Maniolas

Vice President Jejomar Binay addresses the crowd during the 36th National Conference of Employers at Marriott hotel in Pasay City on Friday. Binay told the business community his family only has five bank accounts, denying the Anti Money Laundering Council report that he owns about 242 bank accounts. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin Drilon contradicted on Tuesday a lawyer’s statement that Vice President Jejomar Binay was immune from suits, saying that “no one is above the law.” Drilion said it would be difficult to accept the argument of University of the Philippines law professor Harry Roque Jr. that any case that would be filed against the Vice President would be dismissed since he was enjoying immunity from lawsuits while in office. “Medyo mahirap pong tanggapin ang ganung klaseng position dahil sa ating sinusunod sa demokrasya, tayo po ay pantay-pantay sa ilalim ng batas. Mayaman ka man o mahirap, makapangyarihan o pangkaraniwang mamamayan, kung tayo po ay may pananagutan sa batas, dapat tayo ay (panagutin),” the Senate leader said in a radio interview on Tuesday. (That kind of argument is a bit hard to accept because in our democracy, we are all equal under the law. Whether you are rich or poor, powerful or ordinary citizens, if you  have violated the law then  you should be held liable) “No one is above the law. Under the theory of Professor Harry Roque, kung ikaw ay nagnakaw, basta impeachable official ka, hindi ka pwedeng sampahan ng kaso. Ako po ay Read More …

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is a bold local official who seems to “endorse” violence against criminals. MANILA (Mabuhay) – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said there will be no room for failure if he chooses to run and becomes president in 2016. During a speech before overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong last Sunday, Duterte said he is still “trying to feel the pulse of the people, relate to their local leaders, and ask myself whether I am ready for the awesome responsibilities of the presidency.” According to Duterte, “should I run for President and win in 2016, there will be no room for him to fail.” “I will not be president and sit for six years and at the end of my term, tell you that I tried my best, but failed. No…if I run and win, I cannot afford to fail my people. So if it is His will for me to run, then God help me.” Duterte, who spent most of his political life being the mayor of Davao City, emerged as the third most preferred potential presidential candidate in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. He was tied with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who is the presumptive bet of the ruling Liberal Party. Duterte explained that despite his decades of experience in politics, “the presidency is not an easy job.” “You have to hit the ground running, and you can never stop providing solutions to poverty, high prices, joblessness, while ensuring that people are safe in Read More …

Photo taken during the FACC-SLAA Business & Professionals Networking Mixer held on March 19, 2015, Henrick Macalintal, Benildo Tan, Abe Pagtama, Andy Z. Edralin, Evelyn Andamo, Jennifer Song, Cheryl Elumba, Megaworldre Re, Gabe Pagtama, Cynthia Raymundo-Tan, Loi Herrera, Josephine Edralin Basilio, Paz Villanueva Velasquez, Carson Knight, Marlene Robbins, Rocky Pavone, Joel Escabarte Dalguntas-Realtor, Abe Pagtama, Fe P. Koons, Joel Dalguntas-Realtor, Frederick Alain Docdocil and Manuel Angeles at Long Beach Marriott.Photo courtesy of Docdocil Brothers Photography (Facc Slaa Facebook page) Carson, CA – The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce South Bay Los Angeles is inviting business owners and professionals to come to its mixer this Thursday from 6-9 pm at Buffalo Wild Wings in Carson at 730 Del Amo Blvd. Cynthia Tan, president of the FACC-SLAA, said that mixer will give the opportunity for local businesses to network with its other and also to become members of the FACC-SLAA. “We also invite the general public to come and know the businesses in the South Bay. The Fil-Am Chamber has many activities this year as such the entrepreneurship workshops, the upcoming Filipino American History Month in October and the Philippine American Independence Day on July 4 at the Stub Hub Center,” Tan said. For more information on the business mixer, go to the facebook page facc slaa or call 310.748.9688 or email fred@bakitwhy.com.

Nadine Lustre and Kathryn Bernardo (MNS Photo) Teen stars Kathryn Bernardo and Nadine Lustre were finally introduced to each other formally recently. The two young stars met face to face during rehearsals for their respective numbers on “ASAP.” In a post on the official Instagram account of the variety show, Bernardo and Lustre can be seen posing side by side along with Julia Barretto. Another photo of them was again uploaded on “ASAP’s” account after their opening production number. In a past interview, Bernardo admitted there exists “some kind of awkwardness” between her and Lustre because a lot of people are constantly comparing them. “Siguro meron kaming awkwardness kasi with the social media, the Twitter, the Instagram, parang nauunahan ng lahat ng tao bago pa kami mag-meet,” Bernardo had said. Bernardo also once said she would like to get to know Lustre more, and maybe even hang out with her in the future. Since Lustre rose to fame in last year’s “Diary ng Panget,” not a few have commented that she and Bernardo look alike. Moreover, Bernardo’s team-up with Padilla is also being compared to the tandem of Lustre and James Reid. Despite this, Lustre had shrugged off comparisons, pointing out that she and Reid are just starting out and still have much to prove. Lustre’s latest film “Para sa Hopeless Romantic,” which also features Barretto, opens in theaters on Wednesday. (MNS)

The 2016 Nissan MaximaThe new car was almost a full second faster than a BMW 328i around the track.©Nissan (Relaxnews) – The latest-generation Maxima sedan bests BMW, Acura and Audi to set the fastest lap time around California’s Buttonwillow Raceway racetrack in tests overseen by AMCI Testin. Nissan is going to extraordinary lengths to underline its new car’s performance credentials. Described by company chairman, Carlos Ghosn as the “four-door sportscar” when it was officially revealed at the New York Autoshow in April, Nissan has now decided to pit its new car against a BMW 3 series and an Audi A4 Quattro to prove that the slogan was more than simply marketing talk. In controlled tests at the Buttonwillow Raceway in southern California the 2016 Maxima SR set the fastest lap — 1:18.50 — around the 1.8-mile West Loop, beating the BMW 328i by almost a full (0.98) second. The car also outperformed the Acura TLX 3.5L V6 Tech by 2.08 seconds and the Audi A4 2.0T Quattro by 2.71 seconds. “We expected the all-new 2016 Maxima, with its re-engineered engine, transmission and chassis to do well, but frankly even we were surprised by the head-to-head test results against some very well-established luxury sports sedans,” said Pierre Loing, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America. To ensure that there were no cries of foul play, each of the cars that featured in the challenge was sourced from an authorized dealership and were broken in and prepared, pre-race, in accordance with manufacturers’ guidelines. Read More …