Maniolas

On the solemnity of the annual celebration of the Catholic feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary recently, this author was invited by Jean O. Ng, an ardent parishioner of Saint Therese Church in the City of Alhambra, to experience the solemn rite of ordination to the sacred priesthood of Fr. Peter Mary Vecellio, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, O.C.D. Fr. Peter was born in Minneapolis, MN. to parents: Raymund and Mary Vecellio, but was raised in the town of Minnetonka, MN. He attended St. Joseph’s Catholic Grade School and Benilde-St. Margaret’s Catholic High School. He further attended the University of Minnesota, but graduated at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Celebration of the Catholic feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary While at Franciscan University, he went through a major conversion in his life where he felt the “calling” to “offer his whole life to God ,” and become a priest. It was his mother, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, who played an important role in guiding him go through the whole process. Fr. Peter chose to join the Order of Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D) because for him, “ultimately St. Therese and Our Lady led him to the Carmelite order and he was attracted to the Carmelites’ emphasis on prayer and the contemplative life.” According to historical accounts, the Order of Discalced Carmelites “was juristically erected  in 1593 * They are commonly known as Secular Carmelites and they are an integral part of the Discalced Carmelite Order (OCD) and they are juristically dependent upon the Discalced Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the commemoration of the 137th Birth Anniversary of President Manuel L. Quezon (PMLQ) and the Inauguration of the “Museo ni Manuel L Quezon” during the flag raising ceremony at the Quezon Memorial Shrine in Elliptical Road, Quezon City on Wednesday (August 19, 2015). Also in photo are House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.; Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr.; and Quezon City Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina Belmonte. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — After the Bureau of Customs (BOC) drew flak for its plan to conduct physical inspections on balikbayan boxes, Malacañang said Wednesday that it is high time for Congress to review existing rules on these packages. At a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. welcomed Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto’s proposal to amend BOC Memorandum Circular No. 7990, which sets rules for OFW-sent packages. In Senate Bill 2913, Recto particularly pushed for an increase the tax-exempt value of the contents of a balikbayan box to $2,000 from the present $500. “Mainam na nakapaghain si Senator Recto dahil pinag-uusapan ang bagay na iyan. Matagal na panahon na rin simula noong nagtakda ng mga patakaran hinggil diyan,” Coloma told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “Napapanahon na rin siguro na pag-aralan ng ating mga mambabatas kung ang ano mang pagbabago ang kinakailangan,” he added. Coloma nevertheless said that the executive has yet to study Recto’s entire proposal, and to come up with a stand on the measure. “Pag-aaralan namin ang panukala at titingnan ano ang pinakamakatwirang na 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) — A former department head at the Makati City Hall received 15 checks from the priority development assistance funds of Rep. Abigail Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, documents obtained by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV show. At the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation on the corruption allegations against Vice President Binay on Wednesday, Trillanes said Ryan Barcelo, former officer-in-charge of the Makati Social Welfare Development (MSWD), was listed as the “payee” on the said checks. Barcelo said he recalls being a special disbursing officer when he received the checks, but said he can no longer remember if he got checks from the national government through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). “I don’t recall receiving a check direct from DBM or [the] national government. If my memory still serves me well, lahat ng tseke na tinanggap ko ay nanggaling sa city government. I don’t know kung saan nanggaling yung funds na ‘yun,” he told the subcommittee. Trillanes said the procedure “constitutes malversation” because the checks were addressed to Barcelo instead of the agency that he represents. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said Barcelo should explain himself before the Commission on Audit (COA). “Sa COA ka na magpaliwanag… To be fair to you and to be fair Read More …

The Senate Committee on Local Government, chaired by Senator Bongbong Marcos, together with the Committees on Peace Unification and Reconcillation; and Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, will contiunue its inquiry on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. Also present during the BBL hearing is Senator Chiz Escudero. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) -– Senator Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he and his family have nothing to apologize for what happened during the regime of his father, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos, whose election to the Senate in 2010 marked the return of the Marcos clan to national politics, said the supposed progress experienced by the Philippines under his father outweighs the criticisms being lodged against him. “Kung meron akong sinaktan, I will always say sorry, but what I’ve been guilty of to apologize about?” Marcos said. ”Will I say sorry for the thousands and thousands of kilometers that were built? Will I say sorry for the agricultural policy that brought us to self-sufficiency in rice? Will I say sorry for the power generation? Will I say sorry for the highest literacy rate in Asia? What am I to say sorry about?” Nonetheless, the younger Marcos said he and his family feel sorry for people who felt injustice during his father’s time. “We have constantly said that if during that time of my father, mayroong mga nasagasaan or mayroong sinasabing hindi natulungan or they were victimized in some way or another, of course we’re sorry that that happened. Nobody wants that Read More …

BMW Power eDrive demonstration: The powertrain will be used in BMW’s flagship models. ©BMW Group (Relaxnews) – At a special event at its company headquarters this week, BMW took the wraps off a new plug-in hybrid system and with it, signalled the direction that Europe’s leading carmakers are going in order to meet increasingly stringent pollution, emissions sand fuel economy regulations that are coming into force. Called the Power eDrive and demonstrated in a special prototype BMW 5-Series GT, the new powertrain promises the sort of power one expects from a 6-liter V12 Rolls-Royce but combined with the CO2 emissions more associated with a Toyota Prius. By 2021, companies will have to meet a ‘fleet average’ emission level of 95g of CO2 /km. In simple terms it means when the emissions levels of all of a manufacturer’s different cars are added together and the average taken, it needs to be 95g of CO2 /km. That’s an easy target to hit for a company like Smart, which only builds two, highly efficient, tiny city cars. But for brands like Volvo, VW and BMW, with potent luxury sedans, serious sportscars and heavy SUVs in their ranges, the challenges and costs are major—a point that was high on the agenda at this year’s International Conference on Advanced Automotive 48V Power Supply Systems, held in Düsseldorf earlier in November. “Until we have a really significant breakthrough with battery chemistry or fuel-cell technology, the high voltage approach to hybridization and pure battery electric vehicles will Read More …