Typhoon 'Mina' leaves 8 dead

Typhoon “Mina” (international name: Nanmadol) moved slightly faster Sunday as it roared out of the country, leaving at least eight people dead and affecting 27,670 families or 108,788 people in 281 villages in Northern Luzon, disaster officials said Sunday.

The typhoon destroyed 16 houses and damaged 77 others, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Despite weakening, “Mina” remains dangerous, officials said.

NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos said Sunday that the victims perished in landslides or drowned after “Mina” set off floods and landslides.

Ramos identified seven of the fatalities as Ruel Soria, 4, of Barangay Sta. Fe, Marcelino, Zambales; Reajen Bautista, 6, and John Rey Bautista, 5 – both of Barangay Rabon, San Fabian, Pangasinan; Revullar Flores, 13, Apolinario Flores, 10 – both of Irisan dumpsite in Baguio City; Floro Sulliven, of Bakakeng Norte, Barangay Kias, Baguio City; and Nelson Vergara, 68, of Barangay Bagong Sirang, Baras, Catanduanes.

GMA undergoes third spine surgery

Doctors of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo decided to push through with her third cervical spine surgery Wednesday morning.

Marilen Lagniton, St. Luke’s Medical Center Vice President for Customers Affairs and spokesperson, told a media briefing that a team led by veteran orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mario Ver, started the operation on her cervical spine between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday.

She said the medical team led by Arroyo’s personal physician, Dr. Juliet Gopez Cervantes, decided to push through with the operation after the absence of fever for the past 24 hours.

Lagniton said the operation was expected to last for at least five hours.

She added that doctors led by Dr. Cervantes will give another media briefing at noon Thursday to give an update on the surgery.

Gloria Arroyo surgery postponed due to fever

The surgery to correct a pinched nerve on former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spine scheduled this week will be postponed after she developed a fever last night, her doctors said Monday.

A medical bulletin released by Mrs. Arroyo’s doctors from the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City said they decided to wait for the former President’s temperature to normalize before pushing through with the operation.

"While there is no contraindication to going ahead with surgery, we want to make sure fever is gone before proceeding with surgery," the medical bulletin read.

48 percent pass July 2011 nursing board exam

The July 2011 nursing licensure examination results were released Saturday and 48 percent or 37,513 of the 78,135 who took it passed, with a graduate of the University of the Philippines – Manila, Jomel Garcia Lapides, as topnotcher.

The new nurses will take their oaths at a date and venue to be announced later, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

PNoy names former colleague as new SC justice

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed a former colleague in a security agency as the new associate justice of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court received the appointment papers of Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes on Friday morning.

Justice Bienvenido Reyes

Reyes fills up 1 of 2 vacancies following the retirement last June of Associate Justices Conchita Carpio Morales and Antonio Eduardo Nachura. Reyes and the President worked together in Best Security Agency Inc. (BSA), a security agency business Aquino put up with his uncle Antolin Oreta.
Reyes had disclosed to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) that he served as BSA finance manager from 1987 to 1990 during the term of Aquino's mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

Gloria Arroyo to undergo second spine surgery

Former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to undergo another operation on Wednesday after going under the knife two weeks ago to correct a pinched nerve in her spine.

In a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras," reporter John Consulta said that the former President is set to undergo a five-hour operation at 7 a.m. on Wednesday after doctors at St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in Taguig City discovered that the titanium plate in her spine was dislocated.

Mrs. Arroyo was discharged from the hospital last Friday, a week after she went through the first operation.

DOJ to place GMA under watch list

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will place former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under the immigration watch list, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Monday.

De Lima said the order will be issued anytime this week.
She explained that the order was put on hold "for humanitarian reasons," as Arroyo recently underwent a surgical operation for a pinched nerve.

De Lima said the former President is currently facing several graft and plunder complaints for alleged anomalies under her nearly 10-year administration.

Plunder is a non-bailable offense.
De Lima also said the DOJ has the authority to have people placed under the immigration watch list. Those on the list cannot leave the country without permission from the DOJ.

15 Bohol girls ‘saved’ at pier

At least 15 girls, most of them minors, were rescued by the police nearly two hours before they were scheduled to sail for Manila last Friday night, in a suspected case of human trafficking.

The Maritime Police in Central Visayas also arrested at the Pier 4 in Cebu City a mother and her daughter who allegedly arranged for the girls’ travel.

The minors were allegedly offered jobs in Manila as housemaids, waitresses and caretakers. With ages ranging from 14 to 17, all the girls came from Getafe, Bohol. They were all out-of-school youths.

Pacquiao files for sanctions against Mayweather

The legal team for welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao filed a motion for default and dismissal this week in the boxer's defamation lawsuit against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao's representatives, Daniel Petrocelli and David Marroso, filed the motion Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Nevada. They are seeking a default judgment because Mayweather has steadfastly refused to appear during any of the 24 dates that he's been sought for deposition.

