Philippine Daily Inquirer articles from May 2010

Philippine Daily Inquirer archives from May 2010

Lawyers, cops tapped for Lanao polls.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Jerome Aning WITH THE PUBLIC school teachers hesitating to act as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tapped its own lawyers and trainees of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to serve in...

$2-M Asian program in search of journalists.
May 31, 2010... Byline: John Nery THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER GAVE THE AUDIence plenty to think about. Preeminent Southeast Asia scholar Benedict Anderson lashed out at the catastrophic Arroyo administration, and lamented the isolation of public intellectuals from...

Asuncion-Velez bags mixed doubles gold.
May 31, 2010... FILIPINO ACE SHUTTLER KENnevic Asuncion and former RP player Karyn Velez salvaged the mixed doubles title as Malvinne Ann Venice Alcala settled for the womens singles silver medal Saturday in the Maldives International Badminton Challenge. ...

Midnight appointments.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas S. J. I AM AFRAID WE ARE NOT YET THROUGH with midnight appointments. The reconsideration of the De Castro case which affirmed with finality the power of the President to make appointments to the Supreme Court...

Noy told: Tackle Burma problem.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao CAGAYAN DE ORO CITYA group of Filipino activists has called on presumptive president-elect Benigno Noynoy Aquino III to take up the cudgels for Burmese democratization among leaders of the...

No child warriors in NPA, say Reds.
May 31, 2010... THE NEW PEOPLES Army (NPA) does not recruit child warriors or brutalize children caught up in its struggle with government forces, a leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on self-exile in the Netherlands said yesterday. The...

9 Chinese poachers caught off Palawan.
May 31, 2010... PUERTO PRINCESA CITYNine still unidentified Chinese nationals have been placed under the custody of the Coast Guard after they were caught poaching for marine turtles inside Philippine waters on Thursday off Balabac Island in the southernmost...

Smart Gilas a letdown in Fiba Asia.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Manolo Inigo WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? Ranged against opponents who were taller, heftier and better outside shooters, Smart Gilas-Pilipinas was a big loser again in the Fiba Asia Champions Cup, buttressing the cynics contention that the...

Cops seize P3-M cocaine from cops in buy-bust deal.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Miko Morelos ANTINARCOTICS OPERAtives of the Las Pinas city police seized a bag of white, powdery substance, which they believe to be cocaine worth around P3 million, from three police officers in a buy-bust operation on Saturday...

Next big leaps.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Neric Acosta CAMPAIGN 2010 WAS, FOR THOSE OF US WHO were in the thick of the process, alternately exhausting and awe-inspiring. Yet while invariably grueling, there was, for the most part, a long-running thread of exhilaration in the...

Dolphins, Tigers whip Baseball-RP Series 6 foes.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marc Anthony Reyes GAMES SATURDAY (Rizal Ballpark) 9 a.m.Batangas vs Taguig 1:30 p.m.Cebu vs Manila ALABANG AND CEBU WHIPPED SEPARATE foes yesterday to join Manila for the early lead in the Dunkin Donuts Baseball Philippines...

Nograles legacy.
May 31, 2010... IN HIS LAST MONTH IN CONGRESS, SPEAKER Prospero Nograles has the opportunity to make, not just law, but history. He can compel the House of Representatives to ratify the proposed Freedom of Information Act this week, and a grateful nation will...

Fire razes 20 Tondo houses.
May 31, 2010... FIRE DESTROYED 20 houses in Tondo, Manila, before dawn yesterday. No casualty was reported in the five-hour blaze at the corner of Corcuera and Velasquez Streets. Fire officials said the fire started at around 12:56 a.m. from the house of...

Hot days returning, says Pagasa.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Nikko Dizon AFTER A FEW DAYS RESPITE, THE hot days will be back, weathermen said yesterday. The low pressure area that brought cooling rains to the metropolis late last week has left the Philippine area of responsibility, Dr....

Joker: Cut debates, fast-track canvass.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Christine O. Avendano and Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. THE COUNTING OF VOTES for president and vice president by Congress should be fast-tracked by doing away with long debates on the canvassing process and on allegations of electronic...

Manual audit shows no vote tampering.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Tarra Quismundo THE ACCURACY OF THE countrys first automated elections still holds as a comparison of hand-counted and machine-counted votes showed variances that do not suggest any pattern or deliberate tampering, an official...

They want Inocentes retained.
May 31, 2010... Metro Manila mayors are set to request the incoming administration that it retain Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Oscar Inocentes in the government post, saying all his development programs have yet to be completed. Assembled as...

