EMONG'S JOURNALS

Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao and TV host-actress Kris Aquino were spotted riding the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) amid the massive traffic snarl that paralyzed EDSA Tuesday evening.

Rep. Manny Pacquiao inside a jampacked MRT

The fighting congressman was forced to take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) to attend a Christian gathering at the Dolphy Theater in the ABS-CBN Compound.

“Sobrang traffic, so naglakad kaming puntang MRT,” Pacquiao said after the fellowship.

“Bumaba kami sa Kamuning, tapos naglakad kami papunta dito.”

Pacquiao and his bodyguards were supposed to pass through EDSA but could not due to traffic and floods.

He boarded the MRT from the Ayala station to Kamuning station.

From Kamuning station, Pacquiao's party could not get a ride to take them ABS-CBN, so Pacquiao and his group walked along Sgt. Esguerra Avenue until they reached the network.

The boxer said he didn’t mind walking.

“Anything, basta Word of God,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is set for a November 24 clash against Brandon Rios.

Meanwhile, President Aquino's youngest sister and "Queen of All Media" Kris Aquino also had to take the MRT when caught in traffic in Quezon City.

Kris Aquino during a ride in the MRT

The 42-year-old actress was en route to an event hosted by a product she endorses when the sudden downpour on Tuesday turned EDSA to what she referred to as a "parking lot."

In a post on image-sharing service Instagram, which showed the traffic jam, Aquino said she had been stuck on the road for 45 minutes. "Parking lot level ang EDSA!" she quipped.

An hour later, the "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw" star shared another photo, this time showing her posing at a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) platform, with passengers lined up for the incoming train in the background.

Aquino then shared a photo of her inside a train coach, captioned, "Me on the MRT. Made it to the awarding ceremony... People were so NICE. What a memorable experience!"

In the photo, Aquino is seen smiling with several other female passengers.

Commuting celebs

Local celebrities using public transport have made headlines time and again, with the likes of Anne Curtis, Enchong Dee, Julia Montes, Piolo Pascual and Angelica Panganiban taking MRT or LRT rides at different times.

Enchong Dee rides the MRT

Anne Curtis plays around while riding the MRT

Piolo and Angelica poses inside the MRT

Hollywood actor Vin Diesel riding a jeepney in Manila

Early this year, American action star Vin Diesel, who was in the Philippines then to promote his film, was spotted riding a jeepney as seen in a photo that similarly went viral.--Source: ABS-CBN News

Heavy fighting still erupted between Philippine security forces and Muslim rebels as the Zamboanga conflict enters its third day of deadly siege, causing thousands of residents to flee from the Philippines' southern city, officials said.

Philippine soldiers get ready as more Muslim rebels engage in deadly warfare in Zamboanga

At least 13,000 people crammed into Zamboanga city sports stadium seeking safety as soldiers and rebels fought street battles in deserted coastal neighbourhoods nearby, an AFP photographer on the scene said.

"We're trying our best to provide decent facilities for them," governmentsocial worker Beth Dy told AFP, but added the venue only had four portable toilets and no available bedding.

About 5,000 residents from the six communities under siege arrived overnight and some had no choice but to pitch makeshift tents on the grass, she added.

In the settlement of Santa Catalina three kilometres away, Philippine marines exchanged fire on Wednesday with gunmen who were using 10 residents on a roadside as apparent human shields, an AFP photographer said.

One of the residents was waving a white cloth tied to a pole, he added.

People began fleeing the siege areas early Monday when about 180 Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerrillas poured into six coastal neighbourhoods of the port city of nearly one million people, triggering firefights with soldiers and police.

The six communities are home to 160,000 mainly Muslim residents, according to local officials, who said about 180 residents were being used as "human shields" by the gunmen.

The siege began four weeks after MNLF founder Nur Misuari declared "independence" for the Muslim regions of the mainly Catholic nation and urged his followers to besiege government installations.

The MNLF ended a 25-year rebellion with a 1996 peace treaty, but Misuari's faction laid a similar deadly siege on Zamboanga in 2001 that led to his imprisonment until 2008, when all charges against him were dropped.

Misuari has since been protesting against a proposed government peace deal with rival rebel faction the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that he said would marginalise the MNLF and violate the terms of the 1996 peace deal.

The latest attack on Zamboanga is led by a top Misuari lieutenant, Habier Malik, and has left 12 people dead and 21 others injured, said military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ramon Zagala.

The latest fatality was an MNLF gunman whose body was recovered in one of the areas where the gunmen are holed up, he said in an interview on ABS-CBN television.

Zamboanga mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar told the station that local officials had been negotiating with Malik to free residents and leave the city, without much success. She said Misuari could not be found.

