Thank God, says Arroyo now out on bail

She walked free from eight months in detention on Wednesday after a court granted her bail on the ground that the electoral sabotage case against her was weak. But her freedom may be short-lived.

“Thank God,” former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 65, said before exchanging embraces with a small group of relatives and friends gathered in her room at Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.

That’s vintage Gloria Arroyo, one who kept strong when others showed weakness, her only daughter Lourdes “Luli” Arroyo-Bernas said.

Several senators, however, said Arroyo could be detained anew sooner than expected for the nonbailable charge of plunder that was filed earlier this month in connection with the misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds.

“Once the Sandiganbayan issues another warrant of arrest in relation to the plunder case, she will go back to prison,” said Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the justice committee.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada joked that Arroyo should have left behind her clothes at VMMC.

“She might be back very soon,” said Estrada, who himself once faced a plunder case but was later acquitted in connection with the jueteng funds pocketed by his father, former President Joseph Estrada.

Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the blue ribbon committee, said the evidence gathered by his panel during its hearings on the P366 million in PCSO funds that went missing during Arroyo’s incumbency “is very strong.”

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B-Meg ties PBA Finals; Paul Lee reinjures shoulder

MANILA, Philippines—James Yap came through in the clutch to lift B-Meg over Rain or Shine, 85-80, and tie the two teams’ PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven Finals series at 1-1 Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Yap finished with 24 points including a tough left corner turnaround jumper that gave the Llamados an 82-78 cushion with 15.6 seconds left.
“This was a crucial game for us. We had to, at some point, convince ourselves that we could beat this team. We haven’t changed that yet but this one win can help us turn that around,” said B-Meg head coach Tim Cone.
“‘Big Game’ James turned to ‘Big Shot’ James,” Cone said of Yap. “The defense was so shattered that he was able to get a good look and knock it down.”
B-Meg built an 11-point lead twice in the third quarter before ROS was able to tie the game at 74, with 5:25 left.
Jamelly Cornley, the conference’s best import, sank two free throws that pulled the Elasto Painters to within two, 78-80, before Yap’s clutch shot.
Marcus Blakely bounced back from his poor Game 1 outing with game highs of 26 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks to offset his seven errors.
Game 3 is set on Friday with both teams looking for a pivotal 2-1 series lead.
For Rain or Shine, though, the squad may have to make do sans its best player Paul Lee.
Lee, who came in second to Mark Caguioa as the conference’s Best Player, reinjured his left shoulder after swiping at the ball at the 2:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
The former University of the East star immediately went down on the floor in tremendous pain while grabbing his shoulder. He was then carried out of the court on a stretcher in the waning seconds of the game.
Concerned but unfazed, ROS head coach Yeng Guiao even made a bold statement: “We will win this series with or without Paul Lee.”

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Santiago: Philippines like a mosquito in the face of a dragon like China

A “mosquito” like the Philippines needs only to use its wits against a dragon like China in dealing with their territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago offered this simple yet smart solution, saying one way of dealing with China’s bullying  is for Manila to seek the help of its  allies in dealing with the dragon.
“We neither have money nor weapons.  Our only choice is to depend on the Western allies. Depending on the way we maneuver this situation, we must keep in mind that our allies need something from us just as we need something from them,” Santiago said at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado.
Relations between the Philippines and China have been severely strained by their rival claims over Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) off the Zambales coast and over parts of the Spratlys island chain near Palawan.
Santiago suggested that the Philippines ask allies like the United States,  Australia, Singapore and South Korea “that it would be in their best interest to protect the South China Sea from incursions by China.”
A dragon and gorilla
Santiago raised the point after noting that the Chinese government has stressed that the Philippines “must accept that the South China Sea belongs to China.”
“You don’t want to give China power over a … maritime territory that represents 10 percent of the fisheries catch of the entire world, in the sea lane where half of world’s tonnage passes,” she said.
“Let us tell the Western powers they would lose freedom of navigation over maritime commons if China is able to effectuate its desire to own the entire South China Sea,” she added.
“China is, to put it bluntly, a gorilla…We are mosquitoes and China is a dragon. Mosquitoes just buzz around your ear, you slap them and they’re dead… We cannot engage its economy.  We cannot engage in an arms race with (the Chinese). If we lack the power, then we use our brains,” the senator said.
Armed attack doubted
Santiago, a former chairperson of the Senate foreign relations committee,  supported Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario’s request to the United States for surveillance aircraft and naval cutters that would allow the Philippines to monitor Chinese territorial incursions.
“But we don’t see equipment (being delivered) because the US is under no obligation,” she said.
Santiago said that if one read carefully the Mutual Defense Treaty, “the US will come to the Philippines’ defense only in case of armed attack.”
“That’s why China will never make an armed attack so that it can never be accused of launching an external armed attack that would trigger the implementation of the (treaty),” she said.
This is also the reason, she said, why China only uses “paramilitary naval vessels in the Spratlys and Scarborough and not military boats.”

