The FHM Philippines Grind 2015 Gallery

Sun-Kissed Girls And Nightlong Partying: The FHM Boracay Grind 2015 Gallery

By Mary Rose A. Hogaza

After a year of waiting, we finally flew back to the country's premier party beach to host an unforgettable #LaBoracay banger—replete with booze, babes, sun and sand.

The FHM Boracay Grind party was held at Club Paraw last May 1, and it was a night headlined by ear-busting EDM tunes, overflowing drinks from Tanduay, and your favorite FHM girls!

We wish we could take all that awesomeness back in Manila, but nah, all we were able to bring back are these wonderful, wonderful photos. So, if you weren’t able to join us that night, we have here a recap of what happened that fateful summer night!

Check out more:

www.FHH.com.ph

Former Maguindanao Governor Ampatuan, 74, Died

By JONATHAN DE SANTOS, GMA News 

Andal Ampatuan Sr., patriarch of the Ampatuan clan of Maguindanao and one of the principal accused in the deaths of 58 people in 2009 in the worst case of election-related violence in Philippine history, died on Friday, July 17.

Andal Ampatuan Sr., in this file photo, is wheeled out of Pasay Regional Trial Court after an electoral sabotage hearing in 2012. He pleaded not guilty to the charges he has been accused of together with ex-Pres. Gloria Arroyo, ex-Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos, and election supervisor Lintang Bedol. Danny Pata

Ampatuan, former governor of Maguindanao province, was vice mayor of Maganoy town — now called Shariff Aguak — before the People Power revolution of 1986. 

Malacañang appointed him acting mayor of the town after the revolution.

Journalist Ellen Tordesillas wrote shortly after the 2009 massacre that "from then on, Andal Sr. never looked back." In the 1988 elections, Andal Sr. was elected as mayor and, Tordesillas writes, "was also charged for the murder of his poll rival, Surab Abutasil."

From 1988 to 1998, the Ampatuan patriarch served as mayor before running, and winning as governor of Maguindanao province. In the meantime, other members of the clan ran for, and were elected to, various local posts.

It was in 2001, after another event on EDSA ended the administration of another president, that Ampatuan and his clan further solidified their hold on the province.

According to a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report published in 2008, the clan managed to do so by maintaining a huge armed group and by maintaining close ties with Malacañang.

"To some political analysts, it is easy to explain why the Ampatuans command solid hold on Maguindanao: The clan enjoys close ties with the Palace in faraway Manila, simply because the clan has managed to deliver the votes for administration candidates," PCIJ reported then.

Citing a report by the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, the PCIJ report said the Ampatuans helped then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "ensure her influence over the whole of Mindanao."

With around 200 armed men in its civilian volunteer organization — private armed groups authorized by executive order — the clan also "support[ed] the internal security requirement of the capitol or the municipio" while also discouraging dissent and opposition, the report said.

That opposition included the Mangudadatu clan, former political allies of the Ampatuans, who decided to field Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in the 2010 gubernatorial elections.

On November 23, 2009, a convoy carrying journalists, lawyers, and relatives — including Vice Mayor Mangudadatu's wife and his sister — headed to the Commission on Elections office in Shariff Aguak to formalize his candidacy for governor.

The convoy did not reach town.

Andal Sr., sons Andal "Unsay" Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy, and more than 100 others have since been charged with murder in connection with the massacre, where 58 people, including more than 30 journalists, were killed.

He had also been charged with electoral sabotage for allegedly manipulating elections for the Arroyo administration.

Arroyo allegedly instructed him over the phone to deliver a 12-0 victory for senatorial bets of the administration in the 2007 elections.

His co-accused included former President Arroyo and former poll chairman Benjamin Abalos. —KG, GMA News

FHM Philippines 100 Sexiest 2015: The Victory Party

By Neps Firmalan

Photography by Ryan Ong, Jonathan de Jesus, Mark Jesalva

After serving you the first-ever FHM BroCon, we continued the sexiest of our country's traditions and gave those who were invited back to the SMX Convention Center a fitting encore to the manliest event of the year: The 2015 FHM 100 Sexiest Victory Party!

Unlike that annoying friend of yours who brags about the many awesome thing he's seen in his life, we won't spout about how much we "wished you were also there." The fact is, we couldn't possibly accommodate everyone. However, that doesn't mean we CAN'T SHARE THE GOOD TIMES WITH EVERYONE!

More is here: www.FHM.com.ph 

Concrete Road Brings Hope to Badjau Fisherfolk in Tawi-Tawi

By John Unson (philstar.com) 

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A Badjau seaside village in Bongao, capital of Tawi-Tawi, now linked to the municipal center with a concrete feeder road (right) built by the public works department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. John Unson

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Badjau fisherfolks and seaweed growers in the southern coast of Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi now have a concrete road connecting their village of stilt houses to the mainland.