"Our main priority really is the safety of all the hostages. The military should come in and try to secure the hostages and defend the city from further intrusion," she added.

There has been some confusion over whether the residents are being held against their will and the government on Tuesday said it was investigating whether they were hostages.

"It appears that what happened is not hostage-taking but more of them being turned into human shields by the MNLF forces who entered their communities," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said.

Zagala said the troops only had orders to surround the gunmen at this point, ensure the safety of the residents and prevent the crisis from spreading to other areas.--Source: Channel News Asia/Photo: AFP

Former Solicitor General Francisco “Frank” Chavez, lead counsel of presidential sister Kris Aquino against estranged husband James Yap, died Wednesday night due to stroke at the age of 66.

Chavez’ daughter Ingrid Chavez confirmed this to Radyo Inquirer 990AM early Thursday morning through phone.

According to Ingrid, her father died at 10:20 p.m. She refuted rumors or speculations on the cause of her father’s death, saying that his death was due to his failing health.

Chavez has been confined in the hospital since July while he fought Lymphoma, a variant of blood cancer.

He was reportedly confined at The Medical City on Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City.

Chavez was among those nominated last year for the Chief Justice post to replace ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A solicitor general under the Corazon Aquino administration, Chavez was a known active critic of the Marcos family.

In 1986, he was awarded as one of Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) for his excellence in human rights and legal matters.

Chavez was born on Feb. 6, 1947, at Bateria town in Sagay, Negros Occidental province.

He finished law cum laude at the University of the Philippines in 1971.

According to radio reports, the remains of Chavez will be brought to Santuario de San Antonio parish in Forbes Park in Makati.--Source: Inquirer.net

Did you know that you are reducing your risk of heart disease as you drink beer? Here are some benefits of the liquor that is not only a well-known match for broken hearts, it actually mends them—literally!

Beer reduces risk of heart attack - study

Beer raises levels of good cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein or HDL is the good cholesterol that helps arteries from getting clogged. Studies show that a beer or two a day raises levels of HDL, the friendly scavenger that cruises the bloodstream. HDL removes harmful bad cholesterol from where it doesn’t belong. It scrubs the inner walls of blood vessels called endothelium, preventing damage that can lead to heart attack.

Beer lowers levels of bad cholesterol.In reverse, drinking beer help remove low-density lipoprotein or LDL from our system. The bad cholesterol clogs the artery, forming a bump in the artery wall called a plaque. When the surface of the plaque ruptures, the blood clot formed can cause a heart attack.

Beer thins the blood. Research shows that drinking even moderate amounts of beer can affect blood coagulation -- acting as a “blood thinner.” This indicates a bottle of brew can ease the flow of blood to and from your heart.

Beer lowers blood pressure. A Harvard University study found that moderate beer drinkers were less likely to develop high blood pressure, a major risk for heart attack. The research also shows that beer can lower blood pressure better than sipping wine or spirits.

But how much should you drink? Scientists say roughly 12 ounces of beer, the amount usually found in one bottle or can. Keeping in mind the importance of not overdoing too much of a good thing, beer can be considered a part of a health regime. The tactic is to keep everything in moderation and drinking responsibly.--Source: Philstar

Esabella Cabrera, a Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant winner who was stripped of her title 16 years ago, was awarded P1.1 million in damages by a Quezon City court.

Esabella Cabrera

Assisting Judge Ma. Rita Sarabia of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 221 ordered the Miss Asia Pacific Quest Inc , organizer of the pageant, and its former president Leandro Enriquez; Carousel Productions Inc and its former president Ramon Monzon; Lorraine Schuck as well as 1997 Mutya ng Pilipinas first runner-up Sheryll Moraga, to pay the former beauty queen moral and civil damages.

Moraga was included among those directed to indemnify Cabrera as she received the prizes due the deposed crown holder.

Sarabia, in her 14-page decision, found that Cabrera was dethroned without due process and ruled in her favor on the suit she filed 16 years ago for damages.

Based on court records, Cabrera was crowned 1997 Mutya ng Pilipinas at the Folk Arts Theater on May 3, 1997 and was awarded over P400,000 worth of prizes as well as offers of commercial modeling contracts for two cosmetics and beauty product companies.

Cabrera, who was then a minor, said that she went back to her hometown in Cavite the day after the pageant and was not able to return to the hotel where she and other winners were billeted until May 6 because of mental and physical fatigue.

She claimed she had duly explained to and informed the pageant secretariat and Schuck about the delay in her return but Schuck told her that she should resign if she was unable to meet the demands of her duties and obligations as the reigning Mutya ng Pilipinas.

Even then Cabrera proceeded to discharge her functions as the pageant winner and joined her entourage for a Makati City event organized by Carousel Productions. But when she returned to the hotel in the evening, Schuck informed her that the father of Cabrera’s boyfriend had called and told her that the couple was getting married soon and the beauty title would just be wasted on Cabrera.

