Bongbong denies agreement reached on father’s burial

KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA News

08/09/2011 | 06:04 PM 

Senator Bongbong Marcos has denied that he had already agreed to Vice President Jejomar Binay's recommendation for the remains of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to be buried in his home province of Ilocos Norte.

"Nakakapagtaka na merong mga balitang mga ganyan sa amin di pa kami kinakausap(It's surprising that there are reports like that because he hasn't even talked to us about it yet)," Marcos told reporters on Tuesday.

Marcos was reacting to Binay’s claim that the Marcos family has agreed to his recommendation for the remains of former President Marcos to be buried in Ilocos Norte.

“The Marcos family has accepted the proposal for the former President to be laid to rest in Ilocos. However, we are still trying to iron out details if he will be entitled to receiving military honors. The decision will be out soon," Binay said at a press conference in Laoag.

But Marcos said that their family has not received any formal or official announcement from Malacañang regarding the burial issue since Binay was tasked by President Benigno Aquino III to make a recommendation.

"Nag-aantay nga kami napakatagal na. Inaantay nga namin ano ba talaga ang posisyon ng palasyo tungkol sa isyu ng paglibing ng aking ama sa Libingan ng mga Bayani (We have been waiting for the position of the Palace about the issue for the longest time)," he said.

"Pag-uusapan ng pamilya yan at titingnan namin (Only after that will our family talk about it and decide)," he added.

Marcos noted, however, that he is "open" to having his father buried in Ilocos Norte, as long as he is given full military honors.

"I am sure the other members of the family will also feel the same way. Yun lamang ang aming pinaninindigan dito. Ang kanyang (That has always been our stand, that he be afforded) honors as a president and as a soldier," he said. - KBK, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/228899/nation/bongbong-denies-agreement-reached-on-fathers-burial

Malacañang: Gov’t won’t allow Filipino Muslims to self-destruct

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Ex-FG Arroyo sues supplier for perjury

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo on Wednesday sued Lion Air president Archibald Po for perjury after the latter tagged him as the owner of pre-owned helicopters that were sold as brand new to the Philippine National Police.

Arroyo's lawyer, Inocencio Ferrer, said the former first gentleman filed the case at the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office at around 2:50 p.m.

"Mr. Arroyo filed a Complaint-Affidavit for 3 charges, namely Perjury, False Testimony, and Offering False Testimony in Evidence, as penalized under Articles 183 and 184 of the Revised Penal Code, for swearing to his perjurious Affidavit before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, giving false testimony before the same, and offering both Affidavit and testimony as evidence, all committed on August 2, 2011 in Pasay City," he said in a statement.

Po has accused the former first gentleman of procuring 5 Raven helicopters before the 2004 elections. He said 2 of the helicopters were later sold to the PNP for $700,000 after being passed off as brand new.

Ferrer said Arroyo did not grant interviews after the filing as he was feeling weak due to his present health condition. He said Arroyo was also stressed due to the emergency major surgery of his wife, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, this morning which lasted after lunch.

It was later learned that the former President's surgery was
unsuccessful

Po has accused the former first gentleman of procuring 5 helicopters from him before the 2004 elections. He said 2 of the helicopters were later sold to PNP for $700,000 after being passed off as brand new.


Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/10/11/ex-fg-arroyo-sues-supplier-perjury

Accidents all over

By Aie Balagtas See and Mike Frialde The Philippine Star Updated July 27, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines -  Three persons died and five others were hurt in three vehicular accidents that occurred within minutes of each other yesterday morning as tropical storm “Juaning” made Metro Manila’s roads slick.

Falling from the Skyway

In Sucat, Parañaque, a passenger bus fell 40 feet from the Skyway ramp to the West Service Road shortly before noon, killing three and injuring four others.

Bus driver Joven Justol of Dimple Star Transport Corp. was dead on arrival at the Parañaque Medical Center. Passengers Anthony Abarra, 21; and Lorenzo Gabo, 27, died while being treated. They suffered broken bones, a cracked skull and crushed chest.

Conductor Jonathan Alebar, who was rushed to the same hospital, sustained wounds but is in stable condition.

The other passengers – Rene Mendez, 34; Gerardo Frisco, 37; and Catherine Josol, 33 – were brought to South Super Highway Medical Center for treatment. All of them were declared out of danger.

Speeding, driver error

Skyway vice president Ed Nepomuceno said the bus was “speeding” while traversing the southbound portion of the Skyway in Sucat when it fell. Skyway imposed a minimum speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour and a maximum of 80 kph for buses.

He said the mishap was clearly a case of speeding and “driver error,” adding that the elevated expressway had all the necessary barriers that will prevent any vehicle from falling.

