeared yesterday brought no relief to the loved ones of missing activists, students and farmers, according to the group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). Adding to their grief...

Lady Pirates boost V-L Final 4 bid.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas LYCEUM COASTED to a surprisingly easy 25-20, 27-25, 25-21 triumph over Far Eastern U Sunday night and strengthened its semifinal bid in the Shakeys V-League Season 7 Second Conference at the FilOil Flying V Arena in...

Govt launches US-designed family planning program.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Jerry E. Esplanada THE GOVERNMENT has started implementing a new family planning marketing strategy designed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The May Plano Ako program, conceptualized by the USAIDs...

Liga-PBL semis series fires off.
August 31, 2010... THE SEMIFINAL series of the Tournament of the Philippines fires off today with the top-ranked pair of M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu and Misamis Oriental battling separate opponents in a best-of-three affair. Veterans Stephen Padilla, Ian...

Massive cleanup drive vs dengue in Iloilo on Sept. 1.
August 31, 2010... ILOILO CITYHorns and sirens will blare all over Iloilo province tomorrow to mark a massive cleanup drive against breeding places of dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes. Government employees, students, police personnel and other civic-minded...

2 men get 8 years for taking lawyers cell phone.
August 31, 2010... A QUEZON City court has sentenced to eight years imprisonment two men who robbed a lawyer of his cell phone as he was walking on Commonwealth Avenue in 2005. In an 11-page decision, Judge Bayani Vargas of the Regional Trial Court Branch 219...

House painter shot dead in Manila.
August 31, 2010... A MAN shot in the back and killed on Sunday evening a house painter whom he accused of being a member of a street gang in Manila. Ryan de la Paz, also known as Bumbay, fled immediately after shooting Francisco Moreno, 59, of Radium Street in San...

Pedicab driver killed by knife-wielding attacker.
August 31, 2010... AFTER offering drinks to four construction workers, a 24-year-old pedicab driver was stabbed dead on Sunday night by the same group of men. Marlon de Jolde, a resident of San Nicolas Street in Binondo, was declared dead on arrival by attending...

QC SWAT team nabs hostage-taker.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Nancy C. Carvajal and Julie M. Aurelio STILL SMARTING from accusations that they were partly to blame for the bloody ending of last weeks Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking, the police acted quickly on Sunday night to resolve a similar...

Morong 43 mom freed temporarily.
August 31, 2010... DETAINED new mother and Morong 43 member Carina Judilyn Oliveros and her month-old baby were transferred to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) yesterday, a few days after the Morong Regional Trial Court granted her plea to be released from...

Movie benefit in aid of kids.
August 31, 2010... SEE a movie, feed a soul. To help feed 120,000 poor children, the Catholic Church is urging the faithful to watch a movie about the Virgin Marys celebrated apparition in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. The 13th Day will be shown in theaters on...

Navotas fire victims move to new shelters.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Beverly T. Natividad THE NAVOTAS City government has found new shelters for more than 2,000 people whose houses were razed by a fire last week. In preparation for the resumption of classes today, 2,621 evacuees were moved yesterday...

Where the hell was Gabby Lopez?
August 31, 2010... Byline: John Nery IMAGINE, FOR a moment, that criticism of media coverage of the Aug. 23 tragedy extended to the whereabouts of network CEOs on that fateful day. In reflecting on the work of the ABS-CBN news organization, for instance, people...

Another Bayan Muna member shot dead.
August 31, 2010... THE MURDER of a court sheriff in Balangiga town in Eastern Samar has remained unsolved, municipal police chief, Senior Insp. Cayet Gannaban, said on Monday. Casiano Abing, a court sheriff assigned to the Regional Trial Court Branch 42, was...

Girl drowns, brod missing in flood.
August 31, 2010... A 13-YEAR-OLD girl drowned, her younger brother went missing, and two others were rescued when they were swept away by flash flood on Sunday in Naga City, 21 kilometers south of Cebu City. The body of Kris Paran was found in the Guindaruhan...

Guard shoots, kills kid gathering metal scraps.
August 31, 2010... A SECURITY GUARD of a storage firm fired at a group of 10 children gathering metal scraps in Barangay Lamao in Limay town on Saturday, killing one of them and wounding another. Rudy Simpol, security guard of Grand Planters Storage Area, was...

Ex-municipal councilor killed.
August 31, 2010... A FORMER municipal councilor was shot dead by a lone man while he was having breakfast at a fast-food chain in Quezon City on Saturday. Jomar Lava said his brother, former Councilor Jose Vladimir Lava of Bulakan, Bulacan, 38, sustained four...

Graft rap against mayor dismissed.
August 31, 2010... THE SANDIGANBAYAN has dismissed a 10-year-old graft complaint filed by a former municipal health officer against Mayor Feliciano Legaspi over his refusal to raise her salary. Former Norzagaray health officer Lina Ramos sued Legaspi, a medical...

