Top stories of 2015

1. Visit of Pope Francis

2. Two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

3. Visit of US President Barack Obama

4. Mamasapano massacre

5. Typhoon Lando

6. Typhoon Nona

7. Rep. Leni Robredo accepts vice presidential slot with administration presidential candidate Mar Roxas

8. Vice President Jejomar Binay-Gringo Honasan tandem announced

9. Grace Poe-Francis Escudero formalize team up

10. Mayor Duterte files certificate of candidacy for president, team up with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano

11. Supreme Court (SC) grants bail to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile

12. Supreme Court finalizes its decision declaring the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional

13. Vice President Jejomar Binay tops December’s Pulse Asia survey

14. Pia Wurztbach is Miss Universe

15. Congress fails to enact Bangsamoro Basic Law

16. Nonito Donaire wins super bantamweight crown

17. Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) votes 5-4 in favor of Grace Poe

18. Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc votes 5-1 and 5-2 to cancel Grace Poe’s Certificate of Candidacy

19. Supreme Court issues two temporary restraining orders (TRO) against Comelec disqualification decision on Senator Grace Poe

20. Iglesia ni Cristo demonstrations before the Department of Justice (DOJ) and at Edsa.

Grace Poe’s search for her father

The family of two deceased men, a father and son whose remains were exhumed in Guimaras province, believe one of them could be the biological father of Sen. Grace Poe, according to Guimaras Vice-Governor Vicente de Asis.

The bodies of Francisco Montanez and his son Paquito were exhumed last Wednesday to obtain specimens for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing.

Francisco and Paquito Montanez were frequent visitors of Victoria Rodriguez, the suspected mother of Grace Poe. Rodriguez’ body was also exhumed.

DNA samples were also taken from nine persons – six Rodriguez family members and three from the family of the “suspected” father.

Results of the DNA testing will be known in two to three weeks.

Siblings of Rodriguez have said that Poe could be the second of four daughters of their sister.

The claim of the Rodriguez family contradicts the popular account that Poe was found as a newborn in the baptismal font of the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral in Iloilo City.

As this developed, the cash reward being offered for solid information on the possible biological parents of Poe has gone up to P355,000.

Dr. Karen Gambito-Galvan and Maritime Capt. Eduardo Gargaritano, who were the latest to offer a reward of P55,000 for solid information on Poe’s parentage, suggested that Rodriguez should open a bank account for that purpose, but the latter announced that she is not accepting donations because she is not a mercenary. Rodriguez said she was unaware of the reward, and doesn’t want to be involved in the collection of reward offers.

Good news

Health Secretary Janet Garin happily reported that firecracker-related injuries for the 2015 New Year celebrations registered only 384 cases, 53 percent lower than the 2014 total of 814. Fifty-eight percent of the injuries were caused by piccolo.

The most number of injuries happened in Metro Manila. Only four cases of stray bullet-related injuries were reported. Nine persons had their fingers out.

Garin reiterated her recommendation for Congress to ban the sale and use of firecrackers.

Tidbits

Lawyers in Colombia are preparing a civil suit for damages against the Miss Universe organizers.

Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas, in a New Year’s message, reminded Filipinos of his greatest contributions as Secretary of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Fr. Albert San Jose, who used a hoverboard inside his parish church in Biñan, has been relieved of his position by the diocese of San Pablo.

President/Mayor Joseph Estrada criticized Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for having no finesse. Erap said Duterte is a local who is not fit to run for president.

President Aquino has finished five years of his term without distributing the coconut levy funds.

Happy New Year greetings to Mayor Joseph Estrada, Vice President Jojo Binay, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, Dr. Honey Lacuna-Pangan, William Gatchalian, Cong. Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Ignacio, Peter Roxas, Dr. Renato Cheng, Dr. H.B. Calleja, Dr. Henry Calleja, Dr. Tyrone Reyes, Ramon and Ellen Licup, Albert and Vivian Yang, Nilo and Nina Raymundo, Dalmacio Lim and Tony Dequiña.