By Beting Laygo Dolor, Contributing Editor The 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games will begin this week with the Philippines as host but not without controversy surrounding the expenses incurred by the organizers. Primary among the questionable expenses is a PHP50 million (about US$1 million) tower topped by a cauldron meant to symbolize the spirit of the games but which Sen. Franklin Drilon dismissed as “a kalderothat we use only once.” The amount spent on the tower co...

Story by Sam Tolosa and Photos by R. Mascardo SANTA CLARA, Calif.-- Sunday night football was dominated by the 49ers who came away victorious. San Francisco dominated the game right from the start, forcing turnover on Green Bay's opening possession, quickly turning it into score, and never gave up the lead throughout the evening. The 49ers looked like they were different class of team than the Packers. Their defense made it nearly impossible for the Packers to move the ...

By Macon Araneta Sen. Imee Marcos assured rice farmers that by December, they will receive the PHP6.9 billion additional help from the government, in the form of palaypurchases or cash. As this developed, Sen. Cynthia Villar, chair of the Agriculture and Food Committee, admitted  that the  problems hounding the local farmers, particularly the drop in the prices of palay,  with the implementation of the Rice Tariffication law is part of the “birth pains” of a new law.  Vill...

By Corina Oliquino MANILA –The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on November 22 launched the Safe Philippines project in Marikina City in line with the government’s goal to reduce crime rate and improve emergency response time using state-of-the-art technology, including high-definition and advanced closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. "A similar system is in place in many cities in the world especially in large metropolitan cities like Metro Manil...

By Beting Laygo Dolor, Contributing Editor After President Rodrigo Duterte announced last week an immediate nationwide ban on the public use of e-cigarettes (a.k.a. vaping), including the sale of any and all paraphernalia related to the product, the Philippine National Police (PNP) admitted that there were a lot of unanswered questions on how to implement the presidential order. The PNP asked: In the absence of a law, what punishments can the PNP mete against those who ...

By Macon Araneta Only 11 per cent of the country’s barangays (or 4,625  out of a total 42,045) are  certified Zero open defecation  (ZOD), where people have abandoned the practice of open defecation, said Health Sec. Francisco Duque III.  The 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey also showed that 4.5 percent of Filipinos do not yet have toilets and tend to practice open defecation, while another 24 percent use unimproved sanitation facilities.  Duque said ...

By Daniel Llanto Malacañang called American actress-singer Bette Midler “incompetent” and “gullible” after Midler included President Duterte with the world’s most detestable leaders such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Kim Jong Un of North Korea. An outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, Midler posted on Twitter her similar revulsion at Duterte in the thick of impeachment hearings on the US President and why this process should be a concern for all America...

By Corina Oliquino US-based media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed the Philippines on its 2019 Global Impunity Index released earlier this month, reporting the country among the worst five countries with the worst impunity nearly every year since the Index was first released in 2008. “The country’s fifth-worst ranking is due in part to the deadly ambush of 58 individuals, including 32 journalists and media workers, in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, on Nove...

By Daniel Llanto For meeting with the US embassy and UN drug specialists, President Duterte fired Vice-president Leni Robredo as anti-drug czar since this would supposedly give away state secrets to foreign entities. Robredo lasted less than three weeks as head of Duterte's anti-drugs campaign, which she vowed to reform amid allegations police were committing crimes against humanity in killing thousands of drug suspects. As Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo put ...

By Harvey I. Barkin SAN FRANCISCO -- GMA recently screened its new documentary special “Pamana: Saving our heritage” at the Museo ng Lahing Pilipino, Philippine Center last October 30. But this was no touristy spin on Philippine hot spots. What the GMA News and Public Affairs documentary special showcased are popular destinations but more importantly, why they should be saved while they’re still hot. In the segment on Puerto Princesa, host Mary Umali showed off why t...