Philippine Daily Inquirer articles from June 2009

Philippine Daily Inquirer archives from June 2009

NEA probers seek to cancel power deal.
June 30, 2009... ILOILO CITYA FACT-FINDING team of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) has recommended the cancellation of a 25-year power supply deal between an independent power producer (IPP) and an electric cooperative for being tainted with...

Alcantara, new partner begin bid vs US tandem.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo FILIPINO ACE FRANCIS CASEY ALCANTARA opens his bid for a second Grand Slam with partner Nikala Scholtz of South Africa in the Wimbledon boys doubles starting Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at the All England Lawn...

Govt appeals junking of rap against Estrada.
June 30, 2009... GOVERNMENT LAWYERS HAVE ASKED the Sandiganbayan antigraft court to reconsider its order dismissing the last perjury case against deposed president and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada and allow him to freely travel abroad. In a motion...

Back to manual voting.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Kristine L. Alave THE FILIPINO PARTNER HAS WITHDRAWN from the consortium that won the bidding for next years computerized balloting, raising the possibility that elections will be conducted manually as before, the Commission on...

Bar LGU workers from election duty, House poll body urges Comelec.
June 30, 2009... THE HOUSE OF REPRESENtatives committee on suffrage and electoral reforms wants the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to bar employees from provincial capitols and municipal and city halls from performing election duties. Caloocan Rep....

Warning to the secretary general of the Fiba.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Recah Trinidad Mr. Patrick Baumann Secretary General International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Dear Sir, Please accept my sincerest greetings from the Republic of the Philippines, where basketball is...

GMA vs David: premature titillation.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan LAST JUNE 23, THIS COLUMN SCORED A scoop with the news I picked up at former Senate President Jovito Salongas 89th birthday party that UP sociology professor Randy David would challenge President...

Biggest derby duel comes off wraps at Ynares.
June 30, 2009... TWO FORMIDABLE BLOCS OF COCKers face each other today to decide which of them reigns as the countrys best consortium in the National Cockers Alliance (NCA) Big Event derby at the Ynares Center in Pasig City. The consortium spearheded by...

Bring it on, Iggy tells opposing labor group.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Jerome Aning NEGROS OCCIDENTAL FIFTH DISTRICT Rep. Ignacio Iggy Arroyo Jr. yesterday said he was ready to take on the party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), which is poised to challenge him for his congressional seat in...

Ex-casino workers seek payment of back pay.
June 30, 2009... SUBIC BAY FREEPORTWITH the recent closure by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) of several foreign-owned hotels and a casino here, former employees are clamoring for payment of back wages and benefits before the firms remaining...

Catiil, Torres top Natl Duathlon.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Romina S. Austria NATIONAL TEAM MAINSTAYS led by Neil Catiil and Monica Torres proved they are head and shoulders above the rest by claiming the top three places in the Powerade National Duathlon Open Series second leg held over...

Come back, testify, CHR tells Fil-Am activist.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Nikko Dizon THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN Rights (CHR) yesterday urged Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas to return to the Philippines, saying a recent inspection of a military camp tended to validate her physical description of...

Crack Japan dancers show em; RP 2nd.
June 30, 2009... JAPANESE DANCE ATHLETES DISPLAYED flawless dancing skills to rule the recent International Dance Sport Federation Asian Championships and 3rd Manila IDSF Open at Isla Grand Ballroom of the Edsa Shangri-La hotel. The Japanese pair of...

Did you know.
June 30, 2009... IN 1939, then President Manuel L. Quezon asked Dwight D. Eisenhower, an American soldier assigned to the Philippines, to become chief of police of the newly created Quezon City. Eisenhower declined the offer as his tour of duty was ending in...

Doc slain because of his activism, say peers.
June 30, 2009... DAVAO CITYEPIDEMIOLOgist Dr. Rogelio Penera was killed because of his activism, his colleagues insisted on Saturday. Dr. Jonathan Placido, chair of the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), said Penera had rallied people in the sector against...

Doctor testifies on Melissas torture marks.
June 30, 2009... A VOLUNTEER-DOCTOR FROM the human rights group Karapatan yesterday took the stand in the Court of Appeals to testify on Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas injuries that the physician said were caused by her abduction and torture. ...

Dont run, JPE tells GMA; run, says Imelda.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Joey Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas TACLOBAN CITYSENATE President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday called on President Macapagal-Arroyo to abandon any plans of running for a seat in Congress, contending that the vast powers she enjoy would...

