The Manila Times back issues from September 2007:
'It was Mike Arroyo' JdV's son unmasks the broadband 'mystery man' at Senate investigation
Sep 19, 2007; ... Businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia 3rd said the "mystery man" who tried to bully him into backing off the controversial broadband deal is none other than the President's husband, Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo. De Venecia testified at a Senate blue-ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday. He is ...
Abcede being probed on Payanig property
Sep 19, 2007; ... CONTROVERSIAL Commissioner Ricardo Abcede is again back in the hot seat, this time being probed on why he has kept the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), of which is a member, in the dark over the contract of a controversial 18-hectare prime property located in Pasig City used in ...
Airlines to feel impact of credit crunch
Sep 19, 2007; ... The housing woes and credit market crunch in the United States will put pressure on the airline industry in the Philippines and Asia Pacific by next year, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday."The impact of the credit crunch puts some question marks over the ...
Archers get back at Eagles
Sep 19, 2007; ... PROLIFIC point guard Jayvee Casio sizzled with 21 points as De La Salle University survived Ateneo de Manila University, 70-69, Wednesday to secure the No. 2 spot in the semifinal round of the 70th University Athletic Associating of the Philippines men's basketball tournament at the Araneta ...
Asian chess unfolds today
Sep 19, 2007; ... MANDAUE CITY: Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio hope be back in the Top 10 when they lead the Philippine campaign in the 6th Asian Individual Chess Championship which opens today at the Cebu International Convention Center. A total of 80 players including super grandmasters ...
Bank lending to grow further on stronger balance sheet, economy
Sep 19, 2007; ... Bank lending is poised to improve further with the industry's stronger balance sheet, expansion of the economy and low interest rates, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., said. The governor said bank lending's annual growth has generally steadied within 5 percent to 7 percent this ...
BCDA's expressway project cost rose on VAT
Sep 19, 2007; ... THE Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) project cost has gone up nearly four times owing to the increase in value-added tax, the National Economic and Development Authority reported.A NEDA document revealed the request of the state-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority, ...
Beautiful images from Under the Sea
Sep 19, 2007 ... CONSIDERED the center of biodiversity and home to some of the richest coral reefs in the world, the Philippines will play host to the largest and most exciting marine festival of its kind in the Asia Pacific, the Celebrate the Sea Marine Imagery Festival from September 21 to 23 at The Coconut ...
BoC union president linked to smuggling
Sep 19, 2007; ... THE president of the militant 5,000-strong Bureau of Customs Employees Association (BOCEA) was relieved from his post as principal examiner for alleged involvement in technical smuggling activities that resulted in millions of pesos in revenue losses to the customs bureau. Ordered ...
Dole recalls bagged salads
Sep 19, 2007; ... The United States' Dole Food Co. Inc. announced Tuesday it has voluntarily recalled some of its bagged salads labeled "Dole Hearts Delight" owing to suspected E. coli contamination. In a statement, Dole's Fresh Vegetables division, said the suspected products are being sold in the ...
Foreign funding to Abu Sayyaf dries up-bandit leader
Sep 19, 2007; ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Abu Sayyaf has stopped receiving funds from abroad, as its members remain on the run from authorities. In a clandestine interview with Al-Jazeera television in Basilan, Abu Kahlid, an Abu Sayyaf militant, said his group has lost the capability to launch large-scale ...
GMA tells Mendoza to explain to Tribunal
Sep 19, 2007; ... President Gloria Arroyo ordered Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza toexplain the controversial broadband deal to the Supreme Court, although lawyer and allies of her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, came to his defense. Mr. Arroyo and Mendoza on Tuesday came under ...
Govt posts another budget surplus
Sep 19, 2007; ... For the third consecutive month in August, the government has posted a budget surplus as a result of increasing revenues from the Bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and of Customs. The government reported a P13.9-billion budget surplus in August, bringing the budget deficit down to P25.5 ...
