PH, US launch joint exercises near China-claimed waters

Thousands of Philippine and US marines on Monday began military exercises close to flashpoints in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), where Beijing is engaged in a bitter territorial with its neighbors.

The 12-day amphibious landing exercises -- involving about 3,500 US marines and sailors and 1,200 Filipino counterparts -- were officially launched from the western island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.

China claims the sea almost in its entirety, and its increasingly assertive efforts to stake its claims have heightened tensions with neighbors including the Philippines, which has conflicting claims to parts of these waters.

But Philippine marine spokesman Lieutenant Jerber Anthony Belonio stressed that the location of the opening ceremonies was not linked to the territorial dispute.

"This has no relation whatsoever. This is just to show the capabilities of our new marine landing brigade which coincidentally is based in Palawan," he told AFP.

The Philippines has recently been beefing up its military assets in Palawan, the country's main outpost to the South China Sea which is a vital sealane, a valuable fishing ground and which is believed to hold vast mineral resources.

The poorly-equipped military has also recently been boosting its ties with defense allies -- particularly the United States, its former colonial power -- in the face of Chinese saber-rattling.

The US Marine Corps said the exercises would "enhance the interoperability between US Navy and Marine Corps forces and their Philippine counterparts with a focus on improving our bilateral response to regional issues and maritime security crises".

This year's exercises will include small arms and artillery live-fire training, a mechanized assault and paratroop operations.

The USS Peleliu, a US amphibious assault ship, along with two support ships, arrived at the former US Subic naval base on the weekend to take part in the exercises.

In April, the two allies signed a new defence accord giving US forces greater access to Filipino bases as part of a US rebalancing of military power towards rising Asia, which is seen by many analysts as a check to the emerging power of China.

Although the United States has taken no side in the territorial disputes, it has warned China against taking "destabilizing actions" in the South China Sea.

The sea is claimed in parts by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia as well as China and the Philippines.

China has been involved in a string of tense maritime incidents with rival claimants in the South China Sea. Earlier this year it placed an oil rig in waters also claimed by Vietnam, sparking deadly riots in the Southeast Asian nation.

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Philippines UN peacekeepers to guard pope’s Francis visit

The Philippines has assigned a thousand-strong force of its United Nations peacekeepers to help guard Pope Francis when he visits Asia’s main Catholic outpost next January, the military said Sunday.

The papal security force will include more than 300 soldiers who were withdrawn from the UN-administered Golan Heights buffer zone after the unit fought off an attack by Syrian rebels last month.
“We believe that their exposure and experience in peacekeeping operations in Syria will be beneficial toward the successful security of Pope Francis’s papal visit to the Philippines,” said a statement quoting military chief General Gregorio Catapang.

Two battalions of Filipino UN peacekeepers, including those withdrawn from the Golan Heights as well as those who had been training to replace them, will join a police-led security detail for the pope, he added.

A Filipino battalion comprises about 500 soldiers.
The Philippines earlier announced it would not replace its Golan Heights troops due to the worsening security there.

The local Catholic church leadership said Pope Francis will be in the Philippines from January 15-19 and will visit the survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left about 7,300 people dead across the central Philippines in November last year.

Philippine politicians have said Filipino Islamic militants, some of who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadists fighting in Iraq and Syria, could pose a threat during the papal visit.
The Philippine government has said there are no known links between the two groups, and that the Filipino militants are merely associating themselves with the jihadists to elevate their profile and for financial gain.

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CAAP inspector axed for allowing flight of Jesse Robredo's plane

 The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed on Friday the airworthiness inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) who approved the flight of the ill-fated plane carrying the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in 2012.

Radio reports said that Fernando Abalos was found guilty of falsifying public documents and clearing test flight results of the aircraft that crashed off Masbate in August 2012, killing Robredo and two pilots.

The Ombudsman resolution stemmed from a criminal and administrative complaint filed by CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss, accusing Abalos of violating Republic Act 9497, the act creating the CAAP.

Abalos was suspended for 90 days in 2012 following the plane crash.

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Reporter drops F-bomb on live TV

A local TV news reporter in Anchorage, Alaska quit her job Sunday night in dramatic fashion - delivering the news live on the air and dropping an F-bomb for good measure.

Charlo Greene, a reporter for CBS affiliate KTVA, was doing a report on efforts to legalize marijuana in the state when she abruptly revealed that she was the owner of the Alaskan Cannabis Club, a group that connects medical marijuana patients with suppliers.

