Pinoy Buzz

INFOGRAPHIC: 16 Things You Need To Know About Presidential Candidate Sen. Miriam Santiago

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As the stirring vibe of the upcoming elections is all over in our search for the country’s 16th president of the republic, The Summit Express will bring you closer to your potential bets this coming election through a series of our special reports. For this time, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago will test the waters again to see if the Filipinos are finally ready to embrace her as their new leader. Will the 'Miriam Magic' finally catapult her to the presidency? Here are the sixteen things you need to know about the pugnacious legal luminary of her era.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXUNgKX0NTnSVyCK0c5OrOuZ-0ZG-7g80_JUO7WwNCLypePmkzgL8HKIhyphenhyphenkU2Or2nHtOUZ-QJaxv52dnGhjWHFk8sTECFTpISns9YeR3fQ-CT8ON812LuxNvGVtwskqZBsvvmB85YSMdI/s1600/Infographic-miriam-for-president.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXUNgKX0NTnSVyCK0c5OrOuZ-0ZG-7g80_JUO7WwNCLypePmkzgL8HKIhyphenhyphenkU2Or2nHtOUZ-QJaxv52dnGhjWHFk8sTECFTpISns9YeR3fQ-CT8ON812LuxNvGVtwskqZBsvvmB85YSMdI/s1600/Infographic-miriam-for-president.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>1. Santiago has the most number of bills and resolutions filed last 2014.</b><br /><br />Santiago has been branded as the Senate's top-performing senator. Despite of her cancer, she still managed to top the list being the person who filed the most number of bills and resolutions.<br /><br /><b>2. Graduated with a near-perfect grade of 1.1. in U.P. Visayas.</b><br /><b><br /></b> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZV7-PvjzdjEX9K3KLMDKig_4x9QJU3w_ZeRqNhCKjp9i3dt-7ppRcw8mlN3EebRr2wf8EqSeHHpNb7pm7B_01v2oZCymYqUOecTde2ttedYowZdth-aHpicl4W6MaL1Igr6qQcVeHCeV/s1600/mdsgrad.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sen. Miriam graduated with flying colors as magna cum laude in 1965." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZV7-PvjzdjEX9K3KLMDKig_4x9QJU3w_ZeRqNhCKjp9i3dt-7ppRcw8mlN3EebRr2wf8EqSeHHpNb7pm7B_01v2oZCymYqUOecTde2ttedYowZdth-aHpicl4W6MaL1Igr6qQcVeHCeV/s640/mdsgrad.jpg" title="Sen. Miriam graduated with flying colors as magna cum laude in 1965." width="436" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bemedaled: With a 1.1 grade, Sen. Miriam graduated with flying colors as magna cum laude in 1965. <br />Photo credit: miriam.com.ph</td></tr></tbody></table>It was at the University of the Philippines Visayas where Miriam was able to complete her political science degree in 1965 with 1.1 final grade, a breath away from the perfect 1.0. She graduated as a magna cum laude, a recipient of the Rotary Award for Most Outstanding Graduate. Prior to that she's been the top student on her class way back in elementary and high school!<br /><br /><b>3. The first Filipino to be elected in the prestigious International Criminal Court of U.N.</b><br /><br />As well as being the first Asian from a developing country. With a vote of 79 out of 104, Santiago was elected as an ICC judge on December 2011. Unfortunately, the lady senator has to beg off from taking the post as she found out later on that she has cancer.<br /><br /><b>4. Broke the tradition by being the 1st female Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Collegian student paper.</b><br /><br />In 50 years. Yes, for the first half of its existence, the famed student paper of the University of the Philippines was dominated with men taking the said post. It was only when Miriam entered the scene that the tradition was disrupted.<br /><br /><b>5. One of the most powerful women in the world.</b><br /><b><br /></b> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0G-spxw8spO9Pav5MnyRNRpY4st2Y50-9OXINYTYl7XYbb21zphtie5YM_Tu2qJWljnup4VlwernkhffdF_dD6Nf6a8Wr2Y2CjV0pqX7Cy3YZIAawk5TW4MBbLwQLZSYpSO-Mjwexdr1/s1600/mdsmt.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Iron Ladies: Santiago with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. " border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0G-spxw8spO9Pav5MnyRNRpY4st2Y50-9OXINYTYl7XYbb21zphtie5YM_Tu2qJWljnup4VlwernkhffdF_dD6Nf6a8Wr2Y2CjV0pqX7Cy3YZIAawk5TW4MBbLwQLZSYpSO-Mjwexdr1/s640/mdsmt.jpg" title="Iron Ladies: Santiago with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. " width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Ladies: Santiago with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. <br />Photo credit: miriam.com.ph</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Australian Magazine hailed Miriam as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world in 1997 together with notable world figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Thatcher and Mother Teresa. <br /><br /><b>6. Constitution genius but she almost failed the bar exams.</b><br /><br />Miriam seems to be a magnet attracting various forms of physical maladies, in 1965, the senator almost flunked in the bar exams after obtaining only 78%, a meager figure from the failing grade standard. Nonetheless she took other avenues to perfect her craft after getting learning opportunities from well-known universities around the world such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge Universities.<br /><br /><b>7. Fought cancer while preparing for her presidential run.</b><br /><br />It was in July of last year when she announced that she has a stage four lung cancer, yet the feisty senator spiced up things at that same time when she started hinting an another presidential run to escape from what she considers as a 'boring' life while recovering from her sickness. <br /><br /><b>8. Worked in ALL three branches of the government.</b><br /><br />She worked as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and as Agrarian Reform Secretary under the Cory Aquino administration. Prior to that she was a Regional Trial Court at Quezon City during the Marcos era, she's the youngest judge to be appointed to Metro Manila. Later on, Miriam will embark on a three term journey in the senate from 1995, 2004 and 2010 respectively.<br /><br /><b>9. Ran for the presidency but lost…twice.</b><br /><br />While many were thought that Santiago was about to become the president of the republic in the 1992 elections, it was her bitter rival former President Fidel Ramos who clinched the majority of the vote. Up to this day Santiago is still claiming that she was cheated by Ramos.<br /><br /><b>10. Santiago only spent PHP 500,000 during her last senatorial run in 2010.</b><br /><br />The popularity and mass appeal of the senator among all social classes always provided her a smooth-sailing election campaigns with spending less while having lots of people to campaign for her. This was evident on her last senatorial run in 2010 wherein she said that she only spent 500,000 pesos to fund her campaign.<br /><br /><b>11. She's worth PHP 73MILLION as of last year.</b><br /><br />Santiago’s net worth of 73 million pesos last year makes her part of the top ten list of the wealthiest senator last year, 2014. If we will compare her net worth with other presidential candidates namely Binay, Duterte, Poe and Roxas, Santiago will take the 3rd spot.<br /><br /><b>12. A Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.</b><br /><br />On 1988, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was acknowledged by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, dubbed as the ‘Nobel Prize of Asia’ and awarded her the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service. <br /><br /><b>13. Best Debater/Glamour Girl.</b><br /><b><br /></b> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuagFg5xg1oc3ZZCmm3f-rCaAF4Zq8yIbX7MPLuQdBYw2JwusuPEZgcGXf5IxzswxOGxCB3tIKlu1SMaOfr1AHWgE93wM5nlj9I0DDTn35LJrIYzcAvzCRNLqKz9vy0S69PjGvGZVmPh8/s1600/mdsrcs.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuagFg5xg1oc3ZZCmm3f-rCaAF4Zq8yIbX7MPLuQdBYw2JwusuPEZgcGXf5IxzswxOGxCB3tIKlu1SMaOfr1AHWgE93wM5nlj9I0DDTn35LJrIYzcAvzCRNLqKz9vy0S69PjGvGZVmPh8/s640/mdsrcs.jpg" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sen. Miriam (center) was once a beauty title holder as ROTC Corps Sponsor.  </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo credit: miriam.com.ph</span><br /><div><br /></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>There was a time where Santiago was hailed as the Best Debater in UP, but what was more surprising is that she also held a beauty title as ROTC Corps Sponsor, not only once but twice!<br /><br /><b>14. Miriam originally wanted to become a nun, then as a writer.</b><br /><br />At a young age, all she wanted was to become a nun because that seems to be the vogue calling at that time for young girls and that she has been taught by nuns during her childhood until she started to realize that she has to take a higher responsibility of helping her parents to raise her other siblings being the eldest of seven kids. Later on Santiago will dream next of becoming a writer but was discouraged by her father and insisted for her to become a lawyer. Later on, her brilliance in law would take her into greater heights.<br /><br /><b>15. There were around more than 50MILLION people who voted on her in the stretch of her almost a quarter of political life.</b><br /><br />Or roughly half of the current population of the Philippine society. She had three successful senatorial runs (1995, 2004, 2010), two failed attempts at the presidency (1992 and 1995) and the senate (2001).<br /><br /><b>16. She loves to wear bathing suit during her prime years.</b><br /><br />“It is the ideal tropical wear, really, then you can wear high heels." – Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on her bathing suit picture.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ub1_AgZLnCe739B90KpGSHbsTZcaPu2Cx6t75-KBq4PioofLHJABJccE5wRGgTpobVEwwrOwOZCcbd9RaojFTMAkj6G2cEw1DCRveLF3apmK9b5cuu6FtGNqFZX_AAYU1FuM444vJ0pi/s1600/mdsss.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Miriam on her bathing suit during younger years" border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ub1_AgZLnCe739B90KpGSHbsTZcaPu2Cx6t75-KBq4PioofLHJABJccE5wRGgTpobVEwwrOwOZCcbd9RaojFTMAkj6G2cEw1DCRveLF3apmK9b5cuu6FtGNqFZX_AAYU1FuM444vJ0pi/s640/mdsss.jpg" title="Miriam on her bathing suit during younger years" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miriam on her bathing suit during younger years working for the government.Photo credit: inquirer.net</td></tr></tbody></table>The ever-vivacious senator stated in one of her interviews regarding with her old photo in a bathing suit. Unknown to many, she was a swimming champion while in high school. She also knows to play basketball aside from that!<br /><br /><i><b>- Michael Santiago/TheSummitExpress</b></i></div>

