Spokespersons of the prosecution in the trial of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona on Friday said the criticism directed at it for its failure to present proof of his purported 45 properties is not only undeserved but also missed the point of the impeachment.
“They claimed we have lost the case because we only presented 25 and not 45 [properties]. But whether it is 5 or 10 or 20 or 45, the point is he did not disclose and declare them for years. And why were these declared at very low …

MANILA, Philippines – The wife of Sen. Lito Lapid is now required to wear an ankle monitor after being placed under house arrest in the US for allegedly smuggling $50,000 in cash last November 27.
Marissa Lapid was arrested at the Las Vegas International Airport last January 15. The arrest was based on a warrant issued last January 5 for allegedly smuggling $50,000 in cash last Nov. 27.
In a copy of the arrest warrant obtained by ABS-CBN North America News Bureau’s Bev Llorente, the senator’s wife said she only had with …

KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA News
09/13/2011 | 10:48 AM
Photo Credit: Here
A former Shari’a court judge has admitted helping distribute alleged bribe money to help then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo win the 2004 presidential polls.
During Tuesday’s Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the PNP choppers mess, Judge Nagamura Moner said that on May 13, 2004, former Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director general Alfonso Cusi called him up to help Mrs. Arroyo.
“I received a call from Alfonso Cusi (at) about 9:30 p.m. telling me that I should go to Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, and …

How are you doing President Noynoy?
Well, my name is Reyna Elena. I was your number one supporter during the election, attacked by an unbelievable online hatred during the campaign because of my support for your presidency. Aherrm!
Oh, by the way, I thought I’d share this with you.
Here is my Elementary School in Castilla, Sorsogon. This picture was taken last week by my friend from Amsterdam. It’s one Uragon building. One unbelievable technology. The best. Western standards will drool at how mini, major and super-typhoons blasted that building away …

Henry Sy Sr., whose wealth was primarily fueled by the success of SM shopping malls, is the richest man in the Philippines for the third year in a row, according to Forbes magazine’s survey on the 40 richest Filipinos for 2010.
The mall mogul’s net worth rose to $5 billion in the Forbes 2010 survey from $3.8 billion a year earlier. He was also the Philippines’ wealthiest man in the 2006 survey.
Sy ranks 201st in the 2010 list of 1,011 billionaires of the world, that according to Forbes dropped from 1,125 …

Photo Credit: Here
Despite being more optimistic about their financial future, Filipinos continue to get a low score when it comes to financial intelligence quotient, according to a survey by American banking giant Citibank NA.
Filipinos got a financial intelligence quotient of 48.9, or less than half the maximum score of 100, Citi said in its latest Financial Quotient (Fin-Q) Survey. The annual survey measures the Financial Quotient or financial well-being of consumers.
While the financial intelligence quotient of Filipinos in this year’s survey was a bit lower than 2009′s 49, the score …

Convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff has blamed others for being “complicit” in his scheme, which fleeced investors of billions of dollars.
Madoff is serving 150 years in jail in the US for a $65bn (£40bn) fraud which deprived thousands of investors of their savings.
Now he has told the New York Times a variety of banks and hedge funds “had to know” about his Ponzi scheme.
Such schemes pay out using new investor money rather than from any profits.
Madoff claimed banks and hedge funds who had dealings with his investment advisory firm showed a …

“Representing transfer of funds re: approved budget for the launching of the New DOT Philippines Branding scheduled on November 4, 2010 at Oceana, San Miguel By The Bay, Mall of Asia, Pasay City as per attached supporting documents…”
If you noticed, every actor and actresses in this epic fail Polska Dot drama, including Campaigns & Grey have their own, unique and twisted alibis.

