Maniolas

MANILA, Philippines–The family of two honorary consuls has sought an investigation into a bus company plying north Luzon for negligence, after one of its buses rammed their vehicle last weekend. Rene and Fortune Ledesma, honorary consuls of Bulgaria and Monaco in the Philippines, respectively, and their family were injured when a First North Luzon Transit bus rear-ended their Hyundai Starex van on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) in Apalit, Pampanga, on Jan. 4. His mother appeared to have suffered the worst injury, according to son RJ Ledesma, with a bone-deep cut on her forehead that required surgery. On Thursday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) summoned representatives of the bus company to a hearing next week. The Ledesma couple, along with other son Rico, his wife Sheila, their 2-year-old daughter, nanny Delia Espinosa and driver Eduardo Pineda were returning to Manila from Baguio City when they were caught in traffic on the inner southbound lane of the NLEx in Barangay (village) San Juan around 11 a.m. on Sunday. Based on the Apalit police report on the incident, the Ledesmas’ car was slowing to stop, following the vehicles ahead, when the First North Luzon bus behind them driven by Paul Villanueva, 44, crashed into their rear. The impact pushed the Starex into the rear of the Baliwag bus in front of it. The Starex was crumpled between the buses and its engine burst into flames. The van passengers all sustained cuts and bruises, with Mrs. Ledesma losing consciousness after Read More …

MANILA, Philippines–The lone papal souvenir on display at the Presidential Museum and Library in Malacañang is the guest book bearing the signature of now St. John Paul II when he first visited the Philippines in 1981. But also kept in the archives are a plastic replica of the coat of arms of Blessed Paul VI, who was attacked by a Bolivian assassin at the Manila airport tarmac in 1970, and a copy of Ferdinand Marcos’ diary claiming credit for saving the Pope’s life. The incident was among the “relevant antecedents” security officials have considered in preparing for next week’s visit of Pope Francis. “There was an appreciation of all the dangers that need to be avoided,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters, citing other incidents such as the Ultra stampede in 2006 and the “crowd surge” that cut short the Mass during the Feast of the Black Nazarene last year. President Aquino and his Cabinet met Thursday with Catholic Church officials led by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, to firm up preparations for the papal visit. The group was aware of what happened on Nov. 27 nearly 45 years ago when Paul was stabbed twice by a Bolivian painter, Benjamin Mendoza, who was disguised as a priest. The Pope had just alighted from an Alitalia plane and was greeting the huge crowd at the airport. Marcos claims credit Then President Marcos later claimed he Read More …

Pope Francis, right, meets with faithful at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. AP VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines is shaping up as an all-English affair. The Argentine pope plans to deliver all 11 speeches and homilies in English in a major break from his Italian and occasional Spanish norm. Francis tried out his English a few times during his pilgrimage to South Korea last summer. The Vatican said at the time that the try-out was such a success — Francis even managed to crack jokes off-the-cuff in English — that he would use it more during his second Asian foray. Francis arrives in Sri Lanka Jan. 13 for a two-day visit heavy on calls for reconciliation after the country’s quarter-century civil war. He then flies to the Philippines on Jan. 15 to visit the region hit hard by Typhoon Haiyan. He returns to Rome Jan. 19. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Wednesday that five separate open-air popemobiles would be used during the trip. Francis has eschewed the covered, bullet-proof popemobiles that his predecessors used overseas in favor of open-topped vehicles that he can easily get down from to greet the crowds. While Francis isn’t expected to make any major overtures to China during his trip, he will once again fly through Chinese airspace, giving him the opportunity of sending a new greeting to President Xi Jinping. Read More …

For Inquirer readers, the holidays are merrier when there’s a balikbayan box from a loved one to open. In a country where most families have members working or living abroad, sending balikbayan boxes, or packages of personal effects or gifts, has helped maintain ties despite the distance. While migrant workers now send balikbayan boxes at any time of the year, it is still a source of excitement for many during the holiday season. The Inquirer’s “What’s in your Balikbayan Box?” contest, launched on Dec. 14, asks readers to name their all-time favorite items found inside balikbayan boxes sent by relatives abroad through the years. Netizens who responded to our call on Twitter expressed gratitude and joy as they cited their Top 5 all-time favorite balikbayan box contents in 140 characters. “Thank you, relatives,” netizen @purpletooth gushed after citing her choices. “You can’t call it a balikbayan box without…” netizen @krisbayleley said before citing his all-time favorite balikbayan box items. Readers from Cebu, Leyte, Pangasinan, Batangas, Bulacan and Cavite shared their families’ stories of joy and gratitude after receiving balikbayan boxes from loved ones working abroad. All excited “We just received a balikbayan box from my sister-in-law,” said Lisa Maiquez of Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan. “We are all excited to open it, especially the kids. They cannot wait to see what’s inside.” “I know how hard it is to work abroad, especially when you’re far away from your family. It is not easy living and working so far away. But to make Read More …