INFOGRAPHIC: 16 Things You Need To Know About Presidential Candidate Sen. Miriam Santiago

As the stirring vibe of the upcoming elections is all over in our search for the country’s 16th president of the republic, The Summit Expres...

Smart topples Telstra, wins 'best mobile operator ' award from int’l body

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines  - For the second straight year, the country's wireless services leader Smart Communications (Smart) was named Best Mobile Operator in the prestigious World Communication Awards, an annual recognition program for innovation and outstanding performance in the global telecommunications industry.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT71HIflekchvOPicZ3wI6OIx24SO44cOL-ivI_YEhXNYkwtwTXVASEc_Z2FUwYfOPxEAgWw_kfN1SPPHS7T_fRvNmMvkMM4UaJ3zQiejuJODGGZguwpngzVlVtp2t6V2mrDaKgRpqAzVP/s1600/smart-telstra-wca-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="smart vs telstra" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT71HIflekchvOPicZ3wI6OIx24SO44cOL-ivI_YEhXNYkwtwTXVASEc_Z2FUwYfOPxEAgWw_kfN1SPPHS7T_fRvNmMvkMM4UaJ3zQiejuJODGGZguwpngzVlVtp2t6V2mrDaKgRpqAzVP/s400/smart-telstra-wca-2015.jpg" title="smart vs telstra" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Smart bagged the coveted prize over Australian company Telstra and Middle Eastern operator Ooredoo in the recent ceremony held in London.<br /><br />Last year, Smart won in the invitation-only category over six other finalists, including Philippines' Globe Telecom and Turkcell (Turkey).<br /><br />The WCA is organized annually by London-based industry publication Total Telecom.<br /><br />In naming Smart Best Mobile Operator, the WCA recognized the company’s ability to “develop its business by moving into new areas or through service innovation.”<br /><br />Powered by its strengthened digital strategy which focuses on new mobile data offers and digital partnerships, Smart posted an all-time high growth for its mobile data and broadband businesses in the first nine months of 2015. Combined revenues reached P15.6 billion, aided by a 139% upsurge in mobile data usage within the network.<br /><br />Smart recently forged partnerships with leading global digital technology companies like Uber and Airbnb, and with entertainment companies like iflix, FOX, MCA Music, and Sony Music. It introduced a slew of digital offers under the “Smart Life” campaign, which gives Filipinos the best of entertainment, convenience, urban comforts, and peace of mind wherever they go.<br /><br />These new partnerships are tied into a more streamlined suite of mobile data offerings, bannered by Smart’s Big Bytes 50 offer that includes 350MB of open-access data, plus 600MB of additional data for iflix, FOX, and SPINNR, valid for three days.<br /><br />Smart has received several international awards this year, including Best Mobile Music App for SPINNR which was given at the Global Mobile Awards in Spain. Smart’s president and chief executive officer Napoleon L. Nazareno was also named Telecom CEO of the Year at the Telecom Asia Awards in Indonesia.<br /><br />Smart remains the undisputed Philippine leader in mobile, with 67 million cellular subscribers under the brands Smart, Sun, and TNT. It has 3.8 million broadband subscribers under the brands Smart Bro and Sun Wireless Broadband.</div>

Smart topples Telstra, wins 'best mobile operator ' award from int’l body

MANILA, Philippines - For the second straight year, the country's wireless services leader Smart Communications (Smart) was named Best ...

BREAKING: Duterte arrives at Comelec, personally files COC for president

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Won’t stop can’t stop, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte just arrived at the Commission on Elections today, December 8, to file for his Certificate of Candidacy (COC). Together with him is his vice presidential running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QUHCYImJYErZ3k91CI1iEAjImH9J-A-nECNtOPqnwSOFDEeNh5B1ni1wsd2WYvHxhlk-VyEgLpbT4Vi90GMLFu4PVZVeA5nerN12yKrI3v1s2CDmksq1xHwtv5K4mXWnO2NkxTyfWuDO/s1600/duterte-sub-pdp-laban.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Duterte arrives at the COMELEC to personally file COC for president" border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QUHCYImJYErZ3k91CI1iEAjImH9J-A-nECNtOPqnwSOFDEeNh5B1ni1wsd2WYvHxhlk-VyEgLpbT4Vi90GMLFu4PVZVeA5nerN12yKrI3v1s2CDmksq1xHwtv5K4mXWnO2NkxTyfWuDO/s640/duterte-sub-pdp-laban.jpg" title="Duterte arrives at the COMELEC to personally file COC for president" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pursuant to a COMELEC resolution, Duterte personally arrived at Intramuros this morning to file his COC as president. Photo credit: philstar.com</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Duterte supporters holds vigil in Intramuros</b><br /><br />Outside the Palacio del Gobernador, supporters of Duterte flocked around the area as early as last night as an evidence of their unwavering support for the presidential candidacy of the mayor. They pledged to remain there until December 10 (Thursday), the day that the COMELEC will announce its verdict on whether Duterte’s substitution over Martin Diño will be allowed.<br /><br />Duterte arrived today to personally file a new COC as a presidential candidate to make sure that his camp will be able to comply with the necessary requirements as pursuant to the COMELEC Resolution No. 9984 requiring the physical appearance of a candidate to sworn before an authorized figure or notary public. It can be remembered that a representative already filed a COC for president on behalf of Duterte right after withdrawing his mayoralty candidacy for Davao city the same day. His daughter, Sara will run for the mayoralty post of Davao City, having done so in the past.<br /><br /><b>He can run of course, but will he be allowed?</b><br /><br />Now that he is running, the question is will he be allowed to do so? On December 4, the COMELEC was on Duterte’s favor by disregarding a petition to declare Martin Diño, PDP-Laban’s original presidential bet, to be a nuisance candidate. By stabilizing the situation that Diño is a qualified contender, Duterte’s substitution can be a possibility. But that is only a part of the story, as Diño was allegedly filed a faulty COC which may prove to be a solid ground for his disqualification, and when that happens, a Duterte substitution for an already disqualified candidate will fade away.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more updates on this story.<br /><br /><b><i>- Michael Santiago/TheSummitExpress</i></b></div>

BREAKING: Duterte arrives at Comelec, personally files COC for president

MANILA, Philippines - Won’t stop can’t stop, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte just arrived at the Commission on Elections today, December 8,...

