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LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has opted against surgery on his little finger in order to take part in pre-season training. Bryant picked up the injury in February and decided not to undergo surgery in order to finish the NBA season and to go to the Olympics with the U.S team. After winning a gold medal in Beijing it was expected that the NBA's Most Valuable Player would deal with the injury before the start of the new season. I have always felt that I can still focus and play at a high level even through various injuries, Bryant told his own website on Tuesday. That's really just part of the game. When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery. What it really came down to for me is that I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers, given all we are trying to accomplish as a team this NBA season.

I am just really excited and looking forward to being there with the guys when camp opens in a few weeks. That is a real bonding process and if I can avoid being on the sidelines for that, God willing, I will, Bryant said.

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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Personnel from the social welfare and development department have launched rapid-relief operations to areas severely ravaged by Typhoon Cosme in Zambales province as help from various non-government organizations poured, relief authorities said.
Adelina Apostol, DSWD-Region III assistant regional director, said massive relief works and continuous "shelter assistance" for families who were rendered homeless brought by the recent storm is ongoing in at least 13 municipalities in the province.
Some 2,300 families have been left homeless after their houses were flattened by strong winds brought about by Typhoon Cosme while 4,879 more houses were partially damaged because of the hurricane.
"We are also conducting a rapid assessment on the effect of Typhoon Cosme to residents in Zambales to prioritize the needs of the victims," said Apostol adding her office had augmented P200,000.00 in terms of food packages as initial assistance to the provincial government.
Zambales folks felt Cosme's wrath late evening Saturday until Sunday, leaving behind one dead and several others injured.
Apostol, who made the first on-site inspection and assessment of the calamity-stricken area, said Cosme's devastation had affected the lives of 80 percent of the total population of Zambales. She said Typhoon Cosme left almost all residents along the coastal areas homeless.
"Eighty percent of the residents were left homeless," said Apostol. She said her visit to the province was to assess on how to rebuild the victims shattered lives .
She expressed optimism that affected families who belongs to the rich and middle class could easily rebuild their lives in just a span of a week time. "In just a week makaka-recover kaagad sila."
Of the 13 towns, the worst hit were the municipalities along the shoreline including Sta. Cruz and Candelaria.
Apostol said uprooted tress, flattened houses, toppled electric posts greeted them on their way to site assessment visit. "The whole scenario showed how strong the typhoon was."
She said they have also implemented food-for-work program and emergency shelter assistance to typhoon victims. Each family will receive P5,000.00 from DSWD Region III for repair and rehabilitation of their damaged house.
The regional offices support to the typhoon victims, Apostol said, will be coursed through the provincial capitol especially augmentation funds.
She said President Arroyo is set to visit the province on Friday to distribute dwellings assistance to the people in Zambales.- Jess Malabanan

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Stocks retreated on Friday as investors, taking their cue from Wall Street's tumble overnight, unloaded their holdings following another spike in world oil prices.

Analysts said investors have been worried about high fuel prices crimping consumer spending, thus, putting dent on companies' earnings.

"The market started weak because of Wall Street's plunge after oil prices hit a record high again yesterday," said Harry Liu, president of Summit Securities.

"The spike triggered concerns about rising inflation. The problem is not just local, but global," he added.

Oil surged above $140 a barrel before settling at $139.64 at New York trading on Thursday.

This, coupled with a downgrade in ratings on US investment banks, sent the Dow Jones industrial average down 360 points to a 21-month low of 11,453.42.

At home, the composite index fell 55.33 points or 2.2 percent to 2,466.28.

The broader all-share index lost 29.51 points or 1.8 percent at 1,570.20.

Losers whipped gainers, 96 to 23, while 26 stocks were unchanged.

A total of 2.24 billion shares worth P7.2 billion were traded.

Market heavyweight Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. dropped P25.00 or 1.03 percent to P2,395.00.

Ayala Corp., the country's biggest conglomerate, plunged P15.00 or 5.5 percent to P260.00 after it announced it was selling roughly a 3-percent stake in unit Globe Telecom Inc. to Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Southeast Asia's largest telecommunications firm.