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This entry is a repost from Inday Espina-Varona’s blog: scaRRed_cat
First the good news: The Department of Tourism has a new website! Yehey!
Then, more good news: The Department of Tourism is bringing nationalism to a whole new level! Using Filipino! And providing a translation and pronunciation guide!
And even more good news: The domain name is going to make every lonely heart (or dirty mind) crawl out of the woodwork and make a beeline for the first plane headed for the land of beautifulpilipinas.com!
Did you say alarm bells rang in the Interpol’s porn …

They’re in power now. So, what change?! This is how it works in the Philippines. “The” friends, “The” relatives and “The” classmates, with no apologies to Dale Carnegie, Malacanang’s book is out: How to kick friends out and lose influence.
And that’s the fire raging right now betwee BSA3 supporters and the mother shit err ship. Believe it or not, Noynoy Aquino’s Communications Department talaga is one maximum-level full of dysfunctionalities. We’ve seen their dysfunctionalities before and we are still seeing it now. Worse, it is now between them and …

Wow! Interestingly, I was just complaining about this in my Facebook update! Not that I am looking for a construction permit to build a brothel!
But!
In a recent study by the International Finance Corporation, the Philippines ranks 148th among the 183 nations in terms of ease of doing business. Now, let’s translate the numbers in some meaningful shit that could be understood by everybody.
A rank of 148 in a total of 183 nations means: The Philippines beat 35 nations. Nice! Right?
Well, the thing is, there were 147 nations in …

Below you will find a YouTube post, which appears to be a tense conversation between a distressed OFW and Labor Attache Romulo Salud that is currently circulating the internet. Read though and listen to the conversation:

This reminds me of my days in Saudi Arabia and UAE where distressed OFW’s (especially first timers) have no clue on what to do when distressed. Over a decade past, POEA requires prospective OFW’s to undergo Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) where its goal is to educate migrant workers on how to deal with their …

(Photo Credits: My camera. My very, very own camera. Taken in Cebu)
Senator Lito Lapid, in the explanatory note to Senate Bill No. 2519, the action-star-turned-lawmaker observed that “the incidence of elderly people neglected by their children is becoming not uncommon.”
Let me repeat in case you didn’t catch it: “the incidence of elderly people neglected by their children is becoming not uncommon.”
“is becoming not uncommon.”
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Ok.
I am not really a fan of Lito Lapid. But hey, let’s give the Senator some proper credit because this measure that he is pushing makes …

Picture Credits: Inquirer
And so I read that it is all-systems go this coming Monday for village-level elections. The entire country will vote for a total of 42,025 barangay chairmen (and as many youth council chairmen) and 294,175 barangay kagawads, or councilors (and as many youth councilors).
I am a non-believer of Sangguniang Kabataan. Even during the Kabataang Barangay days, maybe not all, bui I know that these lowest political unit is being used as just another political and/or corruption tool by those who can exert influence to the powerless SK’ers.
It’s like …

From ABS-CBN News:
After policemen, traffic enforcers, cooks and waiters, here come the dancing cabin crew of local budget airline Cebu Pacific.
Carrying seat belts, life jackets and oxygen masks, young female flight attendants danced to Lady Gaga’s Just Dance and Katy Perry’s California Girls while demonstrating safety procedures, as recorded on video by one of the passengers.
Actual flight safety guidelines were read while the music was being played in the aircraft.
So, what do you think mga ka-barrio?
Magiging effective ba na ganito ang safety procedures sa eroplano?
Cheers,

Photo Courtesy of ABS-CBN News
Viewed …

Maganda ang sinulat ni Mr. Artemio V. Panganiban sa kanyang artikulong: Restore Amla’s fangs. Kaya naman pala, kahit harap-harapan na ang talamak na kurapsyon, pumaparada pa sila sa harap nang mga Pilipino. Lumuwa ang mata ko sa nabasa ko, wala kasi akong masyadong alam sa Anti-Money Laundering Act naten. Maganda ang layunin nang AMLA, tugisin ang mga hayop na kurap. Kaya lang, sa ating turd world kawntri, puro lang tayo layunin. Gaya nga nitong AMLA na kung gusto mong i-trace ang mga ninakaw, inspeksyonin mo ang mga deposito. Kaso ang …

