Maniolas

— Five of the six female members of the Senate pose for a souvenir photo in their colorful attire before the opening of the 3rd and last Regular Session of the 16th Congress at the Senate Building in Pasay City on Monday (July 27, 2015). They are (from left) Senators Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Cynthia Villar, Grace Poe and Maria Lourdes Binay. Not in photo is Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Senator Grace Poe will attend on Friday the preliminary conference of the Senate Electoral Tribunal that will hear the quo warranto case questioning her qualification to run for the Senate, the lawmaker’s chief of staff has confirmed. “Yes, she will (attend),” Victorino said when asked about the senator’s attendance. The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) has set for September 21 the hearing for the disqualification case filed against Senator Grace Poe. Supreme Court Public Information Office chief and spokesman Theodore Te said SET chair Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio relayed to him that the proceedings would be held at the SC session hall at 2 p.m. Before the hearing, the SET is set convene the parties in a closed-door preliminary conference, also at the SC, on Friday, September 11. The SET is comprised of its chair, Justice Carpio, Supreme Court Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro and Arturo Brion, Sens. Loren Legarda, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar and Nancy Binay. The quo warranto complaint was filed by Rizalito David, Read More …

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with SM Malls conduct nationwide jobs fair in celebration of Labor Day (May 1). Over 310,000 jobs are offered to qualified applicants. Photo shows applicants line up at Mall Event Center of SM Manila. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — More Filipino adults found themselves jobless over the last quarter, a survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said. The survey, conducted June 5 to 8, placed the joblessness rate at 23.2 percent, or equivalent to 10.5 million Filipinos, 4.1 points higher than the 19.1 percent from the first quarter. Out of this, 11 percent (4.7 million adults) voluntarily left their jobs, higher than the seven percent from March. Meanwhile, 10 percent (4.4 million adults) of those surveyed were retrenched, contracts for six percent of them were no longer renewed. The survey was participated in by 1,200 adults nationwide, with sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Results were first published on the BusinessWorld website. Meanwhile, some 36 percent said the number of job openings in the next 12 months will rise. However, the survey showed that net optimism on job availability fell back to “fair” at +17 from last quarter’s “high” +20, as 19 percent of respondents said there would be fewer jobs. The SWS describes a net optimism score of +30 and above as “very high,” +20 to +29 “high,” +10 to +19 “fair,” +1 to Read More …

Gensan presents Tuna Festival in General Santos City (8 September 2015) – The 17th Tuna Festival features students clad in colorfully- and tuna-inspired costumes while dancing in Pioneer Avenue towards the Oval Plaza Stadium during the Tuna Festival street dancing competition Sunday, September 6. The participants were Christian School of Polomolok, Polomolok Poblacion National High School, Sto. Nino National High School (Polomolok), and the Goldenstate College of Gensan. (Gensan CPIO/ Russell Delvo) GENERAL SANTOS CITY  – “Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to declare this year’s Tuna Festival the most successful in the three years that I am the city mayor.” This was the statement of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera after a series of big events that took place during the 17th Tuna Festival celebration. At the closing ceremony of the 17th Tuna Festival  Sunday (September 6), Mayor Rivera expressed nothing more than gratitude to the people and organizations, especially the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), that made the celebration successful. The PFDA, headed by Mario Malinao, was the co-organizer of the 17th Tuna Festival along with the city government. Mayor Rivera also acknowledged the efforts of the Philippine National Police, Joint Task Force Gensan, and other public safety units in maintaining peace and order during the celebration. This year’s Tuna Festival focused on giving tribute to the industry and people who made Gensan the Tuna Capital of the Philippines. In a press conference held on August 12, Mayor Rivera and all of the organizers of the 17th Tuna Festival said they will Read More …

Commuters still opt to take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) instead of braving the traffic on EDSA on Tuesday despite the reported improvement on the flow of traffic along the major thoroughfare. The Highway Patrol Group said it is still adjusting on their second day of managing traffic on EDSA. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras on Wednesday acknowledged the “hard work and continuous efforts” of the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for working together to address the traffic situation in the metropolis. In a statement, Almendras said the complex problem “requires the ‘whole of government’ approach”, which also involves other agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Transportation and Communications, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Land Transportation Office. “The past two days are proof that the initial steps being taken to ease the traffic situation were effective, and government will continue to strive to improve our interaction and interoperability among concerned government agencies,” he said in the statement. The Cabinet Secretary also urged the public to follow traffic rules and regulations. “We continue to appeal to the public for their cooperation in following traffic rules and regulations that greatly impact on traffic flow and management,” he said. Almendras has been tasked by President Benigno S. Aquino III to coordinate with agencies to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, especially along the Epifanio de los Santos Read More …

Vice President Jejomar Binay speaks to senior citizens in Amapola St., Barangay Pembo, Makati, Thursday. The city government of Makati has been under public scrutiny amid new allegations of having “ghost” senior citizens who reportedly receive benefits. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said the latest plunder complaint filed by lawyer Renato Bondal was “just another nuisance suit” paid for by his critics. In a statement, Binay’s spokesperson for political affairs lawyer Rico Quicho said the vice president had no transactions with Meriras Realty Development Corporation over the alleged illegal use of a property in Makati City. Bondal, one of the witnesses testifying before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on the corruption allegations against Binay, claimed Binay used Meriras to hide the ownership of the property. Meriras is a combination of the surnames “Mercado” and “Irasga” of former Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado and former Makati City Engineer Nelson Irasga. Mercado used to be a close ally of Binay during the latter’s term as city mayor of Makati. “We all know that Bondal and Mercado are the indefatigable sources of trumped up charges against the Vice President. This is but another charge that has been bought and paid for,” said Quicho. Contrary to Bondal’s claims, Quicho said the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) declared the acquisition of the Meriras lot valid and legal more than a decade ago. “Clearly, Mr. Bondal is merely fabricating this Read More …