Tiffany It's the Lover Not the Love

It's the Lover (Not the Love)

• Songwriters: Rich Donahue, Patrick Dollaghan
• Producer: George Tobin
• Album: Hold an Old Friend’s Hand, Tiffany - Greatest Hits

He broke your heart and said goodbye
After promising forever
You wonder why you even tried
he was such a good pretender
The love you gave was all in vain
And nothing anyone can say
Could ever make you love that way again

It's the lover not the love
Who broke your heart last night
It's the lover not the dream
That didn't work out right
If you listen to your heart
Ooh you'll know it's true
It's the lover not the love
Who deserted you

Don't stop reaching for the stars
Let tomorrow live inside you
And just remember who you are
Keep the faith and love will find you
A heart in love can lose it's true
but don't give up in time to find
the one who's right will come to you

It's the lover not the love
who broke your heart last night
It's the lover not the dream
that didn't work out right
if you listen to your heart
ooh you'll know it's true
It's the lover not the love
who deserted you

It does no good to second guess
whether love is wrong or right
If it was really meant to be
he'd be with you tonight, tonight, oh yeah...

It's the lover not the love
Who broke your heart last night
It's the lover not the dream
That didn't work out right
if you listen to your heart
Ooh you'll know it's true
It's the lover not the love
Who deserted you
Oohh....

Six dead in Tondo fire

Six people, including three children, died in a two-hour fire that struck a dilapidated building in Tondo, Manila on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Insp. Redentor Alumno, Manila’s chief arson investigator, identified the fatalities as a certain Anabel, Juliana Bermudo, 13; siblings Isabel, 8, and Bryan Ygonia,7; and Jojo Castigador.

A sixth victim remains unidentified.

Alumno said the report was based on the information he recieved as of 8:30 p.m. The full identities of the victims were still being verified.

He said the cause of fire was still unknown, but initial reports said it originated from a two-storey house beside the building on C.P. Garcia street in Barangay 118 around 2 p.m.

The fire, which reached second alarm, lasted for only two hours, but the death count spiked because the victims were trapped.

Anabel and Castigador died at the hospital while firefighters discovered the bodies of children and the unidentified victim at the site after a fireout was declared before 5 p.m.

Alumno said the area was difficult to penetrate because of narrow and crowded alleys. /ee

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021320/six-dead-in-tondo-fire#ixzz5OFawgzVR
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Duterte rejects Robredo as successor, says Naga a ‘hotbed of shabu’

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that Naga City, the hometown of Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo, was once a “hotbed of shabu.”

Duterte made this remark as he again belittled Robredo’s abilities as a leader.

The President said he was ready to “step down and retire” should the military and the police find his right successor.

“The problem is, I cannot suggest to them that you follow the succession which is really the Constitution, but if they do it, I said go ahead. I am hesitant to suggest a constitutional succession,” he said in a speech during a business event in Malacañang.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the vice president becomes the president should the highest political post in the country becomes vacant.

“I have nothing against Robredo. She’s a lawyer, you’ve heard her talk. But I do not think she can improve on anything here. Of course, she will deny it,” Duterte said.

He went on and said that Naga City was a hotbed of illegal drugs.

“You can ask the hotbed of shabu. In the past years. I will not mention the name. It was Naga City. It was in Naga City,” he said.

“So I said, I won’t suggest to the military,” he added.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021315/duterte-rejects-robredo-as-his-successor-says-naga-a-hotbed-of-shabu

Senate approves creation of Calamba City’s lone legislative district

The Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to create the lone legislative district of Calamba City in Laguna.

Sponsored by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, House Bill No. 990 was approved with 19 affirmative votes, no negative vote, and no abstention.

Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, said the creation of the new legislative district of Calamba City would “focus on the needs of its constituents and bring them to the national government’s attention.”

“In consideration of the size and continued progress of the city, it is only right that we give them proper representation in the national government,” Angara said.

The senator explained that under the 1987 Constitution, “each city with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least one representative” in Congress.

“According to the latest Census data in 2015, the present second legislative district of Laguna has 937,282 residents, almost half of which or 454,486 come from Calamba City,” he noted.

Angara said providing for more representatives to relay the concerns of the constituents of large and densely populated communities would allow the national government to better address their issues and problems. /ee

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021308/senate-approves-creation-of-calamba-citys-lone-legislative-district

Teo agrees with bro: Bitag Media should not return the money

Even former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo thinks that her brother, TV host Ben Tulfo, should not return the P60 million paid by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for advertisements in Bitag Media’s “Kilos Pronto” show.

