Maniolas

An employee counts Philippine pesos inside a money changer in Manila September 19, 2013. A Philippine official said a weaker peso will benefit Philippine exporters by making their products less expensive and thus more competitive in the global market. MANILA  (Mabuhay) –The Philippine peso hit a seven-year low in heavy trading Monday as importers’ dollar demand added to downward pressure stemming from stock outflows. The peso lost 0.6 percent to 48.26 per dollar, its weakest since September 2009. Local importers scrambled for the greenback for payments, which further weakened a currency already impacted by sustained equity outflows. Foreign investors were net sellers in Manila stocks over the past six weeks. Analysts say President Rodrigo Duterte has been seen as alienating allies of the Philippines such as the United States with his crackdown on drugs. The peso’s slide “picked up momentum after the break of 48,” said a senior Philippine bank currency trader in Manila who expects the currency to weaken to 48.50. The Philippine unit may see a minor chart support at 48.35, but it is likely to seen heading to around 49.00, analysts said. Philippine Stock Exchange index was down nearly 1 percent to 7,648.69 in noon trading Monday. The weakness in Philippine financial markets comes on the heels of a sixth straight week of fund outflows from the Philippine Stock Exchange and 22 straight days of selling. The discussion on why the funds are leaving has centered around two things: the Federal Reserve and its plans to raise Read More …

Eligible immigrants strongly urged to take the first step now to have a chance of becoming a U.S. citizen before November election   Over 300,000 Asian immigrants in L.A. County currently eligible to naturalize and become a U.S. Citizen LOS ANGELES – Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA), in close partnership with community-based organizations and local government, announced an unprecedented campaign to encourage and increase the number of Asian American immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship. Community based organizations serving the Asian American community will receive additional funding and support to process citizenship applications. In addition, Asian ethnic media will be invited to join the effort as official campaign partners, to promote the benefits of citizenship. In Los Angeles County, over 300,000 Asian American immigrants are currently legal permanent residents who are eligible to naturalize and become U.S. citizens. “The United States was founded by immigrants and continues to thrive because of the contributions of immigrants,” said Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. “For many Asian Americans, the risk of leaving their native countries in pursuit of better opportunities outweighed all their fears of the unknown. Today, we are launching ‘Endless Possibilities. Citizenship Now!’ in seven Asian languages, drawing on an unprecedented partnership between nonprofits, government, and media, with the purpose of reminding immigrants that citizenship is a pathway to the many benefits and opportunities many hoped to achieve for themselves and their families by coming to America.” “More than 1 million people in Read More …

This month-long celebration showcases amazing talents and performing artists in music, creative arts, and other varied forms of entertainment from the Filipino-American community. The festivities will start on Saturday, October 1 at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center East Parking Lot at 9:00 a.m. located at 801 E. Carson Street in Carson.  This event is open to the public and admission is free. The program line-up includes performances from jazz vocalist Mon Valdez, along with Jo Awayan, Christine Love, Louise Marie Cornillez, and Sara Mislang.Co-author of the book, Filipinos in Carson and the South Bay, Florante Ibaňez, will also be there to highlight the historic contributions of Filipinos to the U.S. A program featuring awards for labor and community leadership, youth achievement, and medals of honor for advocacy work on behalf of Filipino American World War II veterans will also take place on October 1. The awardees are Ralph Quinte (posthumous Community Leadership), Dr. Jenny Batongmalaque (Community Leadership), Ildefonso Quibin (Heroism), Michelle Thorlund (Youth Achievement), Kristian Tan and Kurt Delicana (Youth Leadership). “Carson is proud to recognize the contributions of Filipino-Americans nationwide especially to the Carson community.  We are proud to have this annual event and proud to have been instrumental in the movement to getting legislation like AB 7 passed in Sacramento to have October 25 recognized as Larry Itliong Day throughout California,” said Carson Mayor Albert Robles.  “Thank you to Councilmember Elito M. Santarina for his leadership in helping make this celebration a reality,” added Robles. The program presents a talented line-up of performers, including Read More …

By Leilani S. Junio Students participate in a noise barrage along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the late President Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law declaration, Tuesday. Students, led by representatives from Ateneo de Manila University, paid tribute to and sought justice for victims of martial law. (MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on Wednesday for a stop to the killings due to the war on drugs and justice for one of its leaders who was ambushed and killed in Cebu last Saturday. The call was made by PM as they joined the big mobilization of the coalition iDefend (In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity) Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the anniversary of the declaration of martial law in September 1972. “On the 44th anniversary of martial law, the struggle for human rights and democracy for all remains as relevant and critical as ever. With the war on drugs claiming thousands of lives and a state of lawlessness imposed on the whole country, civil liberties and democratic freedoms are under clear and present danger,” Wilson Fortaleza, PM spokesperson, said. Fortaleza added, “The prevailing climate of impunity that has resulted in wanton killings of alleged drug pushers and addicts has also provided fertile ground for politically motivated slayings.” He said that the ambush-killing of PM-Cebu leader and organizer Orlando Abangan a few days ago is testament to this. He noted that Abangan’s murder came after the killing of Gloria Capitan, Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte salutes the honor guards welcoming him upon his arrival at the 10th Infantry Division in Compostela Valley on September 20. (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept 22 (Mabuhay) — A total of 1,197 drug suspects have been killed since the Duterte administration started its intensified campaign against illegal drugs in July. Data provided by police regional offices showed that as of 6 a.m., September 22, the Philippine National Police conducted 19,106 operations which also resulted in the arrest of 18,451 drug suspects. A total of 717,487 drug suspects have also surrendered, of whom 664,193 were users and 53,294 were pushers. The police have also visited 1,118,664 houses under Oplan Tokhang where they knock at houses and appeal to drug suspects to surrender. Meanwhile, of the 1,971 incidents of death under investigation, including those whose bodies were found with a cardboard sign stating they were either a drug pusher or user, a total of 1,660 deaths remain unsolved. Police have finished investigating and have filed charges on 311 incidents or 15.78 percent of the total number of deaths under investigation. Of the number, suspects have been arrested in 197 cases while suspects remain at large in the remaining 114 cases. (MNS)