By Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Information technology (IT) experts have observed a strange “pattern” of votes obtained by administration, opposition and independent senatorial candidates in the May 13 elections.

The IT experts have been linking with election watchdogs throughout the country to validate the so-called “60-30-10” pattern in which senatorial candidates from Team PNoy consistently obtained 60 percent, those from the United Nationalist Alliance 30 percent and the rest 10 percent of the votes cast in various precincts.

By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star)

It’s now the turn of Philippine investigators to go to Taiwan to gather evidence for their probe on the fatal shooting of a suspected Taiwanese poacher last May 9, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday.

De Lima said Taipei has allowed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to get statements from the companions of slain fisherman Hung Shih-cheng as well as to examine their vessel.

By RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Former elections commissioner Gus Lagman turned the tables not just on his erstwhile boss, Chairman Sixto Brillantes, but on the rest of his former colleagues in the poll body.

In a statement sent to media late Tuesday night, Lagman raised the matter of the intelligence funds poll executives supposedly get -- amounting to P1.25 million in 2011.

By ABS-CBNnews.com

Although Manny Pacquiao would not admit it, his trainer said the Filipino boxer was frustrated over Juan Manuel Marquez’s decision not to give him a rematch.

Boxing coach Freddie Roach said Pacquiao was hoping that the Mexican would return the favor after the Filipino granted him three rematches in their eight-year rivalry.

By Nelson Beltran (The Philippine Star)

Alaska super rookie Calvin Abueva could be a late addition to the national pool that will undergo training in Lithuania as part of Gilas Pilipinas’ buildup for the FIBA Asia Championship in August.

“I’ve long wanted him (Abueva) to be in the pool. The problem was the one-player-per-team agreement,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes hoping to include Abueva in their Lithuania trip after the Alaska management itself expressed willingness to release the prized rookie to the national pool.

By Rey Joble, InterAKTV

After winning the Commissioner’s Cup for their 14th PBA title, the Alaska Aces moved past the Crispa Redmanizers to become the second most successful team in league history, trailing only the San Miguel/Petron franchise.

Nine of those 14 titles came during the 1990s, when the Alaska Milkmen dynasty ruled the PBA. But while Alaska chief executive officer Wilfred Uytengsu is thrilled with the current Aces squad, he isn’t quite ready to say if this team could duplicate the franchise’s ’90s success.

By ABS-CBNnews.com

Filipino boxer Denver Cuello, the reigning WBC international minimumweight champion, finally got a title shot against WBC world champion Xiong Zhao Zhong.

Cuello’s promoter Aljo Jaro told Philboxing’s Rene Bonsubre that both fighters have already signed the contract.  Jaro said they are now looking for a venue in Dubai, where the title fight will be staged.

By DVM, GMA News

More Filipinos experienced hunger in March, with about 3.9 million Filipino families saying they had nothing to eat at some point during that time, according to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations.

In its poll conducted from March 19 to 22 and posted on its media partner BusinessWorld, SWS said that the 3.9 million families or 19.2 percent of Filipino families that experienced hunger was higher than 16.3 percent in December.

By Mario J. Mallari, Tribune

Despite the heavy presence of Chinese fishing vessels, escorted by naval ships, in Ayungin Shoal on the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has not increased its manpower in the area as part of the government efforts to “de-escalate” the situation.

AFP Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Maj. Ramon Zagala, at a press briefing, yesterday said the military is currently focused on monitoring the activities at Ayungin Shoal which is part of the disputed Kalayaan Islands Group (KIGs) or the Spratlys in the South China Sea.

By Jaime Sinapit, InterAksyon.com

The word war between supposed friends and former peers in the Senate, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., appears far from over.

On Wednesday, Roxas publicly told Revilla to stop claiming “harassment” about the aborted police bid to raid his Cavite home for guns and gunmen, and start living up to his favorite role in the movies, that of a law enforcer.

By Cathy C. Yamsuan, Michael Lim Ubac, Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Senate presidency was on everyone’s mind in Malacañang on Wednesday when Sen. Franklin Drilon met with President Aquino. But the Palace played coy about Drilon being the presumptive Senate President.

It was the first official meeting between the President and Drilon, who served as campaign manager of Team PNoy in the just-concluded senatorial elections.

By Jerome C. Aning, Philip C. Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is poised to proclaim the results in the party-list balloting. Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca told reporters that canvassing of votes had been practically completed and the poll body was expected to rule Thursday if it would proclaim the winners of 58 seats at stake in the contest in the House of Representatives.

Padaca said the Comelec was just waiting for the results from the remaining overseas absentee voting certificates of canvass, those from the local absentee voting and the 10 municipalities that have yet to report nine days after the elections because of “extraordinary circumstances.”

By Ronnel W. Domingo, Philippine Daily Inquirer

The government is shoring up its peace-building efforts in Mindanao with the release of P42 million to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said in a statement P25 million of the amount accounted for the BTC’s operating expenses and P17 million would answer for the salaries and benefits, particularly for 16 officials appointed to the commission.

By Jim Gomez, mb.com.ph

Along the northwestern Philippine coast, poor children with claw hammers clamber aboard an abandoned fishing vessel to pry loose and steal rusty nails from its deck. It’s become a familiar sight in villages where some fishermen have been forced to give up their livelihoods since China took control of their fishing haven last year.

Fishermen say Chinese maritime surveillance ships have shooed them from the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and roped off the entrance to the vast lagoon that had been their fishing paradise for decades.

By NR Ramos, mb.com.ph

More fun in the Philippines? Not quite so for controversial novelist Dan Brown – or at least one of the characters of his new book, “Inferno.”

After having caused a huge hullabaloo relating to the premise of the first three installments of his wildly popular series of novels starring the fictional professor Robert Langdon (“Angels & Demons,” “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Lost Symbol”) – which had historians as well as several Catholic groups up in arms for its supposed inaccuracies – Brown is at it again, only this time, he has seemingly chosen to rain on the parade of local tourism officials.

By AMD, GMA News

Tony Parker took on the playmaking role early, and then Tim Duncan finished things off, as the San Antonio Spurs forged a 93-89 victory in overtime versus the Memphis Grizzlies, to take a 2-0 Western Conference Finals lead, Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The Spurs had won game one in one-sided fashion, 105-83, last Sunday (Monday, PHL time), but they were held to just nine points in the fourth period, allowing the Grizzlies to storm back and force the extra five minutes.

By Gorgy Rula, Abante Tonite

IN-ANNOUNCE na ni Willie Revillame ang resig­nation niya sa TV 5 at pagtatapos ng Wowowillie sa Oktubre. Aminado ang kontro­bersyal na TV host na na-burnout siya sa ilang taong araw-araw na trabaho kaya gusto muna niyang magpahinga at asikasuhin ang mga nasi­mulan niyang negosyo.

Isa sa pinagkakaabalahan ni Willie ay ang mall na ipinatayo sa tapat ng ABS-CBN 2. Magpapatayo pa siya ng hotel sa Tagaytay, kaya gusto muna niyang a­yusin iyun.