Headlines

UN alarmed by surge in HIV cases among RP youth

Friday, 20 November 2009 05:11 Jerry Esplanada/Inquirer.net

MANILA - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases among the youth in the Philippines "have been increasing at an unprecedented rate," the United Nations representative office in Manila has warned.

"And while the country is still within the target of less than one percent of the population for HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, the rising number of HIV cases has become a cause for alarm," the UN office also said.

New probe into Virgin Mary’s apparition in Lipa set

Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:13 Dona Pazzibugan/Inquirer.net

MANILA - Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles has formed a new commission to revisit the series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the Carmel monastery in Lipa, Batangas, in 1948.

The commission was created in a decree that Arguelles issued on Nov. 12, the same day the archbishop issued another decree, formally lifting the 1951 Church ban against the public veneration of the image of the Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace, in Lipa.

‘Project Reach’ aims to bring back out-of-school kids

Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:12 Jerry Esplanada/Inquirer.net

MANILA - Despite classroom, teacher and book shortages, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing for the implementation of "Project Reach," which aims to bring back to the public school system some 5.6 million out-of-school children and youth nationwide.

"The big challenge is to find them, reach them, keep them in school and make them complete their studies," according to a project paper furnished the Inquirer.

US court hailed for naming new judge on Marcos funds

Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:11 Philip Tubeza/Inquirer.net

MANILA - A Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) official has hailed the US Court of Appeals decision to rebuke the district judge who handed down the historic 1995 ruling awarding $1.9 billion to victims of human rights violations in the Marcos era.

PCGG Commissioner Ricardo Abcede said the appellate court’s decision was about US District Judge Manuel Real’s handling of the $33.8 million worth of funds from the so-called Arelma account in Merrill Lynch.

Comelec vows to be strict on nuisance candidates

Thursday, 19 November 2009 09:10 Anna Valmero/Inquirer.net

MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be strict in accepting the certificates of candidacy (CoC) from nuisance candidates when filing starts Friday, an official said Thursday.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said there would be strict reinforcement of the agency's resolution on nuisance candidates, who constitute persons without political machinery to hold national campaigns.