Let’s talk about ROI.
That’s Return On Investment folks. When you invested too much too many during the election campaign, nangutang ka pa, it is animal nature to get your investment back PLUS a small percentage of returns, very – very small and tiny, like 99% or 101% to eternity. Kaya, neophyte solons are against pork barrel cuts. Tama ba ang Reyna mga ka-berks?
Read the full story here: Neophyte solons against pork barrel cuts

Psst! Busy lang ako kaya the news is dated 8th, taz posting entry ko is 5th! …

With just a little over two weeks remaining in Gloria Arroyo’s presidency stay in Malacanang, her supporters and detractors, in fact Gloria Arroyo herself, are already hard at work crafting two very different versions of her historic and/or corruption laden legacy. And you better believe me when I say that no one is working harder to leave a favorable mark than Gloria Arroyo herself. In fact, she bombarded the airwaves with videos of her accomplishments. The video shows an economic boom. Great highways, whether you travel North or the South. …

Can you believe this?! Our country’s debt is now a whopping P4.4 trillion! And there is not even a decent expressway that spans from south of Manila all the way to Matnog, Sorsogon. All we hear are Nograles unexplained wealth, Arroyo’s sons unexplained wealth and more! The article said:

“All borrowings under President Arroyo’s term–that racked up the country’s outstanding debt to a whopping P4.2 trillion as of 2008 from only P2.2 trillion in 2000–were necessary, her economic managers argue, amid accusations the President was responsible for the country’s deepening …

A very interesting read about the Balkans that we, in the Philippines can relate. The article discusses the problems and possible solutions (some sections of the case study were removed). In the Balkans, organized crime is their big corruption problem. In the Philippines, it seemed like the [insert word here] is the mafia. In the Balkans, they have incentives. In the Philippines? Nada. What we have is easier national unity, never having to grapple with ethnic civil wars.
If you want to read the entire article, here is the link: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/analysis/28539/ …

By TOTO CAUSING

(Merceditas Gutierrez; Benjamin Abalos Sr.; Romulo Neri; Mike Arroyo; Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)
“Calculated risks.”
This is the gist of the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman in its apparent bid to hide the plot behind why it indicted former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. and Social Security Systems (SSS) Chairman Romulo Neri—and punished the latter for a six-month suspension from office.
This is so because they know that Abalos and Neri have a very good chance to be acquitted after trial by the Sandiganbayan on the …

I’m sharing this article that was sent to me by an FB friend. Sounds pretty much like how they do it back home I guess.
This is a throwaway account (I’m a longtime redditor under another login). /r/economics might not be the correct place to put this, but it was the best I could think of. I’m a mid-career guy in a business that does a lot of work with governmental and quasi-governmental agencies. I’ve never ripped anyone off personally, but I have seen and occasionally been an incidental beneficiary of …

What a news!
The Ombudsman cleared President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo of culpability for their roles in the aborted $329-million national broadband deal known as ZTE controversy, but recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against former Commission on Elections chief Benjamin Abalos and Neri.
Read the rest of the story here: Reyna Elena
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Hey! How’s your Congressman doing? Puro lang ba pa-cute? Well, Walden Belo has one thought provoking question.
Is Congress Worth Running for?
“There are members of the 14th Congress who, I am told, have never once spoken on the floor in their nine years in the House. And when members do rise to deliver privilege speeches, they usually devote these to attacking enemies in their congressional districts, which is why very few members appear to be paying attention even when a speaker is trying his bombastic best to pound his …

At this point, you should have already read the entry, Manny Villar’s P10 Billion Vista Land IPO proceeds. That’s where our discussion begun.
Now, having finished Kursong walang matrikula: The basics of IPO (initial public offering), I’m sure you are now an expert on IPO, di ba? So let me update you with what’s been happening about the Vista Land IPO while you were in IPO school. My sources are newspaper articles I read. Better di ba? I’m not inventing stories here.
According to the charges of Estrada and/or Enrile:
1.) Manuel Villar …