Archive - News

By JONATHAN DE SANTOS POLITICAL turncoatism, and possibly even the sharing of candidates among political parties, could be a thing of the past if Congress manages to pass by June 6 a bill strengthening political parties. But Congress has a very limited window of opportunity to do it, under the present term. “We have June

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections’ negotiations with Dominion Voting Systems for the release of the source code for the automated machines to be used in the coming elections have gained little headway, but Chairman Sixto Brillantes is still hoping for a definitive outcome from the talks so the poll body can get past

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections has asked the Catholic Church to serve as role model in following election laws by removing an oversized endorsement poster outside a Bacolod church. In a one-page letter dated Feb 27, Law Department Director Esmeralda Amora-Ladra asked Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra to lead by example and remove the

By MIKHA FLORES TWENTY-seven years after the downfall of strongman Ferdinand Marcos, the country remains in the grip this time of “small dictatorships” that come in the guise of political dynasties that impede the country’s development. So saying, the civil society group Anti-Dynasty Movement Tuesday asked the Commission on Elections to enforce the constitutional ban

TACLOBAN CITY – The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas has denied it is demanding “permit to campaign” and “permit to win” fees from candidates which the military alleged ranged from P50,000 to P5 million.

By MIKHA FLORES KABATAAN and PISTON party-lists are in hot water for failing to remove illegal posters in Manila beyond the grace period given by the Commission on Elections. Law Department Director Esmeralda Amora-Ladra said Comelec will file an election offense case against Kabataan and PISTON (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) for not

By MIKHA FLORES THE Commission on Elections has ordered administration senatorial candidate Jamby Madrigal to explain an online contest for a free iPad which was posted on her social network accounts. In a two-page letter dated Feb 25, Law Department Director Esmeralda Amora-Ladra ordered Madrigal to explain why Comelec should not file an election offense

MARCOS, Ilocos Norte—A village chief running for mayor of this town was gunned down on Saturday afternoon, becoming the second mayoral candidate here shot by motorcycle-riding men.

By VICENTE ALEJANDRO CATBALOGAN CITY – Four persons, three of them murder suspects, and several loose firearms and ammunition were seized in a week-long operation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Samar ahead of the elections.

By MIKHA FLORES WHEN persons with disabilities (PWD) go out and vote on May 13, they can move around with more ease from drop off points to classrooms where they will cast their vote.

By MIKHA FLORES THE Liberal Party (LP) spent almost P2 million for its proclamation rally in Plaza Miranda in Manila at the start of the campaign period, P1 million more than the expenses incurred by rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). LP spent P1.89 million pesos based on the Statement of Expenses on Public Rally filed

by LEILANIE ADRIANO DINGRAS, Ilocos Norte – A retired policeman was gunned down in front of his own house Thursday morning by motorcycle-riding men, the 46th such incident in the province in four years, police said.

By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE administration coalition Team PNoy asked the public for leeway over a social media campaign launched by senatorial candidate Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal that election officials say may have violated the Omnibus Election Code. Team PNoy spokesman and Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo said at a press conference Wednesday there are still

By MIKHA FLORES TWO men who offered to rig local election results in a town in Mindanao in exchange for money were arrested in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the poll body said on Tuesday. Hadji Omar Masiding and Sultan Pundatoon Bagul were entrapped in an operation in a hotel in

CHINA on Tuesday announced that it returned the  Philippine notification of its suit filed at a United  Nations arbitral court  handed to the Chinese ambassador in Manila last. Jan 22, a Xinhua report said. The report carried by China.org.cn said, “The Chinese government has rejected a Philippine move to take their dispute regarding sovereignty issues

By MIKHA FLORES COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) employees have asked President Benigno Aquino III to designate lawyer Alexander Pilotin, a field officer of the poll body in Cagayan Valley, as Commissioner, saying his appointment will advance the interest of the rank and file. Pilotin is concurrently Regional Election Attorney for Cagayan and Election Officer of

BATAC CITY— Police are now trying to establish the motive behind the shooting of a law school dean Thursday night, following the arrest of two suspects.

CATBALOGAN CITY—As the start of the campaign period for the May 13 elections draws near, the Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas is pursuing the remaining members of two partisan/private armed groups (PAGs) in hotspot Samar to ensure a “secured and fair elections.”

BULUAN, Maguindanao—Only five ballots had been fed when the Precinct Count Optical Scan or PCOS machine at the Talitay Elementary School here encountered a software error. As the day wore on, the machine failed to read the ballots or ejected a ballot.

By LEILANIE ADRIANO LAOAG CITY— Police are considering declaring this city and five other towns as priority watchlist areas in the May elections. Senior Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita, acting police provincial director, said the towns of Marcos, Pagudpud, Pasuquin, Dingras, Sarrat and Laoag City are being monitored as possible priority watchlist areas.

By MIKHA FLORES PRINTING operators and Commission on Election employees arrived early at the National Printing Office  (NPO) Monday for the printing of ballots that will be used in the May polls. However, they were mostly idle as the morning wait stretched into late afternoon when a single sheet was yet to be inked. Commission on

By LEILANIE ADRIANO MARCOS, Ilocos Norte—Motorcycle riding gunmen shot the mayor of this town as he was inspecting a construction project in front of the Marcos Agro-industrial School here around 5 p.m. Monday.

Nineteen road improvement and two bridge construction projects in Palawan province that cost the government some P420 million were overpriced and failed to conform with government standards, former national treasurer Leonor Briones told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

By MIKHA FLORES UNLESS you want to spend the next six to 12 years in prison, beware of fake gun ban exemption certifications. Commission on Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph has cautioned the public of fraudulent gun ban exemption certifications that are currently circulating. Yusoph, Chair of the 2013 Committee on the Ban on Firearms and

By MIKHA FLORES A candidate may invoke his right to reply over a news report published or aired against him, but he may not be given a chance to reply, a Commission on Elections official said. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the right to reply, although provided for in the Fair Elections Act and its

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
THE Philippine government decided Tuesday to ask the United Nations arbitration tribunal to declare as illegal China’s nine-dash line map that covers a large part of country’s territory in the South China Sea including the disputed Spratlys group of islands and Bajo de Masinloc.

By MIKHA FLORES TELEVISION and radio networks need not secure a permit from the Commission on Elections for candidates to appear in their programs. Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Tuesday Comelec plans to come out with a resolution clarifying a provision in the Fair Elections Act requiring broadcast stations or entities to secure an approval

THE permanent stationing of three of its ships in Bajo de Masinloc is part of China’s “creeping invasion” of disputed territories in the South China Sea, a high-ranking Philippine government official said.

By MIKHA FLORES AN official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines wants the Commission on Elections to allow police or military escorts for candidates in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo, commanding general of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), asked Comelec to reconsider a provision allowing only incumbent governors and

(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