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State of calamity declared in Mindanao amid power crisis

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has approved a recommendation declaring a state of calamity in Mindanao, allowing government to use disaster funds to address the power crisis besetting the Philippines’ second-largest island. This was disclosed on Thursday by Mindanao Development Authority chairman Jesus Dureza, who, until last year, was the Arroyo government’s press secretary.   Dureza made this disclosure while accompanying the President during a visit in Zamboanga del Norte, a separ...

Noynoy doesn’t buy transition promise

SURIGAO DEL NORTE , Philippines  – Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III yesterday warned that President Arroyo’s assurance of a smooth turnover to the next president may be a hollow one. Aquino said there are indications that Mrs. Arroyo could have been making decisions to ensure her stay in power beyond her term of office on June 30, citing the appointment of Maj. Gen. Delfin Bangit as the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).   An...

Kris helps brother Noynoy woo Zamboanga City vote

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Thousands of supporters, some of them clad in yellow, went wild as showbiz celebrity Kris Aquino took the stage Wednesday night at the Joaquin F. Enriquez sports complex in this famed port city of the South. But Kris, clad in a black top with a small yellow map of the Philippines printed on the side, was not there to promote a show or a movie: she was there to ask the supporters who showed up—numbering at least 50,000—to vote for her brother, presidential aspirant Senator Benigno...

GMA vows peaceful transition of power

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo yesterday vowed to ensure a peaceful turnover of power to the next chief executive on June 30, assuring critics that she would not stay a day longer in office. In a speech to the military, Mrs. Arroyo said she would respect the nation’s democratic process, which requires her to make way for a new president who would be elected on May 10.   The President said “the change of command that we are having now reminds ourselves that leaders are transient ...

Villar statistically tied with Noynoy in new SWS survey

Senators Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III and Manuel Villar Jr. continued to engage in a neck and neck race for the country’s top post, and were statistically tied two months before the May 10 elections, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed. The SWS poll, commissioned by BusinessWorld, showed that while Aquino remained the top pick among presidential aspirants, Villar appeared to be catching up.   It noted that while both Aquino and Villar had lost ground, ...