Carmen Copper: Cash, educational aid for families of workers who died in landslide
CEBU CITY, Philippines- Carmen Copper Corporation (CCC) has committed to provide financial and other assistance to the immediate families of its three deceased employees, who died due to the landslide that happened on December 21, 2020. In its official statement released on Sunday, December 27, 2020, CCC has also promised to provide free education and […] The post Carmen Copper: Cash, educational aid for families of workers who died in landslide appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
PAGCOR: Raps over missing P75-M e-sabong cash bond welcomed
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco yesterday said the reported filing of charges against him and other officials over the alleged disappearance of a P75-million performance bond posted by an e-sabong company is an opportunity to find out the truth. Tengco said while the alleged disappearance of the money happened during the previous administration, the case will determine accountability within the agency. “While we find it strange that we are included in the alleged charges, we nevertheless will pursue our own investigation and determine what really happened and bring the perpetrators to justice, if indeed there was any anomaly,” he said in a statement. PAGCOR chief was reacting to reports that a certain Joaquin Sy, who claims to be the chairman and chief finance officer of Kamura Highlands Gaming and Holdings Inc., filed charges of malversation of public funds, qualified theft, and falsification of private and commercial documents before the Ombudsman. Also named respondents are former PAGCOR chief Andrea Domingo and former board members Gabriel Claudio, Carmen Pedrosa, Reynaldo Concordia and James Patrick Bondoc, and current PAGCOR officer Dianne Erica Jogno. Two of the former board members — Pedrosa and Concordia — had already passed away when the alleged disappearance of the P75 million took place sometime in July 2022, while Tengco assumed office only in August of the same year. While the agency has not received any formal complaint from the Ombudsman, Tengco said they are already looking into the matter. The post PAGCOR: Raps over missing P75-M e-sabong cash bond welcomed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pagcor chief welcomes raps over alleged P75-M missing cash bond
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco today said he welcomes the reported filing of charges against him and previous members of the PAGCOR board of directors over the alleged disappearance of a Php75 million performance bond posted by an e-sabong company. The PAGCOR chairman and chief executive officer said that while the alleged disappearance of the money happened during the previous administration, he takes the case as an opportunity to find out the truth and determine accountability within the agency. “While we find it strange that we are included in the alleged charges, we nevertheless will pursue our own investigation and determine what really happened, and bring the perpetrators to justice if indeed there was any anomaly,” Mr. Tengco said. The PAGCOR chief was reacting to reports that a certain Joaquin Sy, who claims to be the chairman and chief finance officer of Kamura Highlands Gaming and Holdings, Inc., filed charges of malversation of public funds, qualified theft and falsification of private and commercial documents before the Ombudsman. Aside from Mr. Tengco, named respondents were former PAGCOR chief Andrea Domingo and former board members Gabriel Claudio, Carmen Pedrosa, Reynaldo Concordia and James Patrick Bondoc and current PAGCOR officer Dianne Erica Jogno. Two of the former board members, Pedrosa and Concordia, have already passed away when the alleged disappearance of the Php75 million took place sometime in July 2022, while Mr. Tengco assumed office only in August of the same year. Mr. Tengco also said that while the agency has not received any formal complaint from the Ombudsman, they are already looking into the matter. “We have launched an internal investigation and we are trying to recreate the sequence of events since the department allegedly involved, the E-Sabong Licensing Department, has already been disbanded,” he said. “Former President Duterte outlawed e-sabong in May 2022 and the people in the E-Sabong Licensing Department have since been reassigned to other units so now we are trying to retrace the supposed anomalous transaction,” the PAGCOR chief said. “While this happened before we came to PAGCOR, the public can rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this, and that we will respond to the accusations against us in the proper venue once we receive a copy of the alleged charges from the Ombudsman,” he added. The post Pagcor chief welcomes raps over alleged P75-M missing cash bond appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Idolizing Danny Dolor (The man I might have been if I had at least P500 million)
