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By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS Photos from GMA News Online THE winner of the first Comelec-sponsored debates of presidential candidates organized with GMA-7 and Philippine Daily Inquirer based on my monitoring of social media and exchange of notes with friends was Grace Poe. It’s not scientific survey, of course. Political analyst and De La  Salle University

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS TWO days after boxing icon Manny Pacquiao rebuked  same sex couples as worse than animals, shoe giant Nike dropped him as endorser. That was fast. Observers said that was an easy decision for Nike because Pacquiao, 37, is at the sunset of his career after losing in two major fights:

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL IT is possible, but highly unlikely to rig the 2016 elections and use it to favor a certain candidate, given the security features of the automated election system (AES), says an information technology expert. Only when there is “insider cheating” or conspiracy among those controlling the system can electoral fraud take

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS DESPITE decline in global oil prices, the Saudi labor market remains stable for Filipino workers. The reported retrenchments are not due to the oil price slump in recent months, according to assessment of Saudi-based labor attaches and diplomats of the situation in the Middle East kingdom that hosts some 800,000 OFWS.

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL AFTER a series of delays, the Commission on Elections has finally started printing nearly 57 million official ballots for the 2016 polls. Comelec Chair Andres Bautista led observers, poll watchdogs and members of the media in a walkthrough today at the National Printing Office, the government agency in charge of the

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL and YVETTE B. MORALES THE nationwide mock elections held Saturday were generally smooth, save for some glitches in the vote-counting machines (VCMs) and discrepancies between automated and manual results due to incomplete ballot shading. To boost public confidence in the security features of VCMs amid software issues, the Commission on Elections

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL NOT one voter with disability showed up in the only mall precinct used in yesterday’s countrywide mock elections. To disability advocates, the zero PWD turnout defeated the primary purpose of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) mall-voting initiative. But the poll body insists mall voting was not intended for people with disabilities

By VERLIE Q. RETULIN THE mock election conducted at Tenement Elementary School in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig on Saturday would have started on time because majority of the ‘voters’ were present when the polling precinct opened at 7:30 a.m.. Tenement Elementary School was one of the 40 schools nationwide selected to hold the mock elections

By LUZ RIMBAN A person with disability (PWD) advocating community-based rehabilitation for PWDs was named 2016 Ninoy and Cory Aquino Fellowship Awardee in a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy Thursday. Erlynn Jaucian, deputy executive director of the Albay-based Simon of Cyrene Community Rehabilitation and Development Foundation was recognized “for her resolute commitment in promoting the

Text and photos by MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL BOTH the receipt-printing and on-screen verification features of the vote counting machines (VCMs) won’t be activated for the May 9 polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said. The Comelec en banc has decided to disable the ticket-printing feature, Election Chair Andres Bautista told VERA Files during the mock

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS                                                          IF only the evidence of corruption against Vice President Jojo Binay were not overwhelming, I would consider voting for him in the May election simply because of his promise that those earning P30,000 a month (annual income of P360,000) and below will be exempted from paying income tax. Kim Henares’ BIR

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL AMID unresolved issues on her citizenship and residency, Senator Grace Poe has stepped up her campaign for votes and support in the countryside, banking on a promise of a “government with a heart” for the poor and the marginalized. The independent presidential candidate kicked off her campaign in Manila, but has