MANILA, Philippines – Filipino troops detailed as peacekeepers in Haiti were trapped inside a collapsed building housing the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Port-au-Prince following a massive quake that devastated the Caribbean nation yesterday morning.

Other Filipino peacekeepers rushed to the scene to dig out their comrades and other UN workers from the ruins of the seven-story building, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Reporting to the DFA, the Philippine Mission in the United Nations said it could not determine at this point if there were any casualties among members of the Philippine military and police contingents.  Read more... (168 words, estimated 40 secs reading time)

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Freddie Roach could meet a boxer for the first time, shake his hand, peer into his eyes, and see the future.

In Manny Pacquiao, the renowned trainer saw the makings of a world champion, a glittering gem from an uncut, unpolished stone.

But something else escaped Roach’s ring clairvoyance: A crowning beyond the alphabet titles nobody foresaw.

“I didn’t see this coming,” said Roach, recalling the first time he worked the mitts with the boxing icon early in 2001 at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. “I never thought he’ll be this great.”  Read more... (267 words, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

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It’s not impossible to mess with the machines that will be used in the automated elections, but the likelihood of hacking them is the same as winning the lotto five consecutive times.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials made the statement Tuesday following the hacking of five government websites since December 2009.

In an interview on dwIZ radio, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal assured that the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used in the country’s first nationwide automated polls operate independently of each other and utilize 128-bit encryption —the same security strength used in banks around the world.  Read more... (210 words, estimated 50 secs reading time)

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A MODERATE QUAKE struck Central Luzon Tuesday night, shaking parts of Metro Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said the quake registered a magnitude of 5.2 with the epicenter estimated at 30 km southeast of Olongapo.

Full Story: Inquirer

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MANILA — A 19-year-old Saudi Arabian man dressed as a pilot was arrested Tuesday after he illegally entered a restricted area in the main airport in the Philippines, an airport official said.

“He was able to elude our security by misrepresenting himself as a pilot of Saudia,” said airport general manager Alfonso Cusi, referring to the Saudi Arabian flag carrier.

The incident at Manila airport comes after officials in the Philippines and around the world said they would boost security after the botched attempt to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day.  Read more... (204 words, estimated 49 secs reading time)

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Another government Web site was found defaced Sunday night – the fifth attack since last month.

Hackers of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Web site, however, took on a bolder approach by leaving a message that seemed to mock the upcoming automated elections.

“Ano ba gagamitin sa Election? Blade server? Juniper Firewall (what is going to be used in the elections? Blade server? Juniper firewall)?” the message read.

HACK YOU. A screen capture of the defaced Tesda Web site as of 11:12 p.m. Sunday.

Before Tesda’s, hackers had also victimized the Web sites of the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).  Read more... (154 words, 1 image, estimated 37 secs reading time)

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Many may see Saturday’s celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene as a mark of Filipino piety, but a senior Catholic Church official lamented the display of “excess” devotion during the event.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales scored many followers for trying to get near the image of the Black Nazarene, even if it meant injuring their fellow devotees.

Earlier reports said at least two people died while hundreds were injured in the yearly procession of the image of the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have miraculous powers.  Read more... (155 words, estimated 37 secs reading time)

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A fourth church in Malaysia has been firebombed, stoking concern among Christians as a dispute rages over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.

The attack was the latest in a series of assaults, just days after a Kuala Lumpur court ruled non-Muslims could use Allah to refer to God in their literature.

Bishop Philip Loke said two firebombs were thrown at his Good Shepherd Lutheran Church early Saturday but missed the glass windows, hitting the building wall instead.  Read more... (182 words, estimated 44 secs reading time)

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TORONTO (Reuters) – WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao will put his title on the line against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in March after talks for a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fizzled out this week, the Filipino’s promoter said on Friday.

The planned fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. broke down when negotiations between the two sides hit a snag over the American’s demand for a rigorous dope testing procedure.

Pacquiao’s new opponent beat Zab Judah of the United States for the IBF Welterweight title in August 2008 and lost a split decision to Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto last June.  Read more... (216 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

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It’s official that the much-anticipated welterweight bout between Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather Jr. won’t push through after promoters failed to reach an agreement ( http://ph.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100107/tsp-ouksp-uk-boxing-pacquiao-e0767c7_1.html ).

The bout would have been the richest in boxing history and would have guaranteed each fighter at least USD25 million, not including sales from pay-per-view that can bring their earnings to USD40 million each.

A sports blog mentioned that Floyd Mayweather’s blood-test request is ridiculous, but Manny Pacquiao’s legacy will be hurt if he walks away from the fight ( http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Atn1P3Jeunqd7Ri9qZBC7_6UxLYF?slug=dw-mayweatherpacquiao122309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns ). Do you think Pacquiao’s legacy as the best pound-for-pound boxer will be hurt because the fight with Mayweather will not push through? Share your thoughts now.  Read more... (122 words, estimated 29 secs reading time)

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