MARAWI CITY, Philippines – Army troops killed the leader of a criminal gang that kidnapped the son of Commission on Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph during an encounter in Lanao del Sur on Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, Army 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, said Dimaporo Maniri Dimasacal alias Delta was killed in a shootout after soldiers caught up with his band in the towns of Masiu and Lumba-Bayabao.

Last Tuesday, Dimasacal’s band ambushed the soldiers who were on their way to nearby...

CHIEF PEACE NEGOTIATOR University of the Philippines law dean Marvic Leonen explains his new role. LYN RILLON

 MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III has assembled a new panel to negotiate peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and ruled out at the outset the establishment of a separate territory that the secessionist group demanded during the Arroyo administration.

The President has instructed the new team to “review the past agreements and recommend how we can move...

MANILA, Philippines – A National Bureau of Investigation official is not yet off-the-hook despite revealing an alleged attempt to bribe a witness in the Maguindanao massacre.

In a press conference Thursday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said NBI regional director Ric Diaz will undergo investigation despite revealing the bribe attempt to Maguindanao massacre witness Kenny Dalagdag. “Nobody is off-the-hook yet. There must be a proactive and dynamic approach na pinapakita agad sa sitwasyong...

MAKATI Mayor Jejomar Binay has agreed to chair the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), Malacañang confirmed on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a text message to reporters that President Aquino welcomes the decision of Binay, who was earlier given five government positions to choose from.

“The President welcomes the Vice President’s acceptance of HUDCC. He had reiterated his offer in view of his desire for a unified administration to serve the...

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is not closed to the use of nuclear energy to provide the country with adequate power, especially in Mindanao, but is no longer keen on reviving the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant (BNPP) because of the high cost this would entail.

The BNPP was completed in 1984 but was never used. Mr. Aquino’s cousin, former Pangasinan congressman Mark Cojuangco, had filed House Bill 4631 seeking to rehabilitate the BNPP.

Cojuangco’s wife Kimi, who succeeded him...

MANILA — Typhoon Conson ripped through the Philippines' main island on Wednesday, leaving at least eight people dead, sweeping shanties into the sea and leaving a trail of wreckage in Manila.Nineteen fishermen who were at sea when the typhoon, packing maximum gusts of 120 kilometres (74 miles) an hour, hit the Southeast Asian archiepelago were also missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

Police reported two people died and three others were injured when they were hit by a ...

MANILA, Philippines - Weather over Luzon island is expected to improve Wednesday night as Tropical Storm "Basyang" (international name Conson) leaves the Philippines' area of responsibility, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that as of 10 a.m., the tropical storm was located 150 kilometers southwest of Iba, Zambales, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 120 kph.

It...

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang Sunday challenged Ombudsman Merceditas “Merci” Gutierrez to prove her independence in handling cases that may be filed against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, even as lawmakers warned it would be difficult to impeach Gutierrez because Arroyo would block such a move.

President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, said the proposed truth commission to be headed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. would ensure th...

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has nullified the order issued by the Ombudsman in January placing 22 Davao high-raking police officers under six-month preventive suspension for their failure to resolve more than 300 cases of summary executions recorded from 2005 to 2008 allegedly perpetrated by the so-called Davao Death Squad.

In a 12-page ruling issued by Associate Justice Mario Lopez, the CA’s Former Special Sixteenth Division held that the Ombudsman committed grave abuse of discretion for sole...

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed Jesse Robredo, a former head of the national association of city mayors, as head of the Interior and Local Government Department, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said Friday.

The President held the post in a concurrent capacity from June 30 until he tapped Robredo, a former Naga City mayor and who led the League of Cities of the Philippines in 1995.

Mr. Aquino has also appointed retired National Police director Magtanggol Gatdula as head of the N...

Authorities arrested on Thursday night 5 Chinese nationals and seized at least 20 kilograms of shabu worth about P100 million after raiding a makeshift laboratory in Sta. Ana, Manila.

Metro Manila Police Chief Roberto Rosales three male suspects and a woman were caught during the 7 p.m. raid of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force in a townhouse on New Panaderos Street.

He said two more suspects were arrested when they arrived during the raid.

According to Rosales, one o...

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Panfilo Lacson may be missing the past six months, but he is getting a new office in the Senate.

Lacson has been assigned to the office of former Sen. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, who ran and lost as a presidential candidate in the May 10 elections.

On Thursday, staff members and repairmen were busy at work repainting the new and very white office of Lacson. The furniture has yet to come in but some pictures, including that of Lacson, had already been put in pla...

A PEACE advocate and human-rights lawyer, and a family lawyer are among the 28 prominent figures in the legal profession vying for the lone vacancy in the Supreme Court (SC).

Court Administrator and Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez identified the two candidates as incumbent Commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Rene Sarmiento and lawyer Ma. Carolina “Katrina” Legarda.

Marquez said among the 28 who were either nominated or applied for the SC post, the two are considered outsiders...