The Manila Times back issues from January 2008:
'Five-peat' possible, says Harbour Centre coach Gallent
Jan 02, 2008 ... JUST the thought of what he went through moments after his Harbour Centre team nailed a fourth straight Philippine Basketball League (PBL) championship, already gave youthful owner Mikee Romero something to ponder about if and when a fifth league title comes along the way again in the next ...
Arevalo earns Callaway Junior World golf slot
Jan 02, 2008 ... ABEGAIL AREVALO booked a seat in the Callaway Junior World championship for the fourth straight year on Sunday and will be campaigning in the tougher 9 to 10 girls' division when the tournament blasts offin July in San Diego. Arevalo, who will not turn nine until February, ...
Cebu is now 'car smuggling capital': Illegally imported luxury vehicles reportedly enter the country thru the 'Queen City'
Jan 02, 2008 ... CEBU City: Following a House inquiry, the "Queen City of the South" has earned a new distinction-that of "car smuggling capital," the primary entry point of illegally imported luxury vehicles in the country, reported Panay News. As a result of the said inquiry, the local Customs ...
Financial cost of Philippine-Japan trade agreement to run to billions
Jan 02, 2008; ... RATIFICATION of the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) comes with a financial cost, according to estimates made by the Departments of Trade and Industry and of Finance. Trade Undersecretary Elmer C. Hernandez said the accord would entail setting aside a P40-billion ...
Escudero seeks to up retirement age at 70
Jan 02, 2008; ... As long as they are willing and physically fit to perform their job, employees both in government and the private sector should be allowed to work up to 70 years old. Opposition Rep. Salvador Escudero 3rd of Sorsogon made this contention in filing a measure seeking to extend to age 70 ...
Gomez settles for second in Super Cup
Jan 02, 2008 ... ROBERTO GOMEZ capped his breakout season with another strong performance, finishing second in the tough 2007 Super Cup. The prized-fighter of Bugsy Promotions took the measures of fancied rivals on his way to the finals before falling to an 18-year-old upstart named Ko Pin Yi, 5-11, on ...
Govt raises asset-sale target
Jan 02, 2008; ... THE Department of Finance has increased its target proceeds from state asset sales this year, but the programmed amount remains way below last year's windfall. In a document, the finance department raised the expected revenues from privatization to P48.5 billion from the original goal ...
High Court junks another Pepsi 349 plea
Jan 02, 2008; ... THE Supreme Court junked the plea of "Pepsi 349" claimants who sought damages from the softdrinks company for the "anguish" they suffered after failing to get the bonanza related to the promo of the controversial softdrink crown. In a 10-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Renato ...
Cha-cha 'key' to MILF impasse
Jan 02, 2008; ... Authorities are looking at amending the Constitution, through Charter change, this year to establish an independent state in southern Mindanao and to break the impasse between government negotiators and Muslim secessionists. Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, a few ...
Lawmaker: History wrong on Gen. Malvar
Jan 02, 2008; ... For a Southern Tagalog lawmaker, history is wrong in naming Manuel L. Quezon as the second President of the Philippine Republic serving after Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. In House Bill 2594, Rep. Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro is pushing to declare General Miguel Malvar-a prominent ...
Local auto assemblers yet to recover from Asian crisis, says state think tank
Jan 02, 2008; ... THE Philippine car industry has yet to recover from the Asian financial crisis as it still faces weak domestic demand and competition from used imported vehicles, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said. In a study, research fellow Rafaelita M. Aldaba said that ...
Jinggoy has most number of bills likely to be approved
Jan 02, 2008; ... Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has authored the most number of bills that have reached the Senate plenary in the five-month-old 14th Congress. Estrada is the author of 12 bills that were consolidated into various committee reports. A committee report, the product of public ...
NPA attacks militia camp, mining firm in S. Cotabato
Jan 02, 2008; ... NEW People's Army (NPA) rebels violated their own ceasefire declaration and staged a raid of a militia detachment and a mining firm in a remote village in South Cotabato, military reports said Tuesday. The raiders torched a building and destroyed equipment owned by the Sagittarius Mines ...