Cabrera said that although she denied the claim, Shuck demanded her resignation, accusing her of being pregnant and alleging that she would soon be getting married.

Cabrera, who said that as a minor she felt she was in no position to disobey the organizers’ instructions, said she was deceived by Monzon and Schuck into giving up her crown through a resignation letter.

Schuck, she said, had told her that the letter would serve only as a guarantee should she be unable to comply with her duties. Only then would it be submitted to the Miss Asia Pacific Quest Inc. president and board of directors for their deliberation.

Several weeks after, she learned from the newspapers that she had already been dethroned and replaced by the first runner-up. Her demands for an explanation and for her reinstatement were not answered by the organizers, causing her “embarrassment, sleepless nights, serious anxiety and a besmirched reputation.”

For their part, the organizers insisted that the resignation letter had been voluntarily submitted and denied that Cabrera had been tricked into giving up her crown.

But Sarabia ruled, “This Court is not persuaded with defendants’ claims and defenses. The important matter on the ‘resignation’ of the plaintiff was not brought for agenda, discussion and other official resolution of the Board of Directors of the concerned corporate entity.”

She said the organizers never afforded Cabrera due process before she was stripped of her crown and title, thus, the former beauty queen was entitled to moral and civil damages.--Source: Inquirr.net

Jessica Lucila "Gigi" Gonzales Reyes, former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile who reportedly left the country August 31 may already be hiding abroad.

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and former chief of staff Gigi Reyes

She was supposed to return to the Philippines last September 3 but did not come back.

Speaking to radio dzMM, Bureau of Immigration officer-in-charge Siegfred Mison confirmed that Reyes left Manila last August 31 at 7:50 p.m. via Cebu Pacific flight 5J 362 bound for Macau.

"We have no record of her coming back. She has a ticket coming back but I don't think she has used it to come back because we have no record of anyone using her name on September 3," he said in the interview.

Reyes is the former chief of staff of Enrile, one of the senators being implicated in the pork barrel scam involving businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

Reyes left the Philippines two days after the Philippine Daily Inquirer released a story quoting a witness who claimed to have personally delivered priority development assistance funds to Reyes.

On Thursday, pork scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing that the chiefs of staff of senators and congressmen personally got cash from Napoles as part of their cut.

Mison said there is no standing hold departure order or watch list order against Reyes. Thus, she was allowed to leave the country.

He said even a lookout bulletin issued by the justice secretary will not prevent someone from leaving the country.--Source: ABS-CBN News

A Hawaiian woman with a 35-letter surname has persuaded the US state's authorities to change their official ID card format, because her king-sized name won't fit.

Janice Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele's driver's license

She was issued with a driving license that misses off the final letter of her last name,
and doesn't include her first and middle names at all.

Janice Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, whose traditional Hawaiian name comes from her late husband, said she would never consider using a shortened version, and so used local media to press officials to take action.

She was issued with a driving license that misses off the final letter of her last name, and doesn't include her first and middle names at all.

"I love the Polynesian culture I married into, I love my Hawaiian name. It is an honour and has been quite a journey to carry the names I carry," Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, whose maiden name was Worth, told AFP.

For years she has carried two forms of identification: her driving licence, which only has room for 34 characters, and her official Hawaii state ID card which in the past had room for all 35 letters.

But the problem came after Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele's state ID was renewed in May - and came back the same as her driver's licence, with the last letter missing, and no first name.

Then a traffic cop pulled her over. "The policeman looked at my licence and saw I had no first name. I told him it is not my fault that my licence and state ID are not correct and I am trying to get it corrected.

"He then told me 'Well, you can always change your name back to your maiden name.' This hurt my heart," said Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, who was originally from New York and worked on Wall Street until 1991.

Exasperated, she took her case to a local TV station, KHON-2, who publicised the problem, putting pressure on the Hawaii Department of Transportation (DoT).

Janice and her busband Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele

Within days, authorities, who had previously told her it would take two years to change and the surname character limit would remain at 35, had decided they could act more quickly.

"We understand how she feels and are working to correct the situation," Hawaii's DoT spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter told AFP.

"By the end of the year, we should have the new character limits in place which will be 40 characters for the first and last names, 35 characters for the middle, and 5 for the suffix."--Source: Newstalk ZB

An eight-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age, a social activist and two local residents said, in a case that has caused an outcry and revived debate about child brides.

A Yemeni child bride

Arwa Othman, head of Yemen House of Folklore and a leading rights campaigner, said the girl, identified only as Rawan, was married to a 40-year-old man late last week in the town of Meedi in Hajah province in northwestern Yemen.