DOTC approves seaport for Pangasinan.
June 30, 2009... DAGUPAN CITYPANGASINAN will soon have an international seaport after the Department of Transportation and Communications gave it the green light to construct the facility in Sual town. Gov. Amado Espino Jr. said Transportation Secretary...

Search for truth.
June 30, 2009... IT IS GOOD THAT FILIPINO-AMERICAN MELISSA Roxas, a member of the US chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), has announced that she would sue military agents who tortured her almost to the point of death. Her lawyer said she would seek...

Firms pullout very suspicious, says Gordon.
June 30, 2009... Byline: the Inquirer Staff SEN. RICHARD GORDON YESterday said he found very suspicious the pullout of Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) as partner of Smartmatic in the P7.2-billion project to automate the 2010 elections. Is...

GMA hometown got bulk of funds, charges solon.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Gil Cabacungan Jr. PRESIDENT MACAPAGAL-ARroyo has visited Pampanga more times than any other province, pouring the bulk of her economic stimulus fund into her hometown and the provinces of Region III to which Pampanga belongs. ...

Is there a plan to create atmosphere of instability?
June 30, 2009... Byline: Michael Lim Ubac WERE THE BOMB BLASTS THAT ROCKED the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao part of a plan to create an atmosphere of instability? This disturbing question was posed...

Blank checks.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Juan L. Mercado A GEOGRAPHY OF 7,016 FRACTURED ISlands, even at low tide, has pay-offs. It offers insights into how potentials for 21st-century advance is sapped by 19th-century misrule. Mactan Island is an example. Cross one...

Maguindanao roadside blast kills 2; cops find bomb in QC.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao DATU SAUDI AMPATUAN, MaguindanaoAn improvised explosive device (IED) ripped through a roadside here yesterday, killing two men having an early morning coffee at the Bai Lanang Bakery and Coffee...

Massive govt operation vs NPA rebels in Capiz.
June 30, 2009... ROXAS CITYCOMMUNIST rebels and government troops clashed twice in Tapaz town in Capiz on Saturday, resulting in the wounding of five soldiers, the military said. The attacks prompted officials of the Armys 47th Infantry Battalion to...

Man shot dead; body dumped on street.
June 30, 2009... THE HALF-NAKED body of a man believed to be a victim of summary execution was found before dawn yesterday in Manila. The body, which was wrapped in canvas and packaging tape, bore a bullet wound in the head and ligature marks around the neck....

NFA employee killed.
June 30, 2009... AN EMPLOYEE of the National Food Authority was shot dead by two assailants on Sunday night after he attended a friends wedding in Quezon City. The victim was identified as Genie Galosmo, 40, a resident of 280 Steve St., Barangay Commonwealth....

Peacemaker dies after hitting head on pavement.
June 30, 2009... MEDIATING in an argument cost a man his life in Caloocan City on Sunday evening. Jose Acson, 42, died when he fell and hit his head on the pavement after he was punched in the face. The Caloocan police said they were looking for Troy...

Man stabbed dead over television.
June 30, 2009... A 40-YEAR-OLD man was killed in a fight with his neighbor on Sunday night in Manila. Jorge Oliveros, a resident of 1663 Interior 30 F. Varona St. in Tondo, was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors at the Mary Johnston Hospital. Manila Police...

Police to watch drug den 24/7.
June 30, 2009... Byline: DJ Yap and Nina Catherine Calleja THE NEWLY INSTALLED OFFIcer-in-charge of the Pasig Police Station yesterday said he plans to put up an outpost at Mapayapa Compound, the alleged den of drug traffickers which was raided by...

Militants protest plan to revive LPG depot in Pasig.
June 30, 2009... Byline: DJ Yap A GROUP OF URBAN POOR militants and residents picketed yesterday the offices of PR GAZ, a leading supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country, in protest of a supposed plan to revive an LPG depot in Pasig...

Ben Zayb and the possibility of journalism.
June 30, 2009... Byline: John Nery IN RIZALS NOVELS, AS IN THE HARRY POTTER heptalogy, journalists get a bad press. About a hundred years before J. K. Rowling gave us the enchantingly nasty Rita Skeeter, Jose Rizal created the equally inventive Ben Zayb....

