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MALACANANG defended Monday presidential sons Juan Miguel and Diosdado Arroyo over their purchase of luxury homes in the United States after the two were elected congressmen in the 2007 elections, according to a gmanews.tv report. Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez Jr. said people should not judge them and should instead wait for the two congressmen

A CITIZENS group said Friday it will appeal the recent decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to charge only former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos and former National Economic Development Authority Director General Romulo Neri with graft and bribery before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the anomalous $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal

THE race for the vice presidency will be tight if it were held today. Pulse Asia’s July 28 to Aug. 10 survey showed Filipinos split between Senators Francis Escudero (21 percent) and Loren Legarda (19 percent). Vice President Noli de Castro (15 percent), Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay (12 percent) and Sen. Francis Pangilinan (12

SEVEN reelectionists and four former senators are among the probable winners in the senatorial elections if these were held now, Pulse Asia’s latest poll showed. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada registered the highest overall voter preference (50.2 percent), which Pulse Asia said translates to a statistical ranking of first to fifth places, the research organization said as

IF next year’s elections were held today, one in four Filipinos would vote Sen. Manuel B. Villar Jr. president, and former President Joseph Estrada would be his closest rival (19 percent), followed by Vice President Noli L. de Castro (16 percent), according to the latest Pulse Asia survey. The July 28 to Aug. 10 survey

AUSTRALIA is providing an additional P123 million to help the Philippines mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into national policies and bring them down to the community level. Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said the additional assistance from the Australian Government Aid Program (AUSAID) will help local governments implement land use plans, provide technical

By TESSA JAMANDRE THREE months after three other countries formally submitted to the United Nations their claims over the disputed Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), the Philippines finally registered its protests to those claims. Two protests to the unilateral submissions of Vietnam and Palau and another on the Joint Submission of Malaysia and Vietnam were filed

FILIPINO lawyer and environmental activist Antonio Oposa Jr. has been named one of this year’s six recipients of the annual Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s premier prize. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said in a statement that Oposa is being recognized for “his pathbreaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that

PRESIDENT Gloria Arroyo has ordered an investigation on the reported withdrawal last month of the security detail of former President Corazon Aquino while the latter was battling colon cancer. Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello told journalists on Monday that Arroyo and the Office of the President “do not know anything of the withdrawal.” “Although there needs

A CITIZENS group on Monday asked the Supreme Court to stop the Commission on Elections from releasing payments to Smartmatic TIM Corp., the winner of the P7.2 billion contract to automate next year’s elections. The Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), whose case questioning the awarding of the contract will be heard by the High Court on

TOP  students from 21 universities and colleges in the Philippines will vie for the right to represent the country in the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) World Cup to be held in Berlin, Germany in October. Pilipinas SIFE, the national chapter of the global organization that seeks to train and develop the next generation of

SEVEN out of 10 Filipinos oppose amending the Constitution to let President Gloria Arroyo stay as the country’s top official after 2010, according to a June survey of the Social Weather Stations said. Fifty-five percent also suspect her to be behind the “Cha-cha” (Charter change) effort to extend her term, the survey said. The survey,

A GROUP of citizens asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to stop tomorrow’s signing of the contract for the 2010 Elections Automation Project by the Commission on Elections and the winning bidder, Smartmatic International and its local partner Total Information Management. The petitioners, led by lawyer Harry Roque and his law partners, also asked the

AFTER three days of silence, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde confirmed that President Arroyo indeed spent the weekend in Cartagena, Colombia.   He said it was just a “technical stopover” before proceeding for her state visit to Brazil coming from Japan.   “Hindi iyon actually side trip. Parang stopover dahil alam ninyo napakalayo kasi nitong Brazil

WHISTLEBLOWER Navy Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gadian asked the Supreme Court Monday to amend a decision of the Court of Appeals ordering the defense secretary to provide her protection. Gadian, who exposed the alleged misuse of P46 million in funds earmarked for the RP-US Balikatan Military Exercise 2007 when she was then the deputy of

THE country’s leading business groups Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional House Resolution 1109 which seeks to convene a constituent assembly or “Con-Ass” to amend the Constitution without the Senate’s participation. “If and when the House is challenged for the legality of its actions, we call on the Supreme Court to strike

LAWYER Oliver Lozano and his daughter Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to nullify House Resolution No. 1109, saying the House of Representatives “railroaded” the measure to amend the Constitution to extend the term of President Gloria Arroyo. HR1109, adopted by the House late Tuesday night, seeks to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly, without participation

SEN. Manuel Villar would top the presidential elections if they were held now, according to a Social Weather Stations poll. The survey, conducted on April 16 to May 6 and commissioned by Villar, showed 22 percent of Filipinos were likely to vote Villar and 18 percent, Vice President Noli de Castro. The SWS polled 7,000