"Now everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska," she said.

"And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, f**k it, I quit."

Greene then walked off the set, leaving a startled news anchor struggling to find words at the news desk. "Alright we apologize for that," the anchor said. "We'll... we'll be right back."

The Alaska Cannabis Club had posted a message to Facebook earlier in the evening, tipping its followers - "EVERYONE" - to tune into KTVA for the newscast.

Greene has since raised over $1,000 at the online crowdfunding site Indiegogowhere she says she is "campaigning for marijuana reform in Alaska and the nation."

On the site, she states: "I just quit my news reporting job on live TV to announce that I am redirecting all of my energy toward helping to end a failed drug policy that has ruined the lives of far too many Americans."

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Indian Microsoft CEO is Excited For Acquiring Minecraft Game

Satya Nadella the Indian origin CEO of Microsoft went on record and expressed his happiness about the rise in the shares of Gaming Industry in the field of entertainment. He expressed his excitement about the same. The CEO was equally excited about the Minecraft games. He said that Minecraft is a unique enterprise with some fanatics working for the development of some exciting games.

CEO was very excited about the recent acquisition. They are known to overtake the company very soon. They are also planning to take over some more gaming enterprises. Microsoft is all set to make a spectacular debut in the field of gaming with this acquisition.

CEO expressed his thoughts about how fast the gaming industry growing and how people are ready to spend a huge amount of their earnings on the same. He also expressed his views on how mobile gaming is also on a rise and he expressed his thoughts of making Microsoft a gaming giant and he can be seen making requisite efforts in the same direction.

The original site of the developer also went on record and confirmed the news of acquisition by Microsoft. The developers were equally happy about the acquisition given it serves them with the opportunity to work under the biggest firm in the industry.

The CEO of the company and other developers are looking forward to the life they are going to live from here onwards. They are more than excited for their life and they are busy making their plans for the same. They are waiting for the final decisions Microsoft is going to take in upcoming times. They are waiting for the new plans from the side of Microsoft. They are looking forward to the new work culture and to the new style of working and they are very happy to give their best performance.

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Japan’s new asteroid hunting initiation

The Japanese space scientists have revealed the hunting for space investigation which is going to launch this year itself for the quarry of the celestial body.

The initiative named as Hayabusa-2 is going to toss into the space for the long four year voyage to the asteroid -named 1999JU3. The time it reaches to the asteroid somewhere in 2018 it is going to launch a powerful gun that is going to fire a metal billet at the asteroid’s barren crust  and then it will collect the material which comes out from the cannon blast. If the plan works with full expectation the particles of the asteroid will come to Earth in the year 2020.

In a press conference the project leader at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hitoshi Kuninaka said that his team is working very hard to make all the possibilities happen for this long voyage. He also said that he is very happy that the asteroid probe has just come to an end and very few work is remaining for the final journey. The company has also send an asteroid explorer earlier which came back to earth in 2010 with dust samples after a long seven year journey and its name was Hayabusa.

The spherical 1999JU3 asteroid, which is a kilometer across, contains significantly more organic matter and water than the potato-shaped rock previously studied by the original Hayabusa. This is going to help in solving the mysteries of the solar system and its 4.6 billion years ago origin. Also the scientists at JAXA said that the new Hayabusa-2 is based on the earlier work of the first model that was only able to get the dust particles which have been altered by the various forms of energy in the space in its long journey.

 The scientists say that after all the shortcomings like the communication breakage and the damages to the motors it was still the most successful project in the field of science. The whole project has added a feather into the hat of the Japan and there were several feature films that got inspired from the project. The scientists are hoping that this will also be a great success in the space and will provide the information that will be used for the  study.

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Apple Watch: Things You Need to Know

Apple introduced its latest iPhone model and the brand new iWatch among all hullaballoo. The new products from the house of apple are all set to change the world for better. We bring to you a set of things you need to know about the latest iWatch: 

• It requires an iPhone to make it work at its best. Now you finally now have your reason of buying iPhone.

• The screen glass is a sapphire glass and it is known to be highly resistant to scratch and damages.

• There are other control buttons as well. You can use the other control buttons to control different features of the watch.

• The new watch from Apple allows you to reply to the cute little messages you receive from your dear ones. You can dictate the message or you can use the auto generated response for replying to the messages. The watch also leverages you with the choice to reply to the messages with help of emoticons.