Nothing to Palace coup talkBiazon.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Christine O. Avendano CHECKING WITH HIS MILITARY SOURCES, SEN. Rodolfo Biazon yesterday said there were no actual movements to indicate that a Malacanang coup, or a so-called Oplan August Moon, was in the works. Rumors of...

Ousted NSA heads can keep POC posts.
June 30, 2009... Byline: June Navarro PHILIPPINE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE OFFIcials dislodged as heads of their respective national sports association can now heave a sigh of relief. The International Olympic Committee last week assured POC president Jose...

Palace: No need for GMA to justify foreign trips.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Christian V. Esguerra, Jerome Aning and Allison W. Lopez THE INITIAL DRAFT IS READY, BUT Malacanang yesterday said there was no need for President Macapagal-Arroyo to justify her foreign trips when she delivers her final State of...

PDI donates e-newsrooms to UP.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Edson C. Tandoc Jr. TWO CLASSROOMS OF THE University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (CMC) in Diliman, Quezon City, have undergone a P2-million, multimedia makeover courtesy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. ...

Pinoys pin hope on mixed doubles.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo A RISING TANDEM AND A VETERAN SIBLING PAIR head the homegrown bid in the mixed doubles of the Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton Championships starting tomorrow at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. ...

Pop.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Conrado de Quiros NO ONE BELIEVED A FRIEND OF MINE when he came in to announce that Michael Jackson had just suffered a heart attack and was near death. He had heard it on the radio, he said, on the way to us. Someone said it...

Release report on bid rigging, public works chief dared.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Marlon Ramos AN ALLIANCE OF PUBLIC transport groups and motorists rights advocates yesterday dared Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to make public the report of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) panel...

Warning to smokers.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Rina Jimenez-David TWO CITIES IN METRO MANILA HAVE JOINED others in implementing a ban on smoking in public places contained in RA 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003. Recently, Mandaluyong and Muntinlupa created task...

Sabio: Ill speak at right time.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Philip C. Tubeza PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON GOOD Government (PCGG) Chair Camilo Sabio yesterday said he would fully explain at the proper time and place his frequent trips to Europe and other countries. Sabio said he would...

Sandiganbayan junks graft raps vs top Piatco executive.
June 30, 2009... THE SANDIGANBAYAN HAS dismissed the graft charges and lifted the hold-departure order against the former chair and president of Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (Piatco) over the voided contract to build the Ninoy Aquino...

Dont seek treatment if youre not sickDOH.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Christian V. Esguerra IF YOURE NOT SICK, dont insist that you are. The piece of advice came from an irate Department of Health (DOH) official, who asked the public not to overreact and seek medical treatment and a throat...

Small miners ruin N. Vizcaya mountain.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon QUEZON, NUEVA VIZcayaSmall-scale miners are ravaging this towns ore-rich mountains and turning them into virtual wastelands. They have destroyed the mountain, our roads and our rivers,...

Blazers tame Great Danes; Chiefs score.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas COMPOSURE ISNT EXACTLY ONE OF THE ST. BENILDE BLAZERS strongest suits the past few years. But it turned out to be the security blanket that separated them from feisty newcomer Angeles University Foundation...

2 suspected robbers killed in shootout, 5 more escape.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Jeannette I. Andrade TWO SUSPECTED MEMBERS of a robbery group were killed yesterday afternoon in a shootout with operatives of the Manila Police District (MPD). The police, meanwhile, said that five other gang members were able...

Tinga: Taguig not a drug hot spot, according to NCRPO.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Nina Catherine Calleja TAGUIG CITY MAYOR FREDDIE Tinga yesterday branded as malicious a councilors statement that the drug trade in the city was flourishing as he promised that more drug dealers would be arrested in the next days....

Triumph vows to honor financial obligations to 1,662 workers facing layoff.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Marlon Ramos TRIUMPH INTERNATIONAL yesterday said it would not abandon its financial obligation to the 1,662 workers who would lose their jobs when the German-Swiss garment company shuts down its operations in the country on Aug....

Govt troops hunt killers of 7 cops.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Julie S. Alipala, Chief of correspondents, Inquirer Mindanao ZAMBOANGA CITYGOVERNment forces have launched a massive hunt for suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits and rogue Moro rebels who killed seven policemen and one civilian agent in...

Petty politics in Tacloban City.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Ramon Tulfo I WENT TO TACLOBAN CITY over the weekend for the annual reunion of our high school class. I am so fortunate to have finished high school in Tacloban, although my school is gone now, thanks, but no thanks to a...

