The Philippines is one of the countries that suffer the most from extreme weather events, which exact a high death toll and economic losses, a study by an international think tank said.
Analyzing data from 1991 to 2010, Germanwatch, a climate and development organization, said the Philippines ranked 10th among countries when it came to exposure and responding to severe weather caused by climate change.
All the countries identified to be most affected in the past two decades were developing countries, the study noted.
Aside from the Philippines, these were Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), …

MANILA — The Philippines said Wednesday it had banned Filipinos from travelling to work in 41 countries and territories that had allegedly failed to provide enough safeguards to protect them from abuse.
The Department of Labour and Employment in a board resolution posted on its website said the blacklisted countries failed to sign international conventions protecting foreign workers.
Neither have these countries signed bilateral agreements with the Philippines “on the protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers,” the resolution said.
They also do not have their own laws protecting foreign workers, the …

MANILA, Philippines – The new generation Philippine peso bills, which came under fire for its design that included error-filled maps, has received accolades from an international currency association, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
In a statement, the BSP said the new generation currency banknote series was a finalist for the Best New Banknote Series award at the 2011 Currency Conference of the US-based International Association of Currency Affairs (IACA) in Singapore last October 5. IACA’s membership includes central banks, financial institutions and industry players.
The Philippine banknotes, however, lost …

Col. Moammar Gadhafi, the dictator who ruled Libya for 42 years, was killed by rebels in his hometown of Sirte on Thursday. A dictator who oppressed his own people and sponsored terrorism abroad, Gadhafi’s legacy will be stained by violence. But beyond his brutality, Gadhafi will be remembered for something else entirely… being a first-class weirdo.
In no particular order, ABCNews.com brings you the seven weirdest things about Moammar Gadhafi.
1. The “Bulletproof” Tent: When Gadhafi was at home in Tripoli, he lived in a well fortified compound with a complex system …

MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipino teachers, who were hired to fill a shortage in Louisiana in 2007, have filed a federal lawsuit against the hiring firm that recruited them in the Philippines after being allegedly forced to pay exorbitant fees, the Lost Angeles Times reported today.
In a complaint filed in Los Angeles, Ingrid Cruz and Rolando Pascual accused Universal Placement International Inc. and its president Lourdes Navarro of forcing them to pay immigration fees, which should have been paid by the districts that hired them under the federal law.
The lawsuit said the …

MANILA, Philippines – Celebrities, politicians, sports personalities and ordinary people across the country turned to social networking sites to mourn the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Others praised and thanked Jobs for introducing the iconic iPhone, iPod, iPad and other devices that changed the daily habits of millions across the globe.
Below are some of their tweets:

“R.I.P. Steve Jobs. Thank you for making life easier.” — Angel Locsin, actress
“Steve Jobs!!! For the technology that enhanced not just my music but all our lives… thank you. Oh my Lord, this is a …

by OHgamer
Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:08 pm
Once again it was the final question that determined who would be Miss Universe. Like I posted at the time during the event, I though Angola rocked the final question. She seemed to know what she wanted to answer and gave her answer tactfully but with conviction. She just “sounded” like a Miss Universe when she gave that answer, and that is what I think clinched it for her. She may not have had the hottest body, or the most graceful catwalk of the …

Malaysian police arrested this week two suspects in the killing of a Filipina helper in Petaling Jaya last month, a Malaysian news site reported Saturday.
Star Online quoted Petaling Jaya district police officer in charge Arjunaidi Mohamed as saying a love triangle appeared to have led to the killing of the Filipina, who was not immediately identified in the report.
“We believe that both men, who were in a relationship with the deceased, resorted to killing her because they were jealous,” according to the report, citing Mohamed.
He said the two men were …

LOS ANGELES – The 10th annual World Dragon Boat Racing Championships with 2,000 athletes and 50 teams from 18 countries and regions came to a close Sunday after six days of competition at Seddon Channel in Florida with the Philippine as among the most popular team.
The Philippine team sets world records and their jerseys are hot merchandise items in Tampa.
The Cobra-Philippine Dragon Boat Federation team hiked its gold medal collection to five as it dominated the Premier Mixed 500 meters (small boat) competition. The “Water Dragons” also from the Philippines …

By JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS
Published: June 22, 2011
One August morning nearly two decades ago, my mother woke me and put me in a cab. She handed me a jacket. “Baka malamig doon” were among the few words she said. (“It might be cold there.”) When I arrived at the Philippines’ Ninoy Aquino International Airport with her, my aunt and a family friend, I was introduced to a man I’d never seen. They told me he was my uncle. He held my hand as I boarded an airplane for the first time. …

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 …

Manila Bulletin
By SARAH HILOMEN VELASCO
June 11, 2011, 8:46pm
MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino teenager from Zamboanga del Norte, standing just 22 inches tall, is now proudly towering it over the rest of the world as he is set to be proclaimed the shortest man by the Guinness Book of World Records on Sunday as he turns 18 years old.
Junrey Balawing, who hails from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, is slightly taller than a glass bottle or a one-year-old toddler.
Junrey’s father, Reynaldo, is a blacksmith and only stays at home at weekends, while …