Ayala said it would sell 3.8 million common shares in Globe for P1,210 each or a total of P4.6 billion. Globe closed down P5.00 or 0.42 percent at P1,180.00.

Property giant Ayala Land Inc. fell P0.20 or 2 percent to P9.60.

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Agence France Presse

INDIAN WELLS, California - World number one Roger Federer looked like his old dominant self Tuesday as he swept aside France's Nicolas Mahut to reach the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open.

Federer, whose uncharacteristic slow start to the season has led to suggestions his position atop the world rankings could be in jeopardy, showed any such prediction was probably premature as he crushed Mahut 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes.

"I don't know if I can be better than that," Federer said.

Added Mahut: "I had the feeling I was a junior and he was a pro. It was the kind of match that at the end you feel like you want to ask him how much for the lesson."

Mahut won only four points against Federer's serve, and his only point against the Swiss' serve in the first set was a Federer double fault. Perhaps more impressive was Federer's return game, which surprised both Mahut and the Swiss himself.

"I was surprised how well I returned his serve," Federer said. "He didn't really go for the outright aces, which is good for me, because I got really plenty of balls back into play and from the baseline I was in control.

Federer, who has yet to win a title in 2008, bowed out of the Australian Open in the semi-finals and lost in the first round at Dubai this month.

He has pinned much of his early-season sluggishness to the effects of mononucleosis, which disrupted his usual training and practice.

"I'm feeling like I'm playing good tennis again. I feel like I did at the Australian Open after my first couple of matches. But this time I'm more sure I'm over the sickness, whereas in Australia it was quite extreme," he said.

Federer acknowledged he enjoyed the feeling of totally dominating an opponent.

"I think this is what you want to do," he said. "You want to try to run over your opponent, not give him a chance anymore. It was a perfect match for me."

In the fourth round Federer will face Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Spain's Tommy Robredo.

Seventh-seeded Argentinian David Nalbandian also advanced with a 7-6 , 0-6, 7-6 victory over Czech Radek Stepanek.

Women's fourth-round action got underway Tuesday in the 5.7 million-dollar tournament, which includes both an ATP Masters Series and a WTA tier one event.

Defending women's champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia defeated India's Sania Mirza 6-1, 7-6 to book a quarter-final clash with either Australian Open champion and fourth seed Maria Sharapova or Ukrainian Alona Bondrenko.

Second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

Kuznetsova will face Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who rallied to beat American Ashley Harkleroad 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

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By JASPER ACOSTA
ABS-CBN Cotabato

Clashes between members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government civilian volunteers have affected more than 300 families in from two villages in the boundary of Midsayap and Aleosan towns in North Cotabato province since Sunday night.

Josta Cabuga, an evacuee, said that government forces and the MILF should stop fighting since they, especially their children, are afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

She added that residents want a peaceful environment so that they could cultivate their land without fear of being harassed.

Riza Arbasto, another evacuee, said they cannot go back to their homes because of the presence of the armed group.

Sporadic fighting between the two groups continued until 10 a.m. Monday until peacekeepers intervened around noon.

Midsayap Mayor Manuel Rabara said the firefights began when MILF rebels harassed a detachment of the Citizens Armed Forces Georgraphical Unit in Barangay Baliki Sunday night.

CAFGU men had no choice but to retaliate to defend themselves.

Nestor Mallorca, Baliki's village chief, said the attackers are suspected members of the MILF's 105th Base Command. He said the raiders stole and slaughtered livestock such as goats and cows.

Mallorca also accused MILF rebels of burning at least 20 houses in Aleosan and Midsayap since last week after the skirmishes started.

Toks Ebrahim, chairman of the MILF's Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, said their accusers should present proof.

Ebrahim said MILF representatives have gone to the area to conduct investigations and identify the causes of the conflict.

Mallorca, meanwhile, said that government and MILF peace monitors have done nothing to prevent the rebels from attacking their village.

He said that every time a clash happens, peace monitors will intervene. But after monitors leave the area, MILF men will harass residents again.

The village chief appealed to both government and MILF officials to respect the ceasefire. He said it would also be better for the MILF to leave the village and let them live in peace.