• The sensor equipped watch allows you to calculate the amount of calories you have burned over the span you have spent exercising or in running. The watch also tracks the number of days you have been visiting gyms for. The two apps named as Workout and Fitness is designed to help you in calculating the time and remembering you’re working out a schedule. The watch is smart enough to keep you updated with the latest changes in your working out schedule.

• The watch supports all social networking giants like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pin Interest, Instagram and many other innocuous apps but this is not yet. Apple is striving for more and more. 

Apple for sure has launched an eye munching product. The watch is soon to be launched but the crazy is already at heights.

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China undertakes reclamation work in the West Philippine Sea

China is now dealing with its  reclamation in the West Philippine Sea to improve the working and living conditions of the Chinese people who are currently positioned on the  disputed islands.

Asked about their reclamation construction works, China reiterates its claims of sovereignty over the Spratlys and neighboring waters.  On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing  that the reclamation activities on islands and reefs in the archipelago are necessary, as they are being undertaken within China’s territorial control.

“As far as I know, the construction work China is undertaking on relevant islands is primarily for the purpose of improving the working and living conditions of people stationed in these islands,” she said.

China’s reclamation developments are in full swing on three more reefs within the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratlys following  the completion of an artificial islet on Mabini (Johnson South) Reef.

During an aerial investigation last month, Filipino security officials said they  saw China’s reclamation activities on Burgos (Gaven) Reef, Kennan (Chigua) Reef and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef.

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China advises citizens not to travel to Philippines

Due to the  worsening security situation in the Philippines, China has advised its citizens not to  travel to the Philippines for the meantime. On Septermber 11, the Chinese Foreign Ministry posted on their website a message that reminds Chinese citizens not to go to the Philippines.

Although the text was written in Mandarin, but with the help of the availability web translation, the readers have fully understood the Foreign Ministry’s message.

It is said in the text that the Philippine police freshly confirmed that a certain lawless group intended to attack the Chinese Embassy, Chinese-funded institutions and Philippine malls and other open facilities..

The travel warning came  in the middle of reports of a suspected plan to attack the Chinese Embassy in Manila. The attack was planned by a self-proclaimed anti-China group who was also believed were the same group behind the kidnapping of a Chinese national by three policemen in Caloocan City, and the abduction of a Chinese teenager in Zamboanga Sibugay in Mindanao by armed men last Thursday evening.

Charles Jose, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said the DFA called the Philippine government to study China's travel warning and to make sure to “strengthen security” and to “raise risk awareness” in the country for Chinese people.

In a text message sent by Jose to the reporters, it says they would like to repeat that the Department has reassured the Chinese Embassy of suitable and necessary security to guard against threats and prevent any vicious occurrences.

All Chinese nationals were advised to communicate with the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines and consulates for help and assitance in case of any emergency. 

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Galaxy S5 or S6, still confused?

The smart phones have become a major part of everyone’s life and one can’t imagine a life without these modern gadgets. There are lots and lots of models releasing on everyday basis that leads one to get confuse which one to opt for.

    As among the leading companies in the market Samsung has already come up with the Galaxy S5 in the month of April this year but the company is planning to launch the more upgraded version the Galaxy S6 in the coming days. So here the question is which one is the right way to go for. Well the existing one has a lot of compatible features in it like the S5 comes with the 5.1-inch Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 resolution screen. Also the S5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.5GHz Krait 400 processor with an Andreno 330 GPU that comes along with the 2GB of RAM. But on the other hand if go with the sources the S6 is going to have a 5.2 or 5.3 inch QHD display in it. Yet the company still wants to stick with the Super AMOLED touch screen for the S6. Also the S6 will have a UHD display (3840 x 2160) instead of a QHD display (2560 x 1440) with the Snapdragon 808 or 810 chipset. If the Cell phone releases with the QHD displays the Snapdragon 808 would be great but if the S6 uses the UHD display it will going to need more powerful 810. And when it comes to comparison the S6 will also have an upgrade for the graphic capabilities. The S6 also comes with the Adreno 418 GPU that provides an extra 20% power increase then the S5 which is simply great. So the customers are waiting for this more upgraded version and it has already created a buzz in the market. Well the price may be an issue because the current S5 is available for $850 but the company is going to offer the S6 with some extra price. According to the sources the S6 will going to have price around $900 for the customers.