Acquitted after 9 years.
May 31, 2010... A woman allegedly caught selling illegal drugs in her home nine years ago was acquitted of the crime Friday by a Pasig court for insufficient evidence. Teresa V. Roxas was found innocent of the charge in a decision promulgated by Judge Librado...

Korean tourist robbed.
May 31, 2010... A Korean tourist was robbed of some P400,000 worth of his belongings by the driver of the taxi he was riding in Manila. Kang Se-Chul, temporarily staying at a hotel in Ermita, reported yesterday the robbery with the Manila Police, claiming that...

Cops to dismantle illegal transport terminals, food stalls near schools.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marlon Ramos STARTING TODAY, THE QUEzon City Police District (QCPD) will begin dismantling illegal public transport terminals and food stalls near the schools all over the city ahead of the opening of classes on June 15. Chief...

Void Mitra victory, SC urged.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Dona Pazzibugan THE SUPREME Court has been asked to nullify the proclamation of Palawan governor-elect Abraham Mitra since he had been disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) prior to the May 10 polls for failure to meet...

Notes for the coming inaugural.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Manuel L. Quezon III THE INAUGURATION OF A PRESIDENT IS RICH in symbolism which is generally little known or understood, but which can be utilized to lend solemnity, a sense of democratic continuity and a spirit of national...

Herbal medicines may be dangerous.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Neal H. Cruz AT LAST THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WOKE up to a danger to health spreading in our midst. It is not a virus or bacteria or any disease but, ironically, the astronomical growth of companies producing and selling herbal...

Soldiers clean schools.
May 31, 2010... CAMARINES SUR WITH BROOMS, paint brushes and carpentry tools, all the 5,000 soldiers in the Bicol region last week helped repair buildings in 125 public elementary schools in the region, an annual public school cleanup drive initiated by the...

Soldier shot dead.
May 31, 2010... A SOLDIER was shot dead on Saturday afternoon by three suspected New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Bicalen in Presentacion town, an Army official said yesterday morning. Private First Class Alvin Arias suffered bullet wounds on the...

7 cops hurt in ambush.
May 31, 2010... MASBATE SEVEN POLICEMEN were wounded in an attack by suspected New Peoples Army rebels in Barangay Marintoc, Mobo town, on Friday, said a Masbate police report. Of the seven, six were traveling on board a patrol car in Barangay Lalaguna...

On alert for attacks.
May 31, 2010... COTABATO CITY CENTRAL MINDANAO police were on heightened alert for possible retaliatory bomb attacks following the death of a suspected bomber on Wednesday. Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu, director of the Central Mindanao police, on Saturday...

4 women die in fire.
May 31, 2010... DUMAGUETE CITY FOUR WOMEN were trapped to death in a Saturday dawn fire that razed their rented house in Barangay Camanjac. Police officer 3 Florito Fajardo, desk investigator of the Dumaguete City Police Office, said the bodies of sisters...

New appointment at Pagcor defended.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Christian V. Esguerra and Christine O. Avendano WHATS THE PROBLEM? A top Malacanang official yesterday defended the recent reappointment of Efraim Genuino as chair of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), extending his...

Noynoy dreads isolated life in Malacanang.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENT-ELECT Benigno Noynoy Aquino III yesterday said he risked being isolated from the people if he lived in Malacanang but that he was willing to talk with his neighbors on Times Street regarding...

Old faces in next Cabinet bode ill for Noynoy.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Amando Doronila TIMES STREET, QUEZON CITY, IS UNder siege by a horde of job seekers for positions in the incoming administration of Benigno Noynoy Aquino III. It is also swamped by gratuitous advice on how to run his government,...

Palace dares Aquino to sustain economic growth.
May 31, 2010... THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION WILL have no one to blame but itself should the countrys economic growth sputter after growing 7.3 percent during the first quarter of the year, Malacanang yesterday said. The wind is at their back. The Arroyo...

Pangasinan villagers want riverbanks fortified.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon SAN FABIAN, PANGASINANRains this month came as a relief from the sweltering summer heat, but for residents of Barangay Binday along the Bued River here, the rains brought back nightmarish...

Pastors urged: Keep sermon short, tweet.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Alex Pal, Inquirer Visayas DUMAGUETE CITYKEEP THE SERMON short and tweet or maybe post a copy on Facebook. The head of an international church has challenged the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) to utilize modern...