Photo Credit: A Celebration of Women
Manila Bulletin
By JC BELLO RUIZ
June 11, 2011, 8:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino will lead Sunday’s 113th Independence Day celebration that will start with a flag-raising ceremony in Kawit, Cavite.
After leading the Kawit flag-raising rites, the President will proceed to Malacañang for the Vin D’ Honneur at 10 a.m. in Rizal Hall.
At 4 p.m., the President will proceed to the Quirino Grandstand for the 113th Philippine Independence Day celebration and parade.
“If you’re not doing anything with your families, of course, you are most welcome to join …

Hello? Hello?
Anybody there? Are we still here?
Oh, whew! For a moment there I thought Judgment Day actually had come today, as California preacher and religious radio broadcaster Harold Camping had predicted. And I’m really, really not ready.
There’s a lot I still have to do. Like organize my sock drawer and change the strings on my banjo. Not to mention apologizing for some – er – indiscretions that have been weighing on me since forever. (Which have nothing to do with the banjo.)
I mean, if there really is going to be …

In light of the recent earthquake in Japan, I am posting this information I received via email which I thought is a must read! Please read and spread the word. Many thanks to Marlene Howe. ~Reynz
Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway? Well, forget it! This is a real eye opener. It could save your life someday.
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP’S ARTICLE ON ‘THE TRIANGLE OF LIFE’
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International …

Malungkot ang buong mundo.
Nagdadalamhati sa sinapit ng Japan.
Pagkatapos ng lindol at tsunami, may mga pagsabog din na nagaganap sa mga nuclear plants sa Fukushima.
Mayroon pa ring aftershocks every now and then.
Sadly, umaakyat din ang death toll.
May shortage na rin sa tubig, pagkain at gamot.
Pero may magagawa ka kapatid.
If you are in the United States, here are your easy options on how to help.
The Red Cross has already launched efforts in Japan. Visit redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.
International Medical Corps is responding to the …

The proposal to have the late president Ferdinand Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will be studied by someone who has “less personal attachment,” said President Benigno Aquino III.
Marcos, whose regime lasted a total of twenty years, ruled the Philippines under Martial Law from 1972 to 1981. He was accused of amassing ill-begotten wealth and heading an administration under which human rights violations, torture, enforced disappearances and killings were perpetrated.
In 1986, he was deposed by the People Power Revolution, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.
“Whatever I …

MANILA, Philippines – After being initially turned down, China has finally agreed to allow Vice President Jejomar Binay to visit Beijing. This is a last ditch effort to salvage the lives of three Filipino OFWs who are set to be executed due to drug trafficking in China.
The message was relayed through the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, stating China’s readiness to receive vice president Binay.
The vice president will leave Friday morning at 7:15 a.m. and is set to meet up with the president of the Supreme Court and the Chinese Executive …

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 …

Manny Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, made a brief visit to the White House Tuesday (February 15) and visited with President Obama, the boxer’s publicist said.
Pacquiao, in the midst of a national promotional tour hyping his May 7 world welterweight bout against Pomona’s Shane Mosley, stopped in Washington to first meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), for whom Pacquiao campaigned before the senator’s narrow victory in November.
As Pacquiao walked toward the White House, a cluster of cars stopped to watch him and a four-car pileup occurred with no …

Written by: By SHAIMAA FAYED and ALEXANDER DZIADOSZ
Egyptian cities erupted in celebration when President Hosni Mubarak stood down on Friday and the crowds who had protested against him claimed victory over the man who had ruled them for 30 years.
“We have brought down the regime, we have brought down the regime,” chanted the hundreds of thousands of people packed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement.
They waved flags, cried, cheered and embraced when the news reached them through a public address system. Drivers honked car horns and …

Lawmakers and military men who implicated Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes in massive corruption probe in the military which prompted him to kill himself on Tuesday, should not send flowers and prayers, a spokesman said.
“Those who belittled and maligned him should not send prayers and flowers. They will not be accepted,” said Patricia Daza, spokesman of the family left behind by Reyes. Meanwhile, Senator Joseph Estrada said, “I’m not guilty. I’m just doing my job,” in response to the family’s criticism of the critics of the …

“Para naman ma-clear, p’wede bang matanong natin kung ako ay chief of staff, ako ay nag-suwapang, ganid, nag-demand ng pera officially or unofficially?”
This was the last that was heard of former AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes as the Senate blue ribbon committee investigated alleged corruption in the military during its probe into former AFP comptroller Carlos Garcia’s plea bargain deal.
Reyes denied former AFP budget officer George Rabusa’s claims he received P50 million in sendoff money as he retired from the AFP.
Reyes was born in San Miguel, Manila on March …

Calling A Spade…
By Solita Collas-Monsod
Business World
The Garcia plea bargain hearings have taken some unexpected but very welcome turns that give the country greater reason to hope: the emergence of a role model in the fight against corruption — Heidi Mendoza, may her tribe increase; and maybe, just maybe, the much lesser likelihood now of the rank and file following blindly in their officers’ coup attempts — nothing like realizing that their so-called gods have feet of clay.
At the same time, it opens the door for a closer scrutiny of …

Twenty-seven Filipinos are homebound on Saturday after they expressed their intentions to be repatriated following the ongoing political crisis in Egypt.
“They will comprise the first batch in the voluntary repatriation being conducted by the Philippine Embassy in Cairo and the DFA in view of the on-going crisis in Egypt,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Ed Malaya said in a text message to abs-cbnNEWS.com on Thursday.
The repatriates are composed of 13 women, 9 minors and 5 men. Three are nurses from the Dar Al Fouad Hospital, while the rest are …