Philippines News

De Castro undecided on Lakas-CMD offer
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:59:43 -0000
With less than two years away from the 2010 presidential election, Vice President Noli "Kabayan" de Castro remains undecided on which among the political parties he will join. De Castro, running-mate of President Arroyo in the 2004 election, even begged off from making any decision on the standing offer for him to join the ruling Lakas- Christian Muslim Democrats. The vice president said he has the highest respect and admiration for the Lakas-CMD as a formidable political party, but talks about joining Lakas or any other party should be done at a later time. "My priority at this time is to be able to effectively perform my duty as vice president, housing czar, presidential adviser on Filipino workers and to continue my task of monitoring the prices of basic commodities," said De Castro, who belongs to the so-called "Wednesday Club." The other members of the "Wednesday Club" are Senate President Manuel Villar, Senators Joker Arroyo and Francis Pangilinan and former senator and now Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto.
You are only for show
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:47:25 -0000
You are only for show. Not a priority Genuine Comprehensive Sports Program Editorial cartoon, PDI
Filipinos send more than 15 text messages a day
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:35:07 -0000
MANILA, Philippines-The average cellular phone user in the Philippines sends 15 text messages a day, according to telecommunications companies. The Philippine Long Distance Telephone group estimates that the 33 million subscribers of Smart and Talk N' Text collectively send 500 million to 600 million text messages a day. That means the average subscriber of the PLDT group sends about 15 to 18 text messages a day. The group's incoming and outgoing traffic combined is estimated at around one billion text messages per day. Sun Cellular subscribers are estimated to send 10 to 15 text messages per day. With 6.5 million subscribers, that means the network was handling up to 100 million outgoing text messages every day as of end-June. Globe Telecom Inc. did not provide an estimate for its outgoing traffic, but previously said its network handled 500 million to 700 million incoming and outgoing messages per day. Its subscriber base as of end-June was 22.7 million.
Philippines seizes 18 tonnes of coins
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:43:32 -0000
Customs officers in the Philippines seized 18 tonnes of Filipino coins set to be illegally shipped to South Korea for scrap metal, officials said. The container containing the one peso coins was set to be smuggled into Pusan, they said, and had a face value of some 30 million pesos (HK$5.1 million). Customs officers seized the shipment on Thursday during a raid on a warehouse at Manila port following a tip-off, said Jimmy Perez, spokesman for the government's anti-smuggling task force. ''They were going to ship it to South Korea where they would have been melted down for their copper and nickel content,'' Perez said. ''The metals are used in the manufacture of computer chips.'' AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Portrait of the "raped" man for whom the Interpol would mobilize
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:39:42 -0000
Manila, Philippines - He cared for nothing more than a penis enlarger he bought from the House of Condom in Singapore on a credit card not his own. He also cared for nothing more than a change of face from one that looked like a bicycle's seat butt to one of a handsome-looking elite. Lastly, he also cared for nothing more than an identification card sporting the name of the highest official of the church organization he belonged to - one that he would betray later on and charge of rape in order to materially survive. Yet, all of these have been his passport to stardom - a spotlight he shares with his new organization, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) with all the attention of the International Crime Police Organization or INTERPOL. Daniel Veridiano, alias Puto, the man for whom the Interpol would mobilize to catch his enemy is now the man of the hour - thanks to an all-powerful church group in the Philippines he is now a part of.
'Malling' consumes shoppers in the Philippines
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:07:13 -0000
Going to shopping malls is a way of life in the Philippines. Despite inflation being at a near 17-year high, around 80 percent of the Philippines' population still frequent the country's numerous shopping centers, three of which rank among the world's top ten largest shopping centers. Although over 40 percent of the country's 90 million people live on $2 or less per day, malls here are crowded at all times, and especially packed at weekends. Around 80 percent of the Philippines' population go to shopping centers and around 36 million people visit shopping plazas once or twice a month, according to Nielsen Media Research. "People just come to the mall to stay cool, said Chris Balberona, a driver for a bank, who was at Manila's Megamall watching ice-skaters on an artificial rink. "Life is hard right now so we don't really come here to shop."

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