    So if it comes to comparison the S6 has a lot of features that are just wow and it will be a great option to go for but the S5 is also good on the other hand. So it depends upon the people to go for a phone which suits them according to their needs. 

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Canadian Islamist preacher Bilal Philips Arrested In Philippines

Bilal Philips who is a  Canadian Islamic preacher was  detained in Davao City,  Philippines due to potential threat to national security.

The Jamaican-born Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, who grew up in Canada, was arrested shortly after he has given an lslamic lecture to Muslim and non-Muslims in the city of Davao on Sunday.

"Philippine government agencies asked us to deport him because he could be a potential threat to national security," bureau spokeswoman Elaine Tan the reporters.

Tan said the bureau was conscious Philips, described by the  Filipino police as being 68, had been banned by a number of other countries. However Philips clarified in his Facebook post that such accusation is not true as he has been travelling in several countries around the world to give beneficial lectures.

Since July, Philips had been  the second Islamic preacher to be detained by the Philippines after Robert Edward Cerantonio. Cerantonio had believed to use the Internet to urge or recruit people to join  the international Islamic war "jihad" in Iraq and Syria, though there is still no strong evidence to show to the public proving this accusation.

Philipps  had personally decided not to pursue his lecture, which was scheduled  in Zamboanga, because the Mayor of Zamboanga has withdrawn her support by cancelling the venue and her provision of government security forces. Zamboanga City Mayor was known for her harsh wordings towards Muslims.

Meanwhile the  Davao immigration officer Eddie Delima told reporters that the Canadian Islamist preacher is to be deported to Canada.

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Asteroid Will Pass Within 25,000 Miles of Earth

Nato announces new discoveries. There is a newly discovered small asteroid will pass very close to Earth on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. The estimated 60-foot asteroid will approximately approach 25,000 miles over New Zealand. The distance will be about one tenth from the Earth and the moon.  The asteroid will not hit the Earth as it will just pass underneath our satellite so Earth is safe from any possible hit.

The asteroid was named 2014 RC. It was firstly discovered by an astronomer in Arizona named Catalina Sky on the night of August 31. The rock was  independently detected the next night by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, sited on the summit of Haleakalā on Maui, Hawaii.

The asteroid's obvious magnitude at that time. Because of the smaller size of the asteroid, it  will not be seen by normal eye-sighting, however  amateur astronomers with might see it using  small telescopes. They might glimpse of the fast-moving appearance of this near-Earth asteroid.

While this heavenly object approaches near Earth ones in decades, it does not appear to give any threat to Earth or satellites as it will just safely passes beneath us, it its close approach makes a good chance for researchers to study and observe more about asteroids.

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Sanrio Reveals That Hello Kitty Is not a cat

When it was not yet insisted by the company behind the cute icon known as Hello Kitty, everybody actually it is a cat, however, it became trending online that Hello Kitty is not a cat.  But everything people knew about Hello Kitty is about to change.

On Thursday, the creator of Hello Kitty Sanrio revealed and posted on their website that Hello Kitty is not a cat but a human. She is a cheerful little girl,  who is friendly and possess a gold heart.

This statement shocked many people around the world and even got trending in News sites and social media. This  revelation was made clear  when a Hawaii-based academic Christine Yano, who  specializes in the epitome of “Kawaii” (“cute” in Japanese) asked Sanrio to fact-check captions for a presentation she was curating to mark the 40th anniversary of Hello Kitty.

Christine Yano, told the Los Angeles Times that she “was corrected—very firmly” by Sanrio that Kitty was not a cat.

According to Yano, Sanrio corrected her saying “Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.”

Perhaps people mistakenly recognized her as a cat instead of a cartoon character because of her whiskers and moon-like shape face.  One of Japan’s most renowned exports confirmed her non-cat identity.

A Sanrio spokesperson told AFP in Tokyo that the her design takes motif of a cat, but nothing in the Hello Kitty’s setting is a portion of a cat. But rather is  is a 100-percent personified character. He also said that her real name is Kitty White, and she was born in southern England on Nov. 1, 1974. She is a Scorpio and her blood type is A.

Actually Hello Kitty has a twin sister whose name is Minny White. On her web profile, it was found out that  Minny lives in an unnamed suburb of London with father George and mother Mary.