“On the wedding night ... she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture which caused her death,” Othman told Reuters. “They took her to a clinic but the medics couldn’t save her life.”

Othman said authorities had not taken any action against the girl’s family or her husband.

A local security official in the provincial town of Haradh denied any such incident had taken place. He did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

But two Meedi residents contacted by Reuters confirmed the incident and said that local tribal chiefs had tried to cover up the incident when news first broke, warning a local journalist against covering the story.

Many poor families in Yemen marry off young daughters to save on the costs of bringing up a child and earn extra money from the dowry given to the girl.

A UN report released in January revealed the extent of the country’s poverty, saying that 10.5 million of Yemen’s 24 million people lacked sufficient food supplies, and 13 million had no access to safe water and basic sanitation.

Human Rights Watch urged Yemen’s government in December 2011 to ban marriages of girls under the age of 18, warning it deprived child brides of education and harmed their health.

Quoting United Nations and government data, HRW said nearly 14 percent of Yemeni girls were married before the age of 15 and 52 percent before the age of 18. The group said many Yemeni child brides-to-be are kept from school when they reach puberty.

Discussions on the issue were shelved by political turmoil following protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011 that led to his ouster.--Source: Arab News

Two bomb explosions on Monday night rocked SM City Davao and Gaisano malls, police authorities reported.

Two bomb attacks hit SM Davao, Gaisano Mall

The first explosion happened inside SM City Davao's Cinema 1 at 9:03 p.m., Davao City Police Director Ronald dela Rosa said in a text message sent to Sun.Star.

Dela Rosa said police authorities and bomb squad personnel immediately responded to SM City Davao located in Ecoland after the blast.

The authorities then advised all the moviegoers inside Cinema 1, including from other cinemas of SM City Davao, to vacate the area for possible secondary blast.

The bomb was found on top of the a seat in first row orchestra section of the cinema, the police reported.

No one was reported hurt in the explosion inside SM City Davao since all 10 moviegoers were seated at the cinema's balcony.

However, five people were slightly injured after a second suspected bomb went off inside Cinema 5 in Gaisano mall in Bajada, also in Davao City, at 9:25 p.m.

The five moviegoers were brought to San Pedro Hospital after complaining of ear pain due to the blast.

Authorities found the bomb beneath seat #6 of the ninth row.

The identities of the five victims are not yet known as of this posting. --Source: Sun Star

The annual Top 10 Hottest Newswomen list brings together a few veterans and several fresh faces, says Spot.ph, an online magazine.

Michelle Mediana

Topping this year's list is Michelle Mediana of TV5, who became a "media sensation" early this year when she was assigned to Taiwan to report on the diplomatic row between Manila and Taipei over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.

"The youthful mestiza was so enthralling to the locals that some Taiwanese newspapers dubbed her assignment as a 'conspiracy' to distract from the greater issue," the website said.

Below is the full list of Spot’s hottest newswomen this year:

1.Michelle Mediana (TV5)
2.Tina Marasigan (ABC-CBN)
3.Cata Tibayan (GMA7)
4.Kara David (GMA7)
5.Bianca Saldua (PTV4)
6.Carolyn Bonquin (ABS-CBN)
7.Maiki Oreta (ABS-CBN)
8.Isabella Cantú (PTV4)
9.Tricia Zafra (GMA7)
10.MJ Marfori (TV5)

(left to right) ABS-CBN's Maiki Oreta, Tina Marasigan and Carolyn Bonquin

(left to right) GMA's Tricia Zafra, Cata Tibayan, and Kara David

(left to right) PTV4's Bianca Saldua, Isabella Cantú and TV5's MJ Marfori

Last year, ABS-CBN News’ Zen Hernandez topped the “Top 10 Hottest Newswomen: 2012 Edition” list. In its write-up for Hernandez, the reporter was described as an “Angel Locsin look-alike.”--Source: Spot.ph

The Miss America pageant has crowned its first winner from an Indian background – an aspiring doctor who plans to use the $50,000 (roughly PHP2 million) prize money to fund her studies – sparking a flood of racist criticism on social media.

"I'm so happy this organisation has embraced diversity," 24-year-old Nina Davuluri said in her first press conference, moments after winning the crown in Atlantic City. "I'm thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America."

But within minutes of winning the title, Davuluri, whose talent routine was a Bollywood fusion dance, was the target of racist social media comments.

If you're #Miss America you should have to be American," said one on Twitter.

"WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!" asked another.

Davuluri, however, brushed aside the negative comments.

"I have to rise above that," she said. "I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

Her grandmother told the Associated Press that she cried when she saw the news on television.

"I am very, very, happy for the girl. It was her dream and it was fulfilled," 89-year-old V Koteshwaramma said by phone from her home in the city of Vijaywada, in southern India.