Here’s sharing with you Cyber Proust’s (now Proust Redux) winning piece when he joined the 2010 Philippine Star Lifestyle Journalism Contest sponsored by Rustan Commercial Corporation and the Stores Specialists, Inc. The announcement called for feature articles, as many as one could submit, about heroes, dead or alive. Cyber Proust submitted three — one about his mother; another about a blogger who tells stories about his clan and people like them, making for a good read for people interested in Philippine upper class but not necessarily high society; and this one, about Danny Dolor, Cyber Proust’s patron and benefactor when Cyber Proust had not yet declared himself rich. Here goes: My hero, my icon, the man I’d rather be When people are asked who they want to be if they ever get the chance to live their lives all over again, they almost always say they want to be the same person. If you ask me the same question, I’d have the same answer, only because I want to keep the same set of parents. But if I could keep my Dad and Mom, and still be someone else, I’d look at you straight in the eye, and declare, I want to be Danny Dolor. I can think of a hackneyed thousand and one reasons why I prefer to breathe and eat and live like Sir Danny, but let me stick to the quintessential five. First, he is rich which we all want to be. He is an art lover which I profess to be. He is a trailblazer even if he is a Libran who prefers balance, while I am an Arian who always wants to be the first. He was a good son who took care of his mother in her old age, which every good son should do especially if he were single. I am single, but I was always away from home, too busy changing and finding writing jobs. The closest I got to emulating Sir Danny was spending endless nights conversing with my mother whenever I was home during Christmas breaks. Sir Danny, on the other hand, never travelled abroad because he wanted to be by his mother’s side every night of the year. When he visited Lipa, their hometown, he would pick up his mobile phone to check on his mother and sister Fe in their Makati home, rattling off his orders to their yaya — check their temperature, don’t forget the medicine after their merienda, and so on. Finally, Danny Dolor is a good Catholic who hears Sunday Mass, fingers his beads when in the car, and joins the procession on Good Friday beside his own Mater Dolorosa. How I wish I could give away lands on which to build churches, donate thousands of portfolio bags for priests attending their annual convention, and build a museum in honor of a townsman, Alfredo Maria Obviar, who may yet be the first Filipino bishop to be beatified and, in God’s time, canonized. First conversation I am lucky to have an icon whom I have seen up close. I have seen Danny Dolor when he goes into a trance as he describes his first conversation with National Artist Atang de la Rama, to whom he became a friend and confidante, or fits of laughter as he recalls the usually funny repartee between his friends Sylvia La Torre and Oscar Obligacion when the latter was still alive. For all the secrets and fun times we have shared, I stick to calling him Sir as I did the first time I interviewed him in his thickly-carpeted, air-conditioned and perfume-smelling den. I had known about the man before I ever met him. I knew about his Tribung Pinoy which concertized all over the country in the late 1970s all the way to the mid 1980’s. I never saw them perform in person, but I read about Danny Dolor and his gang of sopranos, tenors and baritones who rendered their harana, danza, balitaw and, of course, kundiman, in schools and churches, and quixotic venues like the Culion Leper Colony in Palawan, the mental hospital and the women’s correctional where the patients and inmates cried, sang, danced and thanked him because no one ever came to sing for them. The path-breaking Danny Dolor also produced the first ever concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines featuring an all-Filipino-traditional-music repertoire. Danny Dolor’s house, at that time when I interviewed him, was along Tamarind corner Banaba in uppity Forbes Park. In the den, paintings, sculptures, plaques, and trophies vied for the attention of first-time guests. I immediately liked a Zalameda portrait of a basketball player, but what impressed me was a plaque with Latin inscriptions which, my host explained to me, was his papal award. He next brought me to the lanai, thrice as large as the den, where beside the lacquered opium bed stood a gigantic St. Joseph. He showed me a life-size oil portrait of Charito Solis, Ramon Valera ternos worn by Gloria Romero and his sister Fe, and original drawings of Darna by Mars Ravelo. The man, who knows his art, takes pride in his penchant for everything Filipino. It is an interest that goes a long way