28 massacre suspects enter not guilty plea

MANILA -- Twenty-eight suspects in the Maguindanao massacre case pleaded not guilty to 57 counts of murder Wednesday, while another prosecution witness testified against a political clan tagged as responsible for the crime.

Passage of RH bill seen

DESPITE the name-calling of the Catholic Church, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman remains optimistic that the pending reproductive health (RH) bill he authored will be passed in the 15th Congress.

“At no time is the prospect much brighter in the enactment of the RH bill than this present Congress because the leadership of the House has committed that it will be prioritized and it will be voted in the plenary,” Lagman told reporters, referring to the commitment of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte.

House amnesty resolution stalled

A CONCURRENT resolution filed at the House of Representatives granting amnesty to 300 rebel soldiers was delayed after several lawmakers sought the participation of the respondents themselves.

Major General Renato Miranda, Colonel Ariel Querubin, Brigadeir General Danilo Lim, and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will be invited in next week's hearing on the amnesty resolution.

Bishop defends priest in molestation case

CACERES (Bicol) Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi stood by his priest who has been accused of molesting a teenage boy in a local motel, describing the incident as an attempt to discredit the Roman Catholic Church.

Cigarette workers face layoff threats

A LABOR group warned Wednesday that 2,380 employees of the country’s biggest cigarette maker, Fortune Tobacco Corporation (FTC), are bound to lose their jobs in a reorganization planned by the management.

PAL workers demand disclosure of execs perks

THE Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (Palea) asked the House of Representatives to compel the executives of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to reveal their salaries, bonuses and other perks.

Hostage-taker's bro denies conspiracy

GREGORIO Mendoza denied allegations that he was a conspirator of his brother, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza, in staging the August 23 hostage incident.

House okays three more courts in Cebu

THREE additional courts will be put up in the first district of Cebu province after the House justice committee approved the bills filed by Representative Eduardo Gullas.

Red tide symptoms bared

FOLLOWING the threat of red tide in the coastal towns of Bataan, the Department of Health (DOH) warned the public of signs that one has consumed a red tide-contaminated shellfish.

Agency raises concern over teachers’ credentials

THE Commission on Higher Education (Ched) admitted that the poor credentials of professors of colleges and universities in the country are among the factors affecting the quality of tertiary education.

Clinton now in Manila

MANILA (Updated 12:02 p.m.) -- Former United States (US) President William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton arrived in the Philippines before noon Wednesday.

Reports said that Clinton arrived aboard a private N-2767 Boeing 767 plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Security tightened for Clinton visit

MANILA – (Updated 9:05 a.m.) Security has been tightened in and outside the Manila Hotel for the arrival of former United States (US) President William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton.

Reports said that Philippine police and advanced parties from the US were deployed for the hotel security.

Lawmakers hit budget approval

MANILA -- A party-list lawmaker slammed his colleagues for voting for the passage of the 2011 budget bill, saying the allocation favors Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Senators, meanwhile, intend to cut the P21-billion allocation for the Aquino administration's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program when they started deliberations on the P1.645-trillion budget.

RH backers to Church leaders: Stop name-calling

LAWMAKERS advocating the reproductive health (RH) measure told Catholic leaders to stop name-calling and accusations of immorality as the bill gains support from many members of the House of Representatives.

“Let us not reduce the RH bill debates to emotional outbursts, name-calling and accusations of immorality. Let us discuss its merits and logical bases. Our constituents will benefit best from the outcome of a well-debated RH law,” said Gabriela Women's Party-list Representative Luzviminda Ilagan.

Ched orders moratorium on 5 common courses

TO ADDRESS the growing mismatch in the number of graduates, the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) ordered a moratorium on five undergraduate and graduate programs dubbed as “oversubscribed” courses.

In a memorandum, Ched Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the moratorium covered offerings in Business Administration, Nursing, Teacher Education, Information Technology (IT), and Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) courses.

Another Ampatuan ally eyed as witness

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) is now considering former vice mayor Sukarno Badal of Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao province as a possible state witness in the multiple murder charges filed against his former political allies, the Ampatuan clan.

Senators cast bets on lotto too

THE lotto fever did not spare the country’s senators as they admitted that they cast bets to catch their chance on game's more than P350 million grand prize.

Probe on ‘bogus’ PAL service providers sought

GROUND workers of Philippine Airlines (PAL) called on lawmakers to investigate the third party service providers contracted by the management to take over its airport, in-flight catering and call center reservation services.

Government offices urged to follow social networking guidelines

THE guidelines on the use of social networking sites will not only be applicable to the Presidential Communications Group but to all government agencies, a Malacanang official said Tuesday.

Fat perks on GOCCs due to SSL exemptions

LAWMAKERS are partly to be blamed for the excessive perks among government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) executives since they allowed the exemption of several state-firms to the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).

Aquino to visit Cebu today

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will be in Cebu City today, Wednesday, before leaving for Japan Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

Senators want CCT fund slashed

THE conditional cash transfer (CCT) entangled in the Senate anew as some lawmakers are now seeking for the reduction of its P21 billion allocations.

Recto wants inventory on state funds

SENATOR Ralph Recto on Tuesday hits the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) for “misplacing” government money while keeping around 400 bank accounts.

2 carjackers arrested in Paranaque

POLICE nabbed two of six suspected carjackers after figuring in an accident while on board a stolen car along the West Service Road of South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Paranaque City Tuesday morning.

PH animal advocates laud Clinton

THE country's animal rights advocates set a warm welcome for former United States President Bill Clinton in his visit to the Philippines today, Wednesday, after he turned vegetarian and delisted meat and dairy products on his plate.

House okays P1.645 trillion budget for 2011

MANILA -- The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on Monday the P1.645 trillion national budget for 2011 without significant amendments.

Of the 193 lawmakers present in Monday's session, 175 voted to approve House Bill 3101, while few from the minority and party-list groups opposed its approval.

Cebu Archbishop: RH backers hide truth on bill’s provision

MANILA -- Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal on Monday hit lawmakers pushing for the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill for allegedly concealing the truth in some of its provisions.

In an interview on the sidelines of the 17th Asia-Pacific Congress on Faith, Life and Family in Makati City, Vidal insisted there is a provision in the bill that deals with imprisonment.

South Korea deports two more Filipino activists

MANILA -- South Korean authorities deported two more Filipino activists back to the Philippines on still unclear reasons, making the total number of deportees to eight since Sunday.

RH advocates lash back at bishops

SUPPORTERS of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill turned back on the Catholic Church Monday after some priests reportedly expressed their willingness to be imprisoned if the bill will be enacted into law.

Ramon San Pascual, executive director of the Philippine the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), told Sun.Star that the bishops should not resort to “lies and threats” to sway the growing number of Filipinos from supporting the measure.

Pipeline leaks identified

EXCAVATION crew of the First Philippine Industrial Corporation (FPIC) stumbled Monday at least five small holes, the size of small grain, believed to be the cause of oil leak in Makati City.

“We were able to confirm that the source of the gas leak was found on the portion of the pipeline, two to three meters from the Magallanes flyover’s footing. They were about five very small holes the size of a mongo bean,” said FPIC Officer-In-Charge Anthony Mabasa.