Tulfo-Teo gave a categorical “no” when Senator Risa Hontiveros asked, during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday, if the money should be returned to the government.

A Commission on Audit (COA) report showed that the DOT ads placed on Tulfo’s “Kilos Pronto” show aired over PTV-4 did not have proper documentation showing that the payments were valid and legal.

When news of the COA broke out, Tulfo-Teo’s former lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, announced that Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. (BMU) would return the money.

The former DOT chief admitted that Topacio had advised her to return the money and asked her brother if he could do it.

“But at the end the day, it’s still PTV-4 and my brother that will decide kung ibabalik ang pera kasi ang bayad naman po namin ay sa PTV-4 (if they are going to return the money because we paid to PTV-4),” she said.

The former DOT chief acknowledged that it would be difficult to get the money back since the contract was already consummated and that her brother had already used the money to pay his people.

Asked by Hontiveros if she personally thinks the money should be returned, Tulfo-Teo said: “Hindi (No).”

Ben Tulfo, who was present in the hearing, insisted they would not return the money because there was nothing illegal in the transaction.

“Now, returning the money is tantamount to saying that we did something illegal,” he said.

“Wala ho sa isip ko na magsasauli kasi wala po akong ginawang illegal. Sa amin po, paninidgan po namin yung kontrata… Yung kontrata pong yan, legal po ito. Wala po kaming ginawang illegal,” he added.

(It hasn’t crossed my mind to return the money because we did not do anything illegal. We will stand by the contract, which is legal.)

The TV host lamented how it appeared in the media that they had a “conspiracy.”

“Ang relasyon ho namin ay hindi close, fyi…Parang langis at tubig, hindi kami pwedeng ihalo…(We are not that close, for your information. Like oil and water, we cannot mix),” he stressed. /ee

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021094/teo-agrees-with-bro-bitag-media-should-not-return-the-money

Senate Oks 12 bills on public schools, SUCs on final reading

The Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a total of 12 bills seeking to establish, convert, and rename public elementary and secondary schools, state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide.

Approved were measures establishing the Silverio Elementary School (HBN 7241), the Tambo National High School (HBN 7178) in Parañaque City, and the Veinte Reales National High School in Valenzuela City (HBN 7240).

Also approved were House Bills separating and converting the Alameda National High School in Igbaras, Iloilo (HBN 7175); the San Pablo National High School in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat (HBN 7176); the Malanday National High School in Valenzuela City (HBN 7177); the Sta. Ana National High School in San Joaquin, Iloilo (HBN 7242) and the Upper Katungal National High School in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat (HBN 7243).

The bills were sponsored by Senator Francis Escudero, chairperson of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

Escudero said the establishment and conversion of these elementary and secondary schools would help solve the problem on classroom-to-teacher-to-student shortage ratio in those areas.

He added that the bills would guarantee budgetary appropriations for these schools to help provide their students a “better quality and accessible education for their constituencies.”

Meanwhile, bills seeking to rename Naval State University into the Biliran Province State University (HBN 6065), and convert the Southern Philippines Agriculture, Business Marine and Aquatic School of Technology–Digos City campus into the Davao Del Sur State University (HBN 6715), the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College into the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University (HBN 6741) and the Camarines Sur Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences-Ragay Campus into the Ragay Polytechnic Skills Institute (HBN 6995) were also approved on final reading. /ee

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021326/senate-oks-12-bills-on-public-schools-sucs-on-final-reading

Duterte is not Arroyo; Lacson ‘pork’ warning misplaced

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno talks about the 2019 national budget, federalism and government disbursement during the Meet Inquirer Multimedia Forum at the Inquirer headquarters in Makati City. INQUIRER.net / NESTOR CORRALES

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Tuesday said Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s fear of the “pork barrel” system coming back was “misplaced,” after House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said no congressman would receive a zero budget.

Diokno said President Rodrigo Duterte has a “strong” anti-corruption drive and assured the public that the cash-based P3.757-trillon national budget for 2019 was “pork-free.”

Arroyo, who is barely a month into being the new Speaker, earlier said all House members would receive allocations despite their political affiliation.

Lacson raised fears that this move would signal the return of the pork barrel system or the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel, which the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional.

But Diokno allayed the fear of the senator.

