Pimentel wants to have lunch with ‘friend’ Zubiri

REELECTED Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III wants to have lunch with his political nemesis, former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who failed to make it to the top 12 of the 2013 senatorial race.

"Wala akong problema with Migz Zubiri and after everything has settled, I want to schedule a lunch or dinner with my friend, Migz Zubiri," Pimentel told reporters in an interview.

Team formed for 'harassed' Filipinos in Taiwan

MANILA -- The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) has formed a team that will handle reported cases of harassment against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan, Malacañang said Saturday.

In an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte reiterated the call to the Taiwanese people for calm and to spare from any harassment the Filipinos there who have nothing to do with the killing of 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng off Batanes last May 9.

Palace to Comelec: Speed up release of teachers' honoraria

THERE is no reason for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to delay the honoraria of the teachers who served in the midterm elections last Monday as funds are already available, a Palace official said Saturday.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released early this year P960 million for the poll body.

MMDA chief: Increase on net worth due to new SALN form

METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino explained Saturday the significant increase on his net worth in 2012 compared to 2011.

Tolentino was the biggest gainer among the Cabinet members of President Benigno Aquino III whose net worth climbed by over P21 million to P43.77 million last year from P22.54 million in 2011.

Senator-elect Bam promises independence from Aquino

MANILA - Don’t expect Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV to be a blind follower of cousin President Benigno Aquino III in the Senate.

Aquino said he is his own man and that he can take an objective view of Malacañang’s programs.

Gov’t looking into alternative markets for OFWs in Taiwan

THE Philippine government is eyeing alternative markets for Filipinos who could be displaced due to the sanction being imposed by Taiwan.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a news briefing, said that the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) has identified South Korea, Middle East and Malaysia as possible destinations for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly those in the manufacturing sector.

P25-M worth of smuggled goods from China seized

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) raided Friday two storage areas in Tondo, which yielded P25-million worth of goods and merchandise believed to be illegally imported from China.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the raid was carried out by BOC Intelligence Group operatives virtue of a Letter of Authority he earlier issued upon the recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim pursuant to Section 2536 of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP).

Poe won't take up crash course in legislation

SENATOR-ELECT Grace Poe-Llamanzares won't be taking up a crash course for neophyte legislators, saying her team of advisers would be enough to help her get through her upcoming job in the Senate.

She called herself "fortunate" for having members of the academe in her team during the campaign as well as the practical advices of veteran senators Francis Escudero and Sergio Osmeña III.

Angara: Drilon may be next Senate President

VETERAN Senator Franklin Drilon is somewhat headed for a return to the Senate presidency, said Senator-elect Juan Edgardo Angara on Thursday night.

"Most likely it will be Senator Frank Drilon," said Angara when asked who will be the administration's best bet to replace Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile at the start of the 16th Congress in late July.

Cayetano: Focus on task ahead, not politics

ELECTED for another six-year term in the Senate, Alan Peter Cayetano called for an end to political bickering so that everyone can help the Aquino administration achieve its goal of inclusive growth.

"The economy is on the upswing but many don't felt it. We really have to work together. It’s really not a time for politics. It’s really the time for performance, how do we get to work as a team and how we will work with the other team (opposition),” he said on the sidelines of his proclamation at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Thursday night.

Poe aims to focus on agriculture sector

SENATOR-elect Grace Poe-Llamanzares, the frontrunner in the official election results, will prioritize bills for the agriculture sector once she starts her legislative duties in July.

"Marami talagang mahihirap na magsasaka natin. Basta ang gabay ko lang, ang tatay ko nanindigan at tumulong kahit na siya'y pribadong mamayan (We have a lot of poor farmers. My only guide is, father stood and helped even as a private person)," Poe-Llamanzares, daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., said in an interview.

Loren: Senate work knows no party lines

RE-ELECTIONIST Senator Loren Legarda is ready to cross party lines once the 16th Congress is convened in July despite being targeted by a smear campaign allegedly by a fellow senator.

"Patuloy po tayong magtatrabaho. We will cross party lines, Team PNoy o UNA (United Nationalist Alliance), ano mang partido, baguhan man o datihan ay patuloy na sama-sama mag-trabaho," Legarda told reporters after her proclamation as senator-elect Thursday night.

PLDT Group statement regarding ‘delayed transmissions’ of election results

WITH respect to press reports that "weak signals" had caused delays in the transmission of election returns, we wish to state that the fixed and mobile networks of PLDT, Smart and Sun Cellular were fully functional throughout the electoral exercise.

Transmissions actually sent through our networks were promptly delivered to the Comelec and PPCRV servers in Manila.

Brillantes wants to sue poll automation critics

WITH his continued appeal left unheeded, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes is now looking to shut their critics by filing legal cases against them.

In an interview, the poll chief said he is now mulling over filing cases against those that continuously criticize them and their choice of re-using the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.

Catholic vote had 'no effect' on re-electionist pro-RH lawmakers

THE victory of re-electionist congressmen who voted for the passage of the reproductive health (RH) law is a testament that there is no so-called Catholic vote exercised in the country, a pro-RH group said Thursday.   The Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), one of the core organizations which pushed for the enactment of the landmark legislation in Congress, said partial election results show that 94 percent of more than a hundred pro-RH re-electionists are winning in their respective districts and party-list system.  

