Pruning in Guadalupe cut short

THE Task Force created by Mayor Michael Rama to prune trees in Cebu City will suspend its operations in Barangay Guadalupe today and temporarily transfer to another area.

The move came after Guadalupe Elementary School teachers requested the task force to suspend the activity since they are having their periodical examinations.

Developer vows to control flooding

THE developer of an upscale subdivision north of Cebu City has committed to finish flood mitigating measures next month.

The agreement was reached, as the developer of Monterazas de Cebu also sought assistance from the community in addressing the flooding problem in Barangay Guadalupe.

Chiong to go up against Ecleo

THELMA Chiong, head of the Crusade against Violence (CAV) in Cebu, will take the witness stand against Ruben Ecleo Jr., supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA).

Ecleo is charged with parricide for allegedly killing his wife Alona Bacolod-Ecleo.

Capitol to help with repair of belfry

THE 18th-century bell tower of the Dumanjug Catholic Church is in danger of falling apart.

Cebu Provincial Engineer Eulogio Pelayre said vegetation may have caused the stones at the tower’s topmost part to weaken, allowing water to seep through the stones. The weight of the balusters may have also added to the problem.

Child abuse cases go up: DSWD

SOME 1,047 child abuse cases were reported to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 last year.

Abandonment or neglect was the most common form abuse, with 462 cases; followed by physical abuse, with 185 cases; and rape, with 152 cases.

Compostela Valley landslide kills 3, hurts 4

NEW BATAAN, Compostela Valley -- Three small-scale miners died while four others were injured when a landslide hit a mining area in Sitio Tagutong, Barangay Andap here on Tuesday evening.

Belated report showed that the landslide struck around 7 p.m. of August 16.

PAL ready to help repatriate Pinoys from Syria

MANILA -- The government announced Thursday that the country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) offered help for the repatriation of Filipinos trapped in Syria amid escalating political tension there.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said PAL president and chief operation officer Jaime Bautista is ready to coordinate with the government in mapping out the repatriation plans for 17,000 Filipino workers in the Arab country.

Aquino won't bar Arroyo from seeking medical treatment abroad

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III gave the blessing for former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to seek medical treatment abroad if necessary.

"For humanitarian considerations, kung kailangan po niya bakit hindi," Aquino said.

Iggy Arroyo asked to attend helicopter deal probe

HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. wants Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo to attend the Senate blue ribbon committee hearings on the anomalous sale of used helicopters to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2009.

"He's a person who voluntarily gave a statement without being compelled to do so and I think it is in his best interest to support this statement by showing up there (Senate)," Belmonte told reporters in a press conference Thursday.

Senators call for follow-up probe into Mayuga report

THE Mayuga report on allegations of cheating in the 2004, although perceived as "watered down," still has enough information for follow-up investigations, a senator said Thursday.

House panel won't look into 2004 poll results

THE ad hoc committee created by the House of Representatives will focus its efforts on alleged break-in at the Batasan Pambansa in 2005 and won't probe the results of the 2004 national elections, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. clarified.

The ad hoc committee to be headed by Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada is mandated to conduct a fact-finding investigation, verification, and gathering of all data and relevant facts relating to the reported break-ins.

Olympic body apologizes to Philippine dragon boat team

THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Thursday apologized to the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) for the government's lack of financial support despite bagging numerous medals in a recent international competition.

In a congressional inquiry, POC chairman Monico Puentevella personally congratulated the 26-member team who clinched five gold and two silver medals in the 10th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Florida.

US plan puts jobs of 6,000 Filipinos in Afghanistan at stake

JOBS of 6,000 Filipinos hang in the balance after the United States Army undertook the first steps for the repatriation of workers in its bases in Afghanistan.

A US Army memorandum dated August 13 sent to the 645th Regional Support Group in Afghanistan has instructed all US-based companies employing overseas Filipino workers to draft their demobilization plans.

Palace, Congress promise cooperation on FOI bill

ALTHOUGH Malacañang has failed to give priority to the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which will give more public access to government records, it has shown willingness to work with Congress to get the bill passed.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, author of a FOI bill that the 14th Congress almost approved, said Thursday that Malacañang has shown it sees a need for a freedom of information law.

Senator: De Lima is all talk

WITH cases filed against Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo still pending with her office, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima seems to work the press more than she does actual work, an administration senator said Thursday.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said de Lima can serve the Aquino administration better as its spokesperson since she is all talk.

President of metals, plastics company charged with tax evasion

A METALS and plastics manufacturing company and its president are facing a tax evasion case after the firm failed to file correct income taxes for the years 2007 and 2008.

Joaquin Chua, president of Gammon Metal Products Inc., has failed to pay some P1.7 billion in taxes, including surcharges and interest, according to the case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Ex-senator proposes Bangsamoro federal state

FORMER senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. reiterated his proposal for a federal Philippines Thursday as an alternative to a Moro "sub-state" that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has floated.

