Drilon hopes House will accept Senate version of sin tax bill

MANILA -- Senator Franklin Drilon is hoping that congressmen will accede to his chamber's proposal in next week's meeting of some members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to reconcile disagreeing provisions of the sin tax reform bill.

Drilon, acting chairperson of the ways and means committee, welcomed a statement from his counterpart Davao Representative Isidro Ungab who saw Senate Bill 3299 as workable enough.

Cops defuse IED in Sultan Kudarat

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat –- Police authorities defused Friday morning a powerful improvised explosive discovered just after Maguindanao Governor Esmael Toto Mangudadatu’s convoy passed by the Rotunda here en route to Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Mangudadatu led relatives, friends and loved ones of the victims in commemorating the 3rd year anniversary of the massacre in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Ombud affirms dismissal of policemen involved in choppers deal

MANILA -- Twenty policemen who were slapped with suspension or dismissal from service in relation to their involvement in the sale of second-hand choppers in 2009 will still carry the said penalties after the Office of the Ombudsman junked their appeal.

RH bill author to colleagues: Attend session, maintain quorum

MANILA -- With only 12 session days left before Congress goes on Christmas break, the main proponent of the reproductive health (RH) bill on Friday wrote to his colleagues not only to show up in plenary but to maintain a quorum as well.   In his letter sent to over a hundred co-authors of the RH bill, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman appealed to all authors and advocates of the divisive measure to help enact the RH law.  

MILF Transition Commission members ready by mid-December

MANILA -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Friday that it will have the names of those who will be appointed to the Transition Commission by middle of December.

The Transition Commission, which will be composed of 15 members including the chairman, has three major tasks namely: to write the Basic Law, to propose amendments to the Constitution, and to coordinate, if necessary, development projects in the area of the Bangsamoro, said Muhammad Ameen, chair of the MILF Secretariat.

Businessmen bullish on Q4 prospects

MANILA -- Businessmen were expecting a more improved economy for the fourth quarter of this year as there could be more opportunities coming, but they were less optimistic at the beginning of next year, the central bank said.

In the fourth quarter Business Expectations Survey conducted from October 15 to November 15, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said that the businesses' outlook on the economy was more buoyant in the last quarter of the year, with the overall confidence index (CI) of 49.5 percent, higher than the 42.5 percent during the third quarter.

New Zealander accused of child molestation held

MANILA -- A New Zealander, who is the subject of a string of criminal complaints for child abuse in Davao City, was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said that David William Wakefield, 50, was encountered at the NAIA Terminal 2 last November 20 as he was about to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Singapore.

3 dead, over 13,000 affected by Davao region floods

MANILA -- More than 13,000 residents have been affected by the Davao region flooding that has killed at least three people, the state disaster agency said in its latest report.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the flooding was caused by the intermittent rains in the previous days brought by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. It has affected 11 municipalities in the provinces of Compostella Valley, Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental.

Philippines, Vietnam protest map in China passport

MANILA — A map that China has incorporated into its passports has drawn diplomatic fury because it appears to claim the entire South China Sea, ignoring competing claims from the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters in Manila that he sent a note to the Chinese Embassy that his country "strongly protests" Beijing's inclusion of an image showing China's claimed maritime borders in its new passport.

Expect fair weather on weekend

MANILA -- The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Friday said that many parts of the country including Metro Manila could expect fair weather condition this weekend.

Pagasa weather forecaster Buddy Javier said that aside from possible light rains mostly in the afternoon or evening due to localized convection, Metro Manila and most parts of the Luzon and the Visayas are expected to have sunny weather with partly cloudy skies until Sunday.