Pacquiao is accusing Mayweather of defamation after the rival boxer made repeated statements alleging that the Filipino fighter used performance-enhancing substances. Pacquiao has denied such claims.

PH Dragon Boat team wins gold in US tilt

Proving it is a class above the rest – even against the well-funded teams from first world – the Philippine Dragon Boat team, which includes 11 soldier-athletes among its members, won the gold medal in the Premier Open 1,000-meter (Small boat) event of the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Dragon Boat Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida, United States on Friday.

Twelve Filipino athletes on a short canoe paddled furiously from start to finish dumping all oppositions, clocking four minutes and 59.79 seconds in the first round in a performance that awed their rivals.

Toughened by their desire to rise above the challenge despite little support from the government, they did even better in the second round by submitting a time of 4:57.13 to capture the coveted mint in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The President met with MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad

President Aquino left the country without fanfare last Thursday and held a secret meeting with the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Japan in a bid to hasten the peace process in Mindanao.

The President met with MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ibrahim for two hours in a Tokyo hotel and obtained commitment to forge a peace agreement within his term, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) announced Friday.

But Professor Marvic Leonen, government peace panel chairman, said President did not meet with Murad in Japan in his capacity as head of state but as Commander-in-Chief to show the Aquino administration’s sincerity in forging a peace agreement with the MILF within his term.

Arroyo won - witness

The result of the 2004 presidential election will likewise be the same even if the election returns (ER) had not been switched, whistleblower police Senior Supt. Rafael Santiago admitted yesterday.

Santiago made the statement at the Department of Justice (DoJ) after submitting his affidavit on his participation in the alleged fraud cover-up in the 2004 presidential elections before Justice Secretary Leila De Lima.

Santiago said he believes that the switching of the controversial election returns (ERs) that he and his group of Special Action Force (SAF) members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) claimed to have done was not enough to overturn the results of the 2004 elections.

By official records of Congress sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won the 2004 elections after garnering 12,905,808 votes over the 11,782,232 votes of opposition rival Fernando Poe Jr.

“Kahit magka-ER switching, hindi enough iyon to overturn the (2004 presidential elections) result,” Santiago told reporters in a news conference at the DoJ building.

Pacman vs Floyd Jr. in May?

Unless Victor Ortiz and Juan Manuel Marquez don’t follow the script that will be laid out in September and November, the mouth-watering match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will happen in May 2012.

Pacquiao graced the birthday of TV boxing analyst Moy Lainez on Wednesday night and told Lainez that all signs point to a super fight between him and Mayweather next year.

“He told me that the Mayweather fight will take place in May next year,” Lainez said.

Lainez, thrilled with the news, told Pacquiao that even if he is not feeling well that he will fly to the US just to watch the action at ringside.

Senator Zubiri resigns from post, to run in 2013

Saying that honor goes above anything, Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri resigned from his post Wednesday, roughly two years before he ends his six-year term.

In a privilege speech, Zubiri said he resigned because of "unfounded accusations" against him, which has deeply hurt his family.

"I am resigning because of these unfounded accusations against me and these issues has systematically divided our nation and has cast doubts in our electoral system which has affected not only myself, this Institution but the public as well," Zubiri said.

Court junks request to turn 4 Maguindanao massacre suspects into state witnesses

The Quezon City court handling the Maguindanao massacre case has thumbed down the prosecution’s request for four suspects to be turned into state witnesses due to lack of merit.

In an omnibus motion, QC Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ruled that the testimonies of the four — Inspectors Rex Ariel Diongon, Michael Macaraeg, PO1 Rainer Ebus and Mohammad Sangki — were merely corroborative in nature.

PCG confirms 8 dead fishermen recovered off Masbate

The Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday confirmed eight bodies of fishermen earlier reported missing off Masbate was recovered.

The Coast Guard was searching for survivors of the FB Hope Cristie, which sank last July 26 while Tropical Storm “Juaning" battered Luzon. Eleven crewmembers remain unaccounted for.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the death toll from “Juaning" climbed to 66 with the confirmed deaths of the eight Hope Cristie crew and one drowning victim in Boac, Marinduque.

Kabayan Typhoon kills 4 in Philippines, moves away

A powerful typhoon is blowing away from the northern Philippines after killing at least four people even though it did not make landfall.

Office of Civil Defense chief Benito Ramos says slow-moving Typhoon Muifa was packing sustained winds of 108 miles (175 kilometers) per hour and gusts of 130 mph (210 kph). It is moving away from northern Luzon Island's eastern coast Monday toward southern Taiwan and Japan.

Philippine troops hunt Abu Sayyaf despite Ramadan

Philippine officials say the military will continue to hunt for Abu Sayyaf militants who killed seven marines last week but they will take care not to disrupt the observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Regional military commander Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer says troops will focus their manhunt and assaults on militants away from Muslim communities observing Monday's start of Ramadan.