back to his childhood during the Japanese occupation. In the family hacienda where they evacuated, he listened to the farmers sing native songs. In grade one a year or two later, the young Danny sang Bayan Ko before his classmates, to the shock of the teacher who probably expected Jack and Jill. When Sir Danny was in grade school, he watched Filipino films in the movie houses along Rizal Avenue. As a high school student, he listened to the Mabuhay singers over the radio. In college, he watched Tawag ng Tanghalan on television. Is it any wonder that he should mount a best-selling exhibit of movie ads from the golden years of Philippine cinema? Or that he has maintained, for more than ten years, a column in the Philippine Star, “Remember When?” featuring the movie stars and great musical talents of yesteryears? Danny Dolor is unique in that he straddles the worlds of show business and high society, which many find incompatible. Not with him who has produced movies, including Indie films, and concert tributes honoring luminaries of the silver screen like Director Hermogenes Ilagan and movie queen Carmen Rosales. His involvement in the upper strata, on the other hand, is never without a good reason. For example, he collaborated with the socialite businesswoman Nedy Tantoco in organizing the best-selling Ramon Valera retrospective exhibit. If he is chummy with the grand dame Imelda Cojuangco that’s because he is a loyal and trusted officer the Cofradia de la Inmaculada Concepcion, of which she is the chair. Every year, come Feast of the Immaculate Conception, they gather hundreds of children from depressed areas to receive their first holy communion. Imagine the mix For all of these, he takes a break from his duties as chairman of various companies that include a hospital, hotel, educational institution, bank and subdivisions. Imagine the mix — movies, music, church, business and high society. And he dances the Rigodon too. How can one not desire such completeness? There’s something though he’d rather not be said about him. In my times of need, he does not hide under his canopied bed, and in the milestones of my life, he gives me a thick red envelope. Once I ran out of cash to pay my rent, I called him up and told him that if only I could touch the tip of his pants, I was sure to have what I needed. Scolding me first for being such a cheap copy of the woman in the bible, he said Yes to my pleadings, while reminding me to help him prepare another souvenir program for yet another concert tribute for another forgotten gem of Philippine music. The man does not believe in outright charity. Not to me, anyway. And while he is patient with me, he insists that I “fix” my life for “all these things you delight in will soon come to pass” and “if you do not take care of yourself, who will?” and so on. From his mother, he passes on a classic gem, “Never do anything that people will notice from afar,” a rough translation of “Huwag kang gagawa ng kahit anong matatanaw mula sa malayo.” In short, don’t be a show-off. My hero and icon, Danny Dolor, is not only a model for living the successful and well-lived life that I dream about. He is also a saviour, a mentor and an angel who, despite the “professional distance” we keep between us as a “client” and as a “talent,” if the relationship must breed results, has come closest to being my “Tito” and best friend. Sir Danny will not be pleased with this article. He will think that I need to borrow money from him again. The post Idolizing Danny Dolor (The man I might have been if I had at least P500 million) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former rebels receive needed aid
CEBU CITY — The Philippine Army on Wednesday announced that at least 100 former rebels here received almost P500,000 worth of financial assistance from the office of Senator Ronald de la Rosa. 3rd Civil Relations Group commander Major Joe Patrick Martinez said the P5,000 cash grant for each rebel returnee was distributed through the Department of Labor and Employment-Central Visayas during the peace and consultation organized by the Visayas Command on Monday at the Carmen town gymnasium. The assistance could be used by the FRs as capital for their small-scale livelihood project while processing their accreditation and more livelihood programs from DoLE-7. “The engagement of Viscom with the former rebels was also a complete package such as peace dialogue with the government agencies to know their issues and concerns, seminar from the DoLE-7 for the accreditation and sustainment of their organization,” Martinez said in an online interview. He stressed that giving sustainable livelihood programs to the FRs would encourage other active New People’s Army rebels to surrender and support the peace and development efforts of the government. Most of the FR beneficiaries are from mid-north Cebu towns like Compostela, Danao City, Carmen, Catmon, Sogod and Tuburan. The post Former rebels receive needed aid appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec disqualifies Legazpi councilor
