COMELEC in Control

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Jose Melo has admitted that he’s having sleepless nights over the first nationwide automation of the polls. The nightmares could have been triggered by the fact that Melo, a retired justice, is clueless on what exactly is happening with the project. One glaring proof of this is when he told reporters last week that the Comelec had signed contracts with the 3 forwarding firms for the deployment of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and...

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Will Manny Retire, Now?

 Is pound-for-pound boxing king, Manny Pacquiao, ready to leave his throne? After defeating with Ghanaian challenger Joshua Clottey last Sunday (Mar 14), rumors of Pacquiao’s impending retirement in boxing are again cropping up. In 2007, Pacquiao earned an estimated $20 million or P920 million, while he doubled this amount last year according to Forbes Magazine. In the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, Manny was reported to get as much as $12 million. Manny is also known to share his fortune...

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Paying for Extra on Seat?

Paying for extras has become routine for airline passengers but it doesn't mean they like it, with a poll showing more than half all travelers hate having to fork out to choose their seat. The online poll of nearly 2,000 people by website Airfarwatchdog.com, asked respondents which airline fees they despised the most. Paying for the privilege of picking their seat was the biggest bugbear for 52% of respondents, followed by paying to change flights -- something which irked a third of passengers. A...

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Fake Havaianas Even in Politics

Another rumor has been hurled at Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Manuel "Manny" Villar and his camp -- that they allegedly handed out fake Havaianas flip-flops to a group of tabloid reporters. An email with the subject "Villar gives fake Havaianas to tabloid reporters" was sent to several e-groups and was forwarded to abs-cbnNEWS.com on Monday. It claimed that Avic Amarillo, Villar's media handler, bought the fake flip-flops from Divisoria for tabloid reporters assigned to cover...

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Choosing a Digital Camera

 So you’ve heard about the latest models of digital cameras in the market and you know it’s high time to buy one. But with almost all of them sporting the sleekest style, enormous megapixels, super zooms and wide LCD screens, how would you know what is best for you or the one you’re buying it for? Well, let’s make this easier for you. Before you get swayed into swiping your card, consider these top five factors: megapixels, price, optical zoom, compatibility of accessories, and of...

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Russian Blogger on Corruption

 It started with a golden bed and African drummers and led to Russia's latest, surprising, political duel pitting tenacious bloggers against bureaucrats whose excesses went a step too far. Russians typically shrug their shoulders at the lavish lifestyles of government officials, assuming nothing can be done about bureaucrats who take bribes and pocket state funds. But when Russia's interior ministry announced plans to buy a golden bed, it raised an outcry -- and revealed the potential...

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ABBA Lead Induction on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony

  Some musical acts that thrived in second lives are joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ABBA, Genesis and The Hollies will be inducted Monday at the annual ceremony at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. They'll be joined by the Stooges and reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff. The four-member Swedish hit machine ABBA split up in 1982 after producing including "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo." The band never reformed, but the Broadway and movie production "Mamma Mia" kept their songs alive. Genesis...

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Aussie Donated Hi-tech Illustration Equipment to PNP

 Australia donated three pieces of composite illustration equipment to the Philippine National Police (PNP), allowing local law enforcement to produce faster, more accurate images of crime suspects. Donated as part of Australia’s 25th year of Federal Police operations, the equipment — known as Facefit — produces images of crime suspects using a bank of over 700 stored facial images. It delivers more realistic images, in less time, than the old system of hand-drawn sketches. PNP chief...

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Another Dead on Manny Pacquiao's Game

A village councilor in South Cotabato died of a heart attack after watching boxing icon Manny Pacquiao win over Joshua Clottey in their bout on Sunday. Leopoldo Salcedo, 50, a councilor of San Jose village in Banga town in South Cotabato, suffered an attack while cheering for the Filipino boxing icon, Radio dzRH reported on Monday. Moments earlier, Salcedo saw Pacquiao being declared the winner of the bout via unanimous decision. Banga town police director Inspector Dennis Madriaga cited...

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Filipino Family May Be Deported for Joining Strike

A Filipino worker, his wife, and their three children face deportation from Ireland after the government confiscated their immigration visas following his participation in a hunger strike over a compensation issue with his employer, it was learned Sunday. Citing a report from Republican Sinn Fein’s website, Migrante International said the immigration cards of John Recto, who has been living and working in Ireland for the past eight years, and his wife had been confiscated soon after the...

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Caticlan Airport, San Miguel Next Project

 San Miguel Corp. has gained a foothold into a pioneering airport development business by taking a majority stake in the modernization of the Caticlan airport, the gateway to the country’s world-famous beach spot Boracay Island. Inquirer sources said San Miguel had agreed to come in as a strategic partner of the consortium led by Chinese-Filipino businessman George Yang that bagged the right to modernize the Caticlan airport under a 25-year concession arrangement with the government. San...

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Former Budget Secretary Boncodin Died In Cardiac Arrest

She spent most of her life in government but she never craved money or power, lived simply and left public service untouched by any whiff of scandal. At 2:05 p.m. Monday, former Budget Secretary Emilia T. Boncodin passed away due to cardiac arrest at a Quezon City hospital after her body rejected a kidney donated by her sister. She was 55. Boncodin died after repeated attempts to revive her failed, according to a medical bulletin issued by Dr. Enrique Ona, executive director of the National...

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Japanese Cartoonist Opposed Restriction Over Child Sex Image

 A group of Japanese cartoonists on Monday protested against a Tokyo government plan to tighten rules on sexual images of minors in comics, animation and computer game software. Cartoonists, including prominent artists Machiko Satonaka and Tetsuya Chiba, held a news conference to voice their opposition to the plan before the Tokyo metropolitan assembly votes on the proposal on Friday. "This could violate freedom of expression," they said in a joint statement to assembly members of...

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