List of Passers: October 2015 NQESH Principals' Test results

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) release results of the 2015 National Qualifying Examination for School Heads (NQESH) also known as Principals' Test in several months after the exam. The complete list of passers and top 10 (topnotchers) are available on this page once announced online.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dhkvoNDQhXMoag97Fee4idc7EO4Kj0CagtVotQDDT_jq3WdTLSt7JWc6blfPPtM8mSbIuynr4G5Azg9J26ZrefXjGcF8Avec79BCGqtMrSXHzFm9BNb9pcSQpNC4_JTLFCLuc7ENnQVg/s1600/NQESH-results-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="October 2015 NQESH Principals' Test results" border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dhkvoNDQhXMoag97Fee4idc7EO4Kj0CagtVotQDDT_jq3WdTLSt7JWc6blfPPtM8mSbIuynr4G5Azg9J26ZrefXjGcF8Avec79BCGqtMrSXHzFm9BNb9pcSQpNC4_JTLFCLuc7ENnQVg/s640/NQESH-results-2015.jpg" title="October 2015 NQESH Principals' Test results" width="560" /></a></div><br /><br />NEAP simultaneously administered the NQESH for 19,372 total examinees across the country on October 25, 2015. <br /><br />The official NQESH results include the complete name of the examinees, region, raw score and standard score.<br /><br /><i>Updating for the results...</i><br /><br />The 2015 Principals' Test was originally scheduled for the first quarter of the year but has been deferred as advised by Maria Lourdes Pantoja, Director III of NEAP. Though it has been scheduled last September 27, NEAP postponed the exam again and was reset to October 2015 exam. <br /><br />The revised examination covered 200 multiple choice items anchored on the role of a school head as stipulated in the National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBSSH) & 21st Century Managerial Skills.<br /><br />Cut-off score of the 2014 NQESH is placed at Percentile 90 based on the total standard score obtained by the examinees in all performance domains covered by the examination.<br /><br />In last year's NQESH, 1,301 test takers passed the exam or have met the Cut-Off score. The exam which was administered on January 12, 2013 has results posted online in about 4 months (May 10, 2014.)<br /><br />In 2013 exam, 1,454 out of the total 14,567 hurdled the exam which was administered on January 20. Results were released online in less than 3 months (April 8, 2013).<br /><br /><i><b>The results of October 2015 NQESH are expected to be released anytime in January to February 2016.</b></i><br /><br />On NEAP's announcement on social media, the agency advised examinees to patiently wait for the announcement of results and cut-off passing score in the next months while the 19,000+ answer sheets are being processed.<br /><br />"Individual certificates of rating of all test takers will be forwarded to the regional and schools division offices," NEAP added.<br /><br />NQESH is open to all aspirants for the Principal I position and all applicants under the Reclassification of school Heads Position (RPHS) as acquired under DepEd Order No. 97, s. 2011 entitled “Revised Guidelines on the Allocation and Reclassification of School Head Positions.”<br /><br />The Principals' Test serves as a mechanism for selecting school heads in the public education sector. The test is open to all interested applicants for Principal I positions.<br /><br />The application process and guidelines for the 2016 Principals' Test will be announced next year. <br /><br />TheSummitExpress will update this page for the full results of NQESH 2015. Like Us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to receive updates. You may also Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E-Mail List.</div>

List of Passers: October 2015 NQESH Principals' Test results

The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) release results of the 2015 National Qualif...

#WalangPasok: Malacañang Palace declares class, work suspension for December 8

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines  - Malacañang Palace on Monday night declared class and work suspensions for tomorrow, December 8, 2015 in some areas of Manila and Luzon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG386MBn2pVDAFMG6WBoN-caAg1blnSxfSluEiIpjfjbybB-CyXr6D_jnFaJPKqWGO_gZcTO7WZuYoIry4PkAXORleRY3WxwktAZFxy1d411z6v8ZjBSC-kuL37C80iPyvp9wVG5eNsxQ/s1600/walang-pasok-december-8-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Malacañang Palace declares class, work suspension for December 8" border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG386MBn2pVDAFMG6WBoN-caAg1blnSxfSluEiIpjfjbybB-CyXr6D_jnFaJPKqWGO_gZcTO7WZuYoIry4PkAXORleRY3WxwktAZFxy1d411z6v8ZjBSC-kuL37C80iPyvp9wVG5eNsxQ/s640/walang-pasok-december-8-2015.jpg" title="Malacañang Palace declares class, work suspension for December 8" width="560" /></a></div><span id="goog_416217452"></span><span id="goog_416217453"></span><br /><br />Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr., Executive Secretary, by authority of President Benigno Aquino III announced that December 8 (Tuesday) is a special non-working day in Taguig City based on proclamation No. 1175 as it marks the foundation day of city.<br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/walangpasok?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#walangpasok</a> • TAGUIG CITY: Tomorrow, December 8, is a special (non-working) day. <a href="https://t.co/YPtKvzLVC6" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/YPtKvzLVC6</a> <a href="https://t.co/qVfogpSe00" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/qVfogpSe00</a></div>— Official Gazette PH (@govph) <a href="https://twitter.com/govph/status/673845893217525761" rel="nofollow">December 7, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />Proclamation No. 1172 declared special non-working day in Antipolo City for the 424th Foundation Day on Tuesday.<br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/walangpasok?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#walangpasok</a> • ANTIPOLO CITY, RIZAL: Tomorrow, December 8, is a special (non-working) day. <a href="https://t.co/BkiSCZvJ9H" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/BkiSCZvJ9H</a> <a href="https://t.co/vRRbmpvM7w" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/vRRbmpvM7w</a></div>— Official Gazette PH (@govph) <a href="https://twitter.com/govph/status/673838227464286208" rel="nofollow">December 7, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />Batac,  Ilocos Norte will also celebrate founding anniversary tomorrow.<br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/walangpasok?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#walangpasok</a> • BATAC CITY, ILOCOS NORTE: Tomorrow, December 8, a special (non-working) day. <a href="https://t.co/2EYti33hGm" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/2EYti33hGm</a> <a href="https://t.co/l3YMWyg55s" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/l3YMWyg55s</a></div>— Official Gazette PH (@govph) <a href="https://twitter.com/govph/status/673843226881691648" rel="nofollow">December 7, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />The whole province of Batangas will also be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the Foundation Day.<br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/walangpasok?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#walangpasok</a> • BATANGAS PROVINCE: Tomorrow, December 8, is a special (non-working) day. <a href="https://t.co/eRQ5AmubG9" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/eRQ5AmubG9</a> <a href="https://t.co/UfR2r7kbW5" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/UfR2r7kbW5</a></div>— Official Gazette PH (@govph) <a href="https://twitter.com/govph/status/673840704175611904" rel="nofollow">December 7, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />The Municipality of Agoo, La Union marks the celebration of its 437th Foundation Day.<br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/walangpasok?src=hash" rel="nofollow">#walangpasok</a> • AGOO, LA UNION: Tomorrow, December 8, is a special (non-working) day. <a href="https://t.co/0Bx4aNcPS4" rel="nofollow">https://t.co/0Bx4aNcPS4</a> <a href="https://t.co/RCK8oNA1Nj" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/RCK8oNA1Nj</a></div>— Official Gazette PH (@govph) <a href="https://twitter.com/govph/status/673835729399767041" rel="nofollow">December 7, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center></div>

#WalangPasok: Malacañang Palace declares class, work suspension for December 8

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang Palace on Monday night declared class and work suspensions for tomorrow, December 8, 2015 in some areas of...