“President Duterte is not GMA. Okay? And he is very strong in [his] anti-corruption [campaign]. So the fear of Senator Lacson is misplaced,” the budget chief said during the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum at the Philippine Daily Inquirer Headquarters in Makati City.

Diokno said “the President has instructed us not to have zero allocation.”

“So there will be no zero allocation,” he said.

Asked if these could be considered as “hidden pork,” he answered, “No, these are projects that are supposed to benefit residents of those districts. They are not pork. They are not pork. Call it any other name but not pork.”

He said the national budget of the Duterte administration has been “consistent with the Supreme Court decisions on Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).”

The Supreme Court in 2015 affirmed the unconstitutionality of DAP. /je

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021129/duterte-is-not-arroyo-lacson-pork-warning-misplaced-diokno

PAL hosts Kadayawan concert in Davao

As one of the Platinum sponsors of Davao City’s 33rd Kadayawan Festival, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is flying in a couple of crowd-drawing entertainers to perform at a free concert during the culmination of the weeklong celebration.

A PAL Night to be held at the city’s Kadayawan Square on Aug. 19 will feature the multi-awarded Filipino band UDD (Up Dharma Down) and GMA Network’s popular actress-dancer Andrea Torres. A local band will be joining them on stage.

Dozens of unique giveaways and game prizes from PAL and affiliate companies will surprise attendees of the concert that starts 6 p.m.

In the morning of Aug. 19, an eagle and airplane-shaped float will represent the flag carrier in the float parade around the city’s main streets.

The eagle in the float symbolizes “Sinag”, a two-year-old Philippine eagle – currently cared for by the Philippine Eagle Foundation – that was adopted by PAL through the PAL Foundation.

PAL also participated at the recent Hiyas ng Kadayawan beauty pageant by awarding two Business Class tickets (Davao to Kuala Lumpur via Manila) to two winners – Hiyas ng Maranao (who was picked as Miss Philippine Airlines) and Hiyas ng Kadayawan. One of the pageant judges, Pinky Pineda, is a PAL Davao sales manager.

PAL has established Davao International Airport as a domestic hub and has stepped up promotions of Davao as a prime tourism destination. PAL operates six domestic flights out of the PAL Davao hub – to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Tagbilaran, Siargao and Zamboanga.

Accordingly, PAL will make its presence felt at the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines’ 2nd Regional Travel Fair to be held Aug. 17-18 at SM Lanang, Davao, which coincides with the Kadayawan festivities./asu

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1021092/pal-hosts-kadayawan-concert-in-davao#ixzz5OFdXTX5J
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‘Bakwit Boys,’ graded ‘A’ by CEB

“Bakwit Boys,” latest film offering of T-Rex Entertainment, has been given an “A” grade by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB). It’s just one of the seven films produced by T-Rex graded “A” and “B,” the others being “Deadma Walking” and “Patay Na Si Hesus.”

Director Jason Paul Laxamana (center) and the cast of ‘Bakwit Boys’

An entry to the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) 2018 which runs from Aug. 15 to 21, “Bakwit Boys” is directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, who also made the blockbuster “100 Tula Para Kay Stella.”

The inspiring movie brings together the break-out artists in showbiz: Rising actress Devon Seron, stage heartthrob Vance Larena, noontime TV idols Ryle Santiago and Nikko Natividad and singing champion Mackie Empuerto. The movie is about four brothers and the one dreamer who motivates them.

Direk Jason said “‘Bakwit Boys” is about family, it is about the underdogs and about dreamers. We hope that the movie will have viewers singing – and crying tears of joy – until the credits roll and until they step out of the cinema.”

Featured in the movie are six original songs by Jhaye Cura: “Ligtas Ka Na,” “Fiona,” “High In You,” “Patibong,” “Tayong Dalawa” and “Kung Di Ikaw.”

Also in the cast of “Bakwit Boys” are Alma Concepcion, Nanding Josef, Jeric Raval, Michael “Eagle” Riggs, with special appearances by Sebastian Castro, Cai Cortez, Kiray Celis, and Albie Casiño.

• • •

Nora’s last of siblings passed away in US

When we consoled with the superstar Nora Aunor on the recent death of her sister Tita, she sounded really sad when she said, “Nag-iisa na lang ako Mare, iniwan na nila ako lahat, mga magulang ko’t mga kapatid. (I’m all alone now, Mare, all of them had left me, my parents, my siblings.)”