Legacy launches first Manila Bay project
Sep 19, 2007 ... Legacy Ventures, a real-property firm incorporated two years ago, launched its first residential project along Manila Bay that targets young families, urban professionals and expatriates in the country. Sentosia is a complex of 127 duplex condominium-town-houses located near the SM Mall ...
Marikina City wants computerized polls
Sep 19, 2007; ...Thus espoused City Mayor Marides Fernando as she approved an ordinance asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to consider holding computerized barangay and SK polls in the city on October 29, this year."I believe that the modernization of elections and implementation of a ...
Mendiola versus Muralla redux
Sep 19, 2007; ... There is the repeated report that when San Beda and Letran clashed for the NCAA title in 1950, Caloy Loyzaga was with the Red Lions. Not true. Olympians Pons Saldana, Eddie Lim and Piling Barretto led the pride, followed by the three Cunas, Caseres, Kabayo Bue-naflor, Olong Ocson, Bulag (Chua ...
PCGG ready to seize Erap assets
Sep 19, 2007; ... THE Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is ready to seize the assets and properties of convicted ex-president Joseph Estrada if President Gloria Arroyo would order it.Commissioner Camilo Sabio, PCGG chairman, said if President Arroyo would issue an executive order to ...
Police to verify identity of girl found in suitcase, Suitcase girl's parents to undergo DNA test
Sep 19, 2007; ... The parents of seven-year old Geraldine Palma, found strangled and stuffed in a suitcase in Manila's North Harbor, arrived at the National Bureau of Investigations yesterday to submit themselves to a DNA test. Palma, who was allegedly abducted on her way home from school by her nanny ...
3 top govt officials fired, 1 suspended
Sep 21, 2007; ... MalacaÑang on Thursday ordered the dismissal of four high-ranking government officials, the suspension of one regional director, and the reprimand of two officials of a regulatory body for various irregularities, graft, and neglect of duty.Ordered dismissed were Francisco Dumpit, ...
All about muscovado
Sep 21, 2007; ... LYN GAMBOA can run for public office anytime in Bacolod if she wants to. But for her, there are other things that give her fulfillment, like arts and culture. When in Bacolod, you need to know about the culture (past and present) of the place, there's no better way to go about it than to present ...
Ambuklao-Binga plants lure power investors
Sep 21, 2007; ... A LARGE number of investor groups have signified their plan to participate in the forthcoming bidding of several state-owned power plants to be conducted by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) before the year-ends.In a statement, Psalm said 11 groups have ...
Anwar Ibrahim hopes Erap set free
Sep 21, 2007; ... Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in town to address a three-day gathering of Asian democracy advocates, said Thursday that he hoped convicted former President Joseph Estrada would be set free, and that peace would settle in Mindanao.Ibrahim himself was convicted ...
Bar council starts screening applicants
Sep 21, 2007; ... THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has scheduled a public interview of aspirants for the positions of associate justice of the Supreme Court and presiding justice of the Court of Appeals. A vacancy was opened for the position left by then CA Presiding Justice Ruben T. Reyes who was ...
10 Muslims die in clash
Sep 20, 2007; ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: Ten people were killed in a firefight between two warring Muslim groups on Wednesday, officials said. Supporters of former Pagalungan town Vice-Mayor Norodin Matalam and village chieftain Daitug Guima clashed in Kabacan town in North Cotabato province, killing 10 people ....
17 implicated in foreign exchange fraud
Sep 20, 2007; ... THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed on its watchlist 17 individuals implicated in a multimillion fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by the foreign exchange trading firm Philippine Investment Products Corp. (PIPC). Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan on Wednesday said that ...
Ang Lalake sa Parola A film that explores the inner self
Sep 20, 2007; ... IT'S a simple story about self-realizations and self-awakening. The small film Ang Lalake sa Parola recently received a B rating from the members of the Cinema Evaluation Board, a much needed boost for the box office since the film just opened two days ago at the Robinsons' Digital Exclusives, ...