OWWA fee reduction takes effect on January 1-Roque
Jan 02, 2008; ... The much-anticipated reduction in fees paid by departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) finally took effect Tuesday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced. The reduction came as a result of the improving peso-dollar exchange rate in 2007, when the peso hit a ...
Post-holiday fitness challenge: Getting rid of the dreaded pot belly
Jan 02, 2008; ... For many, Yuletide is the time to indulge in Epicurean and Bacchanalian adventures. For the overweight, the deed is rewarded in mid-January with an unwanted trophy-a heavier and more pronounced flab around their waist. Having a fat belly is not only unattractive but can also be hazardous since ...
SM to build shopping mall in San Pablo
Jan 02, 2008 ... THE country's largest mall owner and operator said it will build another shopping center in Laguna late this year to early 2009 as part of its provincial expansion. Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime Holdings Inc. executive vice-president, told The Manila Times that the company is securing ...
Reported Firework Injuries Down 46%
Jan 02, 2008; ... The number of firework-related injuries reported for the holiday season stands at 446, the Department of Health said. Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd on Tuesday announced that the initial report from satellite hospitals nationwide to the National Epidemiology Center of the Health ...
SSS to wait for court ruling on EPCIB stake
Jan 02, 2008; ... STATE-RUN Social Security System (SSS) said it wait for the Supreme Court's resolution on the sale of its shares in Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO). Cora de la Paz-Bernardo, SSS president, said the pension fund expects to generate P17.28 billion from the sale of its 15-percent stake in ...
Quezon City wants own rights office
Jan 02, 2008; ... QUEZON City Councilor Janet "Babes" Malaya has proposed the creation of a human rights office for the city to address cases of human-rights violations. Malaya, chairwoman of the council's committee on justice and human rights, said that the creation of the human rights office would be a ...
Torre-Antonio chess rematch slated March
Jan 02, 2008 ... THE rematch between Grandmasters Eugene Torre and Rogelio "Joey" Antonio will take place in Quezon City in March. The city government through Fourth District Councilor and Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton is helping the organizers in raising the pot money for the highly anticipated ...
US military trying to cover up Sulu incident
Jan 02, 2008; ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: US military authorities continue to deny reports that American soldiers have forcibly closed down a government hospital in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. US troops in Sulu ordered last month a hospital in Panamao town to close every night and prevented medical ...
Agriculture agency sets US marketing trip:Acting US Farm Sector head asks govt to bring bigger trade delegation
Jan 03, 2008; ... TO expand the US market for Philippine farm products, the Department of Agriculture will lead a commercial and agricultural trade delegation to Washington on March this year. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said Acting US Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner invited him to bring a bigger ...
Board raises uproar over collapse of P15-million river control project
Jan 03, 2008; ... OAS, Albay: The Sangguniang Bayan hit the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the collapse of a P15-million river control project designed to serve as protection from flood of the lahar-threatened Poblacion town. But Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda, who was linked to the alleged ...
Canned tuna shipments to US on downtrend
Jan 03, 2008; ... CITING lack of raw tuna, Atuna.com reported that the Philippines' exports to the US have gone down fast. Atuna.com, the marketing information service of the tuna industry, said the shipment of canned tuna to the US dropped to 2.776.716 cartons (48x170g) over the three quarters of 2007 ....
BSP urges govt to borrow abroad on economic goodwill:Peso resumes climb on first trading day
Jan 03, 2008 ... THE peso rose to a fresh seven-and-a-half-year high against the dollar, but local share prices hardly moved on the first trading day of 2008. At the Philippine Dealing System, the local currency closed at 41.230 against the greenback, as the resumption of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) ...
City Hall not for making out during office hours
Jan 03, 2008 ... CEBU City: For kissing her boyfriend inside the office, a city hall employee faces an investigation for possible misconduct, reported Panay News. The two were caught in a compromising position while she was on overtime. The employee, a member of the Mayor's Management Team, were being ...
