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President Duterte may be regarded as a strong and tough leader but the latest oil and gas production in Cebu actually made him weep. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte leads the ceremonial valve opening for the oil and gas production of the Alegria Oil Field during its ceremonial commencement in Alegria, Cebu on May 19, 2018. ARCEL VALDERRAMA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO The President admitted shedding tears after being overwhelmed by the ceremonial opening of the oil field in Alegria, Cebu, considered the first onshore oil discovery in the country. “Last week I was in Alegria, Cebu. For the first time nakita ko ‘yung apoy na…when I turned on the valve para lumabas ‘yun and pag-uwi ko sa chopper kunyari nag-wipe ako ng face ko but I cried. At least for the first time nakita ko oil (I saw the oil when I turned on the valve. When I headed home aboard a helicopter, I pretended to wipe my face but I cried. At least for the first time, I saw oil),” he said at the inauguration of the...

PAGLILINAW Wala akong nakikitang pagtutol ng kampo ni BBM sa mariing pagtutol ng kampo ni Robredo na kolektahin ng PET ang mga ballot boxes mula sa Iloilo City kasabay ng mga ballot boxes ng Iloilo Province. Tama ang kampo ni Robredo na bilang independent chartered city, ang mga botante ng Iloilo City ay hindi bumuboto sa mga provincial officials ng Iloilo Province. In this regard, ang Iloilo City at Iloilo Province ay magkahiwalay na voting jurisdictions at may kanya-kanyang magkahiwalay na Certificate of Canvass. Sa protesta mismo ni BBM, magkahiwalay ang paglista ng mga presinto ng Iloilo City at Iloilo Province. Ito ay pagkilala ng mga abogado ni BBM na magkahiwalay nga na voting jurisdictions ang dalawa. Ang ibig lamang sabihin nito ay mauunang isailalim sa revision ang mga balota mula sa Iloilo Province bilang isa sa tatlong pilot provinces ni BBM. Kapag napatunayan ng kampo ni BBM na may significant recovery mula sa pilot provinces, itutuloy ang revision sa ibang ...

MANILA, Philippines — The closure of Boracay might be extended as rehabilitation efforts on the island may not be completed within six months, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said yesterday. Cimatu said more time might be needed to rehabilitate Boracay as 43 illegal pipes were discovered on the beachfront of the island where most tourists go swimming. A team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau unearthed the illegal pipes after conducting a survey along the beach using a ground-penetrating radar. The team also found a high level of coliform bacteria in the waters. “The unearthed pipes were also proof of violation of the 25 meters plus five meters no-build zone from the shoreline,” Cimatu said. Cimatu warned that criminal and administrative cases as well as fines amounting to P10,000 up to P200,000 per day will be imposed to those found responsible for the installation of illegal pipes. President Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay from April 26...

RJ Nieto, more popularly known as Thinking Pinoy, delivers a touching message about his experience with the @Children's Joy Foundation, Inc.. during the foundation's 20th Anniversary held recently at the Sofitel Manila

Nakahanda na si  Pangulong  Rodrigo Duterte  na    lagdaan ang    panukalang National Identification      system,  oras na   ito  ay makarating sa  kanyang tanggapan. Ayon kay Presidential  Spokesman     Harry Roque, ang national ID  System ay  kasama sa  priority legislation  na isinusulong  ng administrasyong   Duterte. Layon nitong  pag-isahin  ang  ibat ibang ID na ini-isyu ng  gobyerno sa pamamagitan  ng  nag-iisang    Philippine Identification    System. Sa  ilalim ng panukala, ang Philippine Statistics   Authority ang mangangasiwa at tagapag-ingat ng mga    impormasyong nakarehistro sa  Phil-Sys. Matatandaang kapapasa  lamang sa   Bicameral Committee ang bersyon ng Senado ukol  sa  National ID sys...

This photograph taken on April 6, 2018 shows a Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) laying out small bags of the drug “yaba” recovered from a passenger bus in a search at a checkpost along the Teknaf-Cox’s Bazar highway in Teknaf. (Photo: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN, AFP/Getty Images) Bangladeshi security forces claim that 26 suspected drug dealers were killed during several raids in different parts of the country. At least nine suspected traffickers were killed on Monday alone in the government’s crackdown on the “drug menace.” “We’ve contained (Islamist) militancy,” said Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. “Now we’ve taken an initiative to save the country from this drug menace.” Bangladeshi authorities have increasingly focused their attention on illegal drugs, particularly yaba, a mixture of caffeine and methamphetamine. Anti-narcotics officials said they seized a record 40 million yaba pills last year but admitted that an estimated 250-300 million pills entered the market. An offic...

A letter obtained by a government agency shows at least nine academics, scientists, clinicians, and concerned citizens had reached out to former Health Secretary Janette Garin to raise concerns over the Dengvaxia vaccine before it was rolled out to hundreds of thousands of school children in 2016. The four-page letter dated March 27, 2016, secured by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and shown to reporters on Thursday, reveals Garin was warned of a “real” “possibility of harm” and an uncertain duration of protection brought about by the anti-dengue vaccine. It also raised concerns over the cost of the dengue immunization project — P3.5 billion — and the supposed insufficiency of the number of trained health workers to administer the vaccine thrice “and manage the systemic side effects.” “The studies show systemic side effects in up to 57% of patients (Capeding et al, Lancet 2014). This may cause a public furor, especially if any children die,” the letter said. It was sign...