Nora Aunor

Her sister died in San Diego, California and the more that Nora felt devastated because she couldn’t go and say goodbye to her. She has work to do, especially her current drama series “Onanay” which started airing last Aug. 6. This is another project which will showcase once more Nora’s dramatic prowess.

Playing the title role is Jo Berry and Nora plays her mother. Also in the cast are Cherie Gil, Mikee Quintos, Kate Valdez, Gardo Verzosa, Wendel Ramos, Rochelle Pangilinan, Vaness del Moral, Enrico Cuenca, and Adrian Alandy, among others. Director is Gina Alajar.

• • •

Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Aug. 14, go to Mayor Charles Pizarro, Ligaya Salonga, former Caloocan Vice Mayor Nancy Quimpo, Auggie Cordero, Nolie Hans, Herbert de Joya, Vicky de Leon Mojica, Letty Tumangan, Zeny Salgado, Gigi Buhay, Jun Yamzon, Lyle Escano Bodomo, Ailadezza Daz, Carlo Gonzalez and Kim Rodriguez…Belated happy birthday to Steven Young, Tiny Corpuz and Riza Moises (Aug 12)… Aug. 15: Pinky de Leon, Floro Mercene, Philip de Belen, Cogie Domingo, Peter Stevens, Arturo Go, Susan Magalona, Atty. Mario Garcia, Marvin Agustin’s twins Sebastian and Santiago, Ed JP Yap, Jennylei Caberte, Redj Francisco, Lynn Sherman, Samantha Nicole Bautista turns 9 and PAO Chief Persida Acosta…Aug. 16: Lani Golosia, Jing Cabanig, Atty. Noel del Prado, Bong Aquino, Juana Esteban, Flora Manipi, Mark Joseph Tumarag, Renz Santos Caparas, Kimberly Pineda, Lemeul Gem Almanza of Davao City, greetings from Jovy Hernandez-Alimon, Katherine Galanida and Allaijah Mae Aranda of Makati City, greetings from Robert Ignacio…

‘Pederalismo’

At last Friday’s Nanka Forum, a weekly media kapihan at the Nanka restaurant in QC that I’m privileged to co-host, one of our guests was electoral reform activist Glenn Chong, a high-school amateur programmer, CPA-lawyer, and former congressman—in short, a man of substance.

Glenn regaled us with blood-curdling stories of Smartmatic servers transmitting 2016 poll results even if they were incontrovertibly shut down—perhaps the Comelec’s equivalent of “ghosts in the machine.” In his small province of Biliran alone, the discrepancy totaled over 200,000 votes, which also happens to be the margin of victory of VP Leni Robredo nationwide.

Could any of this have compromised Duterte’s electoral mandate? As a matter of fact, it’s the other way around, because Glenn doesn’t dismiss the widespread rumor that Duterte was actually cheated of five million to six-million votes, at a time when current fugitive Andy Bautista was running Comelec and Mar Roxas was putting to good use a multi-billion-peso LP war chest accumulated over six years under PNoy.

Another kapihan guest was MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia, who gruffly informed us that his agency was ready to implement a resolution by the Metro Manila Council to ban driver-only private vehicles from Edsa during rush hours.

Such vehicles account for up to 70 percent of Edsa traffic, so the ban makes sense if only as a stop-gap measure while longer-term fixes are devised. We hope MMDA does not overlook the proper workarounds, such as clearing away sidewalk vendors and other obstructions along the alternative side streets that banned vehicles will have to use, or managing the crowd of “ride-sharers for pay” who’ll sprout up at both ends of Edsa.

***

Our third kapihan guest was Con-Com member professor Eddie Alih, formerly chancellor of the University of Mindanao in Tawi-Tawi, who gamely took on the predictable media questions about uber-blogger Mocha Uson’s “pepe-dede-ralismo” video.

I’ve long believed that the risqué Miss Uson, who’s followed by millions of Duterte diehards, is better left to herself as a digital free spirit rather than being weighed down by the burden of an Assistant Secretary title. Unburdened, that raunchy video would have achieved its objective of putting “pederalismo” on the radar screen of her followers without stirring up all that harrumphing from the prim-and-proper crowd.

In any case, that little dust-up was quickly upstaged by another face-off over federalism, this time involving the President’s economic team, who declared themselves opposed to the whole idea of federalism (although they later narrowed down their criticism to only the Con-Com’s draft version of it).