Classes resume today
Jan 03, 2008; ... The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said classes in the elementary and secondary levels will resume today after the two-week Christmas and New Year breaks. The agency expects some 19 million elementary and secondary students to troop back to some 33,000 elementary schools ...
Vista Land almost doubles capex, eyes higher real-estate sales this year
Jan 03, 2008 ... THE holding company of the Villar group said it has jacked up its spending tack for this year as it accelerates its expansion outside Metro Manila and expects real-estate sales to climb by year-end. Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. has increased its capital expenditures by 81 percent to ...
Zamboanga has makings of a sports tourism capital
Jan 03, 2008 ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: Second District Rep. Erico Basilio Fabian aims to make this city the sports tourism capital of Mindanao, reported the Philippine News Agency. As part of his project, Fabian said the Blue Stallion Stable is set to promote the first boxing title bout to be held here on ...
Search For Unsigned Talents Of Asia (SUTASI) finals: 5 bands, 2 vocalists to compete in Bangkok
Jan 03, 2008; ... THE Philippine team that will compete in the grand finals of the Search for UnsignedTalents of Asia (SUTASI) has been finalized. A total of five bands and two female solo performers will carry the country's flag and hopefully add to the regional and international recognition that our ...
Smart, Sun subscribers grow in 2007
Jan 03, 2008; ... TWO leading mobile phone service providers on Wednesday reported net additions to their respective subscriber bases last year, boosted by cheaper call and short messaging system (SMS) rates. Ma. Lourdes C. Rausa-Chan, Philippine Long Distance Tele-phone Co. (PLDT) corporate secretary, ...
Strong currency to trim collections, says Customs
Jan 03, 2008; ... THE Bureau of Customs said it is likely to miss again its collection target this year due to expectations that the peso would continue to appreciate against the dollar. Customs Commissioner Napoleon L. Morales said that a P39 to a dollar exchange rate will reduce the agency's ...
Trillanes, Cimatu to take witness stand on Oakwood
Jan 03, 2008; ... Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes 4th and former Armed Forces chief Roy Cimatu are set to take the witness stand as the rebellion case of 31 junior military officers and men linked to the 2003 Oakwood mutiny seems headed for a close. Trillanes's lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, on Wednesday ...
Unseeded Santiago advances
Jan 03, 2008 ... UNSEEDED Joshua Angelo Santiago overcame stomachache to trounce Kevin Mamawal, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, and advance to the next round of the 19th Andrada Cup Age Group Championships Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. After an easy victory in the first set, Santiago suddenly felt pain ...
Vendor-free Manila eyed by Lim this year
Jan 03, 2008; ... The Manila City government is serious in its "Zero Vendor" and "Zero Street People" policies. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said Wednesday that the city government's plan to clear major thoroughfares and side streets of vendors this year will be followed by a "Zero Street People" policy, ...
PNCC employees protest anew
Jan 03, 2008; ... Some 300 employees of the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) staged a march on Wednesday morning in Bicutan to protest their sacking following the turnover of Skyway operations to the Indonesian-owned Citra. Earlier reports placed the number of terminated PNCC employees at ...
Police set sights on people at fault for Glorietta blast
Jan 03, 2008; ... Police on Wednesday hinted that so-called personalities could be held liable for the Glorietta 2 mall blast that killed 11 persons and wounded scores of others on October 19, 2007. Director Geary Barias, Metro Manila Police chief, said their final report on the mall blast could be out ...
PSC to put up training centers nationwide
Jan 03, 2008; ... IN an effort to strengthen the country's grassroots program, the Philippine Sports Commission will put up more training centers all over the country. "It's an undeniable fact that the country lacks grassroots programs and that's what the PSC wants to focus on this year," said PSC ...