CSC announces School Assignment (ONSA), Reminders for December 2015 civil service exam (CSE-PPT)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - The Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced recently the school assignment and important reminders for December 6, 2015 Career Service Examination, Paper-and-Pencil Test (CSE-PPT).<br /><br />CSC informed the following schools assigned for the affected examinees of the October 18, 2015 Career Service Examination, Paper-and-Pencil Test (CSE-PPT) who registered for the December 6, 2015 CSE-PPT.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Region | Name of School | Address of School</b><br /><br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Region 3 Pampanga High School, City of San Fernando, Pampanga</li><li>Region 4 Batangas National High School, Batangas City</li><li>Region 4 Quezon National School, Lucena City</li><li>Region 5 Bicol University, Legazpi City</li></ul><br /><br />For examinees of Regions 1, 2, 3 (Olongapo City and Cabanatuan City), NCR, CAR, and ARMM (Bongao, Tawi-Tawi) where full suspension/cancellation of   October 18, 2015 CSE-PPT was implemented due to typhoon Lando, the same testing center, and school and room assignment as in the suspended   October 18, 2015 CSE-PPT shall be observed, CSC said.<br /><br />GATES OF EXAMINATION VENUES SHALL BE CLOSED TO EXAMINEES AT 7:30 a.m. on examination day. Examinees that arrive later than 7:30 a.m. shall NOT be admitted. <br /><br />Examinees are advised to observe the following procedures:<br /><br />1. Visit and have an ocular inspection of the assigned school/testing venue at least one day before the examination day to be familiar with the school location;<br /><br />2. Be at the assigned school early on examination day for the verification and locating of room assignment. Testing venues shall be open to examinees starting 6:00 a.m;<br /><br />3. Wear proper attire on examination day (i.e. not in sleeveless shirt/blouse, or in short pants, or in slippers).<br /><br />4. Bring the following items on examination day:<br /><br />a. I.D. card – preferably the same I.D. card presented during filing of application, or any of the following ID cards which must be valid i.e. not expired:<br /><br />a.1       Driver’s License;<br />a.2       Passport;<br />a.3       GSIS I.D.;<br />a.4       SSS I.D.;<br />a.5       BIR I.D. (ATM type/TIN card type with picture);<br />a.6       Voter’s I.D.;<br />a.7       PRC I.D.;<br />a.8       Postal I.D.;<br />a.9       Philhealth I.D. (must contain the bearer’s name, clear picture, signature and Philhealth number);<br />a.10    Barangay I.D.;<br />a.11    Current Company/Office I.D.<br />a.12    Current School I.D. (validated for the current school year/semester/trimester); and<br />a.13    Police Clearance.<br /><br />Note: The NO I.D., NO EXAMINATION Rule is strictly implemented.<br /><br />b. Original NSO Birth Certificate (if I.D. card has no date of birth);<br /><br />c. Application Receipt with corresponding Official Receipt (if available);<br /><br />d. Dark Lead pencil/s and eraser/s;<br /><br />e. Ball Pen/s (Black or Blue); and<br /><br />f. Clear bottled water, or preferred beverage (except alcoholic beverage) placed in clear/transparent container, and/or candies/biscuits, which shall be subject to inspection by the Room Examiner/Proctor.<br /><br />Examinees are further advised of the following important matters:<br /><br />Use of any aid in answering the test, such as calculators, books, dictionaries, watch calculators, mobile phones and any other similar materials/gadgets, is strictly prohibited.<br /><br />The time required for pre and post examination activities/documentation shall take approximately one hour before and one hour after the test proper.<br /><br />Failure to take the examination shall mean forfeiture of examination fee and slot. Re-scheduling of examination date is NOT allowed.<br /><br />Examinees are strongly encouraged not to bring cellular/mobile phones and any other gadget as the same shall be surrendered to the Room Examiner. Not bringing of cellular phones/other gadgets shall allow ease of procedures as well as protection of such fragile items from possible lost/mishandling in the process.</div>

CSC announces School Assignment (ONSA), Reminders for December 2015 civil service exam (CSE-PPT)

MANILA, Philippines - The Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced recently the school assignment and important reminders for December 6, 20...

Santiago-Escudero tops UPLB student mock election

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines -  If there is one thing that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was able to carry on herself as part of her political capital, it’s none other than her arresting aura that the youth enjoys well regardless of what generation they belonged with. That attribute manifested clearly as the feisty presidential aspirant who hails from Iloilo topped the recently concluded presidential and vice presidential mock election by Political Science 1 Section W students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f8R2-xBPlu6-jFBfdxEZzTcA-j42dKHxXKU97bZPklqOf-Zedv9mEndJ6kUhiJ7CeziNWLRL71rzV7hNlM-BWZ9YMOcig4YLgv2LvVULyyU7NIIvCH4gx37DVf6hPk0WG93cohl-9fIQ/s1600/santiagoescuderotopspoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Santiago-Escudero for 2016 according to a mock student election held by UPLB political science students" border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9f8R2-xBPlu6-jFBfdxEZzTcA-j42dKHxXKU97bZPklqOf-Zedv9mEndJ6kUhiJ7CeziNWLRL71rzV7hNlM-BWZ9YMOcig4YLgv2LvVULyyU7NIIvCH4gx37DVf6hPk0WG93cohl-9fIQ/s640/santiagoescuderotopspoll.jpg" title="Santiago-Escudero for 2016 according to a mock student election held by UPLB political science students" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It’s a Santiago-Escudero for 2016 according to a mock student election held by UPLB political science students</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Youth vote goes to Miriam again </b><br /><br />Held last November 26 with the theme ‘Reimagining Philippine Politics’, the mock election was able to gather a total number of 2,292 voters who were asked to pick their preferred presidential and vice presidential bets based from those heavyweight political figures running for the respective seats.<br /><br />Out of that number, Santiago snagged the top spot by garnering a total of 1,507 votes or two-thirds of the total votes casted. She took the lead by a wide margin as she was followed by Duterte coming over with only 420 votes (18.32%).<br /><br />Surprisingly, Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas II of Liberal Party who has been trailing behind the rest of the top presidential aspirants in various surveys emerged as UPLB community’s third choice with 114 or (4.97%) while consistent survey topnotcher of the recent time Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares was very closed to Roxas with 100 votes (4.36%).<br /><br />Corruption issues seems to be hitting Vice President Jejomar Binay as the ‘iskolars’ placed him only on the fifth spot with 40 votes (2.01%).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaBafM8xdSQ_rKw0_MmvW4dKPkG3FlbYpEKvVkQSqgpeLuEQ0ARHi7tlWADnfGwR4qtcZ7BBCmrffLENbeDpNv_OU5RJDsXxs85ToQ4lFoFFzdWfKV4_DQwcteMGSOAwk_F7VRryHyv-e/s1600/santiago-uplb-poll1.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UPLB political science election poll results" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaBafM8xdSQ_rKw0_MmvW4dKPkG3FlbYpEKvVkQSqgpeLuEQ0ARHi7tlWADnfGwR4qtcZ7BBCmrffLENbeDpNv_OU5RJDsXxs85ToQ4lFoFFzdWfKV4_DQwcteMGSOAwk_F7VRryHyv-e/s640/santiago-uplb-poll1.jpg" title="UPLB political science election poll results" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: UPLB Mock Elections by Political Science Section W Facebook page</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Among the 2,292 participants in the mock election, 2,187 voted for those abovementioned names while the rest voted for lesser-known candidates (3.49%) and abstained (1.09%).<br /><br /><b>Escudero remains top choice for VP post</b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZJAylWQ62iVzAy0SkEAwXzWF5NUhnuMqY-bzQ54w8YrDYieQLl9yN_gyFDJv07qQpdeLTyTFuvdImKDsuMnWc0OZbU3xXwz-madc-4nJlaIAyT8g2MH5mzekgfnRpdbZ5yTz_bpg22ar/s1600/santiago-uplb-poll2.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UPLB Mock Elections by Political Science results" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZJAylWQ62iVzAy0SkEAwXzWF5NUhnuMqY-bzQ54w8YrDYieQLl9yN_gyFDJv07qQpdeLTyTFuvdImKDsuMnWc0OZbU3xXwz-madc-4nJlaIAyT8g2MH5mzekgfnRpdbZ5yTz_bpg22ar/s640/santiago-uplb-poll2.jpg" title="UPLB Mock Elections by Political Science results" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: UPLB Mock Elections by Political Science Section W Facebook page</td></tr></tbody></table>While his partner obtained unsatisfactory result, Senator Francis Escudero maintained his position as the leading figure to succeed Binay as shown by the mock poll results wherein he took 584 votes (25.48%).<br /><br />But compared to the presidential mock poll results, the vice presidential category was a tight race between him and Congresswoman Leni Robredo of Camarines Sur. With a 46 lesser votes, Robredo came very close to Escudero as she had 538 or 23.47% of the total.<br /><br />Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Alan Peter Cayetano were trailing behind on the third and fourth place with 387 and 359 votes.<br /><br />The famed leader of the failed ‘Oakwood mutiny’ Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was at fifth place with 134 (5.85%) votes while the last place was occupied by Binay’s running mate, Senator Gregorio Honasan holding a meager two-digit vote of 71 (3.10%).<br /><br />There were 169 (7.37%) voters who picked other candidates other than the first sixth aspirants while 50 (2.18%) abstained.<br /><br /><b>Will her social media army enough to bring Miriam to Malacañan?</b><br /><br />“It is entirely possible that the 2016 presidential and senatorial elections will be determined by social media” – Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on her view with the 2016 elections.<br /><br />If there is one class in the Philippine society where Miriam has a stronghold with, then it is the youth. It clearly shows that her previous presidential campaign during the 1992 and 1998 elections were majorly youth-driven. Albeit failing twice, she remained as a one of the enigmatic figure in the senate as shown on her successive elections to the congress excluding the 2001 senatorial elections. Now that she is giving another shot for the presidency while recovering from sickness, she’s banking on the power of her social media army to finally end the saga of her quest for the presidency on a high note.<br /><br /><b>Amidst the controversies, will Escudero maintain his hold until May 2016?</b><br /><br />We’ve known how the 2010 vice presidential derby was fought by Binay and Roxas. Roxas was leading the surveys until his supporters were caught by surprise on how Binay slowly but surely climbed his way on top, eventually tossing out Roxas on election day.<br /><br />Escudero is at the top, thanks to his calm and straightforward articulateness with the Filipino language and of course, by Poe’s charisma that secured him to where he is now.<br /><br />But with the administration backing Robredo, Cayetano and Marcos being under the two of the most colorful and charismatic presidential candidates, the words ‘Vice President’ cannot be owned yet by Escudero as early as of this time.<br /><br /><b><i>- Michael Santiago/TheSummitExpress</i></b></div>