The Skyway “was built in accordance with all the international safety standards,” Nepomuceno said. “The problem is, the driver was driving at high speed. He lost control. He panicked and swerved, so he flew off the Skyway.”

 Senior Superintendent Edwin Butacan, spokesman of the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group, said Justol “was seen racing with another unidentified bus...and lost control, plunging down 40 feet below from the Skyway ramp.”

But according to Alebar, the bus was not even running fast when they fell off. He said it was raining hard and they were running at 60 kph when he noticed the bus was already going over the railing.

“I thought it was the end of me,” he said, adding the last words he muttered were “Diyos ko po (my God).”

“I closed my eyes, leaned my head on the chair, and prayed for the Lord to give me a second chance,” he added.

The bus, he said, fell front first but landed upright. The windows were all broken and the chairs were no longer secured to the vehicle floor.

Alebar immediately looked for Justol, whose mouth was “full of blood.”

“I had a feeling he will not survive but I still told him to hang on and be strong. Then I looked at the other passengers. Two looked okay, while another two looked critical,” he said. Had the bus overturned, Alebar said none of them would have survived.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said it has asked for a police report on the accident and is scheduled to issue an order today suspending the bus firm for one month. It will also order Dimple Star Transport to explain in writing why its franchise should not be cancelled.

1 hurt in 7-vehicle EDSA-Ayala tunnel smashup

A 53-year-old British man was injured in a seven-vehicle smashup along the southbound lanes of the EDSA-Ayala Avenue tunnel in Makati City at around 11:45 a.m.

SPO1 Diosdado Singun, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) case investigator, said Paul Andrew was treated for minor head injuries at the Makati Medical Center and later released.

Singun said Andrew was driving his Honda CRV (XEY-279) along the inner lane of the tunnel when he hit a Jeep Commander (ZMI-777) in front of him when it suddenly stopped.

Andrew’s car was rear-ended by a Bicol-bound Elavil Tours Philippines bus (EVP-598), trapping him. Singun said the CRV was a total wreck.

Singun said the Jeep Commander then hit a Toyota Hi-Ace van (WDJ-651). The Hi-Ace van then hit a Toyota Revo (XAJ-279). The Revo then hit a Starex van (without license plates) that stopped to avoid hitting a Leyte-bound United Land Transport bus (TYS-496).

According to Singun, it appears that the smashup was triggered by the United Land Transport bus that stopped after it was allegedly told to do so by an MMDA enforcer on a motorcycle.

Singun said they are tracking down the traffic enforcer the bus driver said appeared to have been escorting another vehicle through the tunnel.

The MMDA allows province-bound buses are allowed by the MMDA to use the EDSA-Ayala tunnel.

Shipping container falls off tractor bed

A freak accident occurred along the Delpan Bridge in Tondo, Manila during a heavy downpour at around 10 a.m., when a 40-foot shipping container fell off its tractor bed.

Driver Juanito Abegado told police the truck’s differential accidentally detached, causing the tractor bed to tilt to one side and making the container fall off. No one was hurt in the incident, which disrupted traffic on both lanes of the bridge. – With Rainier Allan Ronda, Reinir Padua, Nestor Etolle

Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=65&articleid=710219

Tropical storm Juaning wreaks havoc

Manila: Eleven fishermen were feared dead in southern Luzon as Tropical Storm Juaning neared 100 kilometre northeast off southern Luzon's Camarines Norte, on the country's eastern seaboard, weathermen and disaster management officials said yesterday.

Sixteen flights from Manila to southern Luzon and central Philippines and vice-versa were also cancelled due to the bad weather. Heavy rains flooded major roads in Metro Manila and elementary and high schools were closed after lunch as a precautionary measure.

Rescuers found a fisherman Ronnie Tablante alive on Monday afternoon off Caramoran town in Catanduanes. The 38 year old is now recuperating in a local hospital, said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday.

However, rescuers failed to find the other missing fishermen, six from Samar, central Philippines, and five from Bicol in southern Luzon, NDRRMC said

Sixteen domestic flights of Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Zest Air were cancelled at the airports of Metro Manila's Pasay City, Bicol Region and the Visayas.

Although Juaning is hovering over the Pacific Ocean, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) raised storm signal number two on four southern Luzon provinces and signal number one on Metro Manila and 27 central and northern Luzon provinces.

Local officials in all the affected areas have warned residents to evacuate to higher places and not to venture out to the sea.

Alert signals were specifically sent to areas with storm signal number one because they were expected to be inundated with heavy rain and could suffer dangerous landslides as Juaning was expected to pass Camarines Norte and nearer Aurora in southern Luzon last night.

It was expected to make a landfall on northern Luzon's Dagupan City this morning and on Laoag City tomorrow before moving to the South China Sea either on Friday or Saturday, Pagasa added.

Source: http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/tropical-storm-juaning-wreaks-havoc-1.843473