In the run-up to the pageant, much attention was given to Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, an army sergeant believed to have been the first contestant ever to openly display tattoos. She has the Serenity Prayer on her rib cage, and a smaller military insignia on the back of one shoulder.

Vail won a nationwide "America's choice" vote to advance as a semi-finalist, but failed to make it into the top 10.

In a Twitter message on Sunday before the finals began, Vail wrote: "Win or not tonight, I have accomplished what I set out to do. I have empowered women. I have opened eyes."

The pageant pitted 53 contestants – one from each state, plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – in swimming wear, evening gown, talent and interview competitions.--Source: The Guardian

Sarah Geronimo is one of the nominees in the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) as announced on Tuesday by the official website of the MTV Europe.

The inclusion of the Sarah G. in the official lists of nominees added to the growing list of the latest international recognition by the Filipino pop singer after her inclusion in the elite, 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.

The 24-year-old singer and current mentor and judge of The Voice of the Philippines is nominated in the Best Southeast Asia Act category in the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA).

Sarah Geronimo is cited as “the Philippines’ Popstar Princess,” in the description about her, described by the official website of MTV Europe. She was nominated alongside Malaysia’s Hafiz, Vietnam’s My Team, Indonesia’s NOAH, Singapore’s Olivia Ong, and Thailand’s Slot Machine.

The MTV EMA added further that, “For a decade now, she has achieved multi-platinum albums, record-breaking concerts, blockbuster movies, high-rating TV shows, and countless endorsements,” it said. Her recent album, “Expression,” was also described by MTV EMA as a “breakthrough.”

Some of the mentioned awards earned by Sarah were her recent win as Best Asian Artist (Philippines) at the 2012 MNET Asian Music Awards, and her Nickelodeon Philippines’ Kid’s Choice Award.--Source: Philnews

An alleged photo scandal of actress Angel Locsin has been making the rounds in the web amid the celebrity sex video controversies which came out recently.

When interviewed by ABS-CBN, Locsin said her conscience is clear on the supposed explicit photo showing her in a red dress with one breast exposed.

"Malinis ang konsensya ko." she said.

"Ah, matagal na 'yun," the 28-year-old actress added at the sidelines of the filming of the ABS-CBN sitcom "Toda Max" early this week. "Ilang beses na rin naman sa akin pinost 'yun ng mga bashers sa Internet. Hindi ko naman alam kung ano gagawin ko, kung ano eh..."

Asked to clarify if there is any truth to the allegation and that she may have simply forgotten the supposed photo was taken, Locsin stressed, "Sigurado ako na hindi talaga 'yon [totoo]."

Shrugging, the "Lobo" star continued, "Pero 'yung sa mga gano'ng klaseng bagay na may mga lumalabas, wala naman akong magagawa eh, 'diba. Pikit nalang ako."

Locsin was also asked to comment on celebrities who have figured in "sex scandals," or private videos that have gone viral online. Recently, TV host Wally Bayola and Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda were embroiled in similar controversies.

"May barkada ako, meron," said Locsin, who is known to be a close friend of Miranda. "Pero hindi naman nagbago 'yung pagtingin ko sa kanya. Kasi kilala ko siya eh."

Asked for her message to "bashers" who claim there is truth to her alleged "photo scandal," Locsin only said, "Hi!"

"Kasi wala naman akong isyu sa kanila, 'diba. Hindi ko naman sila kilala nang personal, so wala, 'Hello' lang," she said.--Source: ABS-CBN News

A suspect in the murder of advertising executive Kristelle "Kae" Davantes is now in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Samuel Decimo

The NBI arrested the suspect in Molino, Cavite, around 6 p.m., GMA 7's "Saksi" reported Friday night.

The 19-year-old suspect, Samuel Decimo, admitted that he and 5 others held up Davantes at knifepoint.

He said they killed her because she recognized one of the suspects. They also tried to burn her car.

The NBI presented Decimo to media Friday night, wherein he gave details how they killed Davantes.

He said that he and four companions had intended to rob Davantes as they noticed that she was driving in the same direction as they were.

They were able enter to subdivision where Davantes lived as they had a valid sticker for the gated community.

They then followed Davantes to her home and as she alighted from her car, they accosted her. They took her away in her car, gagged and tied her up, and killed her when they got to Silang, Cavite.

Davantes' body was found last September 7 in Silang. She had been stabbed. She was fully clothed and her body bore no signs of sexual abuse, police said.

Davantes' car was recovered last Sunday. Investigators said there was an attempt to set the car afire.

In another news story, authorities are still waiting for a search warrant from the court to enter the house where the suspects who killed advertising executive Kae Davantes allegedly hid her car.

