Much ado about Justin Bieber

By Patricia Esteves (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - Teenage pop idol Justin Bieber knows he holds sway over a certain cross-section of young women all over the world and realizes the responsibility that comes with it.

“I have to be a role model because so many people are watching so many young girls. I’d like to be the best that I can be and yes, I make a good role model. I’m a good person in general and people will see that,” Bieber told a swooning press, made up of mostly girls, at his press conference at the SM Mall of Asia yesterday afternoon.

“I know that I’m able to influence a lot of people in a positive way and I’m very happy with that,” he added.

Bieber is in Manila for a one-night outdoor concert at the SM Mall of Asia Tuesday night.

Clad in short pants, checkered shirt and sneakers, Bieber talked about the nuances that come with fame and how these don’t faze him anymore.

“It’s been a crazy rollercoaster ride since I started. It’s crazy that I’ve been the cause of traffic jams and cities closing down for me. So many TV cameras have been shoved down my face, paparazzi running after me, but when I think about the devotion, support and love of my fans all over the world, I don’t think about the negative ones anymore. I love the fans and the many people that care for me, it’s all that matters. It’s been an incredible and amazing journey,” said Bieber.

In the Philippines, Bieber received so much love from his Filipino fans who also call themselves “Beliebers.”

As early as 2 p.m., people were lining up at the MOA to be the first when gates open at 5 p.m.

At the presscon, Bieber was also asked if he is even bothered that he will be irrelevant once he gets a little older.

“I’m 17. I’m young but I know that my music will grow with me as I grow older. I make music for young people and try to make music for everybody, not just for young people,” he said.

“Over everything, what matters most in my music, I’m here because of music, people can relate to all the emotions through my music. My music will change as I grow older but over and out, it will still be my music,” Bieber said.

For the Manila concert, Justin is especially proud that he’s taking in and supporting Filipino band LEGACI and Poreotics which has three Filipino members.

“I think Filipino artists are cool, they’re rocking it. I’m very excited about it and so are my Filipino performer friends,” Bieber said.

Bieber also does not discount collaborating with international singing sensation Charice and even boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

“Well, I met Charice, she’s so sweet. With Pacquiao, maybe I can go in the ring with him,” he said, drawing laughter from the press.

If there’s one thing Bieber will tell Miley Cyrus who will perform here next month, it will be: There are a lot of beautiful girls here in the Philippines.”

He also said he wouldn’t mind dating a Filipina girl.

“Everyone can be my one less lonely girl,” Bieber said to a Pinay reporter.

Asked what his three secrets to success: Bieber said:

“If it’s working, don’t change it, just be relatable to fans, people must feel they can relate to you through your music and make sure you’re having fun while doing it,” he said.

Metro wage board approves P22 ECOLA hike

By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment reported yesterday that the regional wage board of Metro Manila had approved an additional P22 daily emergency cost-of-living allowance (ECOLA).

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the wage board in the National Capital Region (NCR), after “intense” deliberation, approved the granting of additional P22 ECOLA for minimum wage earners in the region.

Baldoz said the additional P22 ECOLA would bring to P426 the daily minimum wage of workers in the region from the current P404.

Baldoz said although the board did not grant an increase in basic pay, the additional allowance would help workers mitigate the continuing increase in prices of essential commodities.

Baldoz added that the newly issued wage order would benefit not only the three million minimum wage earners in the region but also those receiving beyond the floor wage due to wage distortion.

“The board also needs to take into consideration the employers’ capacity to pay given the high fuel-related production costs, and the great majority of enterprises in the region are micro and small enterprises,” Baldoz said.

She said the granting of ECOLA would have minimum impact on inflation and at the same time guarantee that workers would be able to cope with the high prices of commodities.

Raymundo Agravante, wage board chairman, said the board opted to grant ECOLA to prevent the possible closure of commercial establishments that could hardly afford the additional cost in their operations.

“The original proposal was P20 increase in basic pay, but the board decided to grant ECOLA because it’s less costly for the employers since it is excluded in the computation of wage-related benefits such as overtime pay,” Agravante explained.

Agravante added that the board also heeded the warning of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on the possible inflationary effect of giving more than P25 increase in daily pay of workers.

“In the end the employers’ position was P2O ECOLA but we still managed to haggle P22 or a P2 allowance in anticipation of projected increase in prices of basic commodities,” Agravante explained.

Agravante said the new wage order is set to take effect on May 26, but distressed commercial establishments, those employing less than 10 workers and companies suffering from natural disasters are exempted from the order.

However, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country largest labor group, expressed dismay over the wage board’s decision to grant only ECOLA and not increase in basic pay.

“The board’s decision to give a measly P22 wage increase in the form of ECOLA is definitely not enough considering that the worst inflation is yet to come at this time,” TUCP deputy spokesman Raffy Mapalo said.

TUCP earlier filed a formal petition seeking a P75 across-the-board increase in the daily pay of all workers in the region.

Mapalo said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) just missed the important opportunity to help poor workers and raise their deteriorating standard of living.

