Nadia Montenegro denies theft charges

Nadia Montenegro denies theft charges against her; Annabelle Rama to face oral defamation raps

Muling nauwi sa sigawan ang paghaharap nina Annabelle Rama at Nadia Montenegro sa piskal ng San Juan kahapon, Enero 30, para sa preliminary investigation ng kasong pagnanakaw na isinampa ng talent manager laban sa dating aktres.
Ayon kay Annabelle, walang paalam na kinuha umano ni Nadia ang ilang kagamitan mula sa kanyang warehouse na nagkakahalaga ng Php 500,000—kasama dito ang 10 antique chairs, Sony TV set, three beds at mga mamahaling cooking ware.
Ngunit mariing pinabulaanan naman ito ni Nadia, na sinasabing binili niya ang naturang hospital bed mula kay Annabelle. “There were even some things in her storage that I was able to help her sell. Nabenta ko yung mga hospital bed niya, and I paid her [P15,000 worth of] cash for that.”
Ikinagalit naman ito ng husto ng talent manager at saka nagsisisigaw na wala siyang natatanggap na ano mang pera mula sa aktres. “Hindi mo gamit ibinenta mo? Ang kapal ng mukha mo, day! Binili niya yung hospital bed? Kinuha niya ng walang paalam sa akin! Hindi ko ipasasauli, may mga germs na yun! Wala akong kinuha ni piso sa’yo! Ikaw ang may utang sa akin, magbayad ka,” nanggagalaiting sambit ni Annabelle.
Inabangan ni Annabelle si Nadia sa parking lot ng San Juan Justice Hall upang doon sila magtuos, “Lumabas ka dyan, sinungaling ka, halika rito, duwag! Nadia Montenegro, bumaba ka diyan, magnanakaw!” Pero hindi lumabas ng opisina ang aktres hanggang sa makaalis ito. 
Ngayon ay planong sampahan ni Nadia ng kasong grave oral defamation si Annabelle dahil sa ginawa nitong pageeskandalo at pagbabanta sa kanya sa meeting nila sa piskal. “We will file the necessary action. If she can do this here in court, I don’t know what she can do if I see her outside. I’m not scared of her, but I am not like her. And I just intend to continue protecting my kids and fight for what is true,” mahinahong pahayag ni Nadia.
Umapila si Nadia na ibasura ang isinampang theft case laban sa kanya dahil hindi umano sakop ng piskal ng San Juan ang insidenteng ibinibintang sa kanya na naganap sa Quezon City. Umaasa din siya na matapos na agad ang pagdinig ng kasong child abuse na isinampa niya laban naman kay Annabelle sa Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. 

Sa February 6 nakatakdang magharap muli sa korte sina Annabelle at Nadia. –Report from TV Patrol

Clinton vowed US military support to Philippines

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her recent visit to Manila last month, gave an emphatic message of support from the US government to all its allies, including the Philippines as the country 'move to improve our territorial defense and interdiction capability.'

This message is timely while the archipelago is facing a territorial dispute with China. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that the US government is seriously considering granting the Philippines' request for a squadron or a 12-fighter jets fleet of F-16s. The US has been providing the Philippines $53 million for coast watch since 2007.

De Lima, Marquez among 18 prosecution witnesses in Corona trial

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will be among the 18 witnesses for the prosecution to testify against Chief Justice Renato Corona’s alleged betrayal of public trust over an aborted overseas medical travel of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband.

De Lima will testify along with two associate justices of the Supreme Court and its spokesman and court administrator Midas Marquez, a copy of the list of witnesses and documents e-mailed to INQUIRER.net by the office of Bayan Muna partylist Representative Neri Colmenares showed.

Colmenares is among the prosecution team members in charge of Article 7, which accuses Corona of betrayal of public trust when the high tribunal granted the temporary restraining order against a travel ban issued by the Department of Justice on the Arroyo couple.

