Arroyo seeks alternative treatment in Tagaytay

MANILA (Updated, 2:52 p.m.) -- Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday went to Tagaytay City to seek alternative treatment for her ailments from Dr. Antonia Park.

The clinic of Dr. Park, who is famous for treating patients with alternative modalities, is located in Barangay San Jose, Tagaytay City.

Asia stocks rise but weak SKorea data limits gains

BANGKOK — Asian stock markets rose Thursday amid hopes Europe will give its bailout fund more financial firepower but gains were tempered as South Korea reported its economic growth slowed to a two-year low.

Markets have been rattled over the past few days by fears that Spain, the fourth-largest economy among the 17 states that use the euro, could need a bailout along the lines of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Carpio: Impeachment trial did not wound judiciary

MANILA (Updated, 1:50 p.m.) -- Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio dismissed an observation of a junior colleague that the impeachment trial resulted in a "wounded" judiciary, saying the process brought to light the problems hounding the institution such as clogged dockets and corruption.

In response to a statement on Wednesday by Associate Justice Roberto Abad, Carpio said the impeachment pushed the Court to work on the problems as much as possible. Abad is also vying for the position of Chief Justice.

Chinese fleet leaves Spratlys

MANILA -- A fleet of 30 Chinese fishing boats left an area of the highly disputed Spratly Islands and made its way to Hainan province in mainland China, the Chinese government said Thursday.

In a report posted on its web portal, the Chinese government said that the fleet "took refuge" at the bay of Meiji Reef "during a bout of bad weather" last week and "decided to return to Sanya Port after a meeting on Wednesday when the weather eased."

Review of court fees sought

MANILA -- An applicant for the position of Chief Justice on Thursday said the Supreme Court should revisit its policy on imposing filing fees to make justice more accessible to the public.

Amado Valdez, dean of the University of the East College of Law, said this will be burdensome for poor people who wanted to seek remedy in the legal system as fees range from P100 to P3,000 for filing an action or proceeding with the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan.

Indonesian forest savior among Magsaysay winners

MANILA — An Indonesian mountaineer who faced death threats while battling illegal loggers and a Bangladeshi lawyer who fought to keep old rusty ships from being dumped in her homeland are among this year's winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards.

The awards announced Thursday are considered Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prizes. They are named after a popular Philippine President who died in a plane crash in 1957.

New LPA to become cyclone Friday

MANILA -- Another low pressure area (LPA) spotted at the eastern coast of Mindanao continues to intensify and is expected to become a tropical depression by Friday afternoon, the state weather bureau said on Thursday.

Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said that as of 2 a.m., the LPA was sighted off 430 kilometers east of Hinatuan City in Surigao del Sur.

Miami coach to return to Philippines with NBA trophy

MANILA -- Filipino-American Erik Spoelstra is set for another homecoming next month but this time, he will bring along the prestigious Larry O’ Brien trophy for sending Miami Heat to its second franchise championship in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Enrile nixes manual 2013 elections

MANILA -- Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said Filipinos should no longer write their bets in a sheet of paper for the 2013 midterm elections since the law provides for full automation.

Reacting to a statement by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Enrile said reverting to manual elections is not the way to go even if the poll body received lower allocation than expected.

7 Mexican miners killed in explosion

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico — Emergency personnel recovered the bodies of seven miners killed in a gas explosion Wednesday at a coal mine in northern Mexico.

The miners, aged 20 and 39, suffered severe burns and were crushed by falling rock, said Francisco Contreras Obregon, the head of the civil defense force in that part of northern Coahuila state.