A member of Legazpi City, Albay’s Sangguniang Panglungsod on Tuesday received a disqualification ruling from the Commission on Elections over a two-day cash assistance payout to tricycle drivers which was held before the national and local elections last year. The SP member — identified as Al Barizo who placed fifth in last year’s polls — has been disqualified by the Comelec Second Division over violation of public spending as stated in Section 261(v)(2) of the Omnibus Election Code. Part of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino slate, he is party-mates with former Albay Governor Noel Rosal and her wife, Legazpi City Mayor Carmen Geraldine Rosal — both implicated in the cash assistance activity ahead of the polls. Barizo and the Rosals are facing three individual petitions by a certain Joseph Armogila, a defeated candidate in the same councilor race that Barizo was also part of. The petition filed against Barizo in 11 April last year aimed to disqualify him from the race over vote buying or Section 68(a) and (e) of the OEC. However, the Second Division ruled out vote buying due to insufficient evidence that Barizo directly took part in the distribution based on text messages and Facebook posts about the event which was used as basis in the petition. “Even if he is not proven to have had a hand in the illegal release or distribution of public funds during the prohibited period, he surely was a prominent figure in the expenditure of the said funds when those were handed out to the tricycle driver-beneficiaries,” the poll body’s resolution read. It also indicated that Barizo argued that the cash assistance was “a continuation of the previous batches of cash assistance” since August 2021. The Rosals also previously defended the payout, saying that it was part of the then pandemic response subsidy known as “Bayanihan 1.” The post Comelec disqualifies Legazpi councilor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec to adhere SC’s status quo order on Rosal
The Commission on Elections on Thursday said that it will comply with the Supreme Court’s Status Quo Ante Order decision that effectively reinstates Carmen Rosal as mayor of Legazpi City, Albay a day after the poll body certified her disqualification as “final and executory.” “The Commission on Elections, through the Clerk of the Commission, received from the Supreme Court its Status Quo Ante Order in the Carmen Rosal Disqualification Case. As we have consistently committed, the Commission on Elections will abide by and comply with any order, ruling or directive of the Highest Court of our Land,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said. Comelec’s statements come as the Supreme Court acted on the two petitions for certiorari under Rule 65 in relation to Rule 64 of the Rules of Court assailing the Comelec resolutions that disqualified Rosal as candidate for mayor of Legazpi City, Albay in the 2022 polls. The assailed resolutions — dated 4 October 2022 and 4 May 2023 in SPA 22-032 (DC) — directed the Special City Board of Canvassers of Legazpi City to proclaim second placer Alfredo A. Garbin Jr. as the duly-elected mayor of Legazpi City. The SC en banc — in its Status Quo Ante Order dated 11 May 2023 given by authority of Acting Chief Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, upon the written recommendation of the Member-in-Charge — deemed it necessary and proper to consolidate the two petitions docketed as G.R. 266775 (Oscar Robert H. Cristobal v. Comelec, Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr., Joseph San Agustin Armogila, and Carmen Geraldine Rosal) and G.R. 266796 (Carmen Geraldine Rosal v. Comelec, Joseph San Agustin Armogila, Alfredo A. Garbin Jr. and Oscar Robert H. Cristobal); require respondents Comelec, Garbin, Armogila, Rosal, and Cristobal to file a consolidated comment within 10 days from notice; and issue a status quo ante order requiring the parties to observe the status quo prevailing before the issuance of the Comelec resolutions. Armogila and Rosal were candidates for councilor and mayor of Legazpi, respectively, in the 2022 national and local elections. Armogila filed a petition for disqualification against Rosal before the Comelec on the grounds of vote buying under Section 68(a) of the Omnibus Election Code and violation of the prohibition on release, disbursement, and expenditure of public funds under Section 261(v) of the same law. A ’status quo ante order’ calls for a return to previous affairs, which effectively sets aside the poll body’s decision to disqualify Rosal over violation of Section 68(a) of the Omnibus Election Code, or on ‘giving money to influence, induce and corrupt the voters.’ Rosal announced on Wednesday that he filed a petition before the Supreme Court to stop the poll body’s execution of their decision to disqualify her. In a press conference, she questioned Comelec on their ruling which said that she violated a provision on the Omnibus Election Code on ‘calling the decision ‘arbitrary.’ Her husband, disqualified Albay Governor Noel Rosal, insisted that the act in question – the cash assistance payout to tricycle drivers – was not vote buying as it was part of the ‘ayuda’ mandated in Bayanihan 1. The post Comelec to adhere SC’s status quo order on Rosal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rosal disqualification final, says Comelec