De Lima will testify on the various criminal charges filed against Arroyo and her husband, that the Arroyos had reasons other than health in trying to leave the country; and that the serving of the TRO to the DOJ was made ahead of submitting the requirements for it last November 15.

Also on the list of witnesses are members of the broadcast and print media, like Raissa Robles of South China Morning Post, Marites Vitug of Rappler.com, and Criselda Yabes who will testify on the alleged close relationship of Corona with Arroyo. ABS-CBN news reporter Ina Reformina and another unidentified journalist will testify that the TRO allowing the Arroyos to leave was issued shortly before 6 p.m. last November 15 while the compliance with the TRO requirements were made only after 6 p.m. of the same day.

The Supreme Court associate justices who will be called to testify are Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Justice Presibetero J. Velasco, Jr.  The two, along with Marquez, will testify on the alleged rushed issuance of the TRO by Corona “in order to give the Arroyos an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice…”

Cordillera’s favorite food awaiting patent

BAGUIO CITY—Sagada, the most popular tourist destination in Mt. Province, wants to patent its homegrown etag, an indigenous salted meat dish that is the favorite in almost every ritual feast (cañao) of the Cordillera.Residents who mount the Etag Festival every February have started the process to acquire the patent for the native way of preparing the delicacy, given the interest it has drawn from people outside the region.Etag is called kinuday by the Ibaloi and kiniing by the Kankanaey in Benguet, but these tribes have almost similar ways for smoking and curing pork meat in time for their clan festivals.Some provinces cure their etag by hanging the meat over a raging fire. Other provinces store the meat in earthen jars to stew in its own juice for weeks.Etag is then boiled in a broth containing vegetables and pinikpikan (native chicken that is killed slowly from the blows of a stick before its skin and feathers are burned in open flame). A slab of etag is sold for P150 per 250 grams in the local markets.The Highland Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (Harrdec) in La Trinidad, Benguet, believes there are ways to popularize the delicacy by improving its quality.Dr. Sonwright Maddul, consortium director, said researchers had drawn up a paper detailing how to make etag palatable as cuisine for non-Igorots.“When you see a piece of etag, what do you usually think of? It has a foul smell. It is rotten. It is not appealing and it is kadiri (gross) because it has maggots. Even the packaging is not appealing,” he said.In 2009, Harrdec undertook the project, “Value adding of pork based ethnic delicacy (etag) for commercialization,” which was jointly financed by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development and Benguet State University.

Maddul said even the family-cultured meat did not follow a strict code that was handed down by elders. “The procedures, such as salting, smoking, curing and preserving, were just estimations. The quality [of each set of etag] was not consistent,” he said.

“We were motivated to standardize the process of etag preparation [that would pass sanitation rules and culinary taste],” he said. With a report from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon

Police recover 21 vintage bombs at Binondo warehouse

Manila, Philippines—Twenty one (21) vintage bombs were recovered by police at a warehouse in Binondo, Manila, Monday afternoon, a Philippine National Police official said.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the 21 pieces of 155-millimeter Howitzer vintage bombs were recovered inside Great Way Ventures Warehouse at 205 Jaboneros Street in Binondo, Manila around 12 noon.

In a separate interview with Police Officer 2 Allan Pancho, an official from the Manila Police District Explosive Ordnance Disposal department, he said the bombs were recovered in an elevator by workers who are renovating the building for its new owner.

“Hindi namin ito hinukay. Nakita ito sa elevator at ini-report sa amin (We didn’t dig this. We saw this at the elevator and it was reported to us),” Pancho said.

Pancho said the bombs will be turned over to the National Capital Region Police Office for proper disposal.

