Lady solon files bill on compulsory pregnancy test prior to cosmetic surgery

Women who would undergo cosmetic surgery need to submit themselves to pregnancy test first as mandated in House Bill 3417 filed by Congresswoman Mitzi L. Cajayon of Caloocan City’s 2nd District. Last year, Cong. Cajayon underwent liposuction procedure by Belo Medical Group not knowing that she was already 8 months pregnant. She said she was just lucky that no negative effect happened with her and her baby. With that experience, the lady solon decided to file the bill as a precautionary measure for mothers who would have cosmetic surgery and also to protect their babies.

In yesterday’s Startalk (of kapuso network GMA7), Lorna Tolentino shares that husband Rudy Fernandez is “improving, getting better each day”. The actor, in treatment for periampullary cancer, is reported to be undergoing Rexin-G therapy abroad to better his condition.

Daboy also expressed his appreciation and thanked the Filipinos for praying for his recovery, and his friends for organizing a healing mass for him.

London Police has confirmed that it won’t press charges against 24-year old Grammy-winning soul diva Amy Winehouse, according to spokesman Chris Goodman. Police earlier questioned Winehouse regarding a video shown sometime in January where Winehouse was using a pipe for cocaine while having a party in her house in London.

Incoming Senior Student Gian Dapul of Philippine Science Highschool won the English Speaking Union’s International Public Speaking Competition in London. He bested 57 other contestants coming from different countries who delivered a five-minute speech on the theme “New Frontiers.” Second placer came from Thailand and third placer came from Bulgaria.

Archbishop Cruz posts bail for the libel case filed against him at the Manila Regional Trial Court. The archbishop wonders, however, about the warrant of arrest set since the case is said to have been junked by the Manila Prosecutors Office.

The Archbishop is a known critic of the Arroyo administration.

From the 2000 entries from different countries, two brilliant Pinoy film makers made a mark at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in France. The Pinoys won Best Short Film for their comedy production, “The Haircut”.

The film, which tells of a story of a barber who ”cut the hair” of a bald man, is directed by Carlo Ledesma and produced by Mel Lozano.

President Arroyo gives conditional pardon to nine Magdalo soldiers during the turn-over ceremony for the new AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano. The executive clemency wasgiven by Arroyo based onthe recommendation of outgoing Cheif Esperon. Arroyo also praised former Chief of Staff Esperon for a job well done, inculding the combat of terrorists in the country, CPP-NPA, and peace in Mindanao.

People’s champ Manny Pacquiao was also present during the turn-over ceremony.

In January, the Philippine Department of Justice dismissed the charges of illegal recruitment filed against executives of Sentosa Recruitment Agency in the Philippines and Sentosa Care LLC in New York, saying “there was no substantive alterations in the employment contracts signed by the complainants to sustain the findings of illegal recruitment.” In February, the National Labor Relations Commission in Manila came to a similar conclusion, pointing out that the nurses failed to notify their employer when submitting resignations, something that was both a violation of their contracts as well as a violation of the Labor Code of the Philippines.

Even the decision by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, which originally ruled in favor of the nurses on the issue of contract substitution, reversed itself last September after finding that “what really happened, as admitted by the complainants themselves, was that they were actually transferred to other affiliated nursing facilities.”

The matter also came before the United States Department of Justice, which likewise dismissed the charges of unfair immigration-related employment practices in August of 2007. In a letter to Sentosa attorneys, special deputy counsel of the U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division, Katherine Baldwin said, “Based on its investigation, this office has determined that there is insufficient evidence of reasonable cause to believe the injured parties were discriminated against as prohibited by 8 U.S.C. §1324b.”

“This string of rulings proves that our client was not engaged in any illegal practices,” said Ibaro Relaminda Jr., Senotsa’s attorney based in the Philippines. “It also proves that the nurses were lying in their statements about maltreatment.”

With the unfurling of truth in case after case, support for the nurses and their attorney, Felix Vinluan, both in the U.S. and in the Philippines, is now beginning to buckle under the weight of the facts.

A recent massive earthquake hit the Sichuan province of China earlier killing more than 5,000 Chinese including about 900 students.

The earthquake reached a high level of 7.5 with its center about 57 miles (92km) north-west of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Tremors from the quake, which struck at 2.28pm, were felt as far away as Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Photo courtesy of The Guardian UK.

Manila’s major transport group Pistn (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) will be on a nationwide transport strike tomorrow, May 12, Monday.

The transport strike is in protest to the rising oil-prices, coupled with the ever-increasing prices of rice, flour, and other basic commodities. Piston is also calling for the repeal of the 12% EVAT and the Oil Deregulation Law.

Areas where there would be Piston strikes are Alabang, Muntinlupa; Monumento, Caloocan City; Novaliches-Bayan, Cubao, Kalayaan (Kamias), Philcoa (Quezon City); Marikina; Taytay Market; Welcome Rotonda, Pier South, and Aduana Circle in Manila.

There will also be strikes in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon; Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate (Bicol region), and in Negros Occidental (two-days).