Asian activists ask leaders to promote democracy
Sep 20, 2007; ... The Asia-Pacific region may be emerging as the economic power center of the world, but it is also where repressive measures are increasingly being used by governments to control their citizenry and keep themselves in power. The United States-led war on terror is also one of the main ...
Bagged salads safe-Dole Phils.
Sep 20, 2007; ... DOLE Philippines said Wednesday that the bagged salads it sells in the local markets are not affected by the recall made by its mother company in the United States. Breanda Santos-Te, Dole Philippine Marketing Fresh general manager, said the bagged salads available locally are homegrown ...
2 Bulacan areas among world's dirtiest places
Sep 20, 2007; ... THE town of Marilao and Meycauayan City in Bulacan have been rated by an environmental group as among the dirtiest places on earth. The New York-based Blacksmith Institute has included the two places on its "Dirty Thirty" list of the World's Worst Polluted Places for 2007. The study was ...
BI nabs alleged Korean smuggler
Sep 20, 2007; ... Bureau of Immigration (BI) law enforcement operatives arrested Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) a Korean national caught red-handedly trying to smuggle into the country jewelries worth millions of pesos.Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan disclosed ...
DILG: 9,000 barangay chiefs ineligible to run
Sep 20, 2007; ... Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officials reported on Wednesday that some 9,000 incumbent punong barangays (PBs) or barangay chairmen will be barred from running for the same position in the coming October 29 barangay elections because they have already served three ...
Estrada wants complete pardon
Sep 20, 2007; ... Former President Joseph Estrada said he would not consider a deal from President Gloria Arroyo, demanding an unconditional pardon from his archrival after his corruption conviction. In a telephone interview with Agence France-Presse on Wednesday, Estrada again insisted he was innocent ...
International Dragon Boat slated
Sep 20, 2007; ... OLONGAPO CITY: All is set for the staging of the First International Dragon Boat Championship in Subic next month.Tournament organizer Adrea Muelhlan of Mayo Production said around 1,000 paddlers from Australia, China, Macau, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong,Thailand, Malaysia and host ...
Chinese press RP on broadband deal
Sep 20, 2007; ... The Chinese government appears to be determined to push through with the National Broadband Network deal, despite the raging political controversy. On the same day Jose "Joey" de Venecia 3rd testified before the Senate, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Manila met with ...
Investigators: Palma girl may still be alive
Sep 20, 2007; ... Police investigators are now looking into the possibility that Geraldine Palma-the seven-year-old girl earlier reported stuffed inside a suitcase after being allegedly kidnapped, raped, and killed last month-is still alive.This is the conclusion of the Manila Police District (MPD) ...
Meralco appeals to ERC anew
Sep 20, 2007; ... The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has filed an appeal before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to reconsider its decision to lower its recoverable cost of capital under its performance-based rate (PBR) setting scheme. In a motion for reconsideration filed by Meralco, the country's ...
Cebu to bid for 2012 Chess Olympiad
Sep 20, 2007; ... MANDAUE CITY: After the staging of the 6th Asian Individual Chess Championship which opened here Wednesday at the Cebu International Convention Center, both Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and National Chess Federation of the Philippines Prospero "Butch" Pichay are targeting the 2012 World Chess ...
Mt. Mayon observed to be acting up again
Sep 20, 2007; ... Legazpi City: Mount Mayon is acting up again a year after its last explosion, an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Bicol said. "For two weeks now, Mount. Mayon is showing very visible crater glow even without sophisticated gadgets while several ...
New Manila Police District chief still up in the air
Sep 20, 2007; ... Just who will be taking command of the Manila Police District is still up to speculation as the final papers have yet to be seen by those concerned. Reports last week stated that Southern Police District (SPD) director Chief Supt. Roberto Rosales was to be taking the place of Acting MPD ...