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By NELSON BELTRAN
The Philippine Star Red Bull came out strong from a 10-day respite to clobber Welcoat, 103-90, and close in on an outright semifinal berth in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
The Bulls, benefiting from the postponement of its game against Sta. Lucia Sunday, led from start to finish as they made it 8-0 in their personal duel with the Dragons in the last four conferences.
Coach Yeng Guiao had the luxury of fielding all his 13 players, giving his reserves extended minutes in the one-sided victory that enhanced their bid for one of the top two spots at the end of the double-round elimination phase.
The win, its 10th against six losses, guaranteed Red Bull of at least a playoff for an outright quarterfinals seat.
"I wanted to play Sunday but I think the postponement became a blessing in disguise for us," said Guiao whose wards were supposed to have a tougher assignment in Sta. Lucia Sunday which was cancelled due to Typhoon Frank.
"The pressure is now on the other teams. Its now a waiting game for us because were closing out our elims stint in the last two playdates. By that time, weve got a clearer picture," said Guiao.
The Bulls take on the Talk n Text Phone Pals on July 4 then face the Realtors two days later.
The Dragons, now at 4-13, play their last game in the season against the Ginebra Kings also on July 4.
"They gave us some scare towards the end of the third quarter and the start of the final period. But I kept the young guys on the floor to boost their confidence," said Guiao.
Leo Najorda, Rich Alvarez, Magnum Membrere and Jojo Duncil went on to scuttle the Dragons, who battled back from a 25-point deficit.
The Dragons moved to within seven, 72-79, but the Red Bull reserves foiled them with clutch baskets from Najorda, Duncil and Mike Hrabak.
No less than 10 Bulls played at least 16 minutes with Adam Parada leading the team with 26 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in a 32-minute stint.
Curiously, top gun Cyrus Baguio and Mick Pennisi were fielded in for only 20 and 17 minutes, respectively.

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Agence France-Presse
HAVANA - The widow of legendary Cuban-Argentinian Ernesto "Che" Guevara unveiled her memoir, "Evocation," here Thursday, in which she narrates her six years with Cuba's hero before he left her to spread revolution in Africa.
Aleida March, 71, dedicated her book to "my children, my greatest source of inspiration" and to her late husband's comrade-in-arms, former Cuban president Fidel Castro, "to whom I owe everything."
"I've never given an interview to reporters, nor will I ever do so. Everything I have to say is written down in this book," March said on presenting her memoir published by Casa de las Americas.
She said that after finding it hard to think back to her few years of conjugal life with Guevara from 1959 to 1965, the inspiration for "Evocation" came some years ago from a friend's suggestion she write a movie script on her life with Che.
"I wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea. However ... I thought that, above all, I owed it to my children, and I started putting down my memories; I began writing about my life," said March, a mother of four who is director of Cuba's Center for Che Guevara Studies.
March admitted lacking a "vocation as a writer," but in her book "I put down in black and white my fondest memories."
The early years of Guevara, as a medical student traveling with a friend across South America on a motorcycle in 1952 and 1953, were brought to the big screen in Walter Salles' 2004 "Motorcycle Diaries," starring Mexico's Gael Garcia Bernal.
Guevara, who at 29 became a Cuban and internationalist guerrilla leader, was tracked down and killed in the Bolivian jungle on October 9, 1967.