Mapalo said TUCP would immediately file before the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) a motion seeking reconsideration of the wage board’s decision.

If the board would deny their motion for reconsideration, Mapalo said, TUCP would appeal their case before the Supreme Court.

TUCP also called on Congress to rectify the board’s erroneous and bad decision and come out with a measure that would improve the existing wage-fixing system.

'Bebeng' kills 11; displaces over 110,000 residents

MANILA, Philippines –Disaster officials warned villagers in the Philippines' agricultural north to be on guard for landslides and flash floods Monday as Tropical Storm Aere carved a deadly path across the country.

Aere has left 11 people dead since it slammed into eastern Catanduanes province early Sunday

with winds of 53 miles (85 kilometers) per hour and gusts of 62 mph (100 kph). It triggered landslides and knocked out power in some areas, while also roughing up Manila Bay and rattling nerves overnight in the congested capital.

By Monday it was roaring toward provinces on northern Luzon Island, gradually losing strength.

Officials warned villagers to stay away from mountainous areas prone to landslides and low-lying communities that could be swamped by flash floods. Fishermen and ferries in the storm's path were advised to stay ashore.

"We're advising residents in high-risk areas to pre-emptively evacuate before the storm hits," said Chito Castro, spokesman for the government's disaster-response agency.

The 11 dead included three people who perished Sunday in a house that was buried by a landslide in Camarines Sur province's Balatan township. Six people have drowned in the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Leyte, Northern Samar and Camarines Sur. Elsewhere, a man was electrocuted in a flooded community and another died in a truck accident amid stormy weather.

An Albay fisherman who sailed out Sunday has been listed as missing.

Even more details on the Osama bin Laden photos

From CNN’s National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin

A Senior US Official tells CNN 10 hard drives, 5 computers and more than 100 storage devices which includes discs, DVDs and thumb drives were taken from the compound.

The senior us official also says the White House received 3 sets of photos yesterday. The photos included:

1. Photos of OBLs body at a hangar after he was brought back to Afghanistan. This is the most recognizable with a clear picture of his face. The picture is gruesome because he has a massive open head wound across both eyes. It’s very bloody and gory.

2. Photos from the burial at sea on the USS Carl Vinson. Photos of OBL before the shroud was put on and then wrapped in the shroud.

3. There are photos of the raid itself that include photos of the two dead brothers, one of OBLs dead son (adult adolescent, maybe approx 18 yrs old) and some of the inside scene of the compound.

Image released by the White House shows US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right), along with members of the national security team, receiving an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington last Sunday. AP

The official says the challenge is that the picture that includes the most recognizable image of OBLs face – from the hangar in Afghanistan – is so gruesome and mangled its not appropriate for say the front page of the newspaper. On the other hand, this is the one that is most identifiable as him.

Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley Live Fight on May 8, 2011, Live Channels, Videos and Results!

The World Welterweight championship fight is about to happen. The much-anticipated match between eight-division champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao against three-division holder Sugar Shane Mosley is this year’s biggest boxing event. Catch Pacquiao vs Mosley live fight on May 7, 2011 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be aired live on Sunday, May 8 (Manila Time) by GMA Channel 7.

Pacquiao vs Mosley Live Streaming Online 5-7-11

Links will be posted here before the Pacquiao-Mosley Fight 5-7-11 begins. You can also watch Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley Live Streaming Online via SOPCAST, TVU, Justin TV and Direct TV.

The Pacquiao vs Mosley Championship Fight replay videos will be published here immediately, so BOOKMARK this site NOW!

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Promo is available in specific time of the day only. Visit your favorite Starbucks store on May 2 – 8, 2011, from 12nn – 2 pm to enjoy their Frappuccino half off the price.

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Osama bin Laden killed by U.S. -- Obama

Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles— 

Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist, was killed in Pakistan as the result of a U.S. military operation, President Obama announced to the nation Sunday night.

The historic revelation comes about four months before the 10th anniversary of the devastating Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, which were executed by the Al Qaeda network helmed by Bin Laden and prompted the start of a war on terror that has dominated U.S. foreign policy.

Bin Laden, 54, was a member of a wealthy Saudi family and has been on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives List since 1999.

Bin Laden broke with Saudi leaders, complaining that they were too lax in their interpretation of Israel. He was eventually denounced by his family and gave up citizenship.

Al Qaeda has taken responsibility for the bombings of U.S. embassies in 1998 in Tanzania and Kenya. More than 200 people were killed in the attacks.

Al Qaeda has also claimed responsibility for other attacks on other symbols of U.S. power around the globe. It has hived off local organizations in hot spots from Iraq to Afghanistan.

The announcement by Obama from the East Room of the White House came eight years to the day after President Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq, the so-called “Mission Accomplished” speech from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

Members of Congress were briefed on the news by Vice President Joe Biden throughout the weekend, according to a Senate aide.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, related the news to mourners at a memorial service for political consultant Kam Kawata. Feinstein said Obama was announcing it on TV as she spoke. However, she announced the news well before Obama began to speak.

Peter Nicholas and Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report