Maniolas

INQUIRER.net 1:59 pm | Friday, May 2nd, 2014 Photo by European Union. MANILA, Philippines—The European Union gives the Philippines until July to prove that its maritime training and monitoring are at par with international standards. The EU said Friday deficiencies in audit and monitoring of maritime schools in the Philippines have yet to be fully addressed even as it acknowledged progress in raising the training standard of Filipino seafarers. The 28-member EU asked Manila to “provide by end of July 2014 the necessary evidence to demonstrate that all outstanding deficiencies have been resolved and that they have fully implemented the requirements of the STCW convention.” It was referring to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. “Failure to resolve any remaining issue may result in the loss of EU recognition,” EU said. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which assists the European Commission in monitoring maritime safety compliance, has found deficiencies in the way Filipino seafarers are trained to run commercial vessels. There are about 100,000 Filipinos on board  EU-flagged ships. The European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport on April 23 presented to EU Member States its overall assessment of the Philippine maritime education, training and certification system. “According to the report, it appears that the Philippine authorities have made appreciated efforts to bring their system in line with the requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers,” EU said. “The efforts were supported by several EU Read More …

Suzanne Lansangan-Sabangan and Hermie Angeles of “Sounds of Manila” perform the music of Bay Area composer Cecile Azarcon. PHOTOS BY ELTON LUGAY • Cecile Azarcon, OPM Band, Sounds of Manila in sold-out show • Concert launches album “SOM sings Cecile Azarcon.” NEW YORK, New York — Soft-spoken Cecile Azarcon took a selfie onstage and opened her heart, telling everyone at her tribute concert Sunday night that writing love songs was much easier when she was 19. “I was young and vulnerable then,” she confessed. Azarcon, a renowned pianist, singer and songwriter based in Northern California was in town to celebrate her 35 years in the music biz. She was joined by ‘Original Pilipino Music’ band “Sounds of Manila” who also used the occasion to launch their maiden album “SOM Sings Cecile Azarcon.” Cecile Azarcon takes a selfie onstage. Photo by Elton Lugay The concertgoers loved Cecile’s candid performance. “Ngayon di na po ako makasulat kasi happy ako” (Now, I can’t write because I’m happy), mused Cecile. From her very first composition in the ‘80s, the inspiring “Lift Up Your Hands” to the soulful “Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga,” it was a treat to listen to her live. And knowing that she was the composer of these classic songs was just a bonus. Later in the show, she would dedicate the never-before released songs “Awit Kay Lola” and “A Journey Of A Thousand Songs” to her Lola who now has trouble remembering her name. “She is the reason why I became Read More …

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 1:04 am | Tuesday, April 29th, 2014 • Bright kid from a low-income neighborhood paired with nonprofit’s distinguished citizen awardee • Has 4.0 grade point average • Next distinguished citizen mentorship pairing set SACRAMENTO, California — An underprivileged eighth-grade boy from San Francisco on Tuesday, April 29 is visiting Assembly Member Rob Bonta in the state capital to learn how the state assembly and one of its members work. Michael Ruiz, 13, is Bonta’s mentee from San Francisco’s South of Market area, an enclave of low-income Filipino immigrants. Michael will shadow Bonta as he goes about his day in Sacramento, and he gets to be an “assembly member for a day.” Michael and Bonta were paired as mentee and mentor, respectively, during West Bay Pilipino Multi Service’s first annual Distinguished Citizen Awards last year. Bonta was honored as a Distinguished Citizen for Public Service in 2013. As part of the honor, each awardee was assigned to mentor one child from West Bay’s academic enrichment and mentorship program. Michael recently competed in the San Francisco Unified School District track and won first place.  He has a 4.0 GPA. Michael is a gifted child from one of the poorest families in West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service’s after school program. He has serious dental defects, which make him too embarrassed to even smile. Michael says he would like to be a “Pokemon trainer, an architect, basketball player or a track runner” when he grows up. His favorite activities are drawing, math, running and basketball. West Bay Read More …

Singapore AFP PHOTO SINGAPORE—An abusive campaign by Singaporeans opposing a planned Philippine independence celebration has shone a light on antiforeigner sentiment in the city-state, home to large numbers of guest workers accused of taking jobs from locals and causing overcrowding. The Philippines marks its 116th year of independence on June 12, and a group of Filipino residents in Singapore is planning an event on June 8 at a shopping complex along busy Orchard Road. It became a hotly debated topic after commentators on anonymously run local websites and Facebook pages heaped racial abuse on Filipinos and attacked the choice of venue, saying it should be held on the Philippine Embassy grounds instead of the public Orchard Road area. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who attended a “Singapore Day” celebration in London on March 29 attended by 9,000 people, condemned the “thuggish behavior” of people who harassed the organizers of the Philippine event, calling them a “disgrace to Singapore.”   Work of trolls Blaming “a few trolls” for the online attacks, he wrote on his Facebook page: “How would we have felt if British netizens had spammed our website and abused Singaporeans living in Britain?” A spokesperson for organizer Pilipino Independence Day Council Singapore (PIDCS) referred to a previous statement which said they were “heartened, grateful and happy to receive support from Singaporeans.” She declined to comment on whether the event would go ahead as planned on June 8. Police say they have not yet received a permit application for it. Read More …

Philippine Daily Inquirer 7:49 am | Saturday, April 26th, 2014 Passengers walk past a thermal scanner at the medical quarantine area at the arrival section of Manila’s International Airport in Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Health (DOH) already has the contact details of the last four Etihad Airways passengers that it has been tracking down so they can undergo testing for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV). “We’re now in the process of initiating contacts with the four passengers based on the contact details we received,” said Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, manager of the DOH emerging infectious diseases program. “At least now we already have the data to work on, unlike yesterday when we had nothing at all,” Lee Suy said. The health department and the Task Force MERS-CoV have been hunting down all 414 passengers of the Etihad Airways Flight 424 from Abu Dhabi which carried the male Filipino nurse who was initially diagnosed positive for the disease. However, further tests conducted on the nurse showed him to be negative for the virus. According to Lee Suy, the initial problems encountered in finding all the plane’s passengers were caused by the incomplete or wrong information that the passengers themselves had provided. Health Secretary Enrique Ona reminded returning Filipinos from the Middle East not to make any misdeclarations in filling out the health declaration checklist given to them on arrival. He said the government was Read More …