Reconciled budget bill done this month: Representative Lagman hopes meeting with Senator Enrile can help avoid reenacted budget for 2008
Jan 03, 2008; ... The bicameral conference committee on the proposed P1.227-trillion national budget for 2008 is expected next week to come up with a reconciled version of the measure to fast track its approval and prevent a reenacted budget. Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay, chairman of the House Committee on ...
Rodriguez folk urge LLDA to shut down Rizal provincial govt dump
Jan 03, 2008 ... THE controversy over Metro Manila's garbage disposal site has worsened after seven concerned residents of Rodriguez, Rizal urged the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to close down the controversial 19-hectare garbage dump set up by the Rizal provincial government, claiming that its ...
San Miguel completes Aussie brewery sale
Jan 03, 2008 ... SOUTHEAST Asia's largest food and beverage conglomerate told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday that it has completed the sale of J. Boag & Son, maker of Australia's second best selling premium beer, to Lion Nathan Ltd., which is 46-percent owned by Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings Co ....
Manila Water rate hike to be charged on staggered basis
Jan 03, 2008; ... In an apparent effort to ease the burden of its new water rates on consumers, Manila Water Co. Inc. (Manila Water) is set to stagger the increases in its rates for the first three months of the year. Starting January 2008, Manila Water-the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System's ...
Lakas names bets for 2010:Belmonte, Fernando among contenders for President
Jan 03, 2008; ... The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats is considering either Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte or Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando as its presidential standard-bearer for the 2010 elections, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. "I heard from Raul ...
Mayor not keen on inmates joining 'Sinulog': 'Not even if Michael Jackson joins them,' says Mayor Tomas Osmeña
Jan 03, 2008 ... CEBU CITY: Cebu Capitol security consultant Byron Garcia has formally asked organizers to let Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) detainees dance during the Sinulog on January 20, saying it is "something new to the traditional Sinulog presentation." But Cebu City ...
More pedestrian-friendly Metro Manila in 2008
Jan 03, 2008; ... A more pedestrian-friendly Metro Manila is one of the priorities of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) this year with the installation of additional footbridges, affordable inns, obstruction-free sidewalks and loading bays. MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno said ...
Palace defends its human rights work
Jan 03, 2008; ... Malacañang is working hard to uphold human rights in the Philippines under the watch of President Gloria Arroyo. Such rights are a top priority of the executive branch, the Palace said Wednesday. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita cited the government's adoption of recommendations of ...
Meralco Wants To Recover P5b From Customers
Jan 03, 2008; ... The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is seeking to recover from its customers billions of pesos in costs incurred from transmission charges billed by the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo). In a recent petition before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Lopez-controlled Meralco said ...
GMA's legacy: Olympic gold medal
Jan 03, 2008; ... ONE of the biggest legacies President Gloria Arroyo can bestow upon herpeople when she steps down can come from sports. What better legacy can she give the Filipinos than an Olympic gold medal which the country long dreamt of since the Philippines first took part in the ...
1,000 taxi drivers suspended
Jan 04, 2008; ... THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended for one month 1,000 taxi drivers who were the subject of complaints from commuters, and were netted under the agency's "Oplan Isnabero" program which started in December. LTO Chief Reynaldo Berroya assured that "Oplan Isnabero" will be ...
13 candidates named for Comelec vacancies
Jan 04, 2008; ... AT least 13 names are now on the short list of the selection committee earlier created by President Gloria Arroyo to screen the nominees for the vacancies in the seven-man board of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). One of the committee's members, Jose Concepcion, chairman of the ...
Agriculture pushes pro-farmer bills
Jan 04, 2008; ... THE Department of Agriculture is pushing in Congress the approval of several "farm-friendly" measures that aims to increase incomes for small farmers and fisherfolk, expand access to rural credit and protect the environment. Congress last year approved the measure extending the period ...
Alaska battles Talk 'N text
Jan 04, 2008; ... ALASKA Milk and Red Bull try to boost their bids for automatic semis berths when they face separate rivals at the resumption of the 2007 Smart-PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the Araneta Coliseum. Coaches Yeng Guiao and Tim Cone are both optimistic in their respective games after their ...
