Monthly Archives: May 2016
Sen. Osmena points to ‘Garci boys’ alleged wide- spread vote-buying, cheating in May 9 e...
The votes obtained by at least eight senators in the May 9 elections were padded by six to 10 percent following the “sale of votes” by the Comelec insiders that he called “Garci boys,” Senator Sergio Osmena revealed recently.
The Garci boys, Osmena said, were the “allies” of former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano (in the famous “Hello Garci” scandal) who was accused of conspiring with then President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to rig th...
Pharmaceutical giant reveals: 50% of Asian-Americans with lung cancer are non-smokers
By Harvey Barkin
BURLINGAME – Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies recently revealed to members of the Asian-American media that lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in Asian-Americans and that 50 percent of Asian lung cancer patients have a type of lung cancer not caused by smoking.
Boehringer put together a panel of representative oncologists from the Chinese community (Doctors Edward Chan who has a private pract...
Filipina musician shares experience living with Lumad community
By Anna Ven Sobrevinas | FilAm Star Correspondent
SAN DIEGO – Speaking to an intimate crowd of teenagers and the young at heart, musician Rachel Lastimosa presented her firsthand experience on living with Lumads – a collective of indigenous people in the southern region of the Philippines in desperate need of attention and protection from merciless injustice and lethal persecution.
Held in the PASACAT Center in National City, the performing arts company welcomed its doo...
Trillanes denies coup plans but warns against inclusion of communists in new cabinet
By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV strongly debunked reports that he was part of or even planning to mount a coup d’état to oust newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Let me categorically state that I am not part of or even planning any coup d’état,” stressed Trillanes.
“Presumptive President Duterte was duly elected by the people and the proper way of removing him from office, in case he violates the Constitution, is through im...
Drug-laced drinks kill 5 in rave concert at MOA
By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Pasay City police are jointly investigating eyewitness reports that drug-laced drinks were distributed among the crowd at a May 14 concert in Pasay’s Mall of Asia recently that killed five people, including a 33-year-old American national.
Billed as “summer’s biggest rave party,” the concert organized by local toothbrush brand Closeup and held at the MOA open-air concert grounds d...
Pres. Aquino finally signs IT agency bill
President Aquino proved skeptics wrong and shattered his veto-happy image when he signed into law recently House Bill 6198 which would establish the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), an agency similar to agencies in almost all countries providing focus and support to the country’s burgeoning and now massively important ICT sector.
The possibility of a presidential veto on this measure earlier loomed because of the way President Aquino could st...
National police chief nabbed over anomalous gun license courier service
Dismissed National Police Chief Alan Purisima posted PHP 30,000 bail after he was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in connection with charges that he entered into an anomalous deal with a courier service for the delivery of gun licenses in 2011.
Operatives from the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested Purisima at Terminal 3 after arriving from Butuan City.
CIDG Director Victor Deona said Pur...
Tech to transmit text, image even without Internet, cell phone signal now in the PH
By Lara Climaco
When telecommunications networks conk out during disasters, anyone with a smartphone can become part of an information loop that can help save lives and damage to property. This is the promise of peer-to-peer mesh networking technology developed by Open Garden, a Bay Area startup, which has expanded tie-ups in the Philippines to propagate disaster-proof connectivity.
The company launched FireChat Alerts last May 19, announcing that it had forged partners...
Will filing bankruptcy solve your tax and financial problems?
By ATTY. CRISPIN CADAY LOZANO
Many people believe bankruptcy as a last resort to save an unsuccessful financial aspect of life. However, financial problems necessitating bankruptcy are not the result of poor decisions. Sometimes people are not financially prepared for a major life change such as unemployment, divorce or illness. This can take a toll not only on a person’s health but also on their finances.
Nowadays, filing for bankruptcy is considered a good solution fo...
Cagayan Chronicles: Tuguegarao and Peñablanca
Story & Photo by Lovel Aniag
Tuguegarao
We had a running joke in college that if we wanted to escape thesis, we’d ride a bus going to Tuguegarao and never come back – without even bothering to check where it is. We just know that it’s far away.
I always see the sign on buses in terminals along Pasay and Cubao. So when the backpacking bug bit me (and because I love long-haul bus rides) it was one of the destinations I immediately considered despite having no idea wh...