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By MARIANNE V. GO
The Philippine Star The Department of Agriculture is putting up a facility wherein farmers can borrow up to P5 billion through a federation of cooperative banks and a pro-farmer party-list group.
In a memorandum of commitment, the DA, represented by Secretary Arthur Yap; the Cooperative Banks Federation of the Philippines led by Hermino Ocampo; and the Luzon Farmers Party-list group of Rep. Leonila Chavez, agreed to spur small agricultural financing in the countryside by tapping cooperative banks as a source of loans for small farmers and fisherfolk.
Under the agreement, the DA will make available a P700-million financing facility to the cooperative banking sector which will, in turn, commit to extend P5 billion in loans to small farmers.
BUTIL will "launch advocacy initiatives that would boost cooperativism and ensure the sustainability and availability of credit to small farmers and fishers, particularly through the Cooperative Bank Agri-Lending Program," the accord said.
The pact was signed right after last weeks National Food Summit at the Fontana Convention Center at the Clark Freeport in Pampanga, where President Arroyo unveiled her P43.7-billion package of fresh intervention programs to sustain Philippine agricultures high growth path and attain the countrys food sufficiency targets in the face of a looming global food crunch.
Dubbed FIELDS by the President, the pro-agriculture initiative stands for the six areas of support to which Malacañang will infuse a total of P43.7 billion in government support — fertilizer, irrigation, education and training of farmers and fisherfolk, loans, dryers and other post-harvest facilities, and seeds of the high-yielding, hybrid varieties.
One component of FIELDS is the availability of P15 billion in credit facilities for small farmers.
This fund is on top, according to President Arroyo, of the P5 billion that the Land Bank of the Philippines has set aside for lending to palay farmers.
Yap said the signing of the pact with BUTIL and Bangkoop was in step with the Presidents FIELDS program which highlights the importance of facilitating rural credit to small farmers and fisherfolk as a critical factor in sustaining agricultural growth and achieving food security.
"The cooperative banking sector has remained a steadfast player in rural financing, with a major portion of its loan portfolio lent to the agricultural sector, particularly to small farmers," Yap said.
"Thus, we need to further harness this conduit of rural credit to make more funds available to our small farm and fisheries stakeholders," Yap said.
Last week, farmers and agribusiness groups lauded, and gave their full backing to the Presidents FIELDS program as well as to the intervention programs of the DA.

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Filipino archer Mark Javier is now out of contention for an Olympic medal after he was defeated by Chinese Taipei's Kuo Cheng Wei in the men's individual Round of 32 eliminations in the archery competition held at the Olympic Green Archery Field in Beijing Wednesday afternoon.

The final score of the match was 106-102, in favor of Kuo. Kuo will move on to the Round of 16 knockout phase which was scheduled right after their match.

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Agence France-Presse
YANGON - Myanmar has asked Southeast Asian nations to coordinate the international cyclone relief effort, but regional officials here said Saturday they are frustrated by the regime's handling of the crisis.
State media on Saturday officially unveiled a new panel of national, regional and UN officials tasked with clearing any obstacles to the delivery of aid to 2.4 million cyclone victims in desperate need of help.
But Southeast Asian officials and aid workers say their efforts have been slowed by confusion among local Myanmar military commanders about whether to grant access to the hardest-hit parts of the Irrawaddy Delta.
"We don't know whether we have full access to go into the delta," said one Southeast Asian relief worker. "Last Tuesday we were told to go to Haing Gyi but were later turned back."
"The military official said there were high waves and we could not proceed," the worker said.
"But that area has been totally wiped out. There are no trees or houses standing in villages as far as the eye could see. So who will we help there?"
After hours of sloshing through mud, the medical team was finally allowed to set up in the port town of Pyinkayaing, at the southern end of Haing Gyi.
By the time they arrived, the sun was setting. With no electricity, the medics had little time to actually treat patients, leaving them frustrated at the difficult and largely wasted day, the worker said.
Military liaison officers are coordinating emergency efforts from neighbours Thailand, the Philippines , Laos and Singapore, one regional official here told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
But the liaison officers are giving conflicting signals about which areas the relief workers are allowed to cover, making it difficult to mount an effective operation, the official said.
"Government's version is that the relief efforts are in full swing," the official said. "But the reality is far from that."
"This is a humanitarian crisis, the magnitude of which is on a scale never experienced by the government before. The junta needs to realise that it has to utilise all the offers of help being extended," he added.
The problem appears to lie in the junta's fears of loosening its control, which extends over every aspect of life here from fuel rations to supplies of electronics like mobile phones and satellite television, he said.
"The junta expresses apprehension that it will lose its total grip on power once foreign aid workers arrive, because will be seen by the public as ineffective to solve their country's problem," the official said.
"But they must ease the plight of the people first, before making the crisis a political peg," he added.
Even local volunteers who want to deliver food and other supplies have trouble navigating the vast delta of interlocking channels and rivers, where a one can easily get lost in a sudden change of tide.
Officially, state media say that anyone is allowed to enter the delta. But on the ground, an AFP reporter said riot police had been deployed along the road linking two main towns devastated by the storm.
A trader in Yangon who gave his name as Maung Soe said he and his friends had collected donations, including food as well as clothes and raingear, only to be stopped at a roadblock just outside Yangon, the former capital.
"The army wanted the donations to be taken to the camp so they can distribute it themselves. But the camp does not have the people most in need," Maung Soe said.
"How can we help our brothers who survived the cyclone but are slowly dying in the open?"
Individual volunteers and community groups have tried to deliver aid on their own, but they are only able to reach a small portion of the delta, he said.
"Many, many more need help," he said, as a flock of crows settled on garbage left rotting in the open.