"The use of the word sub-state, number one, I don't think it is acceptable in international law. The recognized solution to secessionist movements in international law is the adoption of a federal system," he said at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado.

DOTC sees possible overpricing of marine equipment

THE Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said Thursday there may have been an irregular procurement of P1.15-billion worth of marine environmental protection equipment (MEPE) and lighthouse spare parts intended for the Philippine Coast Guard during the previous administration.

Undersecretary Aristotle Batuhan said the DOTC, headed by Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas, has already ordered a special audit to be conducted after the Commission on Audit (COA) was unable to determine if there was an overpricing because the products were imported.

Quiapo church to lead rally vs abortion pill sale

A PROTEST rally organized by the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene will be held on Friday to oppose the illegal sale of "cytotec", a pill known to induce abortion.

Protesters are expected to converge at 1 p.m. at the Plaza Miranda and will march to the Manila City Hall, Msgr. Clemente Ignacio, Rector of Quiapo Church, said.

Aquino to renegotiate Northrail project with China

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will discuss the shelved North Luzon Railways (Northrail) project, among others, during his state visit to China scheduled August 30, his defeated vice-presidential candidate and now Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Manuel Roxas II said Thursday.

"We are seeking for amendments to the existing agreement such that problems can be addressed satisfactorily...We want to have an operational working rail that would link to the north rail, for instance, Clark," Roxas said.

Pimentel hopes to bridge gap between mayor, guv

SENATOR Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel will reportedly bridge the gap between archrivals Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano and Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno for the improvement of the province.

Pimentel said this after he saw both Emano and Moreno during his thanksgiving Mass on Thursday at the St. Augustine Cathedral.

Task force formed to probe smuggling case

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has created a task force led by City Prosecutor Fidel Macauyag that would handle the investigation on the smuggling case filed against suspected car smuggler Lynard Allan Bigcas.

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd district), who earlier asked the DOJ to hear Bigcas's case in Cagayan de Oro City, lauded Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for the action.

Red tide alert still up for Misamis Occidental Bay

THE Murcielagos Bay in the boundary of Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte is still positive for paralytic shellfish poison or "red tide" based on the latest bulletin released by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

With this, the public was warned not to harvest, sell, buy or eat all types of shellfish or "alamang" (minute shrimps) in the area as it is found to contain poison beyond the regulatory limit and will not be safe for human consumption.

Lawmaker wants probe into issues hounding banana industry

CAGAYAN de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez is calling for a House inquiry to clarify reports indicating an attempt for re-imposition of hectarage limits on banana plantations, and Australia's imposition of stricter export requirements for Philippine bananas.

Rodriguez said banana is Mindanao's largest export product by value and that the country's banana industry is worth $720 million a year.

Councilor supports move to counter IRA cut

A CAGAYAN de Oro City official lauded Senator Francis Escudero for urging the National Government to subsidize the gap left by the decrease in the allocation of internal revenue allotment (IRA) to local government units (LGUs).

Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya said if the order of the court will be finalized and implemented, the city's IRA will be affected along with other highly urbanized cities in the country.

Defective road segments discovered in Lanao

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte -- Some 16 defective portions were discovered by a joint inspection team on three road segments of the Metro Iligan Regional Infrastructure Development Project (MIRIDP).

Considered the biggest infrastructure project in the province, the MIRIDP is expected to pump prime the economic development in municipalities covered by its implementation, especially the interior towns of Lanao del Norte.

'Pester Power' not an issue in the country

"PESTER Power", the frequent purchase request associated with children's advertising exposure, is not a matter of concern in the Philippines today, according to a researcher.

Dr. Mary Gretchen Chaves, chairperson of the management division of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, said the effects of advertising, particularly in children, are one of the issues being discussed in the social development and academic circles.

Inter-faith group fears delay of peace talks

THE multi-sectoral and interfaith movement "Sowing the Seeds of Peace" has expressed apprehension over another looming postponement of the rescheduled formal peace talks between the government and communist rebels.

In a statement, the group said that while the Government of the Philippines (GPH) has exercised its political will to resume negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite several contentious issues, it should extend the same decisiveness in its peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Rebel leader, pal fall

COMBINED police and military forces have arrested a rebel leader and a companion while trying to slip through a checkpoint explosive materials and firearms in a remote village of Zamboanga del Norte.

Zamboanga Peninsula Police Office (ZPPO) information officer Superintendent Leonardo Olandesca said the arrest was made around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the village of Doña Cecilia, Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte.

Drug pusher falls

ANTI-NARCOTICS agents backed by policemen have arrested an alleged notorious drug pusher in a buy-bust operation in Dipolog City, the capital of Zamboanga del Norte.

Superintendent Leonardo Olandesca, spokesman of the Zamboanga Peninsula Police Office (ZPPO), said the arrest was made around 5 p.m. Wednesday in Tomas Claudio Street, Miputak village, Dipolog City.