McDo bows to Church over ‘young love’ ad

AFTER getting flak from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), international fast food giant, McDonalds, on Tuesday decided to pull-out its television advertisement exhibiting “young love”.

Household workers’ wage hike eyed amid opposition

DESPITE strong opposition from the government of Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday revealed that it is already looking into the possibility of increasing the minimum salary rate of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) employed overseas.

‘Tax evasion case proves Mikey is no worker rep’

THE Alliance for Progressive Labor (APL) on Tuesday described the P74-million tax evasion case filed against Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP) party-list Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo as a strong proof that the former First Son is not a legitimate representative of a supposedly workers’ group.

Cop on way home dies in car mishap

A POLICEMAN died after the car he was driving crashed into a lamppost along the national road in Barangay Calajoan, Minglanilla Cebu yesterday dawn.

PO2 Ivan Rey Villaver Juarez, 34, reportedly fell asleep while driving. His silver Mitsubishi Lancer (GDD 882) crossed the other lane, hitting the post in Sitio Pungtod at 4:30 a.m.

Two ‘contaminated’ blood recipients die

THE Department of Health (DOH) reported that two recipients of HIV-contaminated blood donation died recently.

Mayor: No other source of power but coal

MAYOR Sara Duterte said there is no available power source that would suffice Davao Region's energy needs but the proposed coal-fired plant.

Duterte said she leaves the decision on the AboitizPower Corp. proposal to the City Council.

RH bill to decrease abortion rate: proponent

THE pending Reproductive Health (RH) bill before the Congress aims to help lower the rate of abortion in the country, proponents said Monday.

Ramon San Pascual, executive director of Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), said that House Bill 4244 popularly known as the RH bill, which others perceived as intrusive to the lives of Filipino couples, is not all about controlling the innate human need to reproduce.

Government denies looming rice crisis

MANILA – The government on Tuesday denied a looming rice crisis in the Philippines despite an intelligence report citing the shrinking supply of the staple food of most of the 90 million Filipinos.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala denied the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica) report stating that the country's rice deficiency may escalate into a national concern.

Councilors trade barbs over ordinance

TWO members of the Davao City Council engaged in an oral clash during Tuesday's regular session over the proposed dengue prevention ordinance.

Councilor Karlo Bello, who was acting presiding officer, traded barbs with Councilor Rene Elias Lopez after the latter had sought the opinion of City Health Officer Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, regarding the proposed measure.

Early payment of taxes urged

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) urges businessmen, government employees and other taxpayers to file their income tax returns (ITRs) before the April 15 deadline.

"It will be more difficult for them if they file their ITRs after the deadline because they will incur a 25 percent surcharge," Perfecto Aranas, regional director of BIR – Davao Region said.

22 men nabbed for illegal logging in government property

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Authorities in North Cotabato arrested 22 men who were caught cutting down trees inside the regional office of the Central Mindanao Agriculture Research Center (CEMIARC) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Barangay Amas here Monday.

Rebels vow to end hostilities with conditions

THE National Democratic Front (NDF) on Tuesday vowed to end hostilities if the roots of armed conflict are addressed by President Benigno Aquino III.

Suspected gunrunner killed in shootout

POLICE shot dead a suspected gunrunner at San Jose, Ipil Beach, Barangay Governor Vicente Duterte, Agdao, Davao City on Monday evening.

Asenjo to punch poverty away

MOST Filipino boxers come from humble beginnings, entering the brutal sport of boxing just to make a living and hoping to reach the top and break free from poverty.

Rommel Asenjo is one of them. He comes from a poor family in the town of Pigkawayan in North Cotabato from parents that work as land tenants.

16 new cities legal, says Supreme Court final judgment

DAVAO CITY – The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared final its February 15, 2011 decision upholding the constitutionality of the laws that converted 16 municipalities into cities.

In a session held in Baguio City, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc denied an appeal by the influential League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) seeking to block the conversion of the 16 towns into cities, citing as reason the municipalities' failure to comply the P100 million annual income requirement imposed by the Local Government Code.

Education tops development council’s priority

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said the Regional Development Council (RDC) will prioritize education after budget resolutions were submitted during its recent half-day meet.

