For the ‘new normal classes,’ Maguindanao public school teachers appeal for bond paper, ink donations
SOUTH UPI, Maguindanao (MindaNews / 10 August) – Some public school teachers at a remote impoverished community here are knocking on the hearts of Good Samaritans to donate bond papers and computer printer inks as they gear up for the “new normal” when classes open on August 24. These teachers have been told to prepare […].....»»
TikTok Shop Launches TikTok Shop Business School to Help Digitize Filipino Entrepreneurs
TikTok Shop launched TikTok Shop Business School, a comprehensive one-day program for Filipino entrepreneurs that aims to equip them with the skills to grow their businesses in the digital sphere. The full-day program, which 50 TikTok Shop entrepreneurs attended, was comprised of master classes on Corporate Strategy and Business Model with Kim Lato, Founder and […].....»»
Extreme Heat as a ‘New Pandemic’: Thousands in PH Cancel Classes During ‘Hottest Year’
(Part 1 of 2) CEBU CITY, Philippines — The decades-old Gabaldon building of Leyte National High School in Tacloban City has narrow hallways, high and dark ceilings, and overcrowded classrooms. On hot and humid days, the rooms can feel stuffy and suffocating, prompting students like Dwight Lebrea, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student, to find ways.....»»
‘DepEd acting on senior high school voucher discrepancies’
The Department of Education is acting on supposed discrepancies in the voucher program under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education......»»
Teacher, lover caught having sex in classroom
A public school teacher and her lover were allegedly caught having sex in a classroom in this town on Wednesday night......»»
Priest arraignment postponed
A Quezon City court on Thursday moved the supposed arraignment of exorcist priest Fr. Winston Cabading to 1 August due to a pending appeal at the Department of Justice. Cabading was charged with offending religious feelings, as the case against him stemmed from the 2022 complaint filed by former Commissions Chief Harriet Demetriou after his statements on the authenticity of the 1948 Lipa Apparitions were quoted in a digital Catholic show. Demetriou, in her complaint, accused the priest of being a “rabid critic” of Mary and lambasted his comment that there exists a 1951 Lipa Diocesan Verdict that “negated the authenticity of the 1948 apparition of Our Lady, Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace.” He was supposed to undergo arraignment Thursday morning but the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 rescheduled the arraignment of Cabading to 1 August at 8:30 a.m. The Court also allowed Cabading to travel abroad to visit his family but was required to post a travel bond twice the amount of his bail bond. On the other hand, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, also issued a certificate of good standing for the priest last Wednesday. The certificate stated that Cabading “is a Dominican priest of good standing and is not under any censure or investigation by the CBCP.” The CBCP, for its part, has shouldered the blame over Cabading’s case, saying it may be due to the “shortcomings” of Church leaders. The post Priest arraignment postponed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
QC court postpones arraignment of exorcist priest
A Quezon City court on Thursday moved the arraignment of exorcist priest Fr. Winston Cabading to 1 August due to a pending appeal at the Department of Justice. Cabading was charged with offending religious feelings, stemming from a 2022 complaint filed by former Commission on Elections chief Harriet Demetriou following Cabading's statements that discounted the authenticity of the 1948 Lipa apparitions. Demetriou, in her complaint, accused the priest of being a “rabid critic” of the Virgin Mary and lambasted his comment that a 1951 Lipa diocesan verdict “negated the authenticity of the 1948 apparition of Our Lady, Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace.” Cabading was scheduled to undergo arraignment Thursday morning but the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 rescheduled the arraignment to 1 August at 8:30 a.m. The Court also allowed Cabading to travel abroad to visit his family, but the priest was required to post a travel bond twice the amount of his bail bond. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also issued a certificate of good standing for the priest last Wednesday. The certificate stated that Cabading “is a Dominican priest of good standing and is not under any censure or investigation by the CBCP." The CBCP has shouldered the blame for Cabading’s case, saying it may be due to the “shortcomings” of Church leaders. The post QC court postpones arraignment of exorcist priest appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Manning agents plead for equal protection over disability claims