Among the questions and claims brought up by economic managers Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Neda’s Secretary Ernesto Pernia, together with my attempted answers based solely on newspaper accounts:
Transition to federalism will cost P131 billion in the first year alone. I suspect that nearly half of this estimate from Secretary Pernia actually comprises outlays unrelated to federalism (e.g. establishing a lot more courts of law in order to unclog the notoriously backed-up judicial dockets) or that involve avoidable duplication of functions (e.g. the costs of regional administration can be reduced by combining or consolidating provincial governorships, assemblies and administrations).

Up to 95 percent of government employees will be laid off. This wild number from Secretary Dominguez misses the obvious: A lot of government employees will be laid off from the federal payroll because they’ll be transferred to regional payrolls, as their offices, functions, and budgets are downloaded to the regions.

Ambiguity about revenue sources and expenditure assignments between federal and regional levels. This is a Dominguez concern perhaps caused by the Con-Com formulation that “at least 50 percent” of government revenues will be reallocated to the regions. But as a practical matter, what’s likely to happen is for the federal gov’t to first cover all its expenses—especially debt service—before the regions get their revenue shares as a residual. If the federal share is still more than half, then it’ll have to shed off some more functions, otherwise the system still ain’t federalism.

Clearly, the economic team should have gotten more involved in the earlier days of the federalist discussions. But it still isn’t too late to bring them up to speed, provided they drop their dismissive attitude and get with the program that the President himself has put on the table.

Right now, LP Senator Kiko Pangilinan has been saying “it’s possible” that his Senate committee on constitutional change may vote against charter change, citing as one reason the apprehensions raised by Duterte’s economic team. This is why it’s always a good idea, whenever you’re quarreling among yourselves, to keep it inside and shut up when outside.

***

On the infrastructure front, right-of-way issues—the traditional bane of construction projects in this country—are predictably now emerging as serious, perhaps even existential, threats to Duterte’s ambitious Build Build Build program.

Completion of the P67-billion MRT Line 7 project is being held up by a ruling from the Malolos regional trial court that would force government to pay a prohibitively high price to acquire property for a planned train depot site.
As well, Metro Pacific’s plans to start construction of the NLEX-SLEX connector road have been stymied by delays in acquiring right of way, only half of which has to date been acquired by government.

It’s well known that most of government’s institutional experience in ROW is really lodged in the engineers and other specialists of DPWH, who’re out there building roads and bridges every day. This was supposed to be leveraged by the creation of a DPWH-led inter-agency task force to fast-track ROW solutions. What’s happened with that?

And on the political front, internal dissension continues to tear up the ruling PDP-Laban party in a stubborn face-off between Senator Koko Pimentel and Mindanao lawyer Rogelio Garcia. The party chairman, Duterte himself, has already thrown up his hands in exasperation and told his party-mates to stop adding to the problems on his plate.

Meanwhile, the newly minted Hugpong ng Pagbabago, nominally a regional party in Mindanao, has jumped to the other end of the country and recruited the Solid North through its latest member, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos. She joins a growing list of new members: Senator JV Ejercito, former PNP chief Bato de la Rosa, Maguindanao’s Sajid Mangudadatu.

Lately, Hugpong has even volunteered to help PDP-Laban with its “internal problems”. At the rate these regional alliances are being put together, it won’t be long—perhaps by 2022?—before this regional party, under its millennial leader Mayor Sara Duterte, becomes a national party to reckon with.

http://www.thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/formation-by-gary-olivar/272961/-pederalismo-.html

Duterte appoints Andanar’s dad as envoy to Malaysia

President Rodrigo Duterte has tapped Wencelito Andanar as special envoy to Malaysia, Malacañang said.

Andanar, father of Palace communications secretary Martin Andanar, had served as interior undersecretary in the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Andanar will serve for 6 months, according to his appointment letter dated August 9 and released by the Palace on Monday.

Aside from Andanar, Duterte also tapped Jeffrey Ian Cardano Dy as Customs deputy commissioner, replacing Noel Patrick Prudente.

Duterte has also promoted Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Pircelyn Burce Pialago as assistant secretary, and named Rhea Baladjay Peñaflor as assistant secretary at the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Enrique Manalo, meanwhile, was appointed Ambassador to Germany, replacing Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek.

Victor Atok Del Rosario, meanwhile, was named National Youth Commission commissioner for the Visayas.

The President also appointed Julia Cecily Coching Sosito as presiding commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission’s second division.