Maniolas

By: Ray Andres Pinoy Hall of Famer: Jun Aquino who will join the prestigious roster of West Coast Hall of Fame on Sept. 25 at the Garland Event Center in Hollywood in the Boxing-Artist Category does finishing touches on a painting of Manny Pacquiao and President Barrack Obama. As fate would have it, destiny closed the door to sports artist Jun Aquino years back when he was being recognized as one of the most talented artists while working at the now defunct Free Press Magazine. The publication closed shop but it was not the end for the talented artist with new and better doors of opportunities opening up for him for his career to blossom anew and be propelled to a greater height. His being recognized as a sports artist has been due somewhat to his star being hitched to a great boxer and now Senator Manny Pacquiao who considers him as “his personal painter”. Aquino will be inducted in the West Coast Hall of Fame in the “Boxing Artist Category’” as a non-boxer on September 25 at Garland Event Center in Hollywood. He will join other inductees which include Bobby Chacon, Mike Weaver, Israel Vasquez, Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Henry Armstrong, Armando Ramos, Jerry Quarry, Fidel LaBarba, Genero Hernandez, Jose Sulaiman and his son, Mauricio and William O’Neill. The West Coast Hall of Fame is dedicated “to upholding the integrity, accuracy and of the great fighters of the past”. Surprised by the forthcoming accolade, Aquino said, “Never in my Read More …

— President Rodrigo Duterte joins other heads of states on stage during the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos on September 6. (MNS photo) MANILA PNA) – He could walk into an empty football field and it would soon be filled to the rafters. This is the charisma that President Rodrigo Duterte exudes. For his people, he has earned a “rock star” status prompting flocks – if not, hordes – of people to gather and crowd his airspace. Filipinos consider him a folk hero, father, savior and much more. President Duterte may be the only Chief Executive who gets cheered and applauded for merely passing through a city street, a basketball arena, or a hotel lobby. For most people, the mere idea that they pass through the street where the President lives or has a meal already sends shivers up their spines. At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR, Duterte’s rock star status has virtually rubbed off on our ASEAN neighbors. A few of the delegates actually took selfies with PRRD as he passed the hallways or whenever the opportunity presented itself. Presidential Spokesperson Abella explained, “The tone of conversation between the nations seems to indicate that they recognize his influence, they recognize his political will, they recognize his firmness, they recognize his resolve. For example, to address drugs, the flow of illegal drugs. In fact, the Prime Minister of Singapore asked how he was dealing Read More …

By Azer N. Parrocha Channapha Khamvongsa: After War, A New Legacy of Peace in Laos: President Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Laos, where he discussed his work to address a legacy of war in the country. (White House official photo) MANILA, Sept. 8 (PNA) – In what seemed like an effort to patch things up, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and US President Barack Obama shook hands and shared a good conversation before the gala dinner at the ASEAN Summit in Laos, a senator said Thursday. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who accompanied Duterte in his trip, said that this was how the two presidents met informally in a holding room before attending a gala dinner at the ASEAN Summit. “You could see that there is an effort from both sides to patch things up,” Cayetano, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said. President Rodrigo Duterte and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, along with their delegations, meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos on September 6.(MNS photo) The previous day, Duterte mentioned in a press conference that the US President should not question his way of dealing with the country’s illegal drug problem. This led the White House to cancel the scheduled meet between the two leaders. Cayetano stressed the importance of maintaining strong diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the US despite their earlier rift. “The Philippines and the US have a longstanding partnership [and] relationship. There will be bumps along the Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte joins other heads of states on stage during the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos on September 6. (MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) presented the economic agenda of the Philippines to members of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on Tuesday in Luang Prabang, Laos. The agenda focuses on the promotion of inclusive growth through innovation in four areas: micro, small and medium enterprises; e-commerce; youth; and women entrepreneurship. Speaking at the 13th ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) at the Muong Thanh Luxury Hotel, the President urged the business leaders to hasten the integration of sub-regional cooperation frameworks in Southeast Asia. He said he learned that the 10-member regional bloc has the Greater Mekong Sub-Region; the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle; and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, otherwise known as the BIMP-EAGA. President Rodrigo Duterte joins other heads of states on stage during the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos on September 6. (MNS photo) PRRD thanked the ABAC for the opportunity to participate as speaker in this year’s ABIS event. “I attach great importance on how laws are crafted and implemented to bring good governance and order and to provide an enabling environment for the country’s progress and prosperity,” he said. “From my perspective, for ASEAN to be a global player, it must ensure the effective implementation of various agreements concluded through the years,” he Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meet at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos on September 6, 2016. (Photo by King Rodriguez/PPD/PNA) VIENTIANE, Laos  (PNA) – Even Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was starstruck to meet the new Philippine President. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday met with the Japanese Prime Minister in a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits here at the National Convention Center in Vientiane. At the meeting, Prime Minister Abe expressed his gladness of meeting President Duterte in person for the first time. Abe admitted that he was excited to meet the Philippine President, saying that President Duterte is quite famous in Japan. “Mr. President is quite a famous figure also in Japan and I’m very excited to see you in person,” Abe said upon shaking hands with President Duterte. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abe conveyed Japan’s sympathies to the Philippines following the Davao night market blast last week, saying that Japan remains side by side with the Philippines. “I would like to underscore that Japan firmly deplores the terror incident which took place in Davao the other day,” Abe said. “I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences to the victims and their family members. And also, I would like to reiterate my feelings and sympathy for you,” he said. Furthermore, Abe said Japan looks forward to further cooperation with Read More …