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(PNA) MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has chosen Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, commander of the Armed Forces the Philippines – Southern Luzon Command as new AFP chief of staff, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced on Monday.

“The change of command for the new AFP chief of staff will be on August 8. This will give time for Gen. Bacarro to wind down at the SOLCOM and provide him with the transition to his new position in Camp Aguinaldo,” Cruz-Angeles said.

A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Bacarro was born on Sept. 18, 1966 in San Fernando, La Union. He graduated in the upper quartile of PMA “Maringal” Class of 1988.

Angeles said outgoing CS-AFP Gen. Andres Centino, a classmate of Bacarro in PMA, is slated for a new post befitting a former chief of staff.

Republic Act 11709, signed by President Duterte on April 13 this year sets a fixed three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, the major service commanders (Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy), unified command commanders, and inspector general “unless sooner terminated by the President.”

“Based on RA 11709, Gen. Bacarro will be the first CSAFP to be given a fixed three-year term,” Angeles said.

Shortly after graduation, Bacarro was assigned with the 5th Infantry Division in Isabela province at the height of the counter-insurgency campaign in the Cagayan Valley from June 1988 until 1995.. Read More

(Cebu Daily News) CEBU CITY, Philippines — Nicole Borromeo made Cebuanos very proud after she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas International.

Borromeo, who represented Cebu City in the pageant, was crowned with three other queens – Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Gabrielle Camille Basiano (Eastern Samar), Bb. Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez (Tacloban City) and Bb. Pilipinas Grand International Roberta Angela Tamondong (San Pablo Laguna).

The 21-year-old interior design student received congratulatory messages from fellow Cebuanos after she won the crown.

“📣 CEBU CITY AGAIN ❤️

Congratulations to Miss Millennial 2019 and Cebu’s Sinulog Festival Queen 2019, Nicole Borromeo, for winning Bb. Pilipinas International 2022 crown… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The Court of Appeals has ordered the filing of rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against TV host and actor Vhong Navarro related to the 2014 incident involving model-stylist Deniece Cornejo.

CA’s 14th Division reversed the decision of the Department of Justice in 2018 and 2020 to dismiss the complaints filed by Cornejo in 2014 accusing Navarro of attempted rape.

DOJ previously ruled that the rape complaints lacked probable cause. In junking the first complaint, DOJ prosecutors said there were “major inconsistencies” in her complaint-affidavits. In the second one, DOJ denied it for “appearing that the sexual encounter between Cornejo and Navarro was consensual.”

CA, in a decision released to the media on July 31, said it was erroneous for the DOJ to deny Cornejo’s petition for review on the ground that her statements in the complaint-affidavits are inconsistent and incredible. It said the preliminary investigation conducted by DOJ is not the venue to determine who is guilty or innocent.

It stressed that issues of credibility should be adjudged during the trial proper.

“Ultimately, it falls upon the trial court to determine who between Navarro and Cornejo speaks the truth. Cornejo decries attempted rape on the night of January 22, 2014 while Navarro denies any wrongdoing on his part,” it said.

The court also took note of Navarro’s own admission that he and Cornejo had consensual oral sex on January 17, 2014… Read More

(SunStar) THE 12th President of the Philippines, Fidel Valdez Ramos, has passed away at the age of 94.

Based on reports, Ramos, also known as FVR, succumbed to complications due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection at the Makati Medical Center on Sunday, July 31, 2022.

In a statement, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it mourns the death of Ramos.

“The nation lost a great leader. We are one with our fellow countrymen in expressing our deepest condolences to the family of the former president,” PNP Public Information Office chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba said.

“He shall be remembered for his valuable contribution [to] improving the lives of the Filipinos. More than being a military leader and a government official, he served as a good example to humanity through his incomparable wisdom and deeds,” he added.

Ramos, a native of Lingayen, Pangasinan, is the second former president who died in the past 13 months.

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, the 15th president of the Republic, died at the age of 61 on June 24, 2021.

Ramos is the second president in the post-Martial Law Philippines, succeeding Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, the 11th president and Noynoy’s mother.