Santiago-Escudero tops UPLB student mock election

MANILA, Philippines - If there is one thing that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was able to carry on herself as part of her political cap...

List of Winners: 29th PMPC Star Awards for TV 2015

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) and and Airtime Marketing, Inc. officially announced the full list of winners and awardees for the 29th Star Awards for TV held on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the Kia Theatre, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRI-8LxTUTZYkArY2ikONcULTzBMveMEqCIDSlDSVyRbSLoo1ilw5Zmf6mBh25POSMTHAYUtQh-Q9YrtaRm2UT-UPl-ywTxVFnezS26tbRpYVt0BLVfZIvLZousR1JZUTcfsYq8dVTBho/s1600/star-awards-tv-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="29th PMPC Star Awards for TV 2015" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRI-8LxTUTZYkArY2ikONcULTzBMveMEqCIDSlDSVyRbSLoo1ilw5Zmf6mBh25POSMTHAYUtQh-Q9YrtaRm2UT-UPl-ywTxVFnezS26tbRpYVt0BLVfZIvLZousR1JZUTcfsYq8dVTBho/s640/star-awards-tv-2015.jpg" title="29th PMPC Star Awards for TV 2015" width="560" /></a></div><br /><br />ABS-CBN Channel 2 was named Best TV Station this year by PMPC. This is the seventh consecutive years the Kapamilya Network received the said top award.<br /><br />The Kapamilya Network also bagged the major awards such as Best Primetime TV Series for 'Bridges of Love' and Best Actress for Maja Salvador, also for 'Bridges of Love'.<br /><br />Kapuso actor and one-half of the AlDub tandem Alden Richards received the Best Actor trophy for 'Ilustrado.'<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuMmQZ1AfIoTiGETc7lRgOSu1tyYwaVP61Ao-HLXT_hYJcSuPcOC83zdwWF5f03WqosFXhtG4IFn23vn1V0fsdCrVSkBFSJAKTgK_cw0RtfOb6Bah9XhIVsfUXgrE3hXguCNOgmHnfrW9/s1600/alden-richards-maja-salvador-pmpc.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alden Richards and Maja Salvador won at the 2015 Star Awards for Television" border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuMmQZ1AfIoTiGETc7lRgOSu1tyYwaVP61Ao-HLXT_hYJcSuPcOC83zdwWF5f03WqosFXhtG4IFn23vn1V0fsdCrVSkBFSJAKTgK_cw0RtfOb6Bah9XhIVsfUXgrE3hXguCNOgmHnfrW9/s640/alden-richards-maja-salvador-pmpc.jpg" title="Alden Richards and Maja Salvador won at the 2015 Star Awards for Television" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alden Richards and Maja Salvador won at the 2015 Star Awards for Television</td></tr></tbody></table>PMPC Star Awards for TV is annual award giving body recognizing the outstanding programming produced by the several TV networks in the Philippines. The 29th edition is headed by its current president and over-all awards chairman Joe Barrameda.<br /><br /><b>Here is the complete list of winners for the 2015 PMPC Star Awards for TV (updated):</b><br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Best TV Station: ABS-CBN-2</li><li>Best Drama Actor: Alden Richards (Ilustrado / GMA)</li><li>Best Drama Actress: Maja Salvador (Bridges of Love / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Supporting Actor: Baron Geisler (Nathaniel / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Supporting Actress: Sheryl Cruz (Strawberry Lane / GMA)</li><li>Best Single Performance by a Actor: John Lloyd Cruz (Maalala Mo Kaya (MMK) episode: "Hat" / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Single Performance by a Actress: Judy Ann Santos (Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) episode: "Ilog" / ABS-CBN) and Sunshine Cruz (Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK) episode: "Barko" / ABS-CBN) - TIED</li><li>Best Children's Show Host(s): Eric Cabobos, Bency Vallo, Moonlight Alarcon, Cid Capulong, Cedie Isip, Kim Enriquez, Tim Argallon, Angelica Tejana, Leanne Manalanzan, and Kyla Manarang (The KNC Show / UNTV Life)</li><li>Best Children Show: The KNC Show (Kawan ng Cordero) (UNTV Life)</li><li>Best Child Performer: Harvey Bautista (Wansapanataym presents: "Remote ni Eric" / ABS-CBN) and Marco Masa (Nathaniel / ABS-CBN) - TIED</li><li>Best New Male TV Personality: Alonzo Muhlach (Inday Bote / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best New Female TV Personality: Jana Agoncilo (Dream Dad / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Public Service Program Host(s): Vicky Morales (Wish Ko Lang! / GMA)</li><li>Best Comedy Actor:Jayson Gainza (Banana Split Extra Scoop / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Comedy Actress: Rufa Mae Quinto (Bubble Gang / GMA)</li><li>Best Male TV Host: Vice Ganda (It's Showtime / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Female TV Host:  Anne Curtis (It's Showtime / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Reality Show Host(s): Toni Gonzaga-Soriano, Bianca Gonzalez-Intal, Enchong Dee and Robi Domingo (Pinoy Big Brother: 737 / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Game Show Host(s): Luis Manzano (Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal / ABS-CBN) and Willie Revillame (Wowowin / GMA) - TIED</li><li>Best Talent Show Program Host(s): Billy Crawford (Your Face Sounds Familiar / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Educational Program Host(s): Kuya Kim Atienza (Matanglawin / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Celebrity Talk Show Host(s):  Kris Aquino, and Boy Abunda (Aquino and Abunda Tonight / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Documentary Program Host(s): Sandra Aguinaldo, Kara David, Jay Taruc and Howie Severino (I-Witness / GMA)</li><li>Best Magazine Show Host(s): Korina Sanchez-Roxas (Rated K / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Morning Show Host(s): Arnold Clavio, Rhea Santos, Ivan Mayrina, Connie Sison, Susan Enriquez, Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz, Lyn Ching-Pascual, Lhar Santiago, Suzi Entrata-Abrera, Luane Dy, Love Añover, Tonipet Gaba, Prof. Solita "Mareng Winnie" Monsod, Regine Tolentino, and Atty. Gaby Concepcion (Unang Hirit / GMA)</li><li>Best Male Newscaster: Erwin Tulfo (Aksyon Prime / TV5)</li><li>Best Female Newscaster: Jessica Soho (State of the Nation / GMA News TV)</li><li>Best Public Affairs Program Host(s): Boy Abunda (The Bottomline / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Male Showbiz-Oriented Talk Show Host: Ricky Lo (Startalk / GMA)</li><li>Best Female Showbiz-Oriented Talk Show Host: Toni Gonzaga (The Buzz / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Travel Show Host(s): Drew Arellano (Biyahe ni Drew / GMA News TV)</li><li>Best Lifestyle Show Host(s): Kris Aquino (Kris TV / ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Primetime Drama Series: Bridges of Love (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Daytime Drama Series: The Half Sisters (GMA)</li><li>Best Drama Mini-Series: Ilustrado (GMA)</li><li>Best Drama Anthology: Magpakailanman (GMA)</li><li>Best Public Service Program: T3: Enforced (now T3: Alliance) (TV5)</li><li>Best Gag Show: Banana Split Extra Scoop (now Banana Sundae) (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Comedy Program: Pepito Manaloto: Ang Tunay na Kwento (GMA)</li><li>Best Musical Variety Show: ASAP 20 (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Reality Show: I Do (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Game Show: Wowowin (GMA)</li><li>Best Talent Search Program: A Song of Praise Music Festival (UNTV Life)</li><li>Best Educational Program: Matanglawin (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Celebrity Talk Show: Aquino and Abunda Tonight (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Documentary Program: I-Witness (GMA)</li><li>Best Documentary Special: Spratlys: Mga Isla ng Kalayaan (aired last October 5, 2014 on ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Magazine Show: Rated K (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best News Program: State of the Nation with Jessica Soho (GMA News TV)</li><li>Best Morning Show: Umagang Kay Ganda (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Public Affairs Program: The Bottomline with Boy Abunda (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Showbiz Oriented Talk Show: The Buzz (ABS-CBN)</li><li>Best Travel Show: Biyahe ni Drew (GMA News TV)</li><li>Best Lifestyle Show: Gandang Ricky Reyes (GMA News TV)</li></ul><br /><b>Speccial Awards Winners</b><br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award: Coney Reyes</li><li>Excellence in Broadcasting Award: Maria A. Ressa (Founder and CEO of Rappler and Former Head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs)</li><li>German Moreno's Power Tandem Award: "AlDub" (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza) and "LizQuen" (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil)</li><li>Male Star of the Night: Bailey May</li><li>Female Star of the Night: Ylona Garcia</li></ul><br /><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Alden Richards receiving the German Moreno Power Tandem Award for him and Maine on the 29th PMPC Star Awards for TV <a href="https://t.co/ZTcWYwEfGK" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/ZTcWYwEfGK</a></div>— MaiDen_USA (@MaiDen_d_USA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaiDen_d_USA/status/672439923819995136" rel="nofollow">December 3, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Male and Female face of the night at the 29th PMPC Star Awards for TV, <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialBaileyM" rel="nofollow">@OfficialBaileyM</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ylona_garcia" rel="nofollow">@ylona_garcia</a> 💙 <a href="https://t.co/r66ueBBNXS" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/r66ueBBNXS</a></div>— Pinoy Big Brother (@PBBabscbn) <a href="https://twitter.com/PBBabscbn/status/672441662069542912" rel="nofollow">December 3, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br />The awards night is hosted by Star Magic talents  Maja Salvador and Enchong Dee, with performances by Christian Bautista, Klarisse de Guzman and Darren Espanto, additional musical performances from Grae Fernandez, Ataska Mercado, Bailey May, Ylona Garcia, Sofia Andres, Rodjun Cruz, Ella Cruz, and a tribute number for the Lifetime Achievement Awardees will be performed by Mark Mabasa, Lucky Robles, Lilibeth Garcia and JV Decena.<br /><br />PMPC Star Awards 2015 is set for telecast on ABS-CBN Channel 2 on December 6, 2015 ("Sunday's Best", 11:15pm).</div>

