PPCRV apologized for Discrepancy in voting results tally

PPCRV apologized for Discrepancy in voting results tally.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) apologized Monday night for the early results of the midterm polls they released to the public have discrepancy and do not match the number of clustered precincts nationwide.

PPCRV chairperson Henrietta De Villa said that their tally that was released about two hours after polls closed at 7 pm showed results from around eight to nine million votes, which correspond to an estimated five to six thousand clustered precincts.

She said they had only tallied 1,418 precincts so far. De Villa told GMA News Online in a phone interview that they would resolve the problem in 15 minutes, and that she has asked Smartmatic for an explanation about the discrepancy.

Source: GMA News

The man who committed suicide in MRT Guadalupe

MANILA, Philippines - The man who allegedly jumped into a running train at the Guadalupe station of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) last Wednesday May 8, 2013 around 8:18 a.m. has been identified.

A close friend of the victim named Oliver Villacorta identified the victim at the Veronica Funeral Homes in Pasay City Thursday night.

Oliver said that his friend had been acting weird for weeks because of some problems he did not mentioned. They both live in a boarding house in Manila.

Oliver did not reveal the name of his friend, because the parents of the victim has not been informed.

However, on facebook the name of the victim has already been circulated:

"The wake of LEO MANULNA aka Jumba Carlo Sato (the MRT3 jumper) is at VERONICA MEMORIAL CHAPEL - 517 A. Arnaiz Avenue, Pasay City (Near Libertad LRT Station). THE WAKE WILL ONLY BE UNTIL 12 NOON TMRW, May 11, 2013, TO GIVE ENOUGH TIME TO TRAVEL HIS REMAINS AT HIS PROVINCE."

On a radio station report, Oliver said that the body of Leo Manulna has been transported to the province in Kalinga.

Leo Manulna is a 31 year-old freelance photographer and a former indie film actor known as Jumba Carlo Sato.

Banks urge SC to stop Comelec "cash ban"

MANILA- Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) asked the Supreme Court (SC) to halt the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing its so-called "money ban," aimed at preventing vote-buying in Monday's polls.

Represented by the Romulo Mabanta Law Firm, the BAP filed its 28-page petition for prohibition with the high court at past 10 o'clock this morning.

The ban prohibits the withdrawal of more than P100,000 from banks and other financial institutions, and the "possession, transportation and/or carrying" of more than P500,000 in cash up to May 13, election day.

The petition sought the immediate issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or status quo ante order (SQAO) to stop the poll body from implementing its resolution ordering the "money ban." BAP insisted that the order is unconstitutional.

The petition stated that the poll body "acted without jurisdiction" in issuing the resolution, "acted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction" because the ban violated the 1987 Constitution, and "acted without jurisdiction" because the ban "invalidly amended Republic Act (RA) No. 9160 (Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001).

The petition also stressed that the ban "violates the laws on secrecy of bank deposits" because it will "require banks and other persons to look into bank deposit accounts."

"As a general rule, the State cannot arbitrarily interfere with a person's right to enjoy and use his or her personal property, including his or her money.

"As explained by the Supreme Court in construing this right, which finds its basis in the U.S. Constitution, the State must ensure that persons 'have the right to pursue their happiness and acquire and enjoy property,' such that 'there should be no arbitrary spoliation of property," the petition read.

The petition further asserted that the said ban is not "reasonably necessary to achieve its avowed purpose, and is in fact unduly oppressive" and that complying with the ban will only open banks to "all kinds of class suits by their depositors."

The Comelec said on Thursday that it was amending the resolution and would add a provision giving banks the discretion to allow withdrawals of more than P100,000 for their clients who would regularly withdraw more than this cap.

Source: ABS-CBN News
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/05/09/13/banks-urge-sc-stop-comelec-money-ban

Power blackout hits Luzon due to outage in five power plants

Metro Manila and other Meralco franchise areas in Luzon was hit by a widespread power outage on Wednesday May 8, 2013. After the outage, the LRT lines 1 and 2 raise the code red at 2 p.m. all trains were put on hold and no entry in all stations, LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera tweeted. Operation resumed at around 5:55 p.m.

The power outage was caused by interruption of service in five plants supplying power to the Luzon grid.

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Twitter a total of 3,700 megawatts went offline, and it had no timetable when power would be restored. They assured the public that its transmission lines are secure and fully functional

Dina Lomotan, spokesperson of Meralco said that they resorted to load dropping in some areas, and making sure critical facilities like Malacañang and the LRT are spared from the effects of the outage. However, power was cut in both anyway.

Meralco tweeted:

"Several transmission lines tripped out due to still undetermined cause, resulting in the isolation of Sta. Rita, San Lorenzo, Calaca, Ilijan, QPPL [Quezon Power Plant Philippines, Ltd.] and Sual 1 power plants. Meralco is closely coordinating with NGCP on the matter."

As of 5:30 p.m. Meralco said the power shortage was down to 900 megawatts. "We're slowly restoring as the power is coming in,"adding that full restoration is expected in affected areas in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna within the day.

source GMA News

Philippines source of human trafficking

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Convention on Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) has identified the Philippines as a source country for human trafficking.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that human traffickers use the Philippines as a destination and transit country for individuals who are subjected to trafficking in persons, particularly forced prostitution and labor.

Victims come from poor and rural areas in the southern and central parts of the Philippines, and are sent to urban centers in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Mindanao.

The two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations Convention on Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) workshop was conducted in support of international and regional efforts to combat trafficking in persons (TIPs). They have developed a draft on ASEAN convention and regional plan of action against TIPs. It also facilitated cooperation among ASEAN member-states to prevent and combat TIPs in the region, paying particular attention to women, children, and economic and cultural minorities; protect and assist the victims of such trafficking; and ensure just and effective punishment of traffickers.

Anthony Bourdain Enjoys Halo-Halo

On the episode 2 of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown he traveled to Los Angeles. Bourdain specifically explored Koreatown, where he ate like a local with his two guides, Korean-Americans Roy Choi and David Choe.

Bourdain also visited popular Filipino fast-food joint Jollibee, he ate a fried Spam slider known as the Little Big Bite and an Aloha Burger (with pineapple slice), he also enjoyed halo-halo.

Halo-halo consists of red beans, white beans, chick peas, Jell-O, coconut, shaved ice and flan.

"It makes no Goddamn sense at all," said Bourdain, "I love it."

Bourdain also called the purple, yellow and green treat "oddly beautiful."

source CNN 9AM Monday (Philippines)

4 buried in Garbage in Rizal

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Four people are missing after being buried by pile of garbage in Rizal, reported by  the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The avalanche of garbage occurred on Friday afternoon at Rodriguez Landfill in San Isidro village in Rodriguez town.

"Four employees (of the landfill) were reported missing and were believed to have been buried in the trash slide," NDRRMC said.

The victims were named Gary Balahibo, Pablito Esto, Eddie Malano, and Rovidico Olod, it said, adding that search and rescue operation has been ongoing.