The Commission on Elections on Wednesday certified their 4 May decision to disqualify Carmen Rosal as mayor of Legazpi City, Albay over ‘giving money to influence, induce or corrupt the voters’ as ‘final and executory.’” This comes as no temporary restraining orders were issued by the Supreme Court in the last five days, which would have directed the stoppage of the implementation of the disqualification. The certification was issued by the poll body despite Rosal’s declaration that she filed a petition for the Supreme Court to issue a TRO on the said ruling earlier in the day. In the same document, Comelec ordered the six members of the special board of canvassers in Legazpi City, Albay to declare ex-Ako Bicol representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. as the city’s new mayor ‘within ten days’ after the certification of the decision as final. To recall, Garbin was behind Rosal in last year’s mayoral race in Legazpi City with a slim margin of only 550 votes between the two candidates. In a message to Daily Tribune, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that certification will still push through as no TROs were issued. “Per our conversation with the Clerk, there were no TRO issuances and we haven’t received any from the Supreme Court. It’s not automatic that the SC will issue a TRO after filing. It’s SC’s full discretion and authority whether or not they’ll issue a TRO,” Laudiangco said. He also cited an election provision which states that such decisions ‘shall become final and executory after the lapse of five days from their promulgation, unless restrained by the Supreme Court. In a Viber message, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said that the writ of execution will be issued on Thursday. Meantime, Rosal led a press conference at the Manila Yacht Club before noon on Wednesday where she announced that she filed a petition for the issuance of a TRO before the High Court. She argued that the decision to declare her election offense as Section 68(a) of the Omnibus Election Code was arbitrary. Previously, a decision by the Comelec Second Division October last year stated that she violated Section 261(v) of the OEC, referring to violation of public spending during the election period, with the act in question being the two-day cash assistance payout for tricycle drivers. However, in a Commission En Banc decision on 4 May which affirmed the previous decision to disqualify her, the poll body said that Rosal is not liable under Section 261(v) as she was not a public official at the time. “I reiterate, how can I be disqualified by the Comelec En Banc for vote buying when this was dismissed by the Comelec Division and such issue was not brought up to the Commission En Banc?” Rosal said. Rosal filed the petition before the SC through Attorney Romulo Macalintal. Also present during the press conference was Carmen’s husband, disqualified former Albay governor Noel Rosal, whose situation was similar to hers when he was slapped with a decision to relinquish his position over the same financial aid distribution to tricycle drivers. The petitions filed against Carmen and Noel Rosal, in this case, were both filed by Joseph Armogila. Former governor Rosal insisted that the cash payout for tricycle drivers were part of the country’s then economic assistance program amid the Covid-19 Pandemic dubbed “Bayanihan 1.” Speaking to Daily Tribune, the former governor suspected someone else behind the petitions that led to their disqualifications. “It’s not Armogila. Someone’s behind it. If it’s just him, the case would have been dismissed earlier,” Noel Rosal said. The post Rosal disqualification final, says Comelec appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
New Legazpi mayor ‘victim’ of election violation