"Simula pa kahapon ng hapon bantay-sarado ito ng pulis," reported DZMM's Dennis Datu.

The big house with a blue gate is located at No. 37 Emerald Street in Pamplona 3, Las Piñas City.

"Sinasabing dito binaklas ang lahat ng upuan ng kotse ni Kae Davantes," Datu said.

Police are still trying to determine the connection between the owner of the house and the suspects.

Datu added that the house is located just five blocks away from where Davantes' missing car, a silver Toyota Altis with plate number PIM-961, was recovered last week.

"Ito ang bahay na itinuro ng naarestong suspect ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) na si Samuel Decimo na sinasabing kanilang pinagtaguan ng sasakyan," reported Datu.

Decimo told authorities that they held up Davantes at knifepoint and killed her when she recognized one of them. They also tried to burn her car.

Investigators found traces of blood on the car seat belt used to hogtie Davantes. But test results showed that the blood is not Davantes. Police also found a strand of hair inside the car, but it is not Davantes' as well.

The 25-year-old Davantes, a senior account manager of advertising agency McCann Worldgroup Philippines Inc., was found dead in Barangay Sabutan, Silang, Cavite last week. Source: GMA News/DZMM

Elderly Sowetans in South Africa are discarding pills for boxes of condoms in the belief that the lubricant oil on the latex helps alleviate arthritis-related pain, The Sowetan newspaper reported on Friday.

South Africans turn to condoms to cure arthritis

They rub the condoms on the painful joints, and claim to feel instant relief, the paper said.

“This oil is number one,” Elizabeth Moyo told the paper after demonstrating how she uses the condoms.

“I am tired of the pills.”

Medical experts say there is no scientific evidence that condoms help with pain relief and are concerned that condoms will now be wasted and not used for their rightful purpose, the daily said.

Arthritis is a common condition among the elderly and causes pain and inflammation within the joints.--Source: Independent

A team of British scientists is convinced it has found proof of alien life, after it harvested strange particles from the edge of space.

Life on Earth came from space - British scientists

The scientists sent a balloon 27km into the stratosphere, which came back carrying small biological organisms which they believe can only have originated from space.

Professor Milton Wainwright told The Independent that he was "95 per cent convinced" that the organisms did not originate from earth.

"By all known information that science has, we know that they must be coming in from space," he said. "There is no known mechanism by which these life forms can achieve that height. As far as we can tell from known physics, they must be incoming."

Some of the samples were captured covered with cosmic dust, adding further credence to the idea that they have originated from space.

"The organisms are not usual," said Professor Wainwright, who works at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. "If they came from earth, we would expect to see stuff that we find on earth commonly, like pollen."

"We're very, very confident that these are biological entities originating from space," he said, acknowledging that absolutely certainty is hard to achieve in science.

Alien Bugs: The "unusual organisms" (top and below)
Courtesy of University of Sheffield

The team believes that the entities are coming from comets, which are big balls of ice shooting through space. The samples were collected during a meteorite shower from a comet. As they hit the earth's atmosphere, the comets melt - ablate, to give it a technical term - releasing the organisms as they break down.

"The particles are very clean," added Prof Wainwright. "They don't have any dust attached to them, which again suggests they're not coming to earth. Similarly, cosmic dust isn't stuck to them, so we think they came from an aquatic environment, and the most obvious aquatic environment in space is a comet.

"They're very unusual beasts, not your normal kind of life from earth."

The organisms are probably not alive, but, excitingly, probably do contain DNA. Similar ones harvested during an earlier experiment have contained the chemical, which is one of the fundamental building blocks of life on earth.

The fact that they contain DNA is probably one of the most exciting aspects to this discovery, as it is a big hint that life on earth may itself have extraterrestrial origins.

"If we're right, it means that there's life in space, and it's coming to earth. It means that life on earth probably originated in space," said Professor Wainwright. "Statistically, there's no reason why life should originate on earth. There are billions and billions of comets, but most biologists are stuck on earth.

"The earth is an open system with biology raining down on it as we speak.

"It's almost too amazing to believe."

He scotched the theory that the life forms arrived in the upper atmosphere after being blasted there from a volcano.

"The last volcano was three years ago, and the matter has all been deposited by now," he said.

Professor Wainwright’s team is hoping to extend and confirm their results by carrying out the test again in October to coincide with the upcoming Halley’s Comet-associated meteorite shower when there will be large amounts of cosmic dust. It is hoped that more new, or unusual, organisms will be found.

The group’s findings have been published in the Journal of Cosmology and updated versions will appear in the same journal, a new version of which will be published in the near future. Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe of the Buckingham University Centre for Astrobiology also gave a presentation of the group’s findings at a meeting of astronomers and astrobiologists in San Diego last month.