PNP brass face grilling over budget.
August 31, 2010... Byline: TJ Burgonio PHILIPPINE NATIONAL Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Verzosa and other top police officials can expect a tough grilling over the forces 2011 budget after Mondays bungled hostage incident, lawmakers said yesterday. ...

Fixing our farms.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cielito F. Habito CONSIDER THE following facts, all drawn from official statistics: Seventy percent of the Filipino poor can be found in the rural areas, where the dominant source of livelihood is farming. Farmers, especially...

Pinoy nurse, kristo excel in UK memory tilt.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Gemma Luz Corotan, Contributor MEMORIZING a deck of cards in precise chronological order under one minute may seem like a superhuman feat because it has been accomplished by only less than 1 percent of the worlds population. But...

Palace orders tighter website security.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Christine O. Avendano MALACANANG is looking into the hacking of a government website and taking measures to fortify all government websites, according to Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office...

Pacquiao flies to Los Angeles.
August 31, 2010... FIGHTER OF THE DECADE Manny Pacquiao left last night for Los Angeles, California, in time for the official launch of his fight against Antonio Margarito on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The promotional tour will also...

Postpone Hong Kong holiday, consul advises Pinoy tourists.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cynthia D. Balana IF YOU were planning on a holiday to Hong Kong but were having second thoughts because of the rising anger at Filipinos there over last weeks Manila hostage fiasco, then youre better off staying home. This was the...

PSC releases part of Asian Games fund.
August 31, 2010... Byline: June Navarro THE PHILIPPINE Sports Commission has approved the release of P13 million for the airline booking and other immediate needs of the 160-athlete delegation going to the Guangzhou Asiad on Nov. 12 to 27. The amount, part...

Traitor.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Conrado de Quiros SENATOR FRANCIS Pangilinan sent me this text message last Friday night: While I personally object to, and disagree with, the use of the Philippine flag to cover the casket of Rolando Mendoza, there is no law that...

Rebels execute Army sergeant.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas BACOLOD CITYAbout 50 communist rebels executed an Army officer in front of his men and daughter in a raid on a military outpost in Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Saturday. Staff...

RM awardee dreams of peace fest in Hiroshima.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Ma. Ceres P. Doyo WHY NOT A global festival of peace in a Japanese city demolished by the atomic bomb? This is one of the dreams of Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, one of the seven 2010 Ramon Magsaysay awardees to be honored...

So, Nadera, Nolte stay in touch with pacesetting Chinese GMs.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Roy Luarca Standings after three rounds (Filipino unless stated): 3.0 pointsJ. Zhou (China), J. Zhao (China); 2.5B. Nadera, R. Nolte, W. So, M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), L. Ding (China), M. Kazhgaleyev (Kazakhstan), R. Bitoon, C. Li...

Tough Knights crush Chiefs; Blazers score.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas THERE WAS no fourth-quarter meltdown for Letran this time. Playing with little pressure, the Knights got their acts together in the final period to turn back the Arellano Chiefs, 72-58, yesterday and stay in Final...

National shame.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Ramon Tulfo FOR THE first time in my life I am ashamed of being a Filipino. I am sure many of my countrymen feel the same way. But this feeling of shame will eventually go away. Meanwhile, I will temporarily avoid going to...

When leaving doesnt mean running away.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Nathania Aritao ABOUT THREE years ago, I sat reading in my dads office while he talked with an old colleague of his. They were catching up on each others affairs and, for a moment, their attention turned to me. My dad said that I was...

Bank lending seen to rise further.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Michelle V. Remo BANK LENDING will remain robust in the second half of the year, further supporting businesses in need of funding. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects a 9- to 10-percent annual rate of expansion of credit during...

GDP growth seen slowing in 2nd half.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao AFTER AN AMAZING 7.9 percent second-quarter economic growth, the Philippines may post a less stellar expansion for the rest of the year but maintain a full-year growth of at least 6 percent, according to New York-based...

Cebu Pacific to proceed with stock offer in October.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao THE GOKONGWEIS Cebu Air Inc. plans to debut on the Philippine Stock Exchange this October with an initial public offering of as much as P32.19 billion, potentially making history in the local bourse with the biggest...

DOF pushing for zero-coupon bond issuance.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE GOVERNMENT plans to issue long-term zero-coupon bonds in the domestic capital market, hoping that the private sector will follow its lead. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said the issuance of more debt...

EMC urges move to smart power grids.
August 31, 2010... Byline: Abigail L. Ho SHANGHAI, CHINAAdding new capacity may not be the only way to prevent the massive power outage that most parts of the country experienced last summer. A move to smart power grids, at least for key load areas, may be...