Ramos’ term began on June 30, 1992 and ended on June 30, 1998… Read More

(Journal Online) CAMP SIONGCO, Awang, DOS, Maguindanao – A high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) and two (2) other communist rebels were killed in a series of encounters at Brgy Baluan, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat on July 30, 2022.

Colonel Michael Santos, Commander of the 603rd Infantry (Persuader) Brigade, said the four successive armed encounters resulted in the killing of Ian Dela Rama alias Cris, a commanding officer of the regional operations command of the Far South Mindanao Region. He was also a former secretary of Front 4A, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee from May 2018 to May 2019. Rama has an existing warrant of arrest with criminal case # 23022 for arson, filed at Branch 3 in Butuan City.

“Also neutralized in the gun fights were Valerio Lacumbo with aliases as Bitoy, Bobit, and Delfin with an existing warrant of arrest with criminal case # 568-2007 for robbery with violence against or intimidation of a person filed in a local court at Kidapawan City and Wilmer Dela Cruz alias Dodong/Grab, a member of Dabu-Dabu Platoon of the South Regional Command of Daguma, Far South Mindanao Region,” Col. Santos said.

Government troops were able to recover two (2) M16A1 Rifles, one (1) Garand Rifle, two (2) Caliber 45 Pistols, one (1) Hand Grenade, one (1) long and one (1) short magazine for the M16, three (3) magazines for the Caliber 45 pistol, ammunition, eleven (11) assorted keypad cell phones, five (5) pieces of flash drives, cash amounting to three thousand and thirty pesos (P3,030.00), assorted sim cards, assorted medicines, two (2) bandoliers, power bank, and other war materials… Read More

(GMA News) Almost P1.3 billion would be needed for the repair and construction of over 9,000 schools affected by Wednesday’s magnitude 7 earthquake in northern Luzon, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).

The DepEd on Friday said 9,539 schools have been affected by the strong tremors while 226 were damaged. Of which, 132 were from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), 49 were from Ilocos Region, 25 from Cagayan Valley Region, 18 from Central Luzon Region, one in Metro Manila, and one in CALABARZON.

At least 442 classrooms were totally damaged while 636 need major repair work.

“Accordingly, an estimated Php 1.298 billion is needed for the repair and reconstruction of totally and partially major damaged classrooms,” DepEd said in a statement.

The personnel in majority of the affected schools have already resumed work on Thursday, July 28 after operations were suspended in light of the incident, the agency added… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday confirmed that the country has recorded its first case of monkeypox.

In a Palace briefing, Health Undersecretary Beverly Ho said the patient is a 31-year-old Filipino who arrived from abroad on July 19. The patient had prior travel to countries with documented monkeypox cases.

Ho, who is also the DOH alternate spokesperson, said the person tested positive for the disease after undergoing RT-PCR test. She added that the patient is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home.

The department did not disclose the gender, travel history, and residence of the confirmed monkeypox case.

The DOH added it has identified 10 close contacts, including three from the same household. But Ho said the close contacts are not exhibiting any symptoms and are being monitored.

Monkeypox was earlier declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern.

Monkeypox is a less severe cousin of smallpox that originated from animals and can be transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected individual such as through body fluids, sores or contaminated items, health authorities said.

The WHO earlier noted that most of the monkeypox cases are among men who had sex with other men. However, monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted disease… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) expressed its support for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s plan to strengthen the country’s healthcare system by building specialty hospitals across the Philippines as well as “prioritizing the welfare” of medical frontliners.

Marcos disclosed this plan in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) held on Monday, July 25.

“CHED is facilitating the production of the critical manpower for the President’s plan to build specialty hospitals all over the country. Through the Doktor Para sa Bayan Law, we have authorized the opening of new medical programs in seven universities and recently lifted the 11-year-old moratorium on the offering of new nursing programs in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),” said CHED in a press statement on Wednesday, July 27.

Through these newly-implemented medical and nursing programs, the Commission highlighted that the country will now be able to produce additional nurses and doctors who may man the additional hospitals that the country is planning to build.

To further encourage aspiring medical professionals, CHED highlighted that there are now 15 public institutions with free medical education in the Philippines… Read More