Ethnic Badjaus in Barangay Simandagit could hardly bring their daily catch of assorted fishes, crabs and lobsters to the town market during the rainy days before the 1-kilometer road was built for them by the executive department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The road project was a joint initiative of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the autonomous region and the District Engineering Office in Tawi-Tawi, a component province of ARMM.

“We in the regional government are contented with the quality of the road built there by our engineers in the province,” engineer Don Loong, regional secretary of DPWH-ARMM said Tuesday.

Loong, accompanied local officials, inspected last week the newly-built road, constructed as part of the ARMM administration’s confidence-building measures meant to build cordiality with Tawi-Tawi’s Badjau sectors.

Loong said the concrete road was built over what used to be a muddy stretch of a pathway connecting the seaside village to the center of Barangay Simandagit, where there are public transportations that can bring passengers to the town proper.

Heart will stop painting if….

FUNFARE By Ricky Lo (The Philippine Star)

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Heart Evangelista and husband Sen. Chiz Escudero at the opening of the PortrAYAL exhibit where Heart’s displayed work was titled Forgotten

For a while, Heart Evangelista stopped painting when she felt that her style was not improving. But it was her husband, Sen. Chiz Escudero, who rekindled Heart’s interest in painting when he gave her a big canvas as pasalubong from his trip to Europe.

But if…and that’s the BIG IF…Chiz decides to run for whatever position in 2016, sources said that Heart will have no choice but to temporarily quit painting again since she will have to hit the campaign trail with him.

As of now, Chiz is mum about his plan even if it’s easy to tell just by reading his lips and discerning his actions (that speak louder than words).

When Funfare asked Chiz about it during a brief “ambush” interview two Saturdays ago when he fetched Heart at GMA after the airing of Startalk (in which Heart is a co-host), he admitted that he and Sen. Grace Poe have been constantly in touch. “In fact,” said Chiz, “I was with Grace the other night with her mom (Susan Roces).”

Like Grace who, according to surveys, is a popular choice for the presidency, Chiz is an Independent (although they can be “adopted” by any party). Having been friends for years, Grace and Chiz are comfortable with each other. Chiz was the spokesman for Grace’s father FPJ when he ran for president in 2004. FPJ was believed to have won, but…

From Startalk, Heart and Chiz proceeded to SM Megamall A.R.T. Center where Chiz opened PortrAYAL (LAYA), the benefit exhibit of the Actors Guild of the Philippines. As one of the participants, Heart chose a 48”x 72” oil painting called Forgotten. Asked why she called it that, Heart simply smiled.

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The start for the filing of COCs (Certificates Of Candidacy) is in October, barely two months away. If you’ve been following the front pages, you must be wondering why Grace insisted on having Chiz with her on a nationwide sortie with DILG Sec. Mar Roxas (the alleged administration standard bearer) suggested by Pres. Noynoy Aquino. Watch the front pages for the latest development.

Incidentally, could it be true that Grace and Chiz will issue a “joint statement” anytime…soon? Stand by.

- See more at: http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2015/07/15/1476939/heart-will-stop-painting-if....#sthash.0KVq76OW.dpuf

Philippines Hopes for Favorable Ruling on China Sea Row

By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Hermino Coloma Jr. STAR/File photo

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is optimistic and looking forward to a favorable ruling regarding the jurisdiction the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has over Manila’s maritime case against China.

The hearings, scheduled to start tomorrow at The Hague until July 13, will deal with the issue of whether the PCA has jurisdiction over the case or not.

“If the decision of the arbitral tribunal would be favorable to the Philippines, the country will be given an opportunity to present the merits of its petition in oral arguments,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said over state-run dzRB yesterday.

Coloma noted that the hearings set this week are only preliminary.

“We believe in the strength of our position that is grounded on the principles stated in the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Coloma said.

The Philippine team is led by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., accompanied by a delegation of mostly lawyer-officials.

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 Coloma said the three branches of government – executive, legislative and judiciary – are one in supporting the Philippines’ case against China.

Among officials included in the high-level team in the Netherlands are Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. from the legislative, and Supreme Court Justices Antonio Carpio and Francis Jardeleza from the judiciary.

Solicitor-General Florin Hilbay, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and retired Armed Forces chief and now undersecretary for security cluster Emmanuel Bautista are also in the delegation.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte earlier pointed out that the delegation, composed of leaders of both houses of Congress and members of the judiciary and the executive, “clearly shows the support of government for the case (is) across the board… It’s a country effort.

“A lot of the members of the delegation have something to contribute to the discussions… on the dispute involving the West Philippine Sea, and they would also like to see the progress of our complaint, of our memorial before the tribunal,” Valte said.

She clarified that it is the PCA, which is also under the United Nations, and not the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) that is hearing the case, which has jurisdiction as China’s refusal to take part in proceedings has prompted the need for compulsory arbitration.

 In an informal briefing, Valte said President Aquino directed Ochoa to make sure that the government’s case against Beijing is presented well.