Despite these fantastical claims, the Journal of Cosmology has had its reputation called into question more than once by other members of the scientific community.--Source: Independent

Boy Abunda, Asia's King of Talk, relates his childhood and how, at an early age, he came to terms with being gay. He also opened up about his relationship with his long-time partner Bong Quintana.

Boy Abunda poses with partner Bong Quintana

The 58-year-old TV host was speaking with StarStudio magazine for its November 2013 issue, which features him on the cover.

Abunda revealed that at a young age, he already knew that he was gay despite having a father he described as "extremely macho."

"I also lived in a town that was extremely, extremely macho, including the women. Even Waray women are macho. Sabi nga nila, 'Bumangga ka na sa lalaking Waray, wag lang sa babae,'" he said.

Abunda spent his first seven years in Baruk, Eastern Samar, before moving to Borongan where he attended the now renamed, Eugenio Abunda Sr. Elementary School. Here, he admitted that he knew for sure that he was gay and driven by a child's innocence, wasn't afraid to show it.

"Grade 2, malinaw na... I was probably different but it was not something that made me sulk," he explained. "It was a fun childhood, nakikipaglaro ako sa mga lalaki ng karate, maya-maya I was curling the hair of my girl friends."

Abunda, however, said that he had one insecurity which he surmised was brought about by society's expectations.

"I played their games, but I didn't play basketball," he said, referring to his classmates in the seminary. "It was my biggest insecurity, kasi sa seminaryo at bayan, kapag hindi ka naglaro ng basketball, effeminate ka 'di ba? The stereotypes, maaga pa lang sa buhay ko, na-expose na ako doon."

Abunda also recounted being called names growing up.

"There was a street in my town, ang pangalan niya ay Royal, takot na takot ako na dumaan doon, kasi sinisigawan ka ng mga boses na 'do mo nakikita ng 'Bakla!' Or, 'Bayot, bayot!' Of course, I would pretend not to hear but I was afraid," he shared.

But Abunda said that the insults came sporadically because of his well-respected father and his confidence that he can stand up for himself.

"May dalawang dahilan, una, ang tatay ko iginagalang, pangalawa lalaban din ako kung ang kaharap ko, sasabihang akong, 'Bayot, bayot!"

Abunda, unlike in most cases, never felt the need to tell his parents or friends that he was gay.

"I never pretended to not be who I was, meaning I was not reprimanded because I was effeminate....I never came out to my mother or my father. They didn't sit me down, pull me aside and ask about my sexuality. Things just happened," he explained.

Boy Abunda on the cover of StarStudio's November 2013 issue

On Bong

In the interview, Abunda also talked about his 30-year relationship with long-time partner, Bong Quintana. Abunda revealed the difficulties, as well as the twists in their love story.

"Bong is just so loved by Nanay and by my family...It was more difficult sa side ni Bong because Papa was a proud police officer," he said. "The irony is that n'ung umpisa, I wouldn't go to Bong's house because I didn't want to put Bong in a predicament where he wouldn't know what to do kasi he was raised in an extremely macho, athletic family."

Abunda said that he decided to join Quintana's family for lunch one Sunday and it was there that he found out that "Papa," his partner's father, was his biggest fan.

"If my relationship with Papa at the start was very difficult, it turned out later to be the most beautiful relationship, as he turned out to be my biggest fan," he said.

When Abunda, known for his fearless line of questioning, was asked on the subject of sex, he responded, laughing, "Can I talk about it?"

"As a gay person, I take that seriously," he went on. "Wala talaga akong konsepto ng top or bottom. I should be honest kasi I ask questions, I should answer questions. I like the art of flirting, sa kiss masaya na ako, pero I don't go for top or bottom. I don't. I enjoy foreplay!"--Source: ABS-CBN News

Anonymous Philippines hacked another government website on Sunday, defacing it with their logo and a letter inviting the public to join a November 5 protest.

The Office of the Ombudsman’s homepage showed its latest update which reads “Anonymous Philippines.”

Clicking on the said text redirects to a post with the hacker group’s animated logo and a letter blasting the government.

“We apologize for this inconvenience, but this is the only easiest way we could convey our message to you, our dear brothers and sisters who are tired of this cruelty and this false democracy, tired of this government and the politicians who only think about themselves,” it read.

“The government, in many ways, has failed its Filipino citizens…Let us remind the government that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words.”

The letter further calls on the public to join Anonymous and the protest on November 5 outside the House of Representatives.

On its Facebook page, Anonymous Philippines claimed to have hacked more than a dozen government websites, mostly from local government units, on Sunday. The pages also showed the letter and the logo.

Their latest post shows an invite for a “Million Mask March” at the Batasang Pambansa (House of Representatives) in Batasan Hills, Quezon City on November 5, 10 a.m.