Back to 'Munti' for Jalosjos: Zamboanga junks writ petition; DOJ orders his return to prison
Jan 04, 2008; ... ZAMBOANGA CITY: A local court has rejected Thursday a petition by convicted child rapist Romeo Jalosjos for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus-a decision that will lead him back to the national penitentiary. Police arrested Jalosjos, a former Zamboanga del Norte congressman, who ...
BIR likely to have met December collection goal
Jan 04, 2008; ... THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is likely to meet its collection target last December, but would still remain short of the full-year goal, according to a government source. The source said the BIR has attained the P64.9-billion collection goal set by the Development and Budget ...
Huge excess liquidity siphoned off
Jan 03, 2008; ... SPECIAL deposit account (SDA) placements with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) surged last October, cutting down excess money that would have driven up consumer prices. BSP data showed total SDA placements jumped to P489.07 billion last October compared with P78.02 billion in the ...
Chinese developer to build new Fontana hotel
Jan 03, 2008 ... THE developer of the Fontana Leisure Parks in Clark Field, Pampanga, said it would be injecting additional investments to build a world-class hotel and complete its existing projects. About P2 billion would be poured into Fontana Leisure Parks within the next two years, P1 billion of ...
ICTSI converts advances to subsidiaries into equity
Jan 03, 2008; ... THE board of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has approved the conversion of its advances to units International Container Terminal Holdings Inc. (ICTHI) and Abbotsford Holdings Inc. (AHI) into shares in these subsidiaries. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock ...
Church, group clash over Sumilao
Jan 03, 2008; ... A senior Catholic bishop on Wednesday described as "preposterous" allegations made by an advocacy group accusing some Church leaders as members of a so-called agrarian mafia that manipulated the Sumilao farmers to pursue a hidden agenda. "As far as the Church is concerned, there is no ...
Coast Guard rescues yacht captained by 'Fidel Castro'
Jan 03, 2008; ... The Philippine Coast Guard rescued "Fidel Castro" off a stranded yacht on Wednesday. The M/V Bea Trissa, a yacht captained by the namesake of the Cuban leader, encountered engine trouble on its way back to Manila from Subic on Wednesday. Lieutenant Cmdr. Armand Balilo, Coast Guard ...
Jose Rizal as a sportsman
Jan 03, 2008; ... ON Saturday, the country commemorated the martyrdom of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, who was shot at Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park at the Luneta) on December 30, 1898 for inspiring the Filipinos' revolt against Spain. No less than President Gloria Arroyo led in remembering his heroics that ...
Dapat blames DOJ for inaction on Jalosjos release
Jan 03, 2008; ... SACKED Bureau of Corrections Director Ricardo Dapat is blaming the Department of Justice for "inaction" in promptly computing the good conduct time allowance and colony service of convicted Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos. In his memorandum to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez ...
Filipino dies in Nigeria
Jan 03, 2008; ... A FILIPINO died from a tanker that caught fire, while 18 fellow seamen are awaiting repatriation from Nigeria, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Wednesday.Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. told the Manila Times that the incident occurred on December ...
Finance pushes bill on pre-need code
Jan 03, 2008; ... THE Department of Finance is seeking this year the passage of a bill establishing a pre-need industry code. In a position paper, the finance department said time is ripe for a set of rules to supervise and regulate the industry. "There is a strong need for a legislative ...
First Gen buys out partner
Jan 03, 2008; ... FIRST Gen Corp. has become the sole owner of Red Vulcan Holdings Corp., which earlier won the bidding for the government's controlling stake in the country's largest geothermal energy producer. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, First Gen said it bought the shares of ...
Fortune telling can be illegal, says 1932 law
Jan 03, 2008; ... Every New Year is an opportunity to review one's life and plan for the future. For many Filipinos, this is a feat best accomplished with the aid of the neighborhood fortune teller. Filipinos probably have one of the world's most varied repertoire for this purpose of divining the ...