by magnolia_eic | Jan 25, 2010 | Headlines, National News
CRISPULO “Jun” Icban Jr., editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulletin, will take the post vacated by Press Secretary Cerge Remonde who died of cardiac arrest last January 19.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reportedly announced Icban’s appointment during a lunch with Malacañang reporters on Thursday. The report did not indicate when Icban would assume the post.
Icban is a veteran journalist and a cabalen of President Arroyo.
Hours after Remonde passed away on Tuesday, Mrs. Arroyo appointed Philippine Information Agency head Conrado “Dodie” Limcaoco Jr. as acting press secretary. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jan 25, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) chair Jose Melo signed on Thursday a deal for the training and compensation of 280,000 public school teachers who will man the polls in May 2010.
Melo said that the Comelec and the Department of Education would work closely together so that the training of teachers in March could go on smoothly, even with the busy graduation season.
Under the agreement, which Melo signed with Education Secretary Jesli Lapus at the DepEd central office, teachers would each get a total of P4,300 for their election services.
According to the Comelec-DepEd agreement, the Comelec will also set aside P30 million as part of the teacher compensation deal. This amount will be allotted for election-related death or injuries of DepEd employees in the performance of their duties. The heirs of the deceased official or employee shall be given the amount of P200,000. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jan 25, 2010 | Headlines, National News
PAKISTANI officials say a Filipino militant wanted by the United States is believed to have been killed in an American drone strike earlier this month.
Two military intelligence officials said Thursday that Abdul Basit Usman was killed on Jan. 14 close to the Afghan border.
They cited militant informers as the source of the information. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of their work.
Filipino officials in the Philippines and Pakistan said they had no information on the attack.
The U.S. State Department’s list of most-wanted terrorists identifies Usman as a bomb-making expert with links to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf militant group and the Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah network. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jan 22, 2010 | Headlines, National News
A slug recovered from the vehicle of slain son and namesake of Undersecretary renato Ebarle Sr. matched test bullets from the .45 caliber pistol seized from Ivler.
Magno added that a slug and empty shell found in the house of Ivler’s mother in Blue Ridge subdivision, where the fugitive was arrested by NBI also matched the slug recovered from the Ebarle vehicle. The pistol and M-16 rifle seized from Ivler — both equipped with silencers are unlicensed.
At a press conference, a teary-eyed Ebarle Sr. handed a masked informant half of the P1-million bounty for information leading to Ivler’s capture.
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by magnolia_eic | Jan 21, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
Manila, Philippines — Fresh from getting the approval of a division of the Commission on Elections for him to take another chance at Malanang, former President Joseph Estrada said he would not withdraw from the presidential race. He said he would slug it out “to the end” because he wanted to be “king again”.
Estrada believes that the Comelec decision will have a big impact on his campaign as many of his critics have been spreading “disinformation” that he would withdraw from the race or be disqualified.
Estrada, the standard bearer of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, has been a consistent third placer, after Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Manuel Villar.
Now that the poll ruled in his favor, he expects his ratings in surveys to rise.
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