Rumors of the scrapping of the escrow provision in the Senate version of the proposed Magna Carta for Seafarers have alarmed manning agents. Captain Reynaldo Casareo, president of Cargo Safeway Inc., one of the biggest crewing agencies in the country, said Wednesday the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers headed by Senator Raffy Tulfo should clarify whether or not the Senate bill will have an escrow provision like the MCS version already passed by the House of Representatives. Casareo said they want protection against seafarers who collude with ambulance chasers to get payments for permanent disability suffered on duty when the injury is not really permanent. “Senator Tulfo, please also listen to the agencies and shipowners being abused by ambulance chasers and not those seafarer groups that clearly have different intensions,” Casareo said. Another manning executive who requested not to be named also appealed to the senator. “If Senator Tulfo has indeed believed that the escrow provision is anti-seafarer, then this is bad. It was supposed to help ship owners that are providing opportunities to our seafarers. We hope he will listen to us.” Kabayan Partylist Representative Ron Salo, chairman of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, inserted in the MCS bill the provision for the creation of an escrow account that would strengthen the fight against ambulance chasing. Co-author and OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino earlier said the provision was intended to address the inimical practice of ambulance chasing perpetrated by unscrupulous lawyers and litigants to the prejudice of employers and manning agencies. “The proposal is to place in escrow the monetary award (for disability claims) in favor of a seafarer if the employer or manning agency concerned has appealed the decision for judicial review,” Magsino said. “To counter-balance it, the seafarer is given the option to file a corresponding bond as a security, if he wishes to move for the execution of the decision pending appeal. These twin mechanisms are precise to prevent the dissipation of the monetary award in the hands of the winning party in the absence of a final judgment,” she said. During the Maritime Familiarization Workshop for Media organized by the seafarers’ union AMOSUP over the weekend, Atty. Iris Baguilat, chairperson of the ALMA Maritime Group and president of Dohle Seafront Crewing (Manila), said seafarer deployment dwindles yearly because of several factors, including the rampant illegal practice of ambulance chasing. Quoting the employers’ group International Maritime Employers’ Council, Baguilat said “Ambulance chasing is the biggest threat to Filipino seafarer employability” since it made them expensive due to their lawyers’ erroneous claims. She said that the Department of Migrant Workers reported that, based on National Conciliation and Mediation Board data alone for 2018 to 2022, between 28 percent and 30 percent of the monetary awards by NCMB amounting to over P2.57 billion have been reversed by higher courts for being erroneous. “Most of this award has not been returned to the shipowners,” Baguilat said. The post Manning agents plead for equal protection over disability claims appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Mother’s justice cry
Jonash Bondoc, a Philippine Merchant Marine Academy cadet, died from alleged fatal punches in a fistfight with a schoolmate in July 2021. His mother, however, believes Jonash did not die due to a fistfight, but was a victim of hazing. Gracelyn Gimang Bondoc, the mother of the victim, is now seeking the intervention of the Commission on Higher Education to issue a preventive suspension against the president of the PMMA, Commodore Joel Abutal and his chief of staff, Ensign Chuck de la Cruz. She also sought the filing of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service pursuant to the 2017 rule on administrative cases in civil service. In a 6-page administrative complaint received at the Commission on Higher Education or CHEd office last 18 May, obtained by the Daily Tribune, Bondoc narrated that she received the bad news last 6 July 2021 that her son Jonash died. “After receiving the sad news, we went to PMMA to see my son. However, I was only allowed to see his remains on 8 July 2021, wherein we only saw his face and were not allowed to go near him since he allegedly had Covid-19,” she narrated, adding that Jonash was immediately cremated due to his health circumstances. Fall guy? She said on 7 July, a certain Jomel Gloria was charged with homicide after executing an Extra Judicial Confession admitting his culpability for the crime to support the scenario that Jonash’s death was the result of a fistfight. On 8 December 2022, the Regional Trial Court Branch 71 of Iba, Zambales promulgated its decision finding Gloria guilty of homicide, due to his admission that he punched the victim Jonash twice in the chest, causing his instant death. After his conviction, Gloria was released through provisional liberty pending his appeal or any remedy available to him after posting an additional bond of P60,000. But as Bondoc doubted the reason given for his son’s death, the mother secured a copy of a medico-legal report from the Zambales Provincial Crime Laboratory Office, and she found out that his son