Tuesday, June 27, 2006 (Philippines)

President Gloria Arroyo and Pope Benedict XVI beam during her Vatican visit. The Pope holds a folder from the President containing a copy of the law abolishing death penalty in the Philippines.(AP photo) Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 rescued nine women, seven from Cebu and one of them a minor, allegedly made to work as prostitutes in a Bacolod City bar. The rescue came after an entrapment that was done upon the request of the Office of the Cebu Governor. The operation last week resulted in the filing of charges against one Mira Malagar-Pilapil and one Marcos M. Pilapil before the Regional Trial Court in Bacolod City. [full story]