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Jackie Chan's son Jaycee Chan detained in Beijing for drug consumption

Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee Chan has been detained in Beijing last Thursday and was charged drug-related cases. According to Beijing police, Jaycee Chan 31 years old, was detained along with another 23 year old Taiwanese movie star Kai KO.

Both celebrity/actors confirmed positive for marijuana while both admitted using the drug. M'Stones International, Jaycee’s management, made a public apology on his behalf for the "social impact" caused, in a report on their website. It said they would "supervise his therapy and help him return to the right path." 

Lately, President Xi Jinping ordered that all illegal drugs should be eradicated and would severely punish those who are exposed to drugs.  Following the order, Jaycee’s detention happened. Police said that, there are around 7,800 people caught in crackdown in Beijing.

Now, the authorities are targeting celebrities because they might have influenced their fans, especially the young people to use drugs. A sequence of celebrities has detained so far. CCTV which is a Chinese state broadcaster aired the actual footage of search and arrest operation of Chan’s home in Beijing where his face was pixilated.

Due to his case, Chan is accused of accommodating drug users and will face a sentence of three years imprisonment while two other people detained in the same case were accused of selling drugs, while Ko is indicted for drug consumption. 

Illegal drug use has been widespread in China in recent decades, but it was nearly eradicated after the 1949 communist revolution. 

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No salary increase for the government workers On 2015

 Amidst the high demand of Filipino workers to increase their salary, Budget Secretary Butch Abad said on Wednesday that government workers will have no salary increase for the year 2015.

Abad confirmed this in  by answering the question of  ACT Teachers Party Representative Antonio Tinio on whether government is planning to increase the  for state workers in the 2015 budget.

Abad explained that the government had appointed a survey in salaries and benefits this year, but did not finish it on time because of the recent calamities that the country is currently experiencing. But he affirmed that the survey will be commissioned in the next 2016 year budget  which is an election year. Thus the department of budget is pointing salary increase on that year.

He  however said that as of this year, that instead of salary increase, the government is giving a performance improvement inducement of at least P5,000 to one-month salary aside from the regular performance-based bonus. Thus, government workers who expects for the salary raise will have to wait until next year.

The government will intend a new round of salary adjustment of 2016 while the last tranche of salary standardization was completed  last 2012.

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Saudia plane Swerved off runway in Manila Airport

MANILA, Philippines: Saudi Arabian Airline has swerved off the run and got stuck in the mud at Manila’ Internation airport Tuesday night. Airport officials said that there are nearly 300 passengers aboard Saudi Airlines Flight 871 were stranded because of the said incident.

Airport spokeswoman Jen Franco said that it could be bad weather which caused the Saudi Airline’s pilot to miscalculate the take off. Fortunately, no one was initially reported hurt among the passengers. However, there at 11 other flights were delayed by the blocked runaway.

The airport authority said workers were struggling to remove the Boeing 747 after the incident.

Flight SV is bound for Riyadh is suppose to take off when the incident occurred. The flight was canceled and the passengers were taken away by bus and put up in a hotel. For the mean time, airport Officials could not yet say at what time the runway would be cleared.

 photo credit: ArabNews

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China Says "We can build what we want in South China Sea"

BEIJING – China has rejected proposals ahead of a key regional meeting to hold any activity that may raise tensions in disputed maritime. On Monday, a senior Chinese official said that China can build whatever they want in South China Sea, as they believe that it is a part of their territory.

This week, the Southeast Asian foreign ministers hold security meeting with counterparts, including US, Myanmar and China to settle the rising  tensions over the conflicts in disputed sea. As a part of the three-part plan, the Manila Foreign minister said last week that the Philippines will suggest a freeze on all activity that may raise tension in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

The United States, who is a close ally and former colonial power in the Philippines, has also asked  on all parties to pause activity in the disputed sea to ease tension between the claimants.

Manila has suspected China of carrying out reclamation work on at least three shoals in the Spratly Islands, where lies  most of the overlapping claims  particularly in the area between China and the Philippines.

Yi Xianliang, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Boundary and Ocean Affairs Departments, stated that China had every right to build on its islands to develop its basic living conditions there.

"Why is it that when other countries wantonly build airports, nobody says a word? But China has only this year started small and necessary construction, to raise living conditions on the islands - and so many people raise doubts."

Previously Hong Kong media reported that China plans to build an air base on Fiery Cross Reef, however Yi said he was uninformed of the said plan.