List of Winners: 29th PMPC Star Awards for TV 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) and and Airtime Marketing, Inc. officially announced the full list of winners a...

LOOK: Lucky UBER riders win Samsung Galaxy Note5

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - For these lucky individuals, it came as a surprise that on their booked Uber ride, they would come home with the latest Samsung Galaxy Note5. Without their knowledge, their booking made them instant participants of the Galaxy Note5 Luck 5 on A Ride Promo, where five lucky Uber riders were selected when he or she booked a car at select locations. It was truly a matter of being at the right place at the right time.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrss75GhipNbnunowj6h4uYASM3CanQxOOy5ezRnvmTXbfZcuuEOFqRde6ZEmL4PgPCN2vvRO3_hi9OnAR3YkyaFVVlWxQ7BzGa3IKpT-PWehGlg-XWI4QHpAIYJouu7CP25hHgcygE_v/s1600/UBER-PASSENGERS-WIN-GALAXY-NOTE5.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lucky UBER riders win Samsung Galaxy Note5" border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrss75GhipNbnunowj6h4uYASM3CanQxOOy5ezRnvmTXbfZcuuEOFqRde6ZEmL4PgPCN2vvRO3_hi9OnAR3YkyaFVVlWxQ7BzGa3IKpT-PWehGlg-XWI4QHpAIYJouu7CP25hHgcygE_v/s640/UBER-PASSENGERS-WIN-GALAXY-NOTE5.jpg" title="Lucky UBER riders win Samsung Galaxy Note5" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five lucky Uber riders went home with a Samsung Galaxy Note5, the only ultra-premium Dual SIM phone, through  the Galaxy Note5 Lucky 5 on A Ride Promo, a partnership between innovation leader and Uber. The Samsung Galaxy Note5 is a true productivity tool with game-changing features such as an enhanced S-Pen, a professional-grade camera, and ultra-fast charging. Stephanie Sy, Marketing Manager for Uber Manila, poses with winner (from left to right )Katrina Romualdez, Diana Ecija, Justin Poniente and Fe Reyes. Joining them is  Patty Rodriguez, Product Manager Head for Samsung Electronics Philippines (rightmost).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />One of the winners, Katrina Ronwaldo, gushed “How lucky can I get?  All I really wanted was a quick ride but hey, I won’t say no to Samsung’s newest baby—I’ve just had the Galaxy Note5 for a few days and I’m totally blown away by it. It has all sorts of fun features and apps that have made my life so much easier and better --  from a really useful S-Pen to a very powerful camera and really fast charging.  It’s a pity I only learned about the Galaxy Note5 now—it’s what I’ve always needed.”<br /><br />“We at Samsung like surprising people with possibilities that they never thought existed—like getting a cutting-edge smartphone in the most unexpected way.  Through this promo with Uber, we hope to open people’s eyes to infinite possibilities out there, which they will also discover once they get their hands on the Galaxy Note5,” said Patty Rodriguez, Samsung Product Marketing Head.</div>

LOOK: Lucky UBER riders win Samsung Galaxy Note5

MANILA, Philippines - For these lucky individuals, it came as a surprise that on their booked Uber ride, they would come home with the lates...