suffered multiple contusions and hematomas in his neck and head. After his conviction, Gloria was released through provisional liberty pending his appeal or any remedy available to him after posting an additional bond of P60,000. “Thus, we arrived at the conclusion that the injuries my son suffered are not commensurate with the attack made and as narrated by the accused Jomel and we believe that the same is not committed by one person by merely punching Jonash twice in the chest,” according to Bondoc. Mystery from top Another mystery is that the respondents being the highest official of PMMA did not investigate the possibility of a hazing incident, as it was not “a secret that there is hazing in PMMA.” Because of the purported extra judicial confession, the authorities including the respondents zeroed in as a suspect of the crime, the person of accused Jomel, leaving others scot-free and maintaining their position in PMMA without any worry whatsoever.” “Obviously, the foregoing showed that the act of respondents constitutes an obstruction of justice or violation of Presidential Decree 1829, which is tantamount to grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the public service,” the letter of Bondoc to the CHEd said. In an interview with the Daily Tribune, the lawyer of Bondoc, Atty. Banjo Lucman said they want CHEd commissioner Prospero de Vera III to “act swiftly on their request” to put Commodore Abutal under preventive suspension for his command responsibility, as well as for CHEd to reinvestigate the alleged whitewash that resulted in the demise of a PMMA cadet. The post Mother’s justice cry appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Divorcing foreign spouse
There is no absolute divorce in the Philippines, that much is well understood. This prohibition against the dissolution and severance of marriage bonds through a divorce is deeply rooted in our law’s constitutional mandate to protect the inviolability of marriage as a social institution. Such a strict mandate does, however, admit exceptions. Divorces between Filipino and foreign spouses are nevertheless validly recognized in our jurisdiction, provided they were validly obtained under the national law of the respective foreign spouses. In the recent case of the Republic of the Philippines v. Helen Bayog-Saito (G.R. 247297; 17 August 2022) penned recently by Justice Henri Inting, spouses respondent Helen, Filipino; and Toru, a Japanese, amicably divorced after the eventual deterioration of their marriage. Toru presented Helen with the divorce notification papers, which Helen signed without protest. These papers were thereafter duly submitted to and accepted by the Mayor of Minamiku, Yokohama City, and thereafter recorded in Toru’s family registry. Helen, later seeking to legally remarry, filed the necessary petition for judicial recognition of the foreign divorce decree in the Philippines and sought the declaration of severance of the marital bond between her and Toru. The petition for judicial recognition was initially granted by the Regional Trial Court. The Republic, through the Office of the Solicitor General, appealed before the Court of Appeals. The OSG argued that under Paragraph 2, Article 26 of the Family Code, Helen, being a Filipino citizen, had no legal capacity to obtain a foreign divorce decree jointly with her husband. It insisted that only her husband Toru, as a Japanese national, was capacitated to obtain the divorce. The CA denied the appeal. Thus, the OSG sought recourse before the Supreme Court. In resolving the issue of whether a Filipino national can validly obtain a divorce against a foreign spouse, the Supreme Court ruled against the Republic and cited the recent landmark cases of the Republic of the Philippines v. Manalo and Galapon v. Republic of the Philippines. In Manalo, the Court clarified that paragraph 2, Section 26 of the Family Code only requires that the divorce be validly obtained abroad and that the law did not explicitly restrict this requirement solely to the foreign spouse. Otherwise stated, the Filipino spouse is also capacitated to obtain a divorce from the foreign spouse, provided that the same was done duly and validly under the national law of the foreign spouse. The Court went on to reiterate that to countenance another interpretation of paragraph 2, Article 16 would result in an absurd situation where a Filipino spouse essentially remains legally married and bound to their foreign spouse while the latter is free to remarry. The Court also cited the case of Galapon, which further clarified that the rule as decided in Manalo applies even in “mixed marriages” where the divorce decree is: (1) obtained solely by the foreign spouse; (2) obtained solely by the Filipino spouse; or (3) obtained jointly by both the Filipino and the foreign spouse together. The case of Helen and Toru fell squarely into the third category. Before a Filipino spouse can validly remarry following a divorce from a foreign spouse, he or she must first prove the divorce as a fact and demonstrate its conformity to the national law of the foreign spouse by submitting a copy of the foreign