Other News

San Miguel buys Masinloc power plant for $1.9 billion

(Agence France Presse) — Top Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp said Tuesday it has bought the Masinloc power plant for $1.9 billion, adding to its burgeoning electricity generation assets. San Miguel unit SMC Global Power Holdings acquired the equity stake held by AES Philippines and Thailand’s EGCO group in Masin-AES, an SMC statement said. The deal involves the 630-megawatt coal-fired power plant, a 355-megawatt coal-fired unit still under construction and a 10-megawatt battery storage plant. […]

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Most Asian markets climb after Wall St hits new records

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Most Asian markets extended gains Tuesday, taking a lead from fresh records on Wall Street where a long-awaited tax-cut bill is expected to be passed this week. After months of uncertainty, the controversial fiscal reforms are due to be voted on in the next few days. They could be on Donald Trump’s desk before year-end, giving the embattled US president his first major legislative victory. “Equity markets have started […]

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UPDATED: PHL temporarily withdraws application from US aid agency to focus on rebuilding Marawi

(Eagle News) — The Philippines has opted to temporarily withdraw its application from a United States aid agency, Malacañang said on Tuesday. “We have opted to withdraw from the second Millennium Challenge,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said. According to Roque, the government would “focus instead on the rebuilding of Marawi,” denying the decision was linked to Duterte’s allegations of foreign interference. “We will apply some other time,” Roque said. He noted that any MCC project funding […]

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Philippine storm Urduja’s death toll rises to 43 as hopes fade for dozens missing

  The death toll from a tropical storm that pummelled the central Philippines rose to 43 with hopes fading for dozens of others still missing after massive landslides, authorities said Tuesday. Slow-moving tropical depresseion “Urduja” (international name Kai-Tak) finally swept out to the South China Sea on Monday after inducing days of heavy rain that led to deadly floods and landslides as it sliced across the central islands last weekend. The government’s disaster monitoring agency […]

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President Duterte signs into law P3.77 trillion nat’l budget for 2018, and tax reform bill

  (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law on Tuesday the P3.77-trillion national budget for 2018 and the tax reform bill which is set to take effect on January 1 next year. The P3.77 trillion national budget which was ratified by Congress on December 12, is up 12 percent from the 2017 national budget. The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, on the other hand, exempted from taxes the first P250,000 […]

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AFP sacks Navy chief

(Eagle News) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines has relieved the Navy chief from his post. Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado was replaced by Rear Admiral Robert Empedrad, the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve and Retirees Affairs. Details of the relief of Mercado, who was set to retire in March 2018, remain unclear. Colonel Edgar Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said the reasons behind the sudden relief of Mercado—ordered by […]

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Roque: President Duterte wants third telecommunications player from China “up and about” by first quarter of 2018

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte wants the third telecommunications player “up and about” by the first quarter of 2018. “The President has instructed (the Department of Information Communications Technology) and the National (Telecommunications) Commission to ensure that the third telecom provider will be up and about by the first quarter of 2018, the first three months of 2018. If it is not approved within seven days, it is deemed approved. That’s how serious the […]

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PAO to provide free legal assistance to alleged victims of Dengvaxia, their kin

By Moira Encina Eagle News Service Victims of the Dengvaxia snafu will now receive free legal assistance from the Public Attorneys Office. According to PAO Chief Atty. Persida Acosta, this was after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre issued Department Order No. 792 authorizing PAO lawyers to represent the victims in civil, criminal and administrative cases stemming from Dengvaxia-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. “The order takes effect immediately and shall remain in force until revoked,” Aguirre said […]

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5 more SC justices ready to take witness stand in impeachment case against Sereno

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) — Five more Supreme Court Justices will take the witness stand against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. This means there will be a total of nine SC Justices who are ready to air their grievances and reveal allegedly improper conduct of Sereno before the House Committee on Justice.  Four have already testified before the impeachment hearings, namely, Associate Justices Teresita De Castro, Noel Tijam, Francis Jardeleza, and retired associate justice […]

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Number of fatalities due to “Urduja” rises to 41

By Mar Gabriel Eagle News Service The number of fatalities because of “Urduja” has risen to 41. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, of the 41, 28 were from Biliran, three from Masbate, one from Camarines Norte, five from Leyte and one was from Eastern Samar. Two of the fatalities were from Eastern Samar, and one was from Surigao del Norte. The NDRRMC said 67 were also injured in Samar and […]

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Kim Jong-Hyun bemoans loneliness in suicide note

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A top K-pop star bemoaned feeling “broken from inside” and “engulfed” by depression in a suicide note, it emerged Tuesday, as his death sent shockwaves among fans worldwide. Kim Jong-Hyun, a 27-year-old lead singer of the massively popular K-pop boyband SHINee, was found in a Seoul hotel room on Monday in what police said was suicide. Kim’s close friend, musician Nain9, released a suicide note on Tuesday on her Instagram […]

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Oh, how cute: Tokyo crowds flock to see baby panda on first day

by Harumi Ozawa Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Hundreds of fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo Tuesday for the first public viewing of baby panda Xiang Xiang, after winning a lucky lottery ticket that a quarter of a million applied for. Long queues formed outside the zoo as fans — many wearing panda cub hats or gloves — waited patiently for a brief glimpse of Xiang Xiang, whose name is derived from the […]

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