PRC postpones September 2015 LET passers registration

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines  - The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Thursday, December 3 the deferment of September 2015 Licensure Examination for Teachers  (LET) passers registration due to implementation of new system.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeUugQMRKH5ZxzCTajSovWKWD3YPSgs6XoZ7EqmbWyUP7_9ygWU59TLuG2b7LV4GjFfpsmPcwm6RDLg2NnbocOW_Q3QFI1ZzXldnRkTPaI-ElanL2uuVuXGjv3iLJplmcGVrzFJIjVyVe/s1600/Deferment+of+Registration++of+September+2015+LET+Passers.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="PRC postponed September 2015 LET passers registration" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeUugQMRKH5ZxzCTajSovWKWD3YPSgs6XoZ7EqmbWyUP7_9ygWU59TLuG2b7LV4GjFfpsmPcwm6RDLg2NnbocOW_Q3QFI1ZzXldnRkTPaI-ElanL2uuVuXGjv3iLJplmcGVrzFJIjVyVe/s640/Deferment+of+Registration++of+September+2015+LET+Passers.jpg" title="PRC postponed September 2015 LET passers registration" width="459" /></a></div><br />The commission postponed the registration which is supposed to start on Monday, December 7, 2015 in view of the implementation of the new Licensure examination registration and Information System (LERIS).<br /><br />PRC through a Memorandum signed by Angeline T. Chua Chiaco, Acting Chairperson advised that start of registration date in all offices (Manila and provincial branches) will be announced later.<br /><br />The agency on Monday, November 30 released the results of professional teachers exam. A total of 21,461 elementary teachers out of 68,442 examinees (31.36%) and 34,010 secondary teachers out of 81,463 examinees (41.75%) successfully hurdled the exam.<br /><br />The results of examination with respect to seven (7) examinees were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.<br /><br />Meanwhile, PRC already activated the <a href="http://www.prcboardnews.com/2015/12/september-2015-let-passers-registration-verification-ratings-oathtaking-schedule-venue.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">verification of results page for September 2015 LET</a>.  Details can be found here as well as the <a href="http://www.prcboardnews.com/2015/12/september-2015-let-passers-registration-verification-ratings-oathtaking-schedule-venue.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">updates on oathtaking schedule and venue</a>.<br /><br />TheSummitExpress will provide on this page once the new schedule has been announced online. Like Us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to receive relevant updates. You may also subscribe to our E-mail list.</div>

PRC postpones September 2015 LET passers registration

MANILA, Philippines - The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Thursday, December 3 the deferment of September 2015 Licens...

LOOK: Dingdong, Marian share photos of Baby Zia

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - Kapuso stars Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera shared photos of their first baby Maria Letizia or Baby Zia on Thursday, December 3.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEOHHHvpIim-AIhFhr5QgYTTKT64MNU3a1sH6m2g-61oQc0es6l6LBjbjeLjt6Rl0J1Yc-zqEdBfRdJbrYZAfSFTcsXm2QiOv3bYq3C8gYxkomxQtacc0UkWh8csOQM1ajp1YIHvm7F-h/s1600/marian-dingdong-baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="photo of Baby Zia" border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEOHHHvpIim-AIhFhr5QgYTTKT64MNU3a1sH6m2g-61oQc0es6l6LBjbjeLjt6Rl0J1Yc-zqEdBfRdJbrYZAfSFTcsXm2QiOv3bYq3C8gYxkomxQtacc0UkWh8csOQM1ajp1YIHvm7F-h/s640/marian-dingdong-baby.jpg" title="photo of Baby Zia" width="560" /></a></div><div><br /><br />"I may have a thousand photos of you already, but this one taken 8 days ago is definitely in my top 10," Dingdong shared on Instagram.<br /><br />"41 weeks akong nag hintay , 18 hrs na nag labor. Sa mga oras na iyon, hindi ko inaasahang makakaya ko ang lahat. Pero dahil andiyan ka sa tabi ko, sa iyo ako kumuha ng lakas. Salamat Mahal ko. @dongdantes," Marian posted.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsLElFRC_80VVA0DHHlObXpubBBjPkgdXOKCi2Yrg9mkut30KhKh9xkg63jLGBYtrdsJ1SlBsiMlEejyH00n36HgVd4_fUNKamlt5p2rrieXxIwtE4ahXexv9TNI-k7QG-3FJY556gf7T/s1600/marian-rivera-baby-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="photo of Baby Zia" border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsLElFRC_80VVA0DHHlObXpubBBjPkgdXOKCi2Yrg9mkut30KhKh9xkg63jLGBYtrdsJ1SlBsiMlEejyH00n36HgVd4_fUNKamlt5p2rrieXxIwtE4ahXexv9TNI-k7QG-3FJY556gf7T/s640/marian-rivera-baby-photo.jpg" title="photo of Baby Zia" width="560" /></a></div><br />The royal couple welcomed Baby Zia on November 23 via normal delivery at the Makati Medical Center.<br /><br />"At sa araw nga na iyon ng Nov 23, tuluyan na talaga tayong naging kumpleto; kasama ng Panginoon, ikaw, ako, at siya- si Maria Letizia. Ngayon, masasabi ko na tayo'y isa nang ganap na pamilya, at ako'y isa nang ganap na ina. Napakasarap ng biyayang ito," she added.</div></div>

LOOK: Dingdong, Marian share photos of Baby Zia

MANILA, Philippines - Kapuso stars Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera shared photos of their first baby Maria Letizia or Baby Zia on Thursday...

FEU clinches 2015 UAAP men’s basketball crown

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines  -  In a do-or-die showdown for the UAAP Season 78 men's basketball championship, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws emerged as the champion after defeating the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on Wednesday, December 2 at the MOA Arena.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBVaAaVG5vsnAEfg_XyjWVYe_vrbgm3Lf9ItzFjQq2QDTMK-Lj7yhrm5tROLTqn4OgAb-Fx_z_cXZMGtuUUcea_w1A4mUcajak5x4jfxywLx6IKh2FnLmCzflw1EeiRqZxwXuHb2yLQUc/s1600/feu+vs+ust+uaap.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FEU clinches 2015 UAAP men’s basketball crown" border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBVaAaVG5vsnAEfg_XyjWVYe_vrbgm3Lf9ItzFjQq2QDTMK-Lj7yhrm5tROLTqn4OgAb-Fx_z_cXZMGtuUUcea_w1A4mUcajak5x4jfxywLx6IKh2FnLmCzflw1EeiRqZxwXuHb2yLQUc/s640/feu+vs+ust+uaap.jpg" title="FEU clinches 2015 UAAP men’s basketball crown" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Inquirer/Tristan Tamayo</td></tr></tbody></table>Ending the best-of-three finals game with a 67-62 score, the FEU Tamaraws has regained the basketball crown after 10 years of waiting. The team has earned its 20th ring in UAAP history following a heartbreaking loss to National University (NU) Bulldogs during the UAAP Season 77 finals.<br /><br />It was in 2005 that FEU last claimed the highly coveted championship title. The two team’s last match for the UAAP men’s basketball championship was in 1979, where FEU came out victorious.<br /><br />FEU had a monumental season with an 11-3 showing during the elimination round and had a 9-game winning streak in between.<br /><br />Mac Belo was hailed as the Finals MVP for UAAP Season 78 finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds in the final game. Belo averaged 17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1 block per game during the championship series.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Roger Pogoy and Mike Tolomia  scored 14 points each during the game. <br /><br />The Tamaraws won Game 1 with a final score of 75-64. However, Growling Tiger’s Kevin Ferrer  completely changed the face of the game after leading the team to a 62-56 victory against the Tamaraws. This forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the best-of-three series.</div>

FEU clinches 2015 UAAP men’s basketball crown

MANILA, Philippines - In a do-or-die showdown for the UAAP Season 78 men's basketball championship, the Far Eastern University (FEU) T...

