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(First of two parts) THE Philippines is at a loss over China’s declaration its ships will stay permanently in Bajo de Masinloc, a declaration some experts say could lead to the Philippines losing 38 percent of its territorial waters. Bajo de Masinloc, a triangular-shaped coral reef formation that has several rocks encircling a lagoon, is

By MIKHA FLORES MORE than 238,000 Overseas Absentee Voters (OAV) will be removed from the voters’ list after failing to vote in the last two elections. Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Friday only 29 of the 238,557 OAVs who were “deactivated” from the list manifested their intent to vote in 2013. The

By MIKHA FLORES WHEN the Commission on Elections awarded Smartmatic the contract to supply compact flash (CF) Cards for the coming May elections, it did not consider the technical glitches in 2010 that nearly botched the first nationwide automated elections. Lawyer Helen Aguila-Flores, chairperson of the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC), said Thursday the

CONVICTED child rapist Romeo Jalosjos can’t run for mayor of Zamboanga City this May.  Neither can his brother Dominador, who had been convicted of robbery, vie for the governorship of Zamboanga del Sur. The Commission on Elections on Tuesday ordered the cancellation of the certificates of candidacy of the siblings after the Supreme Court earlier

By MIKHA FLORES PRESIDENT Aquino has asked the Commission on Elections to exempt him from the gun ban that takes effect nationwide when the election period starts on Sunday, a Comelec official said Thursday. Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph said Aquino, a known gun enthusiast, filed for a personal exemption Thursday morning at his office. The

By MIKHA FLORES COMMISSION on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. is proposing that the two new commissioners President Aquino will soon appoint be named “consultants” first before their formal appointment to allow them to already participate in the poll body’s deliberations. “The President can announce who will be appointed so that by Feb. 2 or

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections is moving the ballot configuration originally set on Friday to its “deadliest deadline,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said Wednesday. During the configuration, Comelec will finalize the ballot face in both the national and local elections. The front face will include all elective positions in the national level: senators