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Agence France-Presse
Philippine share prices closed 0.7 percent higher Tuesday on bargain hunting despite continued worries over rising inflation, dealers said.
The composite index rose 18.69 points to 2,896.15, off the day's high of 2,903.51.
The all-share index gained 8.70 points to 1,782.54.
Advancers outnumbered decliners 71 to 29, while 65 were unchanged.
Turnover improved but remained lean at P2.7 billion , from Monday's P2.4 billion.
The peso traded at 42.80 to the dollar.
"The market continues to try and complete a full recovery. But the path is fraught with pitfalls and has not been an easy trek," said Francisco Liboro of PCCI Securities.
"Investors are trying to accumulate stocks for long-term positioning now that there is less pessimism about the US economy. The subprime issue is behind us and recent economic data seems to be better than expected," said Ron Rodrigo of DBP-Daiwa Securities.
The market advanced despite oil prices staying close to record peaks.
"High oil prices and inflation worries will always be there to drag down the market, but long-term investors are going beyond that. There is still more room for an upside given attractive valuations," said Rodrigo.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone rose 0.6 percent to P2,680.
Ayala Corp. was up 1.5 percent at P350 while SM Investments added 0.9 percent to P267.50.
Manila Electric Co. fell 1.4 percent to P69 on lingering concerns about government pressure on the country's biggest power retailer to bring down its tariff rates.
San Miguel A shares ended flat at P44 while its B shares rose 1.1 percent to P46.

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Three Ateneo de Manila University students have discovered that a mixture of micro-organisms can produce bioethanol through a process called "cellulose degradation."

"What my students did recently, they tried to use rice straw. Rice straw is a by-product of agriculture, it is not used directly for food and most of the time it is burned or fed to the animals" Crisanto Lopez, professor at the Ateneo, said.

The study was initially a thesis project of Ateneans Miguel Angelo Vicente, Dulce Marie Romea and Jose Maria Villamor. It was a prerequisite for their Bachelor of Science degree.

The study showeed that rice straws have the potential to produce 205 billion liters of bioethanol per year. "It's a source that does not directly influence the price of the rice itself as a food source," the students said.

With the advent of increasing crude prices worldwide, the search for alternative fuel has been gaining ground. Like Brazil and America, the Philippines can have the same edge in producing alternative biofuel from corn and sugar cane. However, Lopez said there will be a re-allocation of both crops since it will be needed to be redistributed for food and fuel production.

"We might lose land for food production since they will be used for producing fuel. We don't want that to happen. We are an agricultural country and we want food for our people."

Lopez said that the discovery of the potential of bioethanol from rice straws is "very timely."

"Through the use of a substrate like rice straws which is just a by-product, it can help in the production of bio-ethanol which is an alternative source of fuel," Lopez said.

For cellulose degradation to be highly effective, Lopez said, "it's either you look for the most active and most effective enzymes or you just use the micro-organisms which are newly isolated or you genetically engineer microorganisms so that they can produce the enzymes."

The students used three different organisms in the experiment. This was done by using Phanaerochete chrysosporium as an alternative to sulfuric acid as the primary lignin degrader, Trichoderma reesei as the source of cellulase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the fermenting microorganism.