Comelec disqualifies Grace Poe from 2016 presidential race

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has trimmed down the official list of presidential aspirants after releasing the result of Senator Grace Poe’s disqualification case filed by lawyer Estrella Elamparo on Tuesday, December 1.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AXEzUDveCoidoqGnUH5fr_YEBRX0UbXDiZpIFbmY8CHzJBoIf7wN85Y19k5065Y5ED_XDolRkoGwIPVn3akvyPQEoQksWsfG7xiiXIsUIe0UYZxI78LxQ3GSjUslUEgJSimqsuzIJF51/s1600/grace-poe-disqualified.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Comelec disqualifies Grace Poe for failing to meet residency requirement" border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AXEzUDveCoidoqGnUH5fr_YEBRX0UbXDiZpIFbmY8CHzJBoIf7wN85Y19k5065Y5ED_XDolRkoGwIPVn3akvyPQEoQksWsfG7xiiXIsUIe0UYZxI78LxQ3GSjUslUEgJSimqsuzIJF51/s640/grace-poe-disqualified.jpg" title="Comelec disqualifies Grace Poe for failing to meet residency requirement" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Grace Poe. Photo Credit: dzrhnews.com</td></tr></tbody></table>Poe has been disqualified as confirmed by Senator Francis Escudero, Poe’s supposed running mate in the coming May 2016 elections.<br /><br />"Wherefore, in view of all the foregoing considerations, the instant Petition to Deny Due Course to or Cancel Certificate of Candidacy is hereby granted," – COMELEC resolution on Grace Poe’s candidacy. <br /><br />The 35-page resolution made by the second division of COMELEC stipulated that the lady senator failed to meet the obligatory ten-years minimum residency required for an aspiring presidential candidate.<br /><br />The commission stated on its ruling that Poe started only to become a Philippine resident again since July 2016 after applying for a dual-citizenship status.<br /><br />The 2016 election will be held on May, just two months short for Poe to complete the required residency period.<br /><br />Further the COMELEC resolution added that "[Accordingly], the Certificate of Candidacy for President of the Republic of the Philippines in the May 9, 2016 National and Local Elections filed by respondent Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe Llamanzares is hereby cancelled.”<br /><br />Poe's spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian told in a press conference they will present all legal remedies to prove that Poe is qualified to seek the presidency.<div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Poe expressed her disappointment on Comelec's decision and said to fight for her rights.<br /><br />“I am disappointed in the decision, but this is not the end of the process. We will continue to fight for the rights of foundlings and the fundamental right of the people to choose their leaders,” Poe said in a statement on Tuesday after the Comelec’s 2nd Division granted a petition seeking to bar her from the race.<br /><br />“I maintain that I am a natural born Filipino and have complied with the 10-year residency requirement based on settled applicable jurisprudence,” she added. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">-</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Michael Santiago/TheSummitExpress</b></span></div></div>

Comelec disqualifies Grace Poe from 2016 presidential race

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has trimmed down the official list of presidential aspirants after releasing the...

Digong, the COMELEC and the church: The complications of Duterte’s presidential bid

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The crowd anticipated for it. They longed for his sweet “yes” and he did it albeit late. Nonetheless, the legion of fans that surrounds the famed Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte got what they wished for. The PDP-Laban party formally launched the Duterte-Cayetano 2016 yesterday, November 30 despite of the pending issues that Duterte is yet to conquer regarding with the legality of his move to substitute the party’s original contender for president, Martin Diño.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht31eimGbUURe6UwCHkTqqi4DGUra44EJ_hF8dyehw1s3ZkwXSz2VLqQfDmKKZKE2UOjKy2Q57sOfoO8NlxvgoM1kW9KAr8WMGi4n8kqfvsVtrZ_17WqQ7F2Uj0lCfqr9bJG271E40sgdg/s1600/duterte-cayetano-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Digong, the COMELEC and the church" border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht31eimGbUURe6UwCHkTqqi4DGUra44EJ_hF8dyehw1s3ZkwXSz2VLqQfDmKKZKE2UOjKy2Q57sOfoO8NlxvgoM1kW9KAr8WMGi4n8kqfvsVtrZ_17WqQ7F2Uj0lCfqr9bJG271E40sgdg/s640/duterte-cayetano-2016.jpg" title="Digong, the COMELEC and the church" width="560" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>From ‘the Punisher’ turned ‘the Pabebe’? </b><br /><br />He gave a very constant “no” but not until the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) affirmed the validity of Senator Grace Poe’s candidacy for president. Right after that, Duterte slammed the SET decision and hinted that he will finally run for the highest post of this land. But his detractors are exclaiming, is it really worth it? Is Duterte’s statement on the decision of SET regarding Poe’s disqualification case weighed more to him than all the rallies, social media clamor and even the act of his children and a number of supporters of shaving their heads for Duterte to finally throw his hat on the ring? His critics seized the opportunity and branded him as a “political pabebe” pertaining to the way he confused the public on his real political plans that irked some of the voters who could have voted for him.<br /><br /><b>Duterte slapped with first disqualification case, COMELEC remains silent</b><br /><br />Duterte was given several months to announce his presidential bid up to the last day of the filing of Certificate of Candidcay (COC) at the COMELEC last October 16, but he refused to do so. While his supporters remained hopeful on the possibility of substituting for another candidate which is in the name of Diño, their bet, however, was as stiff as rock on his previous interviews that he isn’t ecstatic going head on head with the first four presidential candidates. Now the mayor is yet to face the first disqualification case filed against him by broadcaster Ruben Castor right after his announcement that he will finally run.<br /><br /><b>Election experts weighs on Duterte’s substitution over Diño</b><br /><br />Duterte’s ‘pabebe’ move ignited the debate on the legality of his presidential campaign among election pundits. For Atty. Romulo Macalintal, Duterte cannot substitute for Diño as the latter’s withdrawal of COC is not the issue but the error that he made upon filing his candidacy. Diño was reported to file for a Pasay City mayoralty candidacy and NOT as a presidential aspirant. In this case, Macalintal added that Diño made himself as a nuisance candidate and that by using common sense, a COC of a nuisance candidate cannot be considered valid at all. On the Other hand, former COMELEC Chairman Sixto Brillantes approves of PDP-Laban fielding Duterte instead of Diño saying that the mistake made by the candidate should not impede the desire of the party to achieve its cause.<br /><br /><b>CBCP slams Duterte for ‘cursing’ Pope Francis, Enrile </b><br /><br />It was during Duterte’s proclamation event last Monday prepared by the party wherein he<br />pronounced the stong, one-liner statement “Gusto kong tawagan, ‘Pope p*tang ina ka, umuwi<br />ka na. ‘Wag ka nang magbisita dito. (Pope, you son of a b*tch, go home. Don’t visit here<br />anymore.)” That reflected his opinion on road closures that caused heavy traffic during Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines last January.<br /><br />As expected, the profanity uttered by the mayor on his speech against the supreme pontiff was met with harsh criticisms and undesirable reactions by catholic faith believers, who comprise the majority of the voting population in the country. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) through Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas addressed the issue, partly giving advice and warning to the voters, “When a revered and loved and admired man like Pope Francis is cursed by a political candidate and the audience laugh, I can only bow my head and grieve in great shame. My countrymen have gone to the dregs.” Meanwhile, Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile, defended Duterte saying that the mayor is just ‘challenging the roughness and smoothness of Philippine society’ and that it is up to the people to judge him.<br /><br /><b>Will PDP-Laban be successful in ‘brewing’ a President Duterte for 2016?</b><br /><br />Either everything that happened over the past months were staged or not, it achieved its intended purpose. Aside from his no nonsense statements, Duterte has now bested Binay and Poe in terms of mainstream media mileage. Santiago will probably maintain the social media citizenry on her side until May 2016 while Roxas and his allies will now have a hard time pleasing the public with the possible entry of another crowd favorite as it was reported that some LP allies from Mindanao had just jumped to support Duterte. Despite his harsh statements, unabashed admission of being a womanizer, as a punisher for scalawags and as a best friend of the communists, Duterte maintained a mixture of his pragmatic yet mysterious character which excites the public. <br /><br />We ain’t seen anything yet. The journey to Malacañan is yet to intensify and by mid-half of the first quarter next year that we will finally get a glimpse of what kind of presidency the Philippines is yet to experience. Will it be a Duterte-like? As of the moment, the chances are high of course. The PDP-Laban is now at its best position to place the next president coming from their own group. Duterte will make history if ever he succeeds as he will be the first Mindanaoan president that the country will ever have and that concept alone of having him ascending the stairs of the Malacañan palace mirrors the possibility of making Mindanao peacefully stable and competitively at par with the other regions of the country.<br /><br />Stay-tuned for the upcoming editorials with other presidential candidates in the coming weeks. - <b>Michael Santiago/TheSummitExpress</b></div>

Digong, the COMELEC and the church: The complications of Duterte’s presidential bid

The crowd anticipated for it. They longed for his sweet “yes” and he did it albeit late. Nonetheless, the legion of fans that surrounds the ...