Peso regains strength BSP may reduce rates following Fed move
Sep 20, 2007; ... The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hinted at possible cut of interest rates following the United States reduction of Federal rate. "The Fed decision accords the BSP some room for maneuver in our own rate setting, given that the outlook for inflation continues to be benign," Bangko Sentral ...
Red Lions near title
Sep 20, 2007; ... DEFENDING champion San Beda College made a huge fourth quarter assault to turn back Letran College, 76-68, in Game One of the 83rd National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball best-of-three championship showdown wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Forward Ogie Menor scored ...
RP SEAG Task Force approves 13 karatekas
Sep 20, 2007; ... THE RP SEA Games Task Force approved on Wednesday the 13-member team submitted by the Philippine Karatedo Federation.Spearheading the Thailand-bound karatekas are 2005 Manila SEAG bronze medalists Noel Espinosa (men's kata), Joey Pabillore (+75kg.) and Cherli Tugday (+60kg.) ....
Senate starts session on time; no quorum
Sep 20, 2007; ... The Senate started its session at 3 p.m. for the first time since the Fourteenth Congress was convened on July 27. The session, however, could not proceed because only seven of the 23 senators answered the roll call. Senate President Manuel Villar banged the gavel at exactly 3 p.m. to ...
SM Prime offers to fund station of LRT North
Sep 20, 2007; ... SY family-owned SM Prime Holdings Inc. has offered to finance the construction of an additional station worth hundred millions of pesos for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 North Extension project, an official of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) told The Manila Times.In a ...
US troops in Basilan
Sep 20, 2007; ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: About a dozen US soldiers were deployed to Basilan Island to help troops defeat terrorism, officials said Wednesday. At the request of Western Mindanao Command a small number of US forces moved to Basilan to support Task Force Thunder in their efforts against the Abu ...
Palace execs allowed to attend Senate inquiry
Sep 20, 2007; ... President Gloria Arroyo has allowed Cabinet officials implicated in the $329.4-million national broadband network project fiasco to attend the Senate inquiry on Thursday.Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters on Wednesday the President instructed the Cabinet members linked ...
Villafuerte says JdV lobbying for Joey
Sep 20, 2007; ... Speaker Jose de Venecia had been lobbying with government officials to get his son's contract for the national broadband network approved, one of the de Venecia's critics in the House of Representatives said Wednesday. Rep. Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, president of the Kabalikat ...
Wack Wack meeting a 'chance encounter'
Sep 20, 2007; ... The spokesman of Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo on Wednesday admitted the President's husband met with Joey de Venecia in Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in March, but it was a "chance encounter."In a press conference in Makati City, the spokesman, Jesus Santos, said Mr. Arroyo also denied ...
SM to build Sofitel hotel in Cebu, signs in Accor
Sep 19, 2007 ... SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) announced on Tuesday that it would build a new Sofitel-branded hotel in Mactan Cebu as it steps up its investments in the Philippine tourism industry. The holding firm of the SM Group, through its Hotel Investment Group, signed a contract on September 18 with ...
RP dragon boat squad to compete in Sydney
Sep 19, 2007; ... THE national dragon boat team left Tuesday for Australia to compete in the prestigious 8th World Dragon Boat Championship slated September 20-23 in Sydney International Regatta Centre.The 2005 Manila SEAG champion squad, composed of Usman Anterola, Crisanto Pabulayan, Rommel Dionio, ...
Smart National Open attracts 350 boxers
Sep 19, 2007; ... AT least 350 amateur boxers, including members of the national team, will see action in the Smart National Open Boxing Championships slated September 30 to October 6 in Cagayan de Oro City.Manny Lopez, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, said all is set for ...
Taiwan firm expands operation in Subic Bay
Sep 19, 2007; ... Taiwanese firm Tong Lung Philippines will expand and beef up its manufacturing operations at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the company announced Tuesday. Tony Ho, company director, said Tong Lung will invest P250 million in the new factory it will build near its first ...