"They are all fungi, they are different from bacteria. Fungi are eukaryotes while bacteria are prokaryotes. Trichoderma reesei is used to produce the enzyme cellulase. In the industry, they just let the fungus produce the enzyme and then purify it. The Phanaerochete chrysosporium is a white rot fungus usually seen in old wood while theSaccharomyces cerevisiae is a yeast normally used for the fermentation of beer and other alcoholic beverages," he said.

In the study, the students used three different experimental setups. First was to test the synergistic capabilities of the three organisms. Second, the group tried to figure out if the organisms worked more efficiently when they were introduced to the rice straws one at a time.

The third setup used in the study was to determine whether the presence of Phanaerochete chrysosporium was a prerequisite for the effective production of bio-ethanol because of its capability to produce ligninase.

Secret results

Lopez said that the students had to evaluate each result of their experiment to a control set up which is currently used to produce bio-ethanol from corn and sugar cane. "The results were compared to the results of a control setup which simulated the procedure done in industrial ethanol production processes," the students noted in their research.

And after the tests were done, the students concluded that the best setup was when they combined the three organisms.

"What they just investigated is, if they could actually put the three microorganisms at the same time or one at a time, similar to sequential addition. They found out that if you place-hold the three microorganisms at the start then it will produce more bio-ethanol after fermentation. Several combinations showed that addition of the three micro-organisms at the start of the fermentation will produce more or higher bio-ethanol," Lopez said.

He added: "Now the synergistic reactions of the three micro-organisms led to the production of bio-ethanol from rice straws. But of course, this is just a preliminary study. We just wanted to show that with the use of the different micro organisms, which can produce the three different enzymes needed, we can produce bio-ethanol from rice straw as a substrate."

Lopez, a young scientist who will soon travel to Germany for his doctorate in Philosophy degree, said the research conducted by the students was related to his genetic engineering project in Japan.

"It's related to what I did in the University of Tokyo for my postgraduate training in Japan where I genetically engineered Aspergillus oryzae. It is a fungus which is very known in Japan for producing sake," he said.

"I transformed Aspergillus oryzae so that it can produce the enzyme from the lower termite. Of course you know the termite is very good in degrading wood. Kumakain sila ng wood sa bahay, that's given already, especially the members of the lower termite which can produce the cellulase," he said.

"What the scientists in Japan did, they isolated the gene responsible for producing that enzyme and then they gave us the gene and then I inserted the gene into Aspergillus oryzae which is a fungus," he said.

"And then, I tried to overexpress some other genes in the same microorganisms so I can look at which one is better, which strain is better, out of the many transformants that I did," he said.

Lopez said he cannot yet disclose the full results of his experiments since it will be published first in an international science journal. He said that after his experiment in Japan, he went back to the Philippines and suggested topics for the students who then chose to use the rice straw for their thesis project. Paolo A. Capino, Biolife News Service

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Overseas Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates are circulating e-mails asking for donations for relatives in Aklan.
Overseas Filipino worker Raymond Flores said in an e-mail "kailangan namin ng tulong."
Jannis Barrios, also an OFW, said "our kababayans in Kalibo, Aklan need assistance to escalate this to higher media as presently they dont have any more means of communication due to super typhoon Frank that strongly hit the area."

She said a Kalibo resident, who was fortunately in Manila at the time of the disaster, said "their place was totally ruined as well due to heavy rains and flash floods."
Another OFW, John Jofre de los Reyes, said "nakakatakot ang nangyari sa Kalibo, Aklan na dala ng typhoon Frank last Saturday night 'til Sunday."
Aklan was one of the areas hardest hit by typhoon Frank, which swept through the Visayas and parts of Luzon and Mindanao last weekend.
The storm also caused the MV Princess of the Stars to capsize after it ran aground Saturday near Romblon province. The ferry was carrying over 800 passengers and crew, around 600 of whom are still missing.

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More rains are still expected in Metro Manila and other regions in the western sections of Luzon as typhoon Marce maintained its strength and position on Friday morning, weather bureau PAGASA said.

As of 4 a.m., Marce's location was 340 kilometers northeast of Basco town in Batanes province. It was still slow-paced at 7 kilometers per hour and was still heading north toward Taipei, Taiwan.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of 210 kph.