Preventive suspension vs cops in Edsa shootout revoked.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Dona Pazzibugan THE COURT OF APPEALS HAS revoked the 90-day preventive suspension imposed on a group of Quezon City policemen who were caught on video gunning down three alleged car thieves in a busy thoroughfare in February 2009. ...

Pro-gun group aims for looser laws.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Tarra Quismundo A GROUP OF GUN ENTHUSIASTS IS countering police calls for an extension of the election gun ban with its own call for laws liberalizing gun ownership. The Gun Enthusiasts Confederation of the Philippines (GECP)...

Probe PCOS memory cards, group asks Comelec.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Jerome Aning A CAUSE-ORIENTED GROUP THAT monitored the May 10 automated polls called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday to conduct a separate investigation of the compact flash or memory cards used by the precinct...

Judges.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Conrado de Quiros I WROTE THIS MORE THAN A COUPLE OF years ago after Romulo Neri called his boss evil in private but swiftly suffered amnesia afterward in public: Someone told me that Neri was just in survival mode in contrast to...

Romulos legacy, the ePassport.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Ramon Farolan MANY YEARS AGO, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING from Barcelona to Chicago. I had just attended a conference on export processing zones and we were on our way to visit the kids in the United States. While checking in at the...

Sayyaf demands P1M for release of 3 captives.
May 31, 2010... ZAMBOANGA CITYABU SAYYAF bandits in Basilan led by Purudji Indama had contacted the family of one of the three persons they abducted on May 27. Virginia Francisco, mother of Rolando Francisco Jr., on Friday confirmed that the contact was made...

The V-League is Tigresses hunting grounds.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Sev Sarmenta UST HAS MASTERED THE WINning formula in the Shakeys V-League and six titles in seven years is proof of that. The Tigresses turned to local guest talent and their own system to win another trophy as part of a dominating...

Buzzer-beater dooms Smart Gilas 5.
May 31, 2010... Byline: June Navarro DOHAALREADY OUT OF THE MEDAL race, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas five missed its modest target of fifth place in the 21st Fiba Asia Champions Cup after Al Jalaa of Syria escaped with an 83-81 buzzer-beating win Saturday night...

So wins by default over Antonio, grabs share of chess lead.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Roy Luarca TAGAYTAY CITYTWO-TIME CHAMpion Wesley So got a free ride to the top last night, winning by default over Grandmaster Rogelio Antonio Jr. and catching up with erstwhile solo leader GM John Paul Gomez after six rounds of the...

Bell saves Tigers from Coffee Makers.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Musong R. Castillo GAMES WEDNESDAY (Cuneta Astrodome) 5 p.m.Rain or Shine vs Talk N Text 7:30 p.m.Sta. Lucia vs Derby Ace COCA-COLA LITERALLY RANG THE BELL with its new import. The Tigers rode on Rashad Bells heroics...

Bell saves Tigers from Coffee Makers.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Musong R. Castillo GAMES WEDNESDAY (Cuneta Astrodome) 5 p.m.Rain or Shine vs Talk N Text 7:30 p.m.Sta. Lucia vs Derby Ace COCA-COLA LITERALLY RANG THE BELL with its new import. The Tigers rode on Rashad Bells heroics...

Tsinoy, Muslim families give census takers headache.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon CALASIAO, PANGASINANGetting basic information for the National Statistics Offices census from Chinese-Filipino and Muslim families in Pangasinan is proving to be difficult for teachers tapped to...

Volunteers train as river warriors.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Edson C. Tandoc Jr. IN A NEARBY URBAN FOREST, more than 200 children, teenagers and adults were training for battle. They marched under the scorching sun. They learned taekwondo, karate and arnis. They are the river warriors and...

West Visayas gets P600M for rehabilitation of infrastructure, typhoon-damaged areas.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas ILOILO CITYNEARLY TWO YEARS after Typhoon Frank ravaged Western Visayas, the national government has finally released P600 million as part of the P4-billion fund intended to rehabilitate damaged...

BIR eyes hike in zonal valuations nationwide.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE BUREAU OF INTERNAL Revenue is set to increase the zonal valuations nationwide in a bid to ramp up tax collections from the sale of real properties. At the BIRs head office in Quezon City last week, Internal...

Eyes on the prize.
May 31, 2010... Byline: the staff ONE OF THE BIGGEST PRIZES THAT POtential Aquino administration appointees are eyeing is not even available yet. Well, at least not for another 13 months, as the current holder of the Cabinet-level post has a fixed term. ...