judgment and having it admitted into evidence under Rule 132 of the Revised Rules of Court. Thus, it was decided that the marriage between respondent Helen and Toru had been validly dissolved under Japanese law and the divorce decree jointly obtained by both spouses may be recognized in our jurisdiction. The Supreme Court basically eradicated the absurd situation where a Filipino spouse essentially remains legally married and bound to their foreign spouse while the latter is free to re-marry, notwithstanding the validity of a foreign divorce decree obtained by the spouses jointly. For more of Dean Nilo Divina’s legal tidbits, please visit www.divinalaw.com. For comments and questions, please send an email to cabdo@divinalaw.com. The post Divorcing foreign spouse appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Mariners’ Magna Carta seen enacted this year
The Senate version of the awaited Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers bill will pass this year, one of the measure’s authors OFW Partylist Rep. Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino said. The House of Representatives approved last March its version of the measure which seeks to protect the rights and interests of Filipino seafarers before, during and after employment, especially in the event of maritime accidents, epidemics or pandemics, or other natural or man-made crises. “We are certain that this year, or during the tenure of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the law will be passed. If passed by the Senate, a bicameral deliberation will take place to thresh out the nitty gritty and to refine the issues that are being questioned by some groups. But definitely, the majority of Senators are supportive of the bill,” Magsino said during the annual general membership assembly of the Association of Licensed Manning Agencies on Friday in Pasay City. Escrow provision A contentious portion of the proposal is the escrow provision, in which under Section 51 of HB 7325, the monetary award for seafarers from the National Labor Relations Commission will be deposited to an escrow account until the “issuance of judgment by the appropriate reviewing court or when the employer or manning agency fails to perfect the appeal or petition for review.” In a speech, Magsino said the provision was intended to address the inimical practice of “ambulance chasing” perpetrated by unscrupulous lawyers and litigants to the prejudice of employers and manning agencies. “The proposal is to place in escrow the monetary award in favor of a seafarer if the employer or manning agency concerned has appealed the decision for judicial review. To counter-balance it, the seafarer is given the option to file a corresponding bond as a security, if he wishes to move for the execution of the decision pending appeal. These twin mechanisms are precise to prevent the dissipation of the monetary award in the hands of the winning party in the absence of a final judgment,” the lawmaker said. She added additional safeguards were put in place so that the amount in escrow shall not include claims for salaries, statutory monetary benefits, or those originally determined by the employer or manning agency to be legally due to the seafarer. “Also, the fees in obtaining or maintaining the escrow account shall be paid by the employer or the manning agency. But of course, the interest earned by the amount in escrow shall ensure the benefit of the prevailing party. To me, the arrangement is fair enough,” Magsino averred. She said: “On the other hand, the allegations of connivance of some arbiters, mediators, and officials of the National Labor Relations Commission with litigants and counsels are an entirely separate issue but must also be addressed.” She expressed the need to continue the efforts to maintain the country’s position as the premier supplier of seaboard labor in international trade by pursuing programs and activities geared toward the global competitiveness of Filipino seafarers and in compliance with the standards of the local and international maritime communities. The post Mariners’ Magna Carta seen enacted this year appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pampanga’s Best Western Plus redesigns for MICE tourism
The hotel industry shared the biggest burden from the lockdowns brought on by the two-year pandemic. This, however, forced hotel owners to redesign their facilities to cater to customers besides tourists. To appeal to more businesspeople, the four-star Best Western Plus hotel in Pampanga is upgrading into a lifestyle center and food destination. “The opening of the new wing of the Best Western Plus hotel came at the right time. We were building it and deciding almost every day as the pandemic unfolded. We had to decide, follow through and look past the pandemic,” Jack Uy, chairman and chief executive officer of Savers Group Holdings, Inc. told the Daily Tribune. Uy said the hotel is still being renovated to add retail shops after welcoming its first guests in March at the new wing with 186 rooms along MacArthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga. [caption id="attachment_131550" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Presidential Suite.