Friday, April 13, 2007

Pacquiao's Wife Does Not Want Politics

(ABS-CBN) - If she had her way, Jinkee Pacquiao would not want her husband, Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, to enter politics.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Jinkee revealed that it has been her husband's dream to become a public official. She admitted, however, that she would rather see her husband focus on his profession as a boxer rather than enter politics.

She added that she will fully support her husband after he announced his intentions of running for congressman in next month's polls.

She also pointed out that Manny will not leave boxing even if he is elected congressman of South Cotabato's 1st district.

Manny had long toyed with the idea of running for office, largely due to his unmatched popularity in his homeland where he comfortably transcends the sport and attracts television audiences in the millions to watch his fights.

On Saturday, Manny will put his political aspirations aside when he faces unbeaten Mexican Jorge Solis in a super featherweight fight at the Alamodome.

Half-Filipina Is Miss Norway Universe

(ABS-CBN) - Kirby Ann Basken has again proven that the beauty of a Filipina is a standout after winning this year's Miss Norway Universe crown.

Twenty-one-year-old Basken, half Filipino and half Norwegian, received a unanimous vote from the nine judges of the pageant. She also received the highest Internet vote of 59 percent.

Aside from the crown, Basken won 200,000 Kroner (P1.6 million), a diamond ring and a luxury trip to Phuket Island in Thailand. She will fly to Mexico next month to compete in the 2007 Miss Universe Pageant.

Basken's roots can be traced in Laguna, her mother's province. Her mother, Grace, married a Norwegian and is now a dance instructor in Oslo, Norway.

Before bagging the 2007 Miss Norway Universe crown, Basken emerged as the first-runner up in the same pageant last year.

She also joined the local beauty pageant, Mutya ng Pilipinas, last June and was crowned Mutya ng Pilpinas-Asia Pacific International 2006.

Interviewed by ABS-CBN News last year, Basken said she likes to join show business. She said she also wants to have a job that involves children.

Indian Engineer Denied Raping Filipina

Dubai: An engineer pleaded guilty to having consensual sex with his Filipina housemaid, who alleged that her sponsor raped her while his wife was at work.

The 43-year-old Indian engineer, M.M., denied the 40-year-old housemaid's, L.B., 'fabricated statement' before the Dubai Court of First Instance. He told presiding judge Mahmoud Al Sharshabi that he didn't rape the claimant but they had consensual sex.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with forcing his housemaid to her bedroom and raping her when his wife was away.

L.B. said, in her statement to the Public Prosecution, that the incident happened around 7.30am when she was taking care of her sponsor's child. "After the wife left the house, my sponsor came up to me, pulled me to the bedroom and raped me. Then he returned to his room, changed his clothes and left for work after locking me up...," she claimed.

Police records said the wife returned home at 3.00pm and the Filipina handed her the child and ran away to the Philippines Consulate.

Consulate officials escorted her to the police station. "I tried to resist and stop him from raping me. I was afraid that if I yelled, he might beat me," she said in her police statement.