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Central Luzon sent waves as it asked the RDC to approve some P7.2 million funding, reportedly for books, construction and repair of classrooms, and other improvements the agency is short of.

Clearing of Aeta ancestral lands in Floridablanca set

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Tribal leaders of Aeta communities in Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca met with Provincial Board member Nestor Tolentino here Tuesday in relation to an agreement seeking to develop 1,000 hectares of ancestral lands.

Tolentino, focal person for the said project, told Sun.Star Pampanga that the move is part of the ongoing implementation of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that states that the province will spearhead the planting of fruit-bearing trees, banana and vegetables, including other crops within the ancestral domain in the villages of Nabuklod (300 hectares), Camachile (400 hectares) and Mawacat (300 hectares).

Mall declared 'ready as ever' for disasters

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Authorities from the Provincial Disaster Risk Management Office and officials of SM City Pampanga on Tuesday declared the mall as "ready as ever" for disasters like earthquakes and fire.

During the earthquake and fire evacuation drill on Tuesday, assistant mall manager Lana Erroba said the emergency and rescue teams from the mall are always on the alert to protect and help the more than 60,000 daily customers of SM City Pampanga in case of emergencies.

Guv to give support for Kampangan artists

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda on Tuesday told members of the Artist Association of the Philippines (AAP) Pampanga and Angeles City chapters that the Provincial Government will extend help on programs that promotes Kapampangan art.

Mabalacat cops recover hijacked truck

MABALACAT -- The town police on Monday recovered a truck, reported hijacked in Laguna province two days ago, in Barangay Dau here.

No trike fare hike in Angeles: transport office

ANGELES CITY – The Public Transportation Regulatory Office (PTRO) has announced that there will be no tricycle fare increases in this city as of the moment.

Pampanga university to confer Education chief

ANGELES CITY -- Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro will be conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Pedagogy by the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) today, April 13.

Binay, Escudero urge lawyers to help fight corruption

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Francis Escudero have urged some 2,000 lawyers who attended the biggest Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) convention to help the government fight corruption and help draft a law in order to fight human trafficking.

Dole wants strong bond between Tarlac traders

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has urged businessmen in Tarlac City to institutionalize best labor management practices among their group.

Filipino contact of Jemaah Islamiyah arrested

MANILA — Government security forces arrested in Sultan Kudarat province a Moro rebel who is a local contact of Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, a military official said Tuesday.

Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz said troops on Tuesday arrested Abi Pamanay, a member of a special operations unit of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and a senior associate of Abdul Basit Usman.

Over 200 conservationists attend annual biodiversity forum

OVER 200 delegates have convened at the Silliman University in Dumaguete City for the four-day Philippine Biodiversity Symposium that started last April 11.

The delegates are composed of representatives from different sectors concerned with conservation such as members of the symposium' organizer, the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines (WCSP), personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), non-government organizations, research institutions, teachers and students.

Pangilinan to look over new investments in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY – Businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan was invited by City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog to speak before the Ilonggo business community in the Iloilo Business Summit on July 2011.

Mabilog said the president of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), as well as First Pacific Holdings Co. and TV5, showed interest in buying out businesses in Iloilo than setting up a new one.

Mayor spells out projects for Iloilo

ILOILO CITY – Congressman Jerry P. Treñas has zeroed in on various infrastructure development projects amounting more than P300 million for the first three years of his term.

Treñas said these development projects are his legacy to the city that will help in a race for Premier City status by 2015.

First army woman general an Ilongga

ILOILO CITY – The first lady general in the history of the Philippine Army promoted by President Benigno C. Aquino III at Malacañang last April 4 is a native of the municipality of San Dionisio.

A 54-year-old mother of three and married to a Filipino-Chinese businessman based in Iloilo, General Ramona Palabrica Go holds the distinction as the first lady general regular officer of the Philippine Army who did not come from the technical service such as doctor or nurse or from the Philippine Military Academy.

Recall election an exercise in futility

ILOILO CITY – A recall election, if pushed through next year against incumbent city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, will not benefit the mayor’s political opponents in the 2010 elections, according to former Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. and businessman Larry Jamora.

Both Mabilog’s political opponents in the last mayoral race are vocal in not supporting the move initiated by lawyer Romeo Gerochi, saying the move is an exercise in futility and untimely.