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Panatag Shoal | Scarborough Shoal | Spratly Islands

The First Typhoon of the Wet Season in the Philippines

As the summer season ended, the wet seasons of the Philippines had officially begun, particularly now that a typhoon is steadily battering Luzon and Visayas with heavy rains. “Butchoy”, with international name Guchol, is said to have intensified into a typhoon as it moved in a north-northwest direction.

Despite not making any landfall, Tropical Storm “Butchoy” moves up stronger and expected to bring more rains to Luzon and Eastern Visayas, particularly in the Sarangani and Samar Provinces which is currently experiencing severe flooding.

First Typhoon of the Wet Season Butchoy was first seen 470 kilometers east northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar, with maximum winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 150 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its latest advisory.

According to latest Philippines Weather news, Butchoy is forecast to be 590 kilometers east southeast of Casiguran, Aurora by Sunday morning. Typhoon Butchoy continued to move north-northwest 15 kilometers per hour, with estimated rainfall of 15-25-mm per hour (heavy) within the 500-km diameter of the typhoon, it also said.

It is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring rains over Luzon and Visayas especially over the western section which may trigger flashfloods and landslides, Pagasa said.

Rescued Teachers in Samar According to latest Weather Philippines news, eight public school teachers were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard Friday night after the engine of their boat conked out under heavy rain in rough seas churned up by Tropical Storm Butchoy.

Meanwhile, about 60 passengers bound for Luzon have been stranded at the port in Allen town, Northern Samar, since Friday afternoon after vessels were barred from sailing because of the storm, which had intensified into a typhoon on Saturday.

Bicol Bracing for Flooding and Landslides Disaster agencies went on alert to better deal with the possibility of floods and landslides as Typhoon Butchoy came closer to the Bicol region although the weather bureau did not expect it to make landfall anywhere in the Philippines.

Butchoy, the second storm to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility this year, has enhanced the southwest monsoon which in turn has been dumping heavy rain on many parts of the Philippine the past week as the weather system intensified from a low pressure area into a typhoon.

The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) was placed under “Code Blue” alert or preparedness status, and relief teams were assembled for quick deployment in case people living in areas prone to flooding, lahar flows or landslides need to be evacuated, said Bernardo Alejandro, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense and chairman of the regional disaster council

PBA Governors Cup - The Latests

PBA’s Governor’s Cup had started to heat things up when Alaska had won against one of PBA’s giant, the Barako Bulls, while De Ocampo had stepped up for B-Meg to hold off Barangay Ginebra charges.
Alaska vs. Barako Bulls Import Jason Forte led a balanced attack by Alaska as it pummeled Barako Bull, 104-84, Sunday night in the 2012 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

According to latest PBA News, Forte racked up 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter where the Aces put the game out of reach. “It was nice to see activity from us defensively and that set the tone for us,” commended new Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo. “We played aggressive basketball right from the first quarter,” Trillo said.

LA Tenorio controlled the tempo in his pace en route to 21 points, six rebounds and six assists while newly acquired forward Gabby Espinas had 18 points and seven rebounds apart from his decent defending against Jamine Peterson.

Peterson, the Energy’s skilled reinforcement, still managed to get 19 points but shot six-for-19. Cyrus Baguio chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds as the Aces, now at 1-1, out-rebounded the Energy, 58-40.

De Ocampo’s Stand Yancy de Ocampo stepped up in the absence of Marc Pingris and Joe Devance as B-Meg held off Barangay Ginebra, 96-88, Sunday night in the 2012 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
De Ocampo wound up with 16 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes to help the Llamados chalk up their first win in two games. “Yancy was really the key. They didn’t really have anybody to stop Yancy inside and we kept dumping the ball into him, we made an effort to do that and he really responded,” praised B-Meg head coach Tim Cone.

According to PBA Latest News, the Llamados threatened to pull away several times and even led by as much as 16 (49-33), but just couldn’t against a resilient Gin Kings squad. “They lived up to their reputation as a never-say-die team. They just kept coming back. We had a good shooting night and they didn’t have a good shooting night and that was one of the big differences in the game,” said Cone.

