Rains falling but Caloocan folk ask: Where’s the water?

MANILA, Philippines—There had been intermittent rains over the weekend, so many residents of Caloocan City do not understand why water has been scarce in their area since last week. On Monday, many of them were seen hauling their pails and empty water jugs up and down Sangandaan Road just to draw water from a hose at the Philippine National Railway (PNR) property along the main thoroughfare. Susan Langurayan, 23, a mother, said the…

CBCP starts reviewing sex education modules

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is reviewing the controversial sex education modules that are supposed to be integrated into the basic education curriculum this school year. Education Secretary Mona Valisno said Bishop Oscar Cruz told her over the weekend that the CBCP’s Commission on the Family and Life is going over the modules and will…

Comelec issues guidelines on overseas voting

MANILA, Philippines — Officials administering the month-long overseas absentee voting in Hong Kong and Singapore have been ordered to print status reports of the process at the start and end of each day. The report will contain the number of those who had voted and the number of valid ballots counted, according to Resolution No. 8806 that was released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the weekend.

Smart to seal data center deal with Smartmatic-TIM

By Marie A. Surbano 02/22/2010 Telecommunications giant Smart Communications has said it expects to sign the contract on its provision of the elections data center with the consortium of Smartmatic Corp. and Total Information Management Corp.

NIA: Enough water for Nueva Ecija farms

MANILA, Philippines—There is enough water for Nueva Ecija farms from Pantabangan Dam despite the onset of mild El Niño conditions, the National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (NIA-UPRIIS) said over the weekend. NIA-UPRIIS department manager Antonio S. Nangel said in a statement that despite signs of drought such as below-normal rainfall, Pantabangan Dam…

PNP trains eye on areas on poll watchlist

By Mario J.

Gov’t to launch info drive on peace talks with MILF

02/08/2010 For the sake of transparency, the government will launch a nationwide information campaign through print, radio, television and the Internet to inform and consult the people through reflective dialogs on major issues it is discussing with the Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to resolve the long-drawn out Mindanao conflict. This was announced over the weekend by Presidential…

Case necessary to rule on chief justice appointment

MANILA, Philippines – The question on whether President Macapagal-Arroyo could appoint the replacement for outgoing Chief Justice Reynato Puno in the last two months of her term would only be addressed if a case would be filed in court, Puno said over the weekend. ‘The Supreme Court can only act whenever there is a proper case. And without any proper case, the court, like the other courts in foreign jurisdictions, will not intervene,’ Puno told reporters

Sentencing of Pinay in Brunei drug case set

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/26/2010 The fate of a Filipino woman who was allegedly used as a drug “mule” and is facing the death penalty in Brunei will be known next month, a report said yesterday

Prayers for dead don’t come in plastic

MANILA, Philippines – Offering prayers is the best way to honor the dead. It costs nothing, it doesn’t come in plastic and one can always reuse or recycle prayers.

Soldier killed in clash with bandits

Manila: Bandits shot dead a soldier and wounded another while they were escorting engineers who were repairing a broken bridge in the southern Philippines, several days after two US troops were killed in…

5 bogus fire inspectors nabbed

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Typhoon Parma puts Philippines on high alert

MORE MISERY: Still attempting to clean up following Tropical Storm Ketsana, which left 277 dead, the Philippines could next face being hit by a super typhoon The Philippines went on high alert yesterday as a super typhoon threatened to unleash more devastation for millions of people already struggling to recover from deadly floods that claimed 277 lives. Typhoon Parma was gaining strength as it churned toward the nation and was expected to dump more heavy rain on areas still reeling from the weekend floods that forced nearly 700,000 people into evacuation camps….

Typhoon Ketsana Hits Vietnam, Killing at Least 23 People

By JAMES HOOKWAY Typhoon Ketsana continued its deadly path across Southeast Asia as it ripped into the coast of Vietnam, killing at least 23 people there after leaving more than 280 people dead or missing in the Philippines over the weekend. Two fresh storms were brewing in the Pacific east of the Philippines, meanwhile, and threatened to hamper rescue and cleanup operations still under way there, especially in Manila and surrounding areas.

Lack of drainage systems exacerbated impact of deadly typhoon in the Philippines – UN

People wading through flood water from Typhoon Ondoy in the Phillipines capital Manila30 September 2009 – Poor drainage systems and garbage disposal problems aggravated the impact of a typhoon that struck the Philippines at the weekend and killed hundreds of people, the United Nations disaster prevention agency says as it stressed the…

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