Pinoy Meets World

A devoted Filipina maid inherited six million Singapore dollars (more than $4 million) from her late employer after more than 20 years of service, a newspaper report said Wednesday.

“I am the luckiest maid in Singapore, with or without the money,” the 47-year-old single woman — identified only by the pseudonym “Christine” — told the Straits Times in an interview.

The maid refused to be named in public for fear of possible threats to her life in the impoverished Philippines, where wealthy people have been kidnapped for ransom and some killed by their abductors.  Read more... (192 words, 1 image, estimated 46 secs reading time)

Fugitive Senator Panfilo Lacson was last spotted in Rome by intelligence agents, National Bureau of Investigation director Magtanggol Gatdula said on Thursday.

At a news briefing, Gatdula also called on his former boss to surrender already so the investigation on the November 2000 killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito may finally begin again.

“We are exerting all our efforts. As far as the last monitoring sa kaniya, dun sa may Rome. [We are] continuing interaction and cooperation with the Interpol,” Gatdula said, referring to the International Crime Police Organization which has issued a Red Notice for Lacson’s arrest.  Read more... (254 words, 1 image, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)

July 8, Thursday

Daytime:

1. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) – 8.1%
2. Basahang Ginto (GMA-7) – 6.7%
3. Trudis Liit (GMA-7) – 6.3%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) – 5.8%
5. Showtime (ABS-CBN) – 5.2%
6. Rosalka (ABS-CBN) – 4.9%
7. Hole in the Wall (GMA-7) – 4.8%
8. Panahon Ko ‘To (ABS-CBN) – 3.9%
9. Laf En Rol (GMA-7) – 3.7%
10. Impostor (ABS-CBN) – 3.5%

Primetime:

1. Agua Bendita (ABS-CBN) – 16.5%
2. Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo (ABS-CBN) – 15.5%
3. Endless Love (GMA-7) – 14.4%
4. Diva (GMA-7) – 14.2%
5. 24 Oras (GMA-7) – 12.9%
6. Pilyang Kerubin (GMA-7) – 12.8%
7. Queen Seon Deok (GMA-7) – 12.6%
8. Magkaribal (ABS-CBN) – 12%
9. TV Patrol (ABS-CBN) – 11.3%
10. Rubi (ABS-CBN) – 9.2%  Read more... (642 words, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)

The government’s savings and shelter financing agency has withdrawn its original plan to impose mandatory membership for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) as a requirement to process their employment papers, a Hong Kong-based group said Wednesday.

In a statement, the Hong Kong chapter of a women’s rights group said Pag-IBIG chief executive officer Jaime Fabiaña declared that they would not force OFWs to become members of Pag-IBIG, nor will it be made a requirement to process their documents.

Gabriela-HK chairperson Cynthia Abdon-Tellez said Fabiaña announced this in a forum with leaders of OFW organizations on February 1 at the Philippine Consulate General in the Chinese territory.  Read more... (152 words, estimated 36 secs reading time)

MANILA, Philippines – “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have reportedly agreed to terms to fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title, according to a report by ESPN.com.

“Shane has signed. I sat with him [Friday] and we went through every provision of the contract and he signed,” Mosley’s attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com. “He is excited to move forward with the bout.”

The fight is set on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mayweather, who has yet to sign the contract, has reportedly expressed his intent to fight Mosley, according to Ellerbe.  Read more... (128 words, estimated 31 secs reading time)

MANILA, Philippines – Gilbert Teodoro found himself in the hot seat at a youth forum Friday when he and other presidential candidates were asked whether they would make President Macapagal-Arroyo accountable for anything anomalous that happened in her administration.

At the forum at the De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila campus, moderator Ted Failon asked the presidential hopefuls: “Is there something for which President Arroyo should be held accountable? How should she be made accountable?”

At first, Teodoro, the administration presidential candidate, hesitated to give an answer, saying his previous working relationship with the President bars him from doing so.  Read more... (173 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with a group of Filipino-American experts on urban planning, will visit the Philippines next week to assist in the ”heavy lifting” of the Philippine government’s reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

Executive Director Butch Meily of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, which serves as partner of the Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission (SNPRC), announced the scheduled arrival of the California-based experts on reconstruction and rehabilitation along with the Hollywood action hero-turned-politician.

He said in a press briefing last Thursday that Schwarzenegger and company ”will be spending days” in Manila to share with their counterparts their practices and strategies in addressing damages brought by catastrophes.  Read more... (188 words, estimated 45 secs reading time)