PAGASA hoisted public storm signal number 1 over the Batanes Group of Islands.

The weather bureau forecast Marce will remain near the vicinity of Basco town until Sunday morning and get closer to Taipei, Taiwan by Monday.

The typhoon continued to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring rains over the western sections of Luzon and other parts of the country.

PAGASA has maintained its flashflood and landslide warnings due to heavy rains brought on by the typhoon.

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Agence France-Presse
PHUKET, Thailand - Sirens blared Monday across the resort isle of Phuket as Thailand tested its new tsunami warning system meant to prevent a repeat of the 2004 Indian Ocean tragedy.
Sirens on 79 towers across Phuket and in five neighboring provinces rang out at 9:45 am , as more than 1,000 tourists, students and emergency workers joined a brief evacuation of Thailand's world-famous beaches.
Ambulances from local hospitals rushed to the shore as medical teams helped mock victims in order to rehearse their response efforts should another tsunami strike.
In Phuket town, 1,000 students and other residents ran to high ground at Saphan Hill park, where emergency workers practiced treating them for injuries that could be sustained in a real tsunami.
Air force Colonel Chitipat Phetburananin, head of the National Disaster Warning Centre in Bangkok, said the drill had been a success and praised residents for joining in the exercise.
"The full-scale drill today ended successfully. We are satisfied with the drill. Local people are starting to take a greater role in the planning and training," he told AFP.
Phuket and five nearby seaside provinces were hit by the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which killed 5,400 people in Thailand alone -- half of them foreign holidaymakers.
A total of 220,000 people in a dozen countries were killed by the tsunami, which was triggered by an undersea earthquake that struck off Indonesia.
Since then, Thailand has installed a high-tech warning system designed to reassure tourists and businesses that the country's beaches are safe.
The coastal towers are linked to the National Disaster Warning Center, where officials monitor reports of earthquakes while studying data from a US-donated deep-sea buoy that registers changes in the sea level.

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CAMP OLIVAS, PAMPANGA - A Pasay City court sheriff was shot dead while his aide was listed in critical condition at a hospital after they were shot point blank along corner Anunas and 20th Streets in Barangay West Bajac-bajac in Olongapo City Tuesday.
Senior Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, Olongapo City police chief, said the incident occurred past 1 p.m. He identified the fatality as Ariel Centeno Valero, 45, a resident of Bacoor,Cavite.
Seriously injured was Rey Max Umandam, credit investigator of Argus Credit Corporation and a resident of Bicutan, Metro Manila. He is presently under observation at the intensive care unit of James l Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo City. An earlier report said Umandam was also killed.
Villacorta identified the suspect as Rosauro Aransanzo, proprietor of Car-Sor-Rent-a-Car located along Fedler Street. He said the suspect attempted to flee but was intercepted by policemen manning a checkpoint. The suspect was in police custody while undergoing investigation.
Police said the suspect got the ire of the victim after an alleged foreclosure of one of the units of Aransanzo.
Police said the victims had just left the place of Aransanzo after they serve a forfeiture notice.
The suspect, police said, tailed the victims and shot them several times in different parts of their body. Valero died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds.
A caliber .45 pistol believed used by the suspect in killing Valero was confiscated by the police. - Jess Malabanan

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Former police captain Reynaldo H. Jaylo and three others will each serve up to 14 years in jail after the Sandiganbayan First Division upheld its decision dated April 17, 2007 convicting the three of homicide charges.

In an 11-page resolution promulgated last May 26, the graft court declared that it cannot give due course to the defendants appeal because they failed to show up before the court when the verdict was rendered despite official summons.

Jaylo, patrolman Edgardo Castro, Pfc. William Valenzona and Antonio Habalo Jr. were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for the killings of Army Col. Rolando de Guzman, Maj. Franco Calanog and civilian Avelino Nepomuceno during a drug sting operation in Makati City in July 1990.

Jaylo and his co-accused have claimed the three fatalities were involved in drug trafficking.

