Maniolas

ZAMBALES, Philippines (April 9, 2013) Chaplain of the Marine Corps Rear Adm. Margret G. Kibben speaks to members of the 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion about the work they are doing during Exercise Balikatan 2013. Balikatan is an annual Philippine-U.S. bilateral exercise. Humanitarian assistance and training activities enable the Philippine and American service members to build lasting relationships, train together and provide assistance in communities where the need is the greatest. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brandon C. Suhr/Released) Mount Samat, Philippines, AFP, Thursday 4/9/2015 – Philippine President Benigno Aquino and the US and Japanese ambassadors on Thursday vowed to work closer together in facing new challenges like maritime security and “terrorism” at a World War II memorial event. Aquino and the two envoys made the promise on the anniversary of the “Fall of Bataan” – marking the surrender of US and Philippine forces to Japanese invaders in 1942. “We stand united with former allies and foes in continued pursuit of widespread peace and prosperity throughout the world,” Aquino said at the Mount Samat shrine overlooking the Bataan battlefield. Aquino cited the swift assistance extended by the US and Japan particularly during disasters like Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 as an example of the generosity of these two countries. “I wish to express our heartfelt apologies and deep sense of remorse for all who suffered during those fateful days. We all remember and never forget what happened here,” Japanese ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa said at the same event. But he Read More …

Soldiers of the 57th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts. “They were ready anywhere, anytime.” Survivors of the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, and the Bataan Death March, and their descendants will gather in Long Beach on Friday and Saturday, April 24 – 25, at the annual meeting and reunion of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society.  These men are the soldiers who fought America’s first ground battles of World War II.  The United States Army awarded its first three Congressional Medals of Honor of World War II to Philippine Scouts: Lt. Alexander R. Nininger, Sgt. Jose Calugas and Lt. Willibald C. Bianchi, for their heroic actions on Bataan.  Ultimately, all 80,000 American and Filipino servicemen in the Philippine Islands became Prisoners of War, and more than half of them died in Japanese prison camps.  The Philippine Scouts were a unique and special U.S. Army organization consisting of highly-trained Filipino soldiers, and American and Filipino officers, who formed the backbone of General Douglas MacArthur’s United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). In the wake of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines on December 7, 1941, the Philippine Scouts were reinforced by U.S. Army National Guard units and joined by Philippine Army Infantry divisions, and ordered to hold back the Japanese advance.  On Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island these men were surrounded and starved out by the Japanese Army and Navy, but managed to fight on for more than four months while every other country and island in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific succumbed Read More …

Members of a militant group troop to the U.S. embassy in Manila on Tuesday to protest the alleged participation of U.S. forces in the Mamasapano incident and to ask President Aquino to resign. The group was reacting to reports of presence of unmanned vehicles at the scene of the clash. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Aquino’s peace adviser slammed critics of the administration and of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) for spreading “lies” and “deliberate misinformation” to discredit the peace process. Secretary Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process, told a group of evangelical Christians at a forum on Monday that President Aquino’s critics had always wanted to put him down even before the Mamasapano fiasco happened. The deaths of 44 elite cops in an encounter with rebel forces on January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguinanao has imperiled the fate of the BBL, a proposed law that seeks to create a new Muslim-led autonomous region in Mindanao after decades of armed conflict. The incident also caused President Aquino’s popularity to drop to record lows and led to calls for his resignation. Without naming names, Deles said various groups “have been looking for opportunities to find an issue that would be thrown at the President, that would weaken him, and if possible, shorten his term.” The perfect opportunity was the Mamasapano incident, she said. “We know that there is a group that does not want the President to succeed,” said Deles. “If you don’t want the President to succeed, Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the raising of the Philippine Flag during the inauguration of the Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite on Friday (March 20). The museum chronicles the life and times of Aguinaldo, especially during the revolution against Spain and war against the United States. Also in photo are National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairperson Dr. Maria Serena Diokno and Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Abaya. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Public satisfaction with President Benigno Aquino III in the first quarter of 2015 plunged 16 points to 47 percent, giving the president his lowest net satisfaction rating in his term, according to a poll taken by the Social Weather Stations. Those dissatisfied with Aquino’s performance was at 36 percent, up 12 points from December. Some 17 percent were undecided, three points higher than December. The resulting net satisfaction rating of +11 (those satisfied minus those dissatisfied) was 28 points lower than in December. Also, the +11 net satisfaction gave Aquino a “moderate” rating, a downgrade from the “good” +39 in December. The SWS explained that net satisfaction ratings of at least +70 were considered “excellent”; +50 to +69 “very good”; +30 to +49 “good”; +10 to +29 “moderate”; +9 to -9 “neutral”; -10 to -29 “poor”; -30 to -49 “bad”; -50 to -69 “very bad”; and -70 and below, “execrable.” Despite the drop in satisfaction, 50 percent of those polled opposed calls for Aquino to resign, with 32 percent Read More …

(2nd from left), Honeybee Foods Corporation Officials, Chowking Operations Director Donny Reyes, Jollibee Operations Director Mackey Dimaculangan, Jollibee, Red Ribbon & Chowking General Manager Maribeth Dela Cruz, Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim, Jollibee, Red Ribbon & Chowking Marketing Director Carol Rodriguez and Red Ribbon Operations Head Rey Viguilla. Los Angeles  – Honeybee Foods Corporation paid a courtesy call on Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles on 25 March 2015. Officials from Honeybee Foods Corporation representing the famous Filipino fast-food chains, Jollibee, Red Ribbon and Chowking called on Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim on 25 March 2015.  The officials updated the Consul General on the latest developments with their corporation which now has 86 stores around the United States.  The combined presence of Jollibee, Red Ribbon and Chowking in the U.S. provides employment to around 3,500 employees.  75% of these employees work in California. The Consul General informed the officials that the Consulate is always open to promoting Philippine products, including Filipino-themed food.  It is great news that one of the largest corporations in the Philippines is successful in the U.S. and continues to look forward to growing in other areas and other States in the country.