E-Live will be replaced by Showbiz Inside Report

E-Live will be replaced by Showbiz Inside Report, to be hosted by Carmina Villarroel, Janice de Belen, Ogie Diaz and Joey Marquez

Noong August 4, 2007 unang napanood sa ABS-CBN ang Saturday talk show naEntertainment Live. Natunghayan natin ang pagpapalit palit ng mga hosts tulad nina Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzales at Mariel Rodriguez kasama nina si Luis Manzano na nagsimula ng naturang talk show. Naging host din sina Cesca Litton at K Brosas. At recently naging hosts rin sina Nikki Gil, Ogie Diaz, Luis Manzano at bumalik rin si Bianca Gonzales. Natunghayan ng PEP.ph ang madamdaming pagtatapos ng E-Live noong Sabado, January 28. Nagkaroon ang PEP.ph ng pagkakataon na makausap si Ogie Diaz kung ano ang pakiramdam niya sa pagtatapos ng kanilang talk show at kung ano ang papalit na show, at ito ang kanyang ilang pahayag.

Marissa arrested in Las Vegas

Marissa Lapid, wife of Senator Lito Lapid, was arrested at the Las Vegas International Airport last January 15, following dollar-smuggling charges filed against her last November 2011. Last year, Marissa was caught carrying into the U.S. a bag and socks filled with a total of $50,000 in cash, when she had declared that she only had $10,000 with her.

Senator Lito Lapid's wife Marissa arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly smuggling $50,000 

Inaresto si Marissa Lapid ng ilang agents ng United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pagkalapag ng kinalulunanan nitong eroplano sa Las Vegas International Airport dahil sa kasong dollar smuggling.

 Ang kaso ay isinampa laban sa kanya noon pang Nobyembre ng 2011.

 Kinumpirma mismo ni Senator Lito Lapid na inaresto ang asawa niya sa Las Vegas noong Enero 15.

 Pero ayon kay Senator Lapid, nakalaya rin ang kanyang maybahay pagkatapos nitong magpiyansa.

 Ayon sa report ni Ding Cervantes para sa ABS-CBN News, mananatili sa Las Vegas si Marissa habang hinihintay ang resolution ng kaso kaugnay ng pagpupuslit diumano nito ng $50,000 noong Nobyembre.

 Isang American lawyer daw ang tumutulong ngayon kay Marissa.

 Humingi na rin ng tulong si Senador Lapid sa Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs upang alamin ang tunay na pangyayari.

 Inaresto si Marissa dahil sa US federal warrant na isinampa laban sa kanya noong January 5, 2012.

 Ito ay kaugnay ng una niyang pagkaaresto noong November 27, 2011, dahil sa tangkang pagpupuslit ng dolyares.

 Nagsumite ng affidavit ang US authorities na nahuli si Marissa pagkatapos nitong ideklara sa Customs personnel sa Las Vegas International Airport na meron lamang siyang dalang $10,000.

 Pero nang halughugin ang kanyang bagahe, natagpuan ang dalawang medyas na naglalaman ng tigte-$10,000.

 May natagpuan ding $20,000 sa loob ng kanyang bag.

 Sa ilalim ng batas ng U.S., ang sinumang nagdadala ng higit sa $10,000 cash ay kailangang mag-fill out ng Customs Form 4790, at isumite ito sa mga awtoridad ng Customs sa airport.

 Kailangan ding maging handa ang sinumang may hawak ng ganung halaga na patunayan na sa kanya nga ang naturang pera.

 Ayon pa sa report ng ABS-CBN, noong ding panahong nakita sa Las Vegas airport ang dollars, binawi ng U.S. Customs officials kay Marissa ang kaniyang $50,000 na cash, habang iniimbestigahan ang kaso.

 Pero pinalaya raw noon si Marissa nang walang piyansa at walang reklamong isinampa laban sa kanya.

 Ayon kay Atty. Filmer Abrajano, chief of staff ni Senator Lapid, hindi malinaw ang impormasyong nakuha nila tungkol kay Marissa.

 Hindi rin niya masabi kung bakit pinakawalan si Marissa noong Nobyembre 2011.

 Sabi pa ni Atty. Abrajano, hinuli si Marissa nang bumalik ito sa Las Vegas nitong January 15, 2012.

 Pero wala raw kaalam-alam ang maybahay ni Senator Lapid na may isinampang kaso laban sa kanya.