It said the protest was a “peaceful march to meet and greet like-minded individuals.”

In August, the Department of Science and Technology said they might launch a centralized web hosting service for government websites after at least 30 of their Internet domains were hacked on August 26, during the “Million People March” against the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).--Source: Inquirer.net

A sting operation has identified thousands of adults -- believed to be pedophiles -- willing to pay to watch a computer-generated 10-year-old Filipino girl called Sweetie perform sex acts on a webcam, an international children’s rights group said Monday.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands, a Dutch child rights group, shows a computer-generated image purportedly of a 10-year-old Filipino girl called Sweetie that they used in a sting that attracted more than 1,000 pedophiles around the world.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands has now handed over to police the identities of those who were willing to pay children in developing countries for online sex, a growing phenomenon, it said.

"They were ready to pay Sweetie for sexual acts in front of her webcam," the rights group's head Albert Jaap van Santbrink told journalists in The Hague.

The group said it wanted to raise the alarm about a largely unknown but quickly spreading new form of child exploitation that has tens of thousands of victims in the Philippines alone, known as webcam child sex tourism.

Sweetie was created by the child rights group and deployed in Internet chat rooms from a remote building in Amsterdam.

Within a 10-week period, over 20,000 predators from 71 countries approached Sweetie, asking for webcam sex performances.

In one exchange, a man named "Older4young", identified as a 35-year-old father of two from Atlanta in the United States, asks Sweetie to undress for $10.

"Turn on your cam. I'm horny," the man wrote.

While they were chatting with the "girl", researchers gathered information about her customers through social media.

Using this information, researchers identified the abusers and passed the information on to police.

"The biggest problem is that the police don't take action until child victims file reports, but children almost never report these crimes," said head of campaigns Hans Guyt.

The men involved were "fathers, musicians, an architect", Santbrink told AFP.

They "come from all over the world, from America, Europe, but also from countries like India, Japan, Korea", said Guyt.

The rights group said they used the same procedures as the police.

"But OK, we are not prosecutors, we are not judges, it will be for them to decide what to do with the elements we gave them," Guyt said.

The researchers involved found the experience shocking.

"To put yourself in the shoes of a 10-year-old Filipina girl and seeing what some men want from you has been a shocking experience for them," he said.

"Some demands and acts were really obscene."

Terre des Hommes said that they did not approach anyone on the Internet but instead waited for people to approach Sweetie and ask for sex acts.

The rights group also stopped the conversation as soon as someone offered Sweetie money for sex acts.

"It is obvious that we did not show these people any sexual acts, we stopped before that," Van Santbrink said.

The rights group wants police around the world to have a mandate to actively patrol chat rooms where the abuse is taking place.

"The child predators doing this now feel that the law doesn't apply to them. The Internet is free, but not lawless," said Guyt.

According to the UN and the FBI, there are over 750,000 child predators online at any given moment, Terre des Hommes said, also announcing an online petition to pressure governments to adopt proactive investigation policies.

Yet only six people have been convicted of engaging in webcam child sex tourism in the world, the rights group said.

"It would have been easy with greater resources to identify 10,000 people," Guyt said. -- © 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse/Photo courtesy of Terre des Hommes Netherlands/AFP Getty Images

The 2013 World Music Awards has nominated Filipino singers Daniel Padilla and Sarah Geronimo as World's Best Male Artist and Female Artist respectively.

Daniel Padilla, Sarah G nominated in World Music Awards

Padilla, who is known for his hit song “Nasa Iyo Na Ang Lahat,” has been nominated as World’s Best Male Artist along with fellow Filipinos Christian Bautista and Jed Madela. They will be up against big recording artists like Justin Bieber, Psy and Elton John.

Geronimo, who also made it to the World Music Awards last year, is one of this year’s nominees for the World’s Best Female Artist Award, with Asia’s Songbird as her only Filipino competitor. Other nominees in this category include Adele, Miley Cyrus and Beyonce.

Padilla and Geronimo were also nominated as World’s Best Live Act and World’s Best Entertainer of the Year along with Madela and Velasquez.

According to its website, the World Music Awards “are presented on sales merit and voted by the public on the Internet.”

“There is no jury involved and the Awards truly reflect the most popular artists as they are determined by the actual fans that vote and buy the records,” it added.

Padilla’s debut album reached platinum-record status only three months after its release. The “Got to Believe” star launched his second album early this year.

Geronimo’s newest album, “Expressions,” has been another massive hit, following the success of her previous studio albums.

The singer-actress marks her tenth year as the Philippines’ “Pop Star Princess” with a series of concerts in November and December.--Source: ABS-CBN News

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Daniel Padilla, Sarah G nominated in World Music Awards