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With the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) blocking ex-Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman's appointment as head coach for Barako Bull Energy Cola in the PBA, fans may be wondering why foreigners Norman Black and Tim Cone have been allowed to do so. While Toroman might suffer the same fate as Bill Bayno and Paul Woolpert of Talk 'N Text and John Moran of Shell, multi-titled mentors Black and Cone have been coaching in the PBA because the pair do not fall under the scope of "non-resident aliens" that governs the rule on hiring foreigners to work locally under the Labor Code of the Philippines. Black and Cone have ceased to be non-resident aliens the moment their immigration status changed after marrying their Filipina wives. In a previous interview, Black admitted to gaining permanent residency after marrying Benjie Davila, mother of former Sta. Lucia player Chris Tan. Cone, on the other hand, said in a feature that he has been in the Philipp

In the wake of a three-team deal that radically changed the composition of the Meralco Bolts and the GlobalPort Batang Pier, traded superstar Sol Mercado, and his former teammate, point guard Chris Ross, took to Twitter to pay tribute to their partnership with the Bolts.

Michael Purugganan, when he was an elementary student at Union Science Elementary School in Malate, used to sneak into the National Science Development Board premises, where he would spend hours in a small museum.  "It just fascinated me. I just wanted to learn more about these things and what these people were doing there," Purruganan told GMA News Online.  "That was really what inspired me to become a scientist," said Purugganan, who is currently the Dean for Science at New York University and a world leader in evolutionary and ecological genomics.   With a new museum in the works, more young Filipinos may be inspired to become scientists. In a couple of years, the Philippines will have its own world class Museum of Natural History, showcasing endemic plants and animals that can be found in the country, according to a report on State of the Nation on January 23. Museums bridge the past and present, but the government believes these can also meet

A guilty verdict from a local court for supposedly offending religious feelings has not slowed Carlos Celdran down. Celdran— a Manila tour guide who made headlines in 2010 when he disrupted an ecumenical service to protest the Catholic Church's involvement in the then-raging reproductive health bill debates —even feels vindicated by the court's decision. “'Yung Article 133 ay nung panahon pa ni Damaso,” he said, referring to the provision in the Revised Penal Code that he supposedly violated. “It's a Spanish-era rule na anti-blasphemy. In a weird way, parang pinatunayan niya 'yung point ko.” On September 30, 2010, Celdran, dressed as Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, raised a placard with the word “Damaso”– a reference to the villainous friar from Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere” – during an ecumenical service to protest the Church's involvement in the RH bill debate. Aside from raising the placard, he also shouted "Stop getting involved in poli

It’s Showtime Korean host Ryan Bang faces  tax evasion  raps for allegedly not paying appropriate  taxes . The Bureau  of  Internal Revenue  charged Bang of tax evasion for violating sections 254 and 255 of the National  Internal Revenue Code  (NIRC) last 2010 and 2011 after failing to pay appropriate taxes, in a complaint filed Thursday. In 2010 and 2011,  tax filings  of companies where Bang worked showed he received a total of P3.05 million income in that 2 year span.   The BIR estimates the Korean host should pay at least P1.8 million, including surcharges and interest.  However, the BIR said  no income  or percentage tax returns were filed for 2010 and 2011. Violation of Section 254 of NIRC may entail a fine of P30,000 to P100,000  and imprisonment of two to four years.   For those who have violated section 255 may be fined with P10,000 and  one to ten  years of imprisonment.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday filed separate tax evasion cases against an advertising company in Makati City and a Korean television personality from ABS-CBN for evading tax liabilities totaling P72 million. In a media briefing in Manila, the BIR said it filed charges against ABS-CBN TV host Ryan Bang (Hyun Sung Bang in real life) for violation of Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code for 2010 and 2011. The BIR said that based on tax filings made by companies that contracted his services like ABS-CBN Network, Studio 23, and Summit Publishing, Bang had earned a total of P3.05 million in 2010 and 2011. The BIR computed Bang’s tax deficiency for 2010 and 2011 at P1.8 million, including surcharge and interest. Bang, however, did not file any income or percentage tax returns for 2010 and 2011, the BIR said. "Mr. Bang’s failure to file an income tax and percentage tax return deprived government of taxes as he failed to pay the correct amount of taxes,&

After nearly seven years, the long arm of the law caught up with a former Nueva Ecija mayor facing multiple murder charges in connection with the killing of five people in 2006. On Thursday, police said former Gapan Mayor Ernesto Natividad was arrested at the Urology Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. He did not resist arrest. In a radio dzBB interview, National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. said: "Si ex-mayor ang most wanted sa Region 3 at may P1-million reward." A separate report by dzBB's Rowena Salvacion said the former mayor may undergo a medical checkup. Natividad faces multiple murder charges in connection with the murder of brothers Ericson and Ebertson Pascual and three others on March 20, 2006. The Pascual siblings were sons of Natividad's political rival, Rodrigo Pascual. The victims were killed inside a cockpit arena in Gapan. 

