Maniolas

President Benigno S. Aquino III signs the book of condolences for the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Makati City on Tuesday (January 27). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – A militant group on Wednesday said President Benigno Aquino III “has a lot of explaining to do” about the operations in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao, where 44 elite police officers were killed Sunday. In a statement, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said the President should tell the people whether he approved the operation, where members of the PNP-Special Action Force was supposed to serve an arrest warrant on Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir. Police had confirmed the presence in the area of the “high-value” JI leader, also known as Commander Marwan. “It is hard to believe that 392 elite PNP SAF were being mobilized for an operation against a so-called high-value target and yet our top officials claim they were not aware,” Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said. The group raised the question after a Manila Standard Today report citing a police general, who was supposedly part of the planning of the operation, as saying Aquino “was aware” of the operations. Bayan said the report claimed Aquino put suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima in-charge of the operation “apparently without the knowledge” of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II. It added that the operation was undertaken upon the direction of the United States government that “even offered a $5-million bounty for Marwan’s capture.” Read More …

Senate President Franklin Drilon delivering his eulogy for former Senator Flavier. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is targeting to seal the P600-million deal that would integrate the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) by early February. In a statement emailed Wednesday, the agency said it is coordinating with Manila North Tollways Corp. to speed up the signing of the agreement on the integration of the two expressways ahead of the February 12 deadline set by Senate President Franklin Drilon. “We are working at signing the agreement in the first week of February,” BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano Casanova said. “We are just waiting for the go-signal of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel before we can sign off on the agreement,” he added. Once signed, the toll integration agreement will be submitted to the Toll Regulatory Board for approval, the BCDA said. Drilon earlier met with the BCDA and the operators of the expressways in North Luzon to discuss the integration after his trip to Baguio during the holidays took 11 hours. At present, the operations of the SCTEX and TPLEX are already partially integrated, with motorists no longer needing to queue separately in La Paz to pay and get new toll cards for SCTEX and TPLEX. “We just need to thresh out details on the settlement of payments and other documentation,” Casanova said. There are also discussions between SCTEX and TPLEX to make driving through Read More …

TFC@theMovies brings top-grossing Filipino film of all time to over 40 theatres in U.S. and in Canada starting January 30 REDWOOD SHORES, CA – When gay soldier character Benjamin “Benjie” Santos VIII, played by host-actor-singer Vice Ganda, first came into public conciousness in 2011 by way of ABS-CBN Star Cinema’s action-comedy, “The Unkabogable: Praybeyt Benjamin”, the character became an icon for unlikely heroes and the film became the first in Philippine cinema history to break the P300 million mark. The good news is that Benjamin is back and so is the team of Vice Ganda and director-writer Wenn V. Deramas to give life and zest to the sequel, The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, the box-office toast of the recently held 40th Metro Manila Film Festival.  Again, the dynamic artist-director duo wove magic at the box office, this time breaking all Philippine records by grossing Php435 million as of January 14, 2015. TFC@theMovies happily brings this comedy treasure to North America starting January 30, and will screen in over 40 theaters in U.S. and in Canada. In The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, after defeating terrorists and saving the world from a zombie attack, Praybeyt Benjamin is promoted to colonel and has become an international superstar.  Once simple and humble, he allows success to get into his head.  After making a fatal mistake in one mission by disobeying his new commanding officer General Wilson Chua (played by Richard Yap), Benjamin is subjected to disciplinary action.  He is given a new mission: gain the confidence of General Chua’s brat kid, Bimbee (played by James “Bimby” Aquino-Yap) and extract Read More …

Senator Bongbong Marcos, chair of the Local Government Commitee together with Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago preside over the public hearing of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Santiago applied the debate format in proceeding with the hearing. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the military is now confirming reports that Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Commander Marwan was killed in a day-long firefight between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao on Sunday. “Well, we have no confirmation but that was the report we got last night…According to reports they (PNP) were able to neutralize one of them, si Marwan, although ‘yung isa nakawala, ‘yung si Basit Usman,” Gazmin told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo on Monday. At least 30 police officers belonging to the elite group, Special Action Force (SAF) were confirmed dead in the firefight on Sunday. Army sources, however, said they suspect that about 50 people died from the clash, majority of them belonging to the side of the police. Gazmin said he, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina will go later on Monday to Maguindanao and Cotabato to assess the situation and to confirm the report about Marwan’s death. “We will validate that (report). I am going to Cotabato today so that I can get more accurate information to be able to disseminate to you,” Gazmin said. In a report sent to Read More …