In their appeal, Jaylo, Valenzona and Habalo said they were denied their ‘substantive rights when the court convicted them even in their absence. Jaylo pointed out that the court acknowledged in its ruling that he was not notified of the date of promulgation.

The Sandiganbayan, however, said the notices were individually sent to the defendants and their counsel, former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez. It said Chavez admitted that he tried but failed to locate his clients having last seen Habalo and Valenzona way back in 2002 and Jaylo in 2005.

“Jaylos failure to inform the court of his change of address means that he failed to hold himself amenable to the orders and processes of this Court. This is an unmistakable arrant breach of the conditions of his bail bond one of which is that he must appear before the proper court. Simply stated, Jaylo jumped bail,� the court said.

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BEIJING – Filipino Mark Javier could not get over his first Olympic jitters as he fell to Taiwanese ace Kuo Cheng Wei, 106-102, in a battle of nerves and crashed out of the elimination round of the archery individual event Wednesday at the Olympic Green Archery Range here.

Javier, ranked 36th after the ranking round, and the 29th ranked Taiwanese were tied at 86 going into the last two arrows. Kuo made a perfect 10, while Javier shot an 8 in the 11th.

The Taiwanese wrapped it up with another bulls eye, taking the fight out of the Filipino who went on to finish his shot – another 8.

Kuo advanced to the round of 16 of the 64-player, knockout competition.

This is a war of nerves. What I experienced here is different from what I had in the World Cup and the World Championships, said Javier, 27, of his Olympic debut.

The 12-arrow Olympic format, where a player could win with the breaks of the game, was simply not cut out for the Filipino who is used to 72-arrow competition, which makes allowances for player adjustments.

Javier got off on the wrong foot right in the first two arrows, shooting double 8s against Kuos double 9.

In a one-on-one you have to make good your first shots. What I did in the practice range before the match – footing and stance — was what I did in the match, but I had to adjust my sight after that because the target was low, said the 5-9, 110 lb bet from Dumaguete.

Kuo had a 9-9 in the next two shots against Javiers 9-7 for a four-shot lead.

On the fifth and sixth shot, it was the Taiwaneses turn to falter. He had an 8 against Javiers 9 in the fifth arrow and a disastrous 5 in the sixth against Javiers 9, giving Javier a 50-49 lead going into the last six arrows.

When he scored a 5 I didnt notice until I saw on the scoreboard I was one point ahead, he said.

But the Taiwanese, third in the world championships last year, showed nerves of steel. He leveled the count at 67 when he shot a 9-9 against 9-8 by Javier. Javier matched Kuos bulls eye on his ninth shot, and were both equal anew with identical 9s on the 10th.

Then came the Taiwaneses two perfect 10s.

Its only here that I experienced a close encounter. My experience here is different from what I had in the World Cup and World Championships, said Javier. This is the first time I played before a huge crowd. Its an experience like no other.

Over 1,000 fans from the Mainland cheered Kuo, who comes from a province of China. Among the Filipinos in the stands was Philippine Olympic Committee secretary general Steve Hontiveros.

Ill first take a rest, then Ill evaluate my options, said the Silliman U information technology student, who is not ruling out a comeback.

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By MIRIAM GRACE A. GO /Newsbreak
Supreme Court can void exploration deal
The Philippines can still back out of the exploration deal with China and Vietnam that threatens to weaken its claim on the Spratly group of islands southwest of Palawan—if the Supreme Court declares the tripartite agreement void. And in the event that the joint marine seismic undertaking agreement is voided, it could still be a ground to impeach President Arroyo and to charge her and other responsible executive officials for graft, according to lawyers abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak consulted.

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Mount Kanlaon, a popular tourist destination in the Visayas, will remain closed to trekkers this Holy Week.

According to the Protected Areas Management Board, alert level 1 is still up over one of the countrys active volcanoes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level over Kanlaon after it monitored some low frequency volcanic earthquakes on Feb. 10, 2008.

The PHILVOLCS Web site said that alert level 1 means that the volcano is at a slightly elevated unrest and volcanic activity could lead to steam and ash ejections.

Local residents and tourists have been advised not to enter the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.

The mountain is located between the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.