[/caption] He said the hotel has expanded through its lifestyle center, which occupies an entire building floor and features modern, luxurious and globally branded appliances and furniture for home, office and industrial. These cater to customer segments consisting of businesspeople and those in the middle to upper socioeconomic classes with more sophisticated tastes and combine business and leisure. “We call this our lifestyle center. People now shop because they build a lifestyle more than fulfilling a need. So, they’re not looking for just one or two items but everything that matches their lifestyles, from the appliance to the furniture,” Uy said. [caption id="attachment_131551" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Conference Room.[/caption] Uy said most of their guests, or 70 percent, are corporate executives and staff from local and multinational firms who gather for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibits tourism. “Unlike other provinces, Pampanga does not have a lot of natural attractions like the beaches in Boracay or Palawan. That’s why over half of our visitors check in because of company meetings, events and team-building activities. It helps that we’re located near the airport and Clark Freeport Zone, an economic zone.” Property consultancy Colliers Philippines said Pampanga housed 36 percent of all offices in the country’s provinces. Information technology and business process outsourcing firms expanded outside Metro Manila in the first quarter of this year. This industry is expected to grow further by eight percent to 10 percent each year, as the Philippines has emerged as the world’s top IT-BPO destination, according to US-based Nexford University. [caption id="attachment_131552" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Lobby.[/caption] Last year, Colliers reported the Philippine Economic Zone Authority identified 42 ecozones in Central Luzon, including Pampanga, as the location for biotech centers, defense industrial complexes, halal and food production hubs, and jewelry parks, among others. The move is part of the government’s Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028. The hotel also features several restaurants serving international cuisines: Mexican at Cactus Jack Smokehouse, Japanese at Namari, and Hong Kong at Legend. “Most people also visit Pampanga as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines. But we want our local and foreign guests to have as diverse experiences as possible,” Uy said. The post Pampanga’s Best Western Plus redesigns for MICE tourism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DepEd withdraws appeal for physical classes
DepEd withdraws appeal for physical classes.....»»
Duterte urges telcos to improve internet service with online classes set to start
MANILA, Philippines — “Can you do a better job?” This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal to telecommunication companies in a televised speech Monday night. “With the classes going to start, our students will rely heavily on the use of electronics,” he said. “But the internal complaints — ever since telcos came into being. It has […] The post Duterte urges telcos to improve internet service with online classes set to start appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Winds destroy houses in two Central Mindanao towns
Around 40 houses were destroyed by strong winds that pummeled lowlands in the adjoining towns of Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur and Kabacan, Cotabato amid heavy rains on Thursday afternoon......»»
Church visits are allowed only until 10 p.m. – Police chief
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Church visits on Maundy Thursday will only be allowed until 10 p.m. the chief of the Cebu City police announced on Thursday, March 28. Police Colonel Ireneo B. Dalogdog, City Director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said that the public is not allowed inside religious places past 10:00 p.m......»»
CV wage board sets public hearing for kasambahay pay
CV wage board sets public hearing for kasambahay pay.....»»
Ashley Tisdale buntis sa 2nd baby: ‘We can’t wait to meet you!’
MAY exciting news ang Hollywood actress at “High School Musical” star na si Ashley Tisdale sa madlang pipol! Ayon sa kanya, ipinagbubuntis niya ang second baby nila ng mister na si Christopher French. Sa Instagram, ibinandera ni Ashley ang kanyang baby bump at ang caption niya: “We can’t wait to meet you [emoji].” Baka Bet.....»»
Infrastructure projects get better loan terms from Japan
The Philippines has secured better financing terms for two big-ticket infrastructure projects funded by the Japanese government aimed at improving public transport and road connectivity......»»
Killua
News on the brutal killing of Killua, the Golden Retriever from Bato, Camarines Sur, has ignited a wave of public outcry, particularly among animal-loving Filipinos......»»
LTO: Paper-printed driver’s license ilisan na og plastic card
LTO: Paper-printed driver’s license ilisan na og plastic card.....»»