Cautious trading seen.
May 31, 2010... STOCK INVESTORS ARE SEEN turning cautious this week as the euphoria over the countrys stellar first-quarter growth fizzles out while the recent sovereign credit downgrade on Spain heightens jitters over the Eurozone. The main-share Philippine...

Counseling OFWs online.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Gina M. Hechanova, Contributor LAST YEAR, THE ATENEO CENTER for Organizations Research and Development and the Ateneo Psychology Department launched a website (ofwonline.net) to provide free online counseling for overseas Filipino...

DTI seeks new law on tax credit refund.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Abigail L. Ho IN AN EFFORT TO GET MORE JAPANESE businessmen to invest here, the Department of Trade and Industry is seeking a law that will allow the automatic separation of tax rebates for entitled investors from revenue that the...

Caraga goes global.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Kristine Felisse Mangunay CARAGAS GOING GLOBALAGAIN. With the international market shifting priorities from only-delicious to healthy-and-delicious consumption, Caragacomposed of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte...

Neda backs new tax measures.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUthority has backed proposals for the imposition of new tax measures, saying the government needed to put its fiscal house in order to be able to sustain the high growth rate of...

RP firm cuts ties with US partner.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Daxim L. Lucas LIBERTY FLOUR MILLS HAS DECIDED TO end its close to half-a-century relationship with US-based General Mills Inc., for which it manufactures and sells the popular Gold Medal brand flour in the country, the company said....

HSBC names Aussie bank veteran as country head.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao BRITISH BANKING GIANT HSBC HAS named an Australian banking veteran as the new chief executive officer for the Philippines. In a statement issued last Friday, HSBC said Tony Cripps, the current head of global banking...

Growing beyond the elections.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Cielito Habito AS IN PAST ELECTION YEARS, THE Philippine economy surged in the first quarter of this year with a 7.3-percent growth, driven by the massive spending that accompanies every election, whether from government or otherwise....

Meralco switches to diversification, expansion mode.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Amy R. Remo MANILA ELECTRIC CO., THE COUNTRYS biggest power distributor, has begun exploring other energy-related businesses to ensure continuous supply and reduce the price of electricity for its customers. According to Meralco...

Mining seen attracting $1.4B in investments.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Riza T. Olchondra THE PHILIPPINES IS expected to meet its target of drawing up to $1.4 billion worth of investments in the capital intensive and politically sensitive mining industry, according to Bureau of Mines and Geosciences...

Ongpin group to revive oil exploration, mining interests.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Daxim L. Lucas THE ONGPIN GROUP IS SET TO REvive its participation in the mining industry through majority-owned Atok-Big Wedge Co. Inc., which it acquired last year, group vice chair Eric Recto said. Speaking to reporters last...

PetroEnergy to raise P700M for geothermal unit.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Amy R. Remo PUBLICLY LISTED PETROENERGY Resources Corp. plans to conduct a stock rights offer within the year to raise roughly P700 million for its planned geothermal project. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange,...

Petron seeks new partner.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Paolo G. Montecillo PETRON CORP. IS PLANNING TO BRING IN A different partner for the construction of a 70-megawatt coal-fired power plant at its refinery in Bataan. Petron president Eric O. Recto said the company was in talks with...

Ship firms want MVP to control North Harbor.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Paolo G. Montecillo LOCAL SHIPPING FIRMS HAVE thrown their support behind the group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan for control of the company operating Manilas North Harbor. The Philippine Liner Shipping Association (PLSA)...

SM to cut stake in property unit.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao THE GROUP OF TYCOON HENRY Sy plans to pare down its stake in fast-growing residential property arm SM Development Corp. to widen its public float and heed demand especially from foreign investors. SMDC president...

SMC to acquire more coal mines in Luzon.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Amy R. Remo AFTER ACQUIRING THREE COAL MINES in Mindanao, diversifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is already eyeing other prospective sites in Luzon in an aggressive bid to strengthen its presence in the power generation industry....

Stock index seen hitting 3,500 level.
May 31, 2010... LOCAL STOCKS HAVE enough gas to drive up the main-share index to 3,500 later this year and any market dip only offers an opportunity for investors to load up on equities, leading brokerage ATR KimEng Securities said. The main-share Philippine...

Heroism and cliche in Looking for Juan 2010.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Katrina Stuart Santiago, Contributor THIS YEARS LOOKing for Juan (Vargas Museum, UP Diliman) is in a bigger, brighter venue and doesnt seem to want to stop with talking about identity. With the question of everyday heroes, cliche...

