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 (Mabuhay) – Detained businessman Delfin Lee has linked Vice President Jejomar Binay to a P200-million extortion attempt supposedly in exchange for dropping the P6.6-billion syndicated estafa case against him. In a sworn statement read by his lawyer during a Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probe on Monday, Lee alleged that Vice President Binay’s close associate, Gerry Limlingan, asked P200 million from him so that the Globe Asiatique founder’s estafa case will not proceed. “Ako ay biktima ng panggigipit sa pamumuno ni Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay. Dalawang beses kaming nagkita ni Mr. Gerry Limlingan, na kilalang malapit kay Bise Presidente Binay, sa isang gusali sa Makati, kung saan ako hiningan ng halagang 200 milyong piso para hindi ituloy ang kaso laban sa akin.” Lee also accused Limlingan of asking him to implicate former Vice President Noli de Castro in the Pag-IBIG fund scam. “Hinimok din ako ni Mr. Gerry Limlingan na gumawa ng hindi totoong kwento upang makasuhan si dating Bise Presidente Noli de Castro, ngunit hindi ako pumayag.” The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee earlier summoned to Lee to testify in its probe on alleged anomalies involving Vice President Binay, concurrent chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Lee, who has blamed Binay for his legal woes, was initially allowed by the Read More …

Sen. Bongbong Marcos, chair of the Committee on Local Government, reviews the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law focusing on the ceasefire mechanisms to be implemented between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senator Teofisto Guingona III defended Monday Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal’s refusal to reveal his real name. During the resumption of the Senate hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, Guingona said the anti-alias laws of the country cannot be applied or will be impossible to apply to the MILF because it is a revolutionary group which is not under the Philippine government. “The concept of use of alias can be only charged against them once they are physically arrested, conceptually they are not under the law dahil rebelde sila at hindi kinikilala ang batas,” he said. “It is not proper to look at this issue on Iqbal having an alias as a legal problem because we cannot look at it using the eyeglasses of the law. It is not a legal issue, it is bigger than legal, it is political,” he added. He further said that the lawmakers should take into consideration the culture in Muslim Mindanao in asking for Iqbal’s real name. “Kailangang kilalanin ang kultura down south. Kung magkasala ka sa isang tao lalo na kung sa honor ng tao, babalikan ka at hindi sa pamamagitan ng pag-file ng kaso sa regional trial court kundi babawian ka. At kung hindi ka mahanap, iyong pamilya mo Read More …

Sarah Jane ‘SJ’ Gandia Sj is a young breed of Filipino songwriter who was born in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite and is now based here in Los Angeles. The development of her unique songwriting style is the result of a lifetime of musical influences, coming from her late mom’s side of the family as she witnessed the family sing at church services. Her dad on the other hand injected his love for deep vocabulary with his unique use of words in stage plays. A music loving mom plus a talented playwright dad makes for what Sj is right now. Her first foray into learning the piano herself came when she was in preschool, about 5 years old. She tried to have formal training but because she was too eager to tap the piano keys, she defied her teacher’s musical notes teaching and went on doing what she wanted to do Sj’s musical journey began in the Philippines, in her hometown of Cavite where she developed her musical taste and interests. It wasn’t long after tapping those keys that she found herself experimenting with the musical instrument. After meeting with the world renowned and respectable singer/songwriter, Mr. Jose Mari Chan, she began to showcase her talents in various competitions. Growing up in Las Pinas, she represented the city at the then renowned, Metro Pop Music Festival. Garnering the 1st runner up award, she got lucky when a representative from Octo Arts approached her and asked if she would be interested in submitting Read More …

Only 24% of people said that they felt excited after buying a car.©Dasha Petrenko/shutterstock.com (Relaxnews) – Nearly nine in 10 people believe that there should be an easier or better way of shopping for or selling their car. Whether it’s via a dealership, from an independent garage or an online listing service, US consumers believe that the playing field isn’t level and that the odds are stacked against them when searching for a quality used car. That is, according to a survey of 1000 US adults, commissioned by online peer-to-peer marketplace Beepi, who had bought or sold a pre-owned car in the past 12 months. When asked, 85% of all respondents and 88% of women quizzed said they believed women were more likely to be taken advantage of when buying or selling a car. Fewer than one in three (28%) of men said that they feel ill-equipped or too intimidated to negotiate with a dealer or sales representative when it came to buying or selling, compared with 42% of women. However, the perception of car salespeople at a dealership isn’t helping matters with 66% of respondents saying that they see salesmen as self-centered and out for themselves. Only 22% described car dealers as trustworthy. Yet, when the situation moves from a garage forecourt and from face-to-face negotiations onto the web, emails and messaging, things don’t become any easier; in fact, when it comes to using web services like Craigslist, three in four women said that they worried for their personal Read More …

AARP-Report-Screen-Shot-19December2014-300×387 WASHINGTON, D.C. – AARP convened a panel to discuss key issues – caregiving, economic security, health and healthcare – impacting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) age 50-plus. The webinar was open to the public and transmitted live from Washington, D.C. earlier today. Watch it online at https://aarp.webex.com/aarp/ldr.php?RCID=740efb030b01c7b7ed3c9c009003fd33 “There is a lack of disaggregated data about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Yet data is the key to unlocking policy, resources, and solutions that address the critical needs of AAPI communities,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President, Multicultural Markets & Engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. “We are committed to bringing attention to the gaps in knowledge about these groups and hope that our research will help individuals, non-profit groups, and funders make informed decisions about the concerns of our communities.” The panelists discussed AARP’s recent three-part research series (available for free download at www.AARP.org/AAPI), including data that AAPIs age 50-plus: Are more likely to provide caregiving for older family members at home Appear more financially secure than the general population, but many more Asian ethnic groups are at or below poverty levels compared to the general population of the same age Lack health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care compared to other Americans the same age The other panelists were Dr. Xenia Montenegro, AARP Research Team Lead for Multicultural Markets; Angela Houghton, AARP Research, Senior Research Advisor; and Ron Mori, AARP Manager, Multicultural Markets & Engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. The presentation Read More …