Recently-declared Legazpi City Mayor Atty. Alfredo Garbin Jr. on Monday commented on the decision by the Commission on Elections to disqualify his rival, Carmen Geraldine Rosal over a violation in the Omnibus Election Code. Garbin — who was the former Ako Bicol Partylist representative — stressed that he was a “victim” in Rosal’s reported violation of Section 68(a) of the OEC, “for giving money to influence. Induce or corrupt the voters.” This was in response to a “2-Day Tricycle Driver’s Cash Assistance Payout” by Rosal and her husband, disqualified then-governor Noel Rosal, which was reportedly posted on Facebook March last year. The petition was filed last year by Joseph San Juan Armogila, with Garbin as petition-intervenor. “Comelec said that this will not be tolerated as it will be susceptible to abuse, especially to incumbent officials. This is our way for the poll body to recognize our standing, our legal interest, to the issue of disqualification,” Garbin said. In its 4 May decision, the poll body said that their activity is a violation of Section 68(a) of the OEC, revising their October 2022 decision which previously ruled that she violated Section 261 (v) of the Code because Rosal was not holding public office at the time. Garbin was declared by Comelec as the new Legazpi City mayor, arguing that the activity by Rosal was already deemed ground for disqualification even before the polls. “Deeming that Mayor Rosal, disqualified as such should not have been a valid candidate in the first place, she should not have been voted on in the elections,” said Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco. “The Commission en banc ruled further that the voters are fully aware of this fact, with such awareness bounding on notoriety, but nonethless voted for her, knowing fully well of an impending disqualification and ineligibility,” he added. Rosal could still challenge the decision before the Supreme Court, but the poll body’s ruling will be final and executory five days after the ruling was promulgated. The post New Legazpi mayor ‘victim’ of election violation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Carmen Copper: Cash, educational aid for families of workers who died in landslide
CEBU CITY, Philippines- Carmen Copper Corporation (CCC) has committed to provide financial and other assistance to the immediate families of its three deceased employees, who died due to the landslide that happened on December 21, 2020. In its official statement released on Sunday, December 27, 2020, CCC has also promised to provide free education and […] The post Carmen Copper: Cash, educational aid for families of workers who died in landslide appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»
Skills trainees receive P3,000 cash incentive
Skills trainees receive P3,000 cash incentive.....»»
Pertussis or whooping cough: 40 child deaths so far this year – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo reported on Wednesday that as of March 16 this year, some 40 children had died of whooping cough — a respiratory infection also called pertussis. An increase in new pertussis cases nationwide had been observed nationwide, with 28 cases reported from March 10 to 16. READ: What.....»»
EXPLAINER: Why did the Baltimore bridge collapse and what is the death toll?
(Reuters) -Divers recovered the remains of two of the six missing workers more than a day after a cargo ship smashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bodies of two men were found in a red pickup truck submerged in the icy waters of the Patapsco River. Rescuers pulled two workers from the water.....»»
Double pay for workers reporting on Holy Week
Workers nationwide may opt to enjoy a long holiday break or hefty pay this Holy Week......»»
2 activists kidnapped in Pangasinan
The Commission on Human Rights has called for a search for two environmental rights defenders and church workers who were reportedly kidnapped in Pangasinan last weekend......»»
Girl, 4, dies after being hit by SUV
A four-year-old girl died after she was hit by a sport utility vehicle in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon......»»
Globe closed on an additional P1.16-B in tower sales
Globe Telecom, the Zobel Family’s telecommunications company, disclosed that it closed on the sale of another 91 cell towers to Frontier Towers to raise approximately P1.16 billion in cash......»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, March 25
JAKARTA -- One was killed and nine others, including children, went missing after a landslide struck a village in the Indonesian province of West Java on Sunday, a local official said Monday. The disaster took place in Cibenda village in West Bandung regency on Sunday after torrential rain reportedly poured over the area for around two hours. (Indonesia-Landslide) - - - - SYDNEY -- Local media repo.....»»
200 brgy workers, children affected by DavNor floods receive assistance
200 brgy workers, children affected by DavNor floods receive assistance.....»»
NEWS BRIEFS | 25 March 2024
Senate eyes probe of resorts within the slopes of Mt. Apo Following the controversy involving the establishment of a resort reportedly within the famed Chocolate Hills in Bohol province, Senator Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committees on Energy and Migrant Workers, is setting his sights on the resorts located on the slopes of Mt. […].....»»