By Boy Villasanta 

Alvaro Muhlach, also known as Cheng Muhlach, a former matinee idol died of cardiac arrest a couple of days ago at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City. He was 71. 

Cheng’s son, award-winning actor Aga Muhlach is most devastated by his dad’s death that he isn’t able to fully concentrate on his showbiz works and had to cancel most of them to attend to his father’s memorial services. 

The departed had been an actor and producer right after his elder sister movie queen Amalia Fuentes was the toast of…

Read more: Aga Muhlach devastated by dad’s death

By Rose de la Cruz

Ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno's removal via a quo warranto proceeding must send a chilling message to the entire judicial branch—from the trial courts, appellate courts and finally the High Tribunal that they can now be pushed in any direction by those in power through the quo warranto proceeding.

It must be recalled that President Duterte in a speech warned Sereno that her days are numbered and that he has become her enemy for all her criticisms against him.  Last April 9 Duterte said in a speech “I am now your enemy. And you…

Read more: Sereno’s ouster sends a chilling message

         Starting May 15, more than 1.5 million government workers will receive their mid-year bonus for fiscal year 2018, which is equivalent to a month’s basic salary.

Following guidelines set in Budget Circular no. 2017-2 dated May 8, 2017, the mid-year bonus is granted subject to the following conditions: (a) personnel has rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four months of service from July 1, 2017 to May 15, 2018; (b) personnel remains to be in the government service as of May 15, 2018; and (c) personnel has obtained at least a satisfactory performance rating in the applicable performance appraisal period.

The amounts required for the grant of FY 2018 Mid-Year Bonus to personnel of National Government Agencies are charged against the agency-specific allocation for the payment of Mid-Year Bonus under the FY 2018 GAA. The funding requirement for the FY 2018 Mid-Year Bonus has been comprehensively released to the agencies through the GAA as Allotment Order policy, pursuant to National Budget Circular No. 567 dated January 3, 2017.

         The total amount allocated for the mid-year bonus of all government personnel is estimated at P36.2 billion.

Read more: Government workers to receive mid-year bonus starting May 15

By Fernan J. Angeles

GOVERNMENT infrastructure projects have long been known as breeding graft as most of it are either overpriced, substandard or paid but not existing or simply ghost projects.

However, in Nueva Ecija, there is one small project that has already compelled the government to cough out so much money --- and to think, coming in big for three consecutive years.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has in fact been spending close to one billion pesos to construct a 100-meter road access in Barangay Puttlan, Caranglan town in Nueva Ecija.

In a Senate budget deliberation,…

Read more: P900 million to construct a 100-meter road