US, Philippines launch health projects worth P8B

HEALTH Secretary Enrique Ona and United States to the Philippines Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. launched 13 projects that will help enhance the overall health of Filipino families under the US-Philippines bilateral health agreement.

The 13 projects, which amount to P7.96 billion (about US$194 million), will be implemented over a five-year period and will focus on 48 provinces nationwide.

Philippines issues new apology for Taiwan death

MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III apologized anew Wednesday to Taiwan for the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel, after Taiwan rejected an earlier apology and started retaliating diplomatically.

Remittances climb to $5.6B in Q1

REMITTANCES from overseas Filipinos rose to $5.6 billion during the first quarter of this year, 6.2 percent higher compared to the same period in 2012, the central bank said Wednesday.

For March alone, personal remittances grew by 3.7 percent year-on-year to reach $1.9 billion, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said.

Random manual audit results ‘so far, so good’

(UPDATED) Less than half of the legislative districts where a random manual audit (RMA) was conducted have sent results, and it's "so far, so good," Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday.

Brillantes said 110 of the 234 areas have reported results of its audit while the rest are expected to report within the day or at the latest Thursday.

Short honeymoon for Bam Aquino after proclamation

WHAT does presidential cousin Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV intends to do after he is proclaimed a winning senator?

"My agenda is to be on a vacation, be on a honeymoon with my wife. I'm actually not used to being with her every day because we have different schedules since the campaign started," Aquino, who is married to Timi, told reporters Wednesday.

Palace: 9-3 win an affirmation of Aquino’s reforms

MANILA (Updated, 12:33 p.m.) -- Malacañang expressed satisfaction on Tuesday over the conduct of the 2013 midterm elections and considered the results of the senatorial polls based on unofficial tallies as an affirmation of President Benigno Aquino III’s reforms.

In a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the Comelec and its "deputized agencies came together and did their utmost to ensure free, fair, and credible elections."

Official count: 9-3 for Team PNoy

MANILA (Updated 5:59 p.m.) -- Grace Poe-Llamanzares joined eight other administration candidates in the top 12 of the senatorial race, partial results of the official canvass by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) show Tuesday.

Poe received 391,906 votes based on the six certificates of canvass (COCs) submitted to the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBoC).

Militant youth cry ‘failure of election’

MEMBERS of Kabataan partylist held a picket in Quezon City on Tuesday, denouncing the technical glitches, election-related violence, and political infighting that allegedly hampered the organized facilitation of the 2013 midterm elections.

The group said Monday's election was a failure, citing reports of malfunctioning precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and bloated partial unofficial counts.

Poe won't run for higher public office

TOPPING the senatorial race is not a reliable launch pad for those seeking the vice presidency or presidency of the Philippines, surprise frontrunner Grace Poe said Tuesday.

"As what Senator Chiz (Francis Escudero) told me, being on top (of the senatorial elections) is not a guarantee that you will win because there had been candidates for president and vice president (who were previous topnotchers) and didn't make it," Poe said in a television interview.

Candidates dared to lead clean-up efforts

A DAY after Election Day, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is challenging those who ran for public office to prove that they care for the voters by leading the clean-up efforts of their propaganda materials.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the first proof of the promises they made to the voters during the campaign is by removing their own campaign posters immediately.

Palace spokesperson among disenfranchised voters

DEPUTY presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte was among those disenfranchised voters on Monday's midterm elections.

Valte, along with her mother, was among those who trooped to Palanan Elementary School in Makati City supposedly to cast her vote.

Aquino: I voted straight for Team PNoy

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Monday that he voted straight for Team PNoy senatorial bets.

Emerging from Clustered Precinct 56 in Central Azucarera de Tarlac Elementary School in Tarlac City, the President expressed satisfaction because he was able to cast his vote faster.

Filipino clans, celebrities dominate midterm polls

MANILA (Updated 6:56 p.m.) — From Imelda Marcos to Manny Pacquiao, familiar names of Philippine political clans and celebrities dominated the ballots for Monday's congressional and local elections, which will gauge popular support for the president's anti-corruption drive and other reforms.

Despite scattered violence and fears of fraud, the polls were relatively peaceful as soldiers and police secured stations in potentially violent areas.

Bunye: Loan program for students

THIS is certainly great news for poor-but-deserving students.

While most of our local banks have been giving scholarships to our academically inclined youth, the recent move of the state-run Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) should be given extra credit.

More than 50M voters expected to vote Monday

MANILA -- Some 52,014,648 registered voters are expected to troop to the 77,829 precincts nationwide to cast their votes today (Monday).

More than 18,000 posts are up for grabs, including 12 senators; 233 congressmen; 58 party-list representatives; 80 governors; 80 vice governors; 766 provincial board members; 143 city mayors; 143 city vice mayors; 1,598 city councilors; 1,491 municipal mayors; 1,491 municipal vice mayors; 11,932 municipal councilors; as well as one Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) governor; one regional vice governor; and 24 regional assemblymen.