With the campaign period about to start and with the spate of gun-related crimes, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. wants to know if the implementation of the election gun ban has been effective.  On Thursday, Brillantes said he plans to meet with National Police chief Alan Purisima to "get statistics before the start of the campaign period."   “Yun ang concern namin, kung nagkaroon ba ng effect yung checkpoints at gun ban. So before January 13 (when the gun ban was implemented), ano ba statistics dyan compared to now?” Brillantes told reporters. The poll chief said the meeting would most likely be this Saturday when Comelec holds a mock elections at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City. The campaign period for national candidates starts February 12. On the other hand, the campaign period for local candidates starts March 30.  Growing crime rate During the same interview, Brillantes said a growing crime rate is everybody’s concern whether it

Manila and Cebu City have been ranked in the third and eighth spots, respectively, of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations by Tholons, a services globalization and investment advisory firm. Manila, which went up one rank from fourth place in 2012, has overtaken New Delhi and follows Indian cities Bangalore and Mumbai. Meanwhile, Cebu City also went up one spot and pushed Dublin from eighth place. Also included in the Top 100 list are Davao at No. 70; Sta. Rosa City, Laguna at No. 84; Iloilo at No. 93; Bacolod City at No. 94; and Baguio City, a new entrant at No. 99. Tholons noted that the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are considered the most promising Southeast Asian destinations in 2012 due to “maturing outsourcing brand, improving macro-economic environment, and expanding domestic markets,” but the Philippines enjoys a more vibrant IT-BPO industry than either of the two. The firm said that in 2012, “the Philippines IT-BPO industry was fuelled by increased new investment

With the midterm elections just months away and with political groups already gearing for the presidential election in 2016, President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday cautioned that reforms must be maintained to avoid a return to patronage politics and corruption. “Without structural reform, another corrupt president might one day take the reins of power; another chief justice might one day again betray the public trust,” Aquino told attendees in the 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, where he was keynote speaker. The conference was a gathering of foreign heads of state to discuss best practices. In his speech, Aquino called on world leaders to be vigilant against corruption, adding that the key to ridding the ranks of government of unscrupulous officials is to make a habit out of transparency by way of creating laws. “The problem of corruption must thus be approached strategically, always with the long-term in mind. Reforms cannot

TV cameraman and cinematographer Egay Navarro, whose colorful career spanned six presidents, died shortly before midnight Wednesday of complications caused by a liver disorder. He was 62. Using film, Navarro began shooting news events at the age of 19 in 1969 for the pre-Martial Law Channel 5. He would later head the Philippine operations of the international news agency WTN during the heady days of the anti-Marcos protests in the 1980s, the EDSA Revolt, and the first turbulent years of the Cory Aquino administration. Navarro developed a cinematic and playful style, applied on subjects as varied as tribal culture in the Cordilleras and former President Ferdinand Marcos at the height of his power. In his 20s, Navarro was allowed to shadow Marcos on a trip to the Ilocos for the classic tongue-in-cheek propaganda film "The Real Makoy" directed by famed cartoonist Nonoy Marcelo, who included such characters as Marcos' loquacious mother singing a nursery rhyme. The son of fi

Last Saturday night's robbery at the two unguarded jewelry stalls inside SM Megamall showed that criminals are now shifting their targets, a ranking police official said Thursday. "We call this small time because the robbers in SM hindi po nila alam kung alin ang mahal at saka mura doon sa ninakaw nila," said  Superintendent Tomas Rentoy III, chief of the PNP Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP-SOSIA), at a press briefing at Camp Crame. "Ibig sabihin, 'yung mga kriminal ngayon, nag-shift target and they are going to softer targets kasi na-harden na natin 'yung security sa high value targets nila dati," he added. Police said the jewelry stores, F&C Jewelry and The Jeweler, which lost 176 pieces of jewelry to the six robbers, have yet to release the value of the missing pieces of jewelry. Rentoy noted that establishments have improved their security systems, prompting criminals to target establishments that are “less secure

