Maniolas

The Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee, chaired by Sen. Koko Pimentel, resumes its inquiry on the alleged overpricing of the 11-storey new Makati City II Parking Building, the 22-storey Makati City Hall Building and related anomalies. (MNS photo) MANILA, Apr 15 (Mabuhay) – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is willing to reveal his sources to prove his allegation that two Court of Appeals (CA) justices were bribed to stop the suspension order against Makati Mayor Junjun Binay. “I got the information, validated it and found it to be true…We’re willing to talk to these informants if they’re willing to get burned,” he said. Trillanes said he also wants to summon the two justices to the Senate probe into the so-called “justice for sale” system in the CA, but that will be up to Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice. The 2 CA justices – Jose Reyes Jr. and Francisco Acosta – have belied Trillanes’ claim, with Reyes calling it harassment. The Supreme Court has said it has sole jurisdiction over complaints against lawyers, judges, and magistrates. However, Trillanes believes that the Senate investigating the justices is part of the system of checks and balance. Amid criticism that he has no concrete evidence to back his claim of bribery, Trillanes said he will present past CA rulings to illustrate how the justices supposedly abused their discretion. “We will comb through their rulings, the past TROs they issued and show a pattern of behavior just like in past hearings and Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III witnesses as TESDA director general Emmanuel Joel Villanueva receives the ISO 9001:2008 Certificate from TUV SUD Philippines general manager Femelyn Lati in a ceremony at the Heroes Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Monday (April 13). Established in 1947, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certifies a government or private enterprise’s adherence to worldwide industrial and commercial standards of excellence. Also in photo is Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III expressed hope Tuesday the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) would sustain its rise and reach the 9,000-10,000 levels before his term ends in 2016. In his speech after leading the bell ringing ceremony at the PSE trading floor, the President said the main index, which posted its all-time high of 8,127.48 points on April 10, 2015, has more than doubled when he had his first bell-ringing ceremony in 2010. He noted that in his almost five years in office, the PSEi was able to post 119 record-highs. This performance, he said “stands as a sound reminder of the optimism that continues to surround the Philippines.” The President noted that trading activity in the local bourse rose by 40 percent year-on-year to Php 641.59 billion as of March against the Php 457.08 billion of the same period in 2015. He also said that net foreign buying during the same period went up by 182 percent to Php 47.87 billion from year-ago’s Php 17.33 billion. And with the Read More …

Health Secretary Janette Garin (right) talks to the media along with toxicologists from government hospitals, Dr. Visitacion Antonio (center) and Dr. Benjamin Yson, on Monday. The officials assured the public on the safety of milk teas and that the poisoning incident is an isolated case. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday that it did not find any toxic substance in the milk tea that killed two persons in Manila last Thursday, according to the preliminary findings of the tests it conducted. “Preliminary results were negative for suspected toxic substances,” Health Secretary Janette Garin said in a press conference. Garin said that they are looking at the case as a possible poisoning incident. “The situation appears to be an isolated event, pointing to a possible case of poisoning. Let me emphasize that this is isolated. In fact, this is the third time the couple bought milk tea in the same food establishment. No untoward incident happened during the previous intake,” she said. Garin said that they will expand their tests to include blood, gastric and tissue samples obtained from the victims to determine the cause of death. Meanwhile, Manila Police District (MPD) spokesperson Marissa Bruno said that they did not tamper the milk tea samples forwarded to the DOH and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The findings of the DOH countered the results of the autopsy conducted by the MPD on Suzaine Dagohoy, one of the victims who took a sip of the Read More …

Photographed through the window of a closed aircraft, an aerial view shows Pagasa Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines Wednesday July 20, 2011. China protested a trip made by Filipino lawmakers to disputed areas in the South China Sea to assert the claim of the Philippines. Ethan Sun, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Manila, said the trip scheduled was ‘against the spirit’ of a code of conduct signed by claimants to the areas in 2002. The Spratlys, believed to be rich in oil, mineral and marine resources, are also claimed in whole or partly by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. (AP Photo/Roley Dela Pena, Pool) Manila, Philippines, AFP – The construction works have destroyed 300 acres of coral reefs, resulting in an estimated $100 million in annual economic losses to coastal states, Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said. Three hundred acres is roughly three times the size of Vatican City. “China’s massive reclamation activities are causing irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea,” Jose said. He also accused China of tolerating environmentally harmful methods among its fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground that it has controlled since 2012, following a tense maritime standoff with the Philippines. Satellite photos from the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released last week also showed a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto Read More …

Ruffa Gutierrez (MNS photo) All is well now between Ruffa Gutierrez and her mom Annabelle Rama despite that the latter still seems to have concerns over the former’s non-showbiz boyfriend, Jordan Mouyal. Apparently, Annabelle got mad upon learning that Ruffa had agreed to do a magazine cover shoot with Jordan without informing her. “’Di talaga kami nagpaalam kasi alam kong ’di siya papayag. Nalaman niya lang sa news. Bilang manager ko alam kong nagalit siya,” Ruffa said. Seemingly half in jest, half out of frustration over the situation, Ruffa said at time of interview that she is planning to dare her mom to set her up with someone whom she feels is right for her. “Parang simula kasi 13 years old ako ayaw na niya (ako magka-boyfriend). Kaya baka pwedeng siya nalang mag set-up sa akin ng (date),” she said, laughing. “Ide-dare ko siya, kung ayaw mo kay Jordan or kung kahit kanino, ikaw nalang magpakilala sa akin.” Told about her mother’s earlier pronouncement that she’s merely worried about Ruffa being made a punching bag, she laughed, “Hindi na mangyayari ’yun kasi magaling na ako sumuntok… baka sila ang maging battered.” Ruffa appreciates Jordan’s effort of standing by her no matter what. “Alam mo maganda kasi may paninindigan siya kahit anong gawin ng kahit sino. Ang importante ipaglalaban ka,” she said. She related how Jordan keeps trying to endear himself to Annabelle, whom Ruffa says remains “dedma.” “Even if my mom ignores him, nagha-hi lang siya. Si mommy naman parang Read More …