Philippines first in Asia to approve dengue vaccine

THE Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 22, approved the sale of the world’s first dengue vaccine, marking the first Asian country to do so. In clinical tests conducted on 40,000 people from 15 countries, the vaccine, Dengvaxia, was found to immunize 66 percent of people aged 9 and older, and reduce the risk of hospitalization by…

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Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach apologizes

MISS INFORMATION MIX-UP FOLLOWING the heated controversy surrounding this year’s Miss Universe pageant competition, many people are taking sides as to who they really support for the prestigious crown. After show host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced on live television that Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez Arévalo was the winner, only to backtrack moments later to proclaim Miss…

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2016 wish list

In every wish, there will be glimpses of kind virtues, to encourage and console. It could be something modest or even mundane, something fantastic or utterly practical. It can take you to the other side of the world or a walk around the corner. Wishing makes it  easier to believe in happiness than pain —…

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Reflecting on a Simbang Gabi homily

MANY Filipinos worldwide posted pictures of Simbang Gabi Masses on social media such as Facebook. Their photos showed happiness, harmony and contentment. There were even pictures of parishioners attending Simbang Gabi Masses in flooded churches.  That was quite remarkable, wasn’t it? It showed people’s religiosity and devotion to these nine days of Simbang Gabi Masses…

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A wonderful Christmas gift for your family

AN important part of Christmas is buying gifts for loved ones.  Filipinos are busy filling their balikbayan boxes with pasalubong, to send to their families “back home.”  The pasalubong may consist of clothes, food items, electronics, or other useful items, given as a way of “sharing one’s blessings.” However, many Filipinos forget about what could…

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Child born abroad to US citizen parent/s

A CHILD born abroad to  parents who are both United States citizens (USCs),  or to a United States citizen (USC) mother or father, has  a claim to citizenship either through “acquisition” (acquiring citizenship at birth) or “derivation” (citizenship acquired after birth).  Either parent may report the birth of a child born abroad to the United…

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House failure to pass Bangsamoro Basic Law

DESPITE President Benigno Aquino’s challenge for them to pass the measure before the holidays, the House of Representatives adjourned for its Christmas break without passing the Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL), now called the proposed Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). The House will reconvene on Jan. 18, 2016, with a three week final…

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The uninvited celebrant: Where’s the birthday boy?

WHEN international celebrity Marilyn Monroe, in her sexy tight-fitting gold gown that hugged her shapely figure, sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,”  in May 1962, the attention of the world was momentarily focused on her. But John F. Kennedy, 45, was still center stage. After all, he was the honoree and the man of the hour….

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Fatal crash on Las Vegas Strip leaves dozens injured 

Hit-and-run suspect was honored for turning her life around Lakeisha Holloway, the 24-year-old woman accused of deliberately driving onto a packed sidewalk several times through a crowd of pedestrians along the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, Dec. 20, was publicly honored for turning her life around from homelessness to a government job. “Boy, have I come…

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COA: Another institution Aquino damaged

THE Commission on Audit had been, even through martial law, one of the most prestigious agencies of our Republic, its reputation untainted by graft or partisanship. With just a few months remaining for this inglorious Administration, the COA will be left as another institution damaged by President Benigno Aquino 3rd, who has turned it into…

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Duterte’s way isn’t the best way

I WOULD like to apologize to everyone I have called an idiot for believing that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte deserves to be president of the Philippines in spite of his womanizing, his potty-mouth and his homicidal bluster. On reflection, there is in all of us a kind of idiocy that causes us to resort…

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Christmas wish

GIVEN the unsure situation the world is facing today, we are looking for some sort of a sign this Christmas—something that could calm our fears about what lies ahead. Times may be difficult, but Christmas and its spirit of love, faith and hope will always endure. It’s that time of the year—when war, conflict, political…

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A Christmas wish

A week before Christmas, we’re crammed with Christmas wishes, checking them twice, the naughty or the nice part. It is a seasonal splendor of a heart’s wish for Christmas. I cannot remember no time in my life when an interesting man was not the object of my interests, if not search. Unlike some  women, I’ve…

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Duterte-Marcos is the new ‘AlDuB’

Labor groups and people supportive of the candidacy of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said they have repackaged the tandem as “Team AlDuB”. A take from the phenomenal noontime show love team between Alden Richards and Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza, popularly known as “AlDub”, the political “AlDuB” refers…

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Waiving fraud due to extreme hardship

FOR individuals who are seeking to obtain lawful permanent residency, any past fraud or misrepresentation renders the individual inadmissible and ineligible to legalize status unless they are granted a fraud waiver.  This includes all individuals who have committed fraud, even those who are married to a United States citizen. Immigration fraud occurs when an individual…

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Payroll debit cards: What employees should know

Q: EVERY pay period, I receive a check from my employer for my wages. Recently, there is news at work that our company will be requiring employees to receive our wages through a payroll debit card. Is this a legal way to be paid our wages? A: Generally, employers are allowed to fulfill their wage…

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Do you dream of having a debt-free life?

A DEBT-free life is something that a lot of people aspire to have. And yet it is a known fact that sadly, many will never attain it because of their unwillingness to make the necessary adjustments in their lifestyle to make it possible.  I am talking about people who continue to accumulate debt for immediate…

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My Christmas box

IN both fiction and reportage, I’ve always made known that the winding down of autumn and ushering of winter put me in a heavy and philosophical mood.  I’m thinking about the deep and very private personal needs of people — a need that when met, gives us a sense of well-being, one of them the…

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A faultless chip of the old block that is Marion Aunor

Indubitably a “chip of the old block” and admittedly a spitting image of her mom, Lala Aunor, a former movie-TV popular teen personality of the early 70s and 80s, multi-faceted singer Marion Aunor is the niece of Philippine phenomenal Superstar Nora Aunor… no wonder she uncompromisingly carries on the legacy of excelling in the field…

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