They dont fear us.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Paolo Chikiamco I AM NOT, GENERALLY SPEAKING, A VERY TOLERANT man. But of all the things that rouse my ire, I reserve a special, searing hatred for the wang-wang. My favorite wang-wang anecdote concerns the mad-cap journey of...

Anchor Land acquires Admiral Hotel for P360M.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao UPSCALE CONDOMINIUM DEVELoper Anchor Land Holdings Inc. (ALHI) has acquired the historic Admiral Hotel in Malate, Manila, which it will redevelop to the tune of P4 billion and mark its diversification into the...

Banks urged to lower rates to spur loan demand.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Michelle V. Remo SLUGGISH CONSUMER DEMAND HAS prompted businesses to cut back on investments, thereby slowing down the overall growth of demand for bank loans, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said. The BSP said the slower...

Efficient BPOs seen needing less office space.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Daxim L. Lucas LOCAL PROPERTY DEVELOPERS MAY FIND themselves faced with less robust demand from the business process outsourcing (BPO) firms as they strive to make more efficient use of their existing office space. The trend...

Brazil, RP ink biotech pacts.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Riza T. Olchondra THE AGRICULTURE DEPARTments agribusiness marketing and investment promotion arm has forged biotechnology agreements with Brazilian agencies. According to the Philippine Agricultural Development and...

Land of compromise.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Conrado R. Banal III INVESTORS IN METRO MANILA ARE said to be buying up land in the sleepy coastal town of San Vicente, in the land of promise, Palawan. In fact, one of them is the more enthusiastic gung-ho aggressive real...

Tata of India to open call center in RP.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Abigail L. Ho GIANT CONGLOMERATE TATA GROUP OF INDIA IS SETting up call center operations here, with an initial capacity of 250-300 seats. According to Jonathan de Luzuriaga, executive director for industry affairs for the...

CICT seeks fiscal incentives for broadband service providers.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Abigail L. Ho THE COMMISSION ON INFORmation and Communications Technology (CICT) is asking the Board of Investments (BOI) to provide tax breaks to broadband service providers. This is to encourage these companies to deploy...

Disclosures.
June 30, 2009... PANASONIC MANUFACTURING PHILIPPINES Corp. on June 19 elected the following to its board of directors: Masaru Maruo, Reynaldo Lico, Waichi Tamiya, Toshihiko Iwamoto, Masao Okawa, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Miguel Castro, and independent directors Jose...

Philippine firm gains foothold in Damascus.
June 30, 2009... I-REMIT INC., THE LEAD-ing non-bank Filipino cash transfer company, has gained a foothold in Syria with the signing of a partnership with Damascus-based money remittance and foreign exchange trading firm Al Alamiah Group Co. Company...

Inflation may ease in June.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIP-inas said inflation would likely slow down further in June, expecting it to settle between 1.2 and 2.1 percent, as the economic turmoil continued to temper the rise in demand for goods...

Lopez firm eyes Casecnan power facility.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Amy R. Remo LOPEZ-LED FIRST GEN CORP. IS planning to bid for the management of National Power Corp.s independent power producer contract for the 140-megawatt Casecnan hydropower project. According to First Gen senior vice...

Lull in corporate issues seen to spur govt bonds.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Daxim L. Lucas DEMAND FOR GOVERN-ment bonds is expected to rise in the second half of the year amid a hiatus in corporate bond issues that previously crowded out the Bureau of the Treasury from the debt market in the first half....

Still opting for value.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Den Somera YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY in what is called as the Greater Fool Theory. This is buying stocks on the expectation that a greater fool will buy your position sooner or later at a higher price. But seasoned investors...

Marubeni scouts for additional investments.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Amy R. Remo INDUSTRIAL GIANT MA-rubeni Corp. of Japan is eyeing additional investments in the country, particularly in the renewable energy sector, according to a company official. Masumi Kakinoki, senior operating officer of...

Meralco exec sees adequate Luzon supply until 2015.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Amy R. Remo POWER SUPPLY IN THE LUZON grid is expected to remain adequate until 2015, as the operations of existing power plants become more efficient. Many of the (National Power Corp.) plants are being privatized and those...

Metrobank boosts loan activities.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao LOCAL BANKING GIANT Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. seeks to boost its consumer lending portfolio with a quarter-long car sale program that offers affordable and customized loan packages for new car buyers. ...

