Warning on Defective Land Titles

Are you familiar with the recent land fiasco in Cebu? If you haven't heard the news about it, then you better heed the warning of the Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP). They are asking all land buyers and investors to protect themselves against flawed titles by at least verifying the location of the titled land being sold.

The Cebu provincial government was recently reported as having bought a 25-hectare property in Naga, Cebu, some 20 hectares of which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) found to be timberlands partly submerged at sea, and for which reversion and title cancellation proceedings are reportedly being pursued.

Cracking Down on Opinion Blogs

Many breaking news nowadays were not heard and seen first via the traditional forms of media. Online communities are making their presence felt by allowing people to discuss an issue more vigorously and chime in their opinions. The debates have become more colorful and spirited online that its not surprising to see some readers plainly gossiping about them.

This is what happened when Ella Ganda first reported a supposedly massive stock of relief goods that wasn't making it out of the warehouse of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the aftermath of Tropical Storm 'Ondoy'. The report had the local online community gawking, crying, shaking its head, and cracking its knuckles because the storm was responsible for killing almost 600 Filipinos and left thousands more homeless.

E-Mail Scams Targeting Jobseekers

It was reported last January by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that they uncovered an "evolving" email scam targeting prospective overseas Filipino workers heading for Berlin, Germany.

The DFA said the scam appeared to be a variation of the one involving Markel Power International. But a check showed Maleko Power International does not exist in Hamburg, while its address showed a wrong postal code. It also has no phone and fax numbers, and its website was purely in English.

Sympathy Gimmick for Ampatuans?

Presidential Adviser on Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza (pictured above, right) claimed on national television yesterday (26 November 2009) that the chopper carrying him and Maguindanao massacre suspect Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. (pictured above, middle) was fired at while on its way from Shariff Aguak to General Santos City.

"At first I heard a noise from under us... only to find out later that we're being fired at," he said.

VIP Treatment for a Massacre Suspect?

After it was confirmed that 57 were already found dead in the country's deadliest political massacre in modern history, many are wondering why Malacañang is not ordering the relief and arrest of main suspect Datu Unsay town Mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr., brother of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan (pictured above, center).

Is it because no cases has yet been filed against him for his alleged involvement or is it because the President herself is not clear on how to deal with a staunch ally who delivered the crucial votes in the 2004 Presidential Elections?