Muses and visions: The art of Edwin and Amihan Jumalon.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Bendix M. Fernandez, Contributor EDWIN JUMALON used to sit with his daughter Amihan, plant some art materials and still-life-worthy objects in front of her, and urge her to paint. The Jumalon house has since bloomed into a haven of...

Renovating a church museum.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Isidro Abano, OP, Contributor I THINK ITS now about time that we offer Our Lady a better museum. These were the words of Fr. Stephen Redillas, OP, prior of the Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manaoag, as he thanked and encouraged...

Writers, artists discuss ways of improving values content of childrens TV.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Amadis Ma. Guerrero, Contributor FILIPINO CHILDREN TODAY WOULD rather be Japanese, American, even Iraqi if you ask them. They have not developed love for our own culture. They are ashamed of being Filipino. They have learned the value...

Art show pays tribute to women environmentalists.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Flaudette May V. Datuin, Contributor FROM A BUSY AND CONGESTED SECTION of Cubao, Quezon City, self-taught curator Norma Liongoren has been presentingfor two decades nowa series called Walong Filipina (Eight Filipinas), and has shown...

Carlos Filarts Quiapo and Nazarene bacchanalia.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Cid Reyes, Contributor THAT TRUE AND FAITHFUL chronicler of the city of his affection, the late National Artist Nick Joaquin, wrote of Manilas most enthralling and spell-binding fiesta, the Quiapo feast of the Nazareno: On New...

A feast of images.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Alice G. Guillermo, Contributor MARCEL ANTONIO ONCE more regales us with a series of images from his rare and exquisite world at Galleria Quattrocento July 2-15. Although his paintings are figurative and seemingly drawn from the...

Audie Gemoraall set for Equus.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Walter Ang, Contributor THE PLAY EQUUS re-entered the publics awareness when it was revived on Londons West End, and later on Broadway, a few years back with Daniel Radcliffe (otherwise known as the actor who plays Harry Potter) as...

The radiance of light in Cid Reyes new abstracts.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marie Anne Fajardo, Contributor WHEN HE IS NOT BUSY writing informed commentaries and art critiques on the works of both established and emerging artists, Cid Reyes is occupied with creating his own set of abstract masterpieces. In...

The family that sings together.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Pablo A. Tariman, Contributor THE MARRIAGE OF TENOR Pablo Molina and soprano Camille Lopez has produced two beautiful daughters: Sofia, 4, and Beatriz, 6. Molinas mother-in-law happens to be voice teacher and pianist Myrna Ascutia...

Rony Diazs whodunit war novel probes historical violence.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Shirley O. Lua, Contributor LIKE ANGELS IN heaven who exult over the birth of a saint, lovers of Philippine literature rejoice each time a novela good novelis published. Rony Diazs At Wars End was launched last May 22 at...

Director wants kids to see his new film.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marinel R. Cruz INDEPENDENT FILMmaker Joselito Jay Altarejos, whose work Pink Halo-Halo is competing in this years Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, says his goal is to have the movie seen by as many schoolchildren as...

Heart takes flight.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Bayani San Diego Jr. ALTHOUGH WELL-TRAVELED, actress Heart Evangelista is scared of flying. Fortunately or not, her work forces her to take plane rides to places near and farlike Prague in the Czech Republic (for the GMA 7 series...

Noy, the namesake.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Marinel R. Cruz THERES MORE THAN MEETS the eye to sharing the first name of a famous personality, Coco Martins character learns in the independent film Noy, which the actor co-directs and co-produces. This is especially true when...

KCs simple hosting approach works.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Nestor U. Torre WHEN KC CONCEPCION RECENTLY decided to add the designation host to her list of abilities (singer, actress, dancer, endorser, show biz princess, etc.) it looked like she had bitten off a big mouthful. After all, her...

No meddler, this Ate Vi.
May 31, 2010... Byline: Dolly Anne Carvajal ANGEL LOCSIN DENIES RUMORS THAT Ate Vi (Vilma Santos) hurled invectives at her and told son Luis Manzano to break up with her. Tita Vi never meddled in my relationship with Luis, Angel clarifies. She never...

Bare hands, big hearts build new homes over typhoon ruins.
May 30, 2010... Byline: Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon BANI, PANGASINANIN A VALLEY IN BARANgay Dakap here, hundreds of men and women have joined hands to rebuild their lives from the devastation of a typhoon that flattened their village last year....