Napocor to bid out coal supply deals for Sual.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Amy R. Remo NATIONAL POWER CORP. , THE COUNTRYS biggest producer of electricity, plans to buy another 195,000 metric tons (MT) of steaming coal next month, to supply part of the requirements of its 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sual power...

Standard Chartered ties up with Manulife.
June 30, 2009... BRITISH BANK STANDARD Chartered has tied up with Manulife Philippines to offer insurance protection products to its credit cardholders. This is another value-added feature that we are pleased to bring to our cardholders in association...

T-bill rates rise across the board.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Ronnel W. Domingo THE BUREAU OF THE TREAsury managed to raise less than two-thirds of its P8.5-billion borrowing target in yesterdays auction of treasury bills, as it decided to reject some bids due to the high rates sought by...

High-end spending still up.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Cheche V. Moral CREDIT SPENDING MAY have dropped compared to the last two years, but the country is still considerably afloat, thanks to the affluent market. Its a fact that buoys the confidence of Claire Ann T. Yap. It was...

What is it like to be in a trance?
June 30, 2009... Byline: Jaime T. Licauco A READER WHO signed herself Cheryll confuses trance with nightmare, which is a different thing. Trance is a state of hypnosis. One can be conscious and be in a state of trance. A nightmare occurs during...

Deep-fried foods lower the bodys energy level.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Cory Quirino THE HUMAN BODY HAS THE capacity to repair, regenerate, revive itself. But in order to do this, you need to: 1. Understand how your body functions. 2. Design a lifestyle that supports good healthbody, mind and...

Aiko and Jomari happier as friends.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Dolly Anne Carvajal JOMARI YLLANA IS EXCITed to work again with his ex, Aiko Melendez. We will play the parents of Angelina, the bratty character of Ogie Alcasid in Angelina and Yaya, he says. Ive long been praying for a good...

New CDs from bands that matter.
June 30, 2009... Byline: Tony Maghirang, Contributor Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream (Sony) The 18th and latest album from Springsteen with the E Street Band starts with an acoustic guitar romp, Outlaw Pete. A few songs later, it rocks to...

Bishop slams streamers of politicians.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon LUCENA CITYLUCENA BISHop Emilio Marquez has assailed the proliferation of banners and streamers of local politicians screaming all conceivable messages and advocacies for public...

Antifever drugs OK vs swine fluDOH.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Norman Bordadora LIKE MOST VIRAL ILLNESSES, an overwhelming number of Influenza A(H1N1) cases will go away with time, and paracetamol and a good decongestant can manage the symptoms of the swine flu, according to a health...

Austrian knocks out Alcantara.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo FILIPINO TENNIS SENSATION FRANcis Casey Alcantara bowed out in the first round of Wimbledon following a 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 loss against Austrias Maximilian Neuchrist in the boys singles event on Saturday (Sunday in...

AWD may soon receive pension, more incentives.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Leila B. Salaverria ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES (AWD) MAY SOON get discounts on establishments and a slew of benefits including monthly pensions. The House Committee on Appropriations has approved a bill to give more...

Blast hits Ombudsman building; no one hurt.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Nancy Carvajal A HOMEMADE DEVICE EXPLODED AT THE Office of the Ombudsman compound in Quezon City at 5 a.m. yesterday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said. It was not meant to hurt, but only apparently to send a...

Equestrian riders getting ready for the show.
June 29, 2009... Byline: Manolo R. Inigo EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE Philippines president Party-list Rep. Ma. Carissa Coscolluela is embarking on a four-year training, competition and horse management program aimed at uplifting the sport. The...

Cojuangco gets IOCbut not FEIbacking.
June 29, 2009... Byline: June Navarro OLYMPIC CHIEF JOSE PEPING COJUANGco Jr. has gained the support he badly needed from the International Olympic Committee but not in his own sport. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) thumbed down...

China no longer learning East Asian lessons.
June 29, 2009... Byline: John Lee WHEN THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING ECONOMIST Kenneth Arrow was asked which country had the best managed economy recently, he nominated China, Taiwan and South Korea. This viewpoint is consistent with the widely shared belief...

Couple killed over garbage thrown in backyard.
June 29, 2009... CEBU CITYA HEATED ARGUment over garbage proved fatal. A couple was killed on Saturday by their neighbor, who got mad after the garbage of the victims was reportedly thrown in his backyard. SPO2 Rolito Jumao-as, homicide investigator...