Amendments to Epira sought.
August 31, 2010... ENERGY SECRETARY Jose Rene D. Almendras is proposing amendments to the financial, technical and structural regulatory provisions of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) in a bid to improve and secure the Philippine energy sector. ...

DAR to prioritize Arroyo land in Negros.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Kristine L. Alave THE DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has formed a special group tasked to tackle disputed landholdings in eight priority areas, which include haciendas of politicians, to fast-track the distribution of land to...

Albay holds Masses to ease hostage drama impact.
August 30, 2010... LEGAZPI CITYSimultaneous tolling of Church bells and celebration of Masses were held at 9:30 a.m. yesterday in 54 Catholic parishes in Albay for the victims and survivors of the hostage-taking incident in front of Quirino Grandstand on Aug. 23....

Arellano eyes tie for 4th vs Letran.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas ARELLANO SEEKS a tie for fourth when it battles Letran today in the 86th NCAA basketball tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Carrying a 5-4 record, the Chiefs hope to catch up with the Mapua...

Ariza sees knockout victory for Pacquiao.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Ronnie Nathanielsz MANNY PACQUIAOS conditioning expert Alex Ariza predicts that the Nov. 13 showdown between the Filipino pound-for-pound king and Antonio Margarito will be a war. Ariza told the Inquirer Sunday that the fight for...

Ateneo, UAAP stars gems in PBA Draft.
August 30, 2010... NORMAN Black was probably the countrys happiest coach yesterday. Not only did his Ateneo Blue Eagles prevail over the Adamson Falcons in their UAAP clash, four of his former players were also selected in the PBA Draft at the Market! Market!...

Aurora folk protest danger-zone tag on village.
August 30, 2010... CITY OF SAN FERNANDOResidents of Barangay Paltic in Dingalan, Aurora, have opposed the declaration of their village as a permanent danger zone that would require them to abandon the place. Some local politicians and rich traders who show...

RM awardee: Disabled also have dreams.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Ma. Ceres P. Doyo INCLUSIVE, barrier-free and mainstreaming. These are key words that A.H.M. Noman Khan has turned into reality for countless disabled persons of Bangladesh and beyond. Khan is one of the seven 2010 Ramon Magsaysay...

Banayag, local bet rule Davao Milo race.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Romina S. Austria DAVAO CITYSoutheast Asian Games marathon champion and two-time Milo National finals winner Jho-Ann Banayag can now concentrate on her Asian Games training. Banayag completely outclassed the field in topping the...

Baycats squeeze past Titans.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Marc Anthony Reyes BACK-TO-BACK champion San Sebastian College Recoletos of Cavite needed an endgame assault to prevail, even as STI hardly broke sweat yesterday in the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and...

Breastfeeding experts seek release of Morong 43 moms.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Jocelyn R. Uy TWO EXPERTS on breastfeeding have asked President Aquino to grant two mothers among the political detainees known as the Morong 43 an unconditional release in order to breastfeed their newborns in a suitable environment....

Wholl win World Cup of Pool?
August 30, 2010... Byline: Manolo R. Inigo WITH TWO victories to their credit since the World Cup of Pool was launched in 2006, International Billiards Hall of Famer Efren Bata Reyes and 2010 World Pool 9-Ball champion Francisco Django Bustamante are tipped to...

Baclao surprise No. 1 pick over Al-Hussaini.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas IN ONE OF THE MOST stunning PBA Draft Day turnarounds, Air21 made former Ateneo standout Siverino Nonoy Baclao the top pick yesterday, selecting him ahead of celebrated teammate Rabeh Al-Hussaini before a huge crowd at...

An offer the President cant refuse.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Denis Murphy THE ESTIMATED 370,000 families who are now threatened with eviction from their homes have an offer for President Noynoy Aquino they hope he cant refuse. They will ask the President to declare a two- to three-month...

The rise of Asias middle class.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Jong-Wha Lee THE MANTRA across developing Asia since the 1960s has been poverty reduction. Huge strides were made during the Asian miracle. Yet two-thirds of the worlds poor remain in Asia. More needs to be done, but how? Perhaps...

RP cops to get P630M in increased aid from US.
August 30, 2010... Byline: Jerry E. Esplanada FROM NEARLY P495 million this year, the United States will increase its law enforcement aid to the Philippines to almost P630 million in 2011, according to the US Embassy in Manila. Washingtons assistance to the...

9 dead, 32 hurt in 2 road accidents.
August 30, 2010... NINE PEOPLE died in two road accidents in Quezon and Sarangani provinces during the weekend, police said. A Manila-bound passenger bus from Tacloban City in Leyte fell into a 30-foot creek along the Maharlika Highway near the Amao river in...