The Court of Appeals has junked the government's request to submit additional documents to support its position opposing Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's petition seeking to stop her suspension from office. The Office of the President had earlier suspended Garcia for usurpation of authority based on an administrative case lodged against her by the late Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. In a two page resolution penned by Associate Justice Vicente Veloso, the CA 12th Division denied the plea of the Office of the Solicitor General, which represents the executive branch in cases, to submit a memorandum of authorities. According to the Office of the Solicitor General, the memorandum was meant to reiterate Malacanang's position that Garcia should not be given a TRO. "The motion of counsel for the respondents for three days within which to submit a memorandum of authorities is denied," the appeals court said. Instead, the CA reiterated its earlier pro

While both Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and his son, senatorial candidate Jack Enrile Jr., deny the latter's involvement in the death of matinee idol Alfie Anido, the father and son have different accounts of the events of December 30, 1981, when Anido reportedly shot himself at his home in Bel-Air Village in Makati.    While the younger Enrile said he was at the scene with Senator Gregorio Honasan II, who served as aide de camp of his father when the latter was Minister of National Defense, the elder Enrile made no mention of his son's presence at the scene in his book, "Juan Ponce Enrile: A Memoir.” In the memoir, the elder Enrile said  his enemies in the Marcos regime were responsible for the rumors  that Jack shot and killed Anido after the latter had a quarrel with his then-girlfriend Katrina, Jack's sister.  "To create the impression in the mind of the public that Jack had something to do with the death of Alfie Anido, General Ver unleashed

Riding on the high of  a better-than-expected 6.6-percent GDP growth for 2012 , a Palace Spokesperson on Thursday revealed that the administration expects the incoming midterm elections to bolster spending in 2013, helping to achieve the fresh goal of 6- to 7-percent growth for the year. “We certainly hope the [2013 targets will also be surpassed. After all,] we have the coming election season so we expect expenditures to rise, and we expect infrastructure to continue to grow,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a briefing. Lacierda added that the administration’s policies have a lot to do with the country’s robust economy. “Good governance means good economics. Private sector activity has been enabled by the Aquino administration's dedication to positive reform,” he said. “The continued growth of our GDP is proof positive of our ability to sustain a united march forwards along the straight path toward equitable progress,” he added. Earlier, the National Economic Dev

MANILA - The Philippines will buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to strengthen its poorly-armed military, government spokesmen said Wednesday, amid increasing maritime tensions with China. The FA-50s will be the first fighter jets to be operated by the Philippine air force since it retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005, said President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda. "We don't have any existing jets right now that are in use, therefore it is necessary for us to upgrade. This is part of the ongoing process of modernizing our military hardware," he told reporters. Lacierda said the jets would be used for "training, interdiction and disaster response" and would use their aerial cameras to survey areas. He stressed that the planned purchase was "not aimed at any particular country" despite the new tensions with China over conflicting maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea. Defense department spo

SINGAPORE – Member ball clubs of the Philippine Basketball Association are putting the finishing touches on a mega-trade deal involving six teams and the movement of the league’s superstars in what is considered the biggest trade transaction since 1975. The talks are being hatched on the sidelines of the PBA board meeting here yesterday. The six teams making the round table talks are Talk n Text, Meralco, Globalport, Petron Blaze, Barangay Ginebra and Air21. The player movements will include Jay Washington, Kerby Raymundo, Japeth Aguilar, Sol Mercado, Ronjay Buenafe and Rabeh Al-Hussaini among others. The round table talks are basically a theoretical presentation by each team of what players it is willing to put on the trading block and see what other teams could offer. If ever, Globalport would be the biggest beneficiary as the Batang Pier may well land Washington and Mercado. Talk n Text is out to get rid of its problem with Aguilar, Meralco is looking to boost its front

Rigondeaux camp asks Golden Boy to stop grandstanding MANILA, Philippines – Filipino champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is bound to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux despite all the posturing between promotional outfits Top Rank and Golden Boy, the Cuban boxer’s manager said. Gary Hyde, who manages Rigondeaux, said Top Rank is contractually obligated to arrange the Donaire-Rigondeaux match amid reports of Golden Boy Promotions’ $3-million offer for a Donaire versus Abner Mares fight. “It is well known that Top Rank committed a Donaire bout to HBO in April. It is well known that Mr. Rigondeaux has a multi-bout agreement with Top Rank which calls for a Donaire bout,” said Hyde according to Ryan Maquinana’s  Boxing Scene  report.  “Top Rank cannot violate its word to Rigondeaux and we do not anticipate it would violate its word to HBO.” Reports said Donaire and Rigondeaux have already exchanged contracts for signing. The unification title bout between the two boxers is slated on April 1