Maniolas

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte chats with US President Donald Trump during the gala dinner hosted by the Philippines for the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and dialogue partners at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on November 12, 2017. (MNS photo) MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabuhay) — The relationship between the Philippines and the United States, two longtime allies, is “vibrant” under their current respective leaderships, said a Palace official on Tuesday. The over-40-minute-long bilateral meeting between Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Donald Trump was a “good indication” of a positive relationship between the two countries, said Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan. “We feel that the relationship between the Philippines and the US is vibrant under Duterte and President Trump,” he said. “The bilat[eral meeting] yesterday lasted for more than 40 minutes which is a good indication of a good relationship between the two countries.” Duterte and Trump held a much-anticipated bilateral meeting on Monday, where Trump affirmed having a “great relationship” with his Philippine counterpart, who has had a less-than-warm rapport with former US President Barack Obama. Duterte had called Obama a “son of a bitch” after the White House said the latter would “not pull punches” in discussing the Philippine human rights situation. This vulgar remark, though not Duterte’s first—he had called the Pope a “son of a whore,” for one—prompted Obama to cancel what would have been their first meeting. Prior to the Duterte-Trump talk, US lawmakers urged their Read More …

PH-US BILATERAL TALKS. President Rodrigo Duterte holds bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump at the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on November 13, 2017.(MNS photo) MANILA, Nov 14 (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte and US President Donald Trump, in their first bilateral meeting in Manila, declared that human rights and dignity of human life are “essential” amid massive criticisms on the Philippine leader’s bloody anti-narcotics crackdown that killed thousands of drug suspects. At the same time, the two sides acknowledged that illegal drug use “is a problem afflicting both countries” as Trump committed to help the Philippines address the global menace. “The two sides underscored that human rights and the dignity of human life are essential, and agreed to continue mainstreaming the human rights agenda in their national programs to promote the welfare of all sectors, including the most vulnerable groups,” said a joint statement released on Tuesday, a day after Duterte and Trump met at the sidelines of an ongoing regional summit hosted by the Philippines. Duterte and Trump, according to their statement, agreed “to share best practices in the areas of prevention, enforcement, including capacity-building and transparency in investigations and rehabilitation” Trump, criticized at home for not giving priority on the human rights issues in the Philippines, has been strongly urged to confront the Philippine leader on his brutal drug war – a policy censured by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Angered by Obama’s criticisms, Duterte lashed out on the US and even threatened Read More …

Critically acclaimed Philippine movie “Birdshot” was among the foreign films that were screened in the just concluded 3rd Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) held in Culver City from October 26 to November 6. An AWFF organizer told Weekend Balita/US Asian Post that Birdshot’s screening was well attended and was amply supported by the staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. Almost simultaneously, Birdshot won in the recently concluded Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival (LAPIFF). The movie tied with movie Imbisibol for LAPIFF’s Best Picture Award. Entries to LAPIFF were screened at the SouthBay Pavilion Cinemark at 20700 Avalon Blvd., in the City of Carson. Birdshot is a mystery and drama film about a farm girl who shot a protected Philippine eagle, not knowing that it is illegal to kill protected animal species, as she wandered off a forest reservation. Commendably, as the movie unfolded, director Mikhail Red and his crew were also able to accurately illustrate — visually and cerebrally — the faces and lives of Filipino policemen as they go about their daily grinds. The filmmakers were also able to examine the challenges that rank-and-file policemen face as they are caught in the intricacies of a corrupt justice system. Birdshot is one of the 22 Oscar® Foreign Language contenders. The AWFF started on an emotional pitch when it opened through the screening of Ayla: Daughter of War. Ayla is a movie about a story that happened during the Korean War in the 1950s. The main character, Read More …

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said the drop in the number of Filipinos expecting President Rodrigo Duterte to fulfill most, if not all, of his campaign promises is normal in any administration that has been a year in office, stressing however that what matters most is that majority of Filipinos remain satisfied with the performance of the Duterte administration. According the Third Quarter 2017 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, done on September 23-27, 35 percent of respondents said they expect President Duterte to fulfill most, if not all, of his promises. This consists of 8 percent saying Duterte can fulfill “all or nearly all,” and 27 percent saying he can fulfill “most” of his promises. Meanwhile, 57 percent answered “a few,” and 6 percent said “none or almost none.” The September 2017 proportion of those expecting most, if not all, of President Duterte’s promises to be fulfilled is 17 points below the 52 percent (17 percent all or nearly all, 35 percent most) in March 2017. “I think it is normal that after about a year in office, that people will say that the election promises may not be met. But having said that, the same survey indicated that the people still rated the President with ‘very good’ in terms of performance,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing. The survey showed that 71 percent of adult Filipinos satisfied, 16 percent neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 13 percent dissatisfied with the general performance of the current National Administration, for Read More …