China claims most part of the area which is estimated about 90 percent. It is believed that South China Sea is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas deposits and has rich fishery possessions. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also lay claim to parts of the sea.

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Hacienda Luisita Farmers Urge Ombudsman to Reopen The Case

MANILA – Hacienda Luisita farmers urge the Office of the Ombudsman to reopen the seven years old Hacienda Luisita murder case against the  Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and his associates including newly installed Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., and some others.

The  farmers and relatives of the victims believe that there was enough evidence to file criminal or administrative cases against those people behind the death of at least  striking farm- workers.

But the Office of the Ombudsman discharged the cases months after the November 16, 2004 incident happened at the sugar estate. . After the bloody dispersal of the assault, 7 persons died and 121 others injured.

The next day after the incident happened, Tarlac Representative Aquino made a privilege speech guarding the spread of workers saying it was “an illegal strike."

Aquino, was a House deputy speaker that time, condemned the violence, but appealed the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police members who were there were “subjected to sniper fire coming from a neighboring barangay.”

ed his associates from showing fact-finding missions that could “inflame the situation”  and he wanted to cover-up the truth behind what happened to Hacienda Luisita.

Others who were included in the motion were Aquino's newly appointed AFP Chief of Staff, who formerly held the reins at the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM). As NOLCOM chief, Catapang was accountable for the organization of the military in his area of control.

The other respondents include Aquino’s uncle, Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., former Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, and former Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson.

Now, the farm-workers hope for justice from the newly appointed Ombudsman, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Conchita Carpio-Morales

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Top 10 Richest Filipinos In The Philippines; And how they became rich?

Forbes magazine has released their list of top 10 Richest Filipinos  this year. SM founder Henry Sy and his family are still on top of the list of the richest Filipino in Philippines. With a whooping $11.4 billion, Henry Sy remains on top of Filipino billionaires’ list.

When tracking his success, Henry Sy started his business when he sold rejected and overrun shoes in Tondo, Manila where his family lived after transferring from China. Now, he owns the biggest and the most well-known mall in the country (Shoe Market) with not just shoes in it, but everything that a consumer is looking for is there.

Henry Sy is followed by Lucio Tan's who has an asset of worth $6.1 billion net  as of 2014. His largely business income is from his tobacco company. The tobacco businessperson started as a worker in a tobacco factory, but now his tobacco business expands to  aviation, real estate and liquor, and many more.

Third on the list is Andrew Tan, who is the founder of Alliance Global. His company includes Megaworld, with a net worth of $4.6 billion. Aside from Alliance Globe, he also owns the McDonald’s franchise in the country through Golden Arches Development Corporation.

The youngest on the list made it to the fourth. He  is a casino tycoon Enrique Razon, Jr. with $4.42 billion net.

John Gokongwei, Jr. the founder of JG summit, whose net worth is $3.9 billion, ranks fifth in the list. He is known for his riches-to-rags-to-riches story. He was born to a wealthy Cebu-based family until his father passed away and lost almost all their family wealth. Yet through his hard works, he recovered his family wealth and multiplied it even more.  

With a net worth of $3.3 billion, David Consunji made his brand in the construction industry. George Ty who founded Metrobank when he was 29 with no banking background has a net of  worth $2.3 billion.

Tony Tan,  who is the owner of the countries favorite “Chicken Joy”  a product of Jollibee, has a net worth of $1.7 billion as of today. Tony Tan has only started his business with an ice cream parlor and eventually became the Jollibee.

Ninth on the list is Robert Coyiuto, Jr. with $1.5 billion, while Filinvest founder Andrew Gotianun is tenth with a net worth of $1 billion.

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'Halong' Typhoon moves closer to Luzon

For the latest Philippine typhoon update, a large portion of Luzon will experience heavy rains as the newest typhoon Halong moves west, northwest slowly to enter the Philippine Area of Responsiblity tonight or tomorrow at dawn.

A weather forecast issued by the state-run Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration at 5 a.m.  said the southwest monsoon is touching Luzon while "Halong"  which is locally named as “Jose” was located at 1,440 kilometers east of Central Luzon.The typhoon has maximum continual winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 150 kph and is believed to be one of the strongest “typhoon” this year.

PAGASAD said that places and provinces to experience occasion rains are "Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales, and Batan. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms.

However, there rest part of the country will have moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest. Coastline will be moderate to rough though, because of the said TYPHOON.

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