Ginebra moved to within, 77-80, after a Cedric Bozeman triple but B-Meg countered with a 9-1 run capped by a PJ Simon three-point play that extended the gap, 89-78, with 4:05 left. Simon, though, injured his knee after that basket as he got fouled by Kerby Raymundo and did not return. He finished with a team-high 21 points on a remarkable nine-of-11 shooting from the field.

“PJ had a great game. I hope he’s healthy. I don’t know but he strained his knee. I don’t know the severity of it but I hope it’s not too bad,” a concerned Cone said.

James Yap pumped in 18 points, including timely threes that kept Ginebra at bay while import Marcus Blakely had 13 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to offset his horrible three-of-15 shooting at the line.

PBA Governor Cup Latest Updates

As the PBA Governor’s Cup continuously rages on, a number of teams had started to come up from the competition, B-Meg Llamados with their second straight win with Barako Bulls, and Powerade Tigers with their first win of the competition.

 

B-Meg’s Second Straight Win B-MEG booked a second straight victory after repulsing Barako Bull, 95-90, on a night when Powerade finally won a game in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Marcus Blakely scored 29 points, had 15 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks despite an aching back and carried the Llamados to a 2-1 record after the Tigers ripped Alaska, 114-97.

According to latest PBA News, Marc Pingris returned after a two-game absence to shoot 11 and grab the same number of boards, while Willie Miller couldn’t save the Energy from losing a second straight game and dropping to 1-2 despite shooting 29.

Powerade’s Comeback After Powerade’s continuous winless efforts in the PBA Governor’s Cup, the Tigers had finally won their first victory over Alaska with the help of their new import, Omar Sneed.

Sneed, a 34-year-old journeyman who has seen extensive action in Belgium, Venezuela and the Netherlands, replaces the celebrated, but disappointing, Rashad McCants when the Tigers clash with the Aces in the 5:15 p.m. contest set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

McCants averaged 25 points in his two games with the Tigers, but the talent and skill that took him to stints with Minnesota and Sacramento in the NBA have clearly deserted him, forcing Powerade officials to look for a replacement.

With their win, Powerade is set to challenge Talk N’ Text, in which both teams are in the bottom half of the standings. According to PBA Latest News, the Texters will come into the match with a three-day rest while the Tigers will be playing a second game in three nights with Gary David, the tournament’s best local scorer, expected to be the focus of the Talk ‘N Text defense.

After shooting 31 points in a 114-97 rout of Alaska on Friday, David is the logical man to stop for the Texters if they wish to score a follow up of a masterful conquest of defending champion Petron Blaze.

Project Noah

Noah, a program to install rain gauges and flood monitoring and warning systems in the country’s major river systems, had been recently installed as one of the government’s first step in the coming season. A joint effort by the Philippine government and the local sector, Noah is said to be a vital tool in the coming rainy season.

Project Noah In a speech read for him at the 1st Philippine International River Summit on Thursday, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, said the PLDT Group’s Smart Communications and Sun Cellular will help the government’s P1.7-billion project to make communities resilient to typhoons.

According to latest Philippines Weather news, government officials and private sector participants told the summit that the Philippines, which suffer average 20 storms a year, badly needed to manage river systems and install a better alert system for floods to prevent the loss of lives and property.

As part of its assistance, the PLDT Group has allowed the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to install automatic rain gauges (ARGs) in 600 cell sites of Smart and Sun all over the country over two years, said Pangilinan. PLDT installed 63 rain gauges for the country’s weather bureau last year.
Like the biblical patriarch for which it was named, Project Noah will warn communities of impending flooding in their communities in the event of continuous rains.

“Project Noah combined with other new technologies like the Doppler radar, will finally bring the country’s disaster preparedness systems into the 21st century. Even before floods strike, we can know to an unprecedented level of detail how such calamities will impact on our cities and towns,” Pangilinan said in the speech read for him by Michael Toledo, Philex Mining Corp. vice president for corporate affairs.

A Rainy Start of the School Year According to latest Technology Philippines news, while the wet season hasn’t officially kicked in yet, monsoon rains are expected to affect the opening of classes next week.

Southern Luzon, the Visayas and western and northeastern Mindanao would start experiencing isolated to widespread rain showers this weekend, said forecaster Nikos Peñaranda of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“We should watch out for these possible monsoon rains. Next week will be critical. It’s likely that we’ll be experiencing monsoon rains as well by next week because of the enhancement of the southwest monsoon,’’ Peñaranda said in an interview.