TransCo apologizes to Mindanao users for power interruption
Sep 19, 2007; ... The National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) has issued an apology to electricity consumers in Mindanao following a series of power interruptions in the region recently. "We are truly sorry for the inconvenience and problems brought by the repetitive outages to the people in Mindanao ....
Trigger happy people
Sep 19, 2007; ... THE camera phone has become a necessary accessory of the modern Filipino.The recent Sony Ericsson Top Shot competition's call for spontaneous, amusing and extraordinary snapshots was enthusiastically patronized by Filipinos from all walks of life, leading to an avalanche of over 1,500 ...
BI closely monitoring Koreans in Baguio City
Sep 21, 2007; ... BAGUIO CITY: Concerned government officials assured members of the city council that efforts are being undertaken to ensure that Koreans in Baguio are well-documented, and that all English tutorial schools are accredited. This developed even as the Bureau of Immigration head for Baguio, ...
DepEd receives $300,000 donation
Sep 21, 2007; ... The Department of Education got a $300,000 (about P13.6 million) donation from the Rotary International District 2860 of Japan to improve writing and reading comprehension in some 500,000 elementary-school students in four city divisions in Metro Manila.The donation is in support of ...
British ambassador: Estrada conviction a landmark
Sep 21, 2007; ... The recent guilty verdict of former President Joseph Estrada gave the Philippines a credibility boost that will likely make it more attractive to foreign investors, a British envoy said Thursday. In an exclusive roundtable interview with The Manila Times, Ambassador Peter Beckingham ...
Esperon: Abu Sayyaf avoids confrontation
Sep 21, 2007; ... THE Armed Forces said on Thursday that the Abu Sayyaf group, whose capability had been diminished, were intently lying low to avoid meeting troops in full-blown armed confrontation.AFP chief of staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., said that Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan have been ...
Fumbles lighten up serious hearing
Sep 21, 2007 ... Filipinos are known for their innate ability to laugh off problems and smile even in the face of seemingly the most desperate of situations. It was perhaps no surprise that the second Senate hearing on the controversial National Broadband Network project also had it share of funny ...
Govt projects higher VAT collections
Sep 21, 2007; ... THE Philippines expects higher collections of the value-added tax (VAT) this year. Department of Finance (DOF) data showed the government aims to collect P327.286 billion from the imposition of the sale tax on goods and services this year, 26 percent higher than last year.Of ...
House to probe excise tax for cigarette brand
Sep 21, 2007; ... The House Committee on Ways and Means will review the decision of the Department of Finance lowering the excise tax imposed on Pall Mall cigarettes despite the P93-million potential loss in government revenue every year. The committee, chaired by Rep. Exequiel Javier of Antique, will ...
House urges use of P1-B fund for generics
Sep 21, 2007; ... Government should spend its P1-billion mass communication budget and use its network of television and radio stations to spread information about the benefits of generic drugs. Members of the House Committee on Trade and Industry headed by Kampi Rep. Antonio Alvarez of Palawan broached ...
imatu confirms OFW trafficking to Iraq
Sep 21, 2007; ... THE Philippine special ambassador to the Middle East on Thursday confirmed that there is still pervasive illegal trafficking of Filipino workers into war-torn Iraq by a Kuwait-based construction company. Roy Cimatu, along with Foreign Affairs Undersecretaries Esteban Conejos Jr. and ...
JdV backed Joey's deal-Mendoza
Sep 21, 2007 ... Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza on Thursday said that Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. discussed the proposal of his son Jose "Joey" de Venecia 3rd, for the national broadband network in a meeting at the Speaker's home early this year. "Actually, the son was ...
JdV faces ethics complaint
Sep 21, 2007; ... A lawyer on Thursday filed a complaint in the House of Representatives against Speaker Jose de Venecia who he said allowed his son, businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia 3rd, to enter into negotiations for the government's national broadband project. Roberto Rafael Pulido, formerly the ...