Maniolas

Survey reveals who may be in 2016 presidential race SWS poll lists possible 2016 presidential contenders President Benigno S. Aquino III converses with Vice President Jejomar Binay during the79th Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Day Celebration at the AFP General Headquarters Grandstand of the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday (December 18, 2014). This year’s theme is: “Sandatahang Lakas: Ika-79 na Taong Naglilingkod ng Tapat tungo sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Kasaganaan”. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Grace Poe, and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II topped a new poll taken by the Social Weather Stations as the three most likely to succeed President Benigno Aquino III once his term ends in 2016. The poll was taken from November 27 to December 1, and asked, “Who do you think are the good leaders who should succeed Pres. [Benigno III] Aquino as president? You may give up to three names.” The poll results, posted in the Business World website, found that 37 percent of respondents believed Binay should succeed Aquino in 2016; 21 percent named Poe, and 19 percent named Roxas. The other personalities named by the respondents included: Sen. Miriam Santiago (10 percent) Sen. Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero (9 percent) former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (9 percent) Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (5 percent) Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (5 percent) Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (3 percent) Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (3 percent) Former senator Manuel Villar Jr. (2 percent) Sen. Ramon Read More …

Pemberton asks court to dismiss criminal charges AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. (left) and US Marine officials inspect the 20-ft. shipping container which was converted into a temporary detention cell for USMC Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, suspect in the killing of Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey Laude, in Camp Aguinaldo on Wednesday, October 22. (MNS photo) Manila, Philippines  – A US Marine facing trial for the murder of a Filipina transgender woman urged the Philippine Department of Justice on Monday to dismiss the case against him. In a petition filed with the department, the lawyer for Private First Class Joseph Pemberton argued that prosecutors did not present enough evidence to charge him with the killing of Jennifer Laude. The body of Laude 26, also known as Jeffrey, was found at a cheap hotel in the red light district of the northern port of Olongapo in October after she checked in with Pemberton, police in that city said. But the petition argued that the evidence linking Pemberton to the killing was “based on nothing but conjectures and speculations”. “There was no evidence presented as to the details of the purported assault during the preliminary investigation other than the surmises and conjectures of the supposed witnesses and the baseless conclusions of the (Olongapo) police,” the petition argued. The murder case against Pemberton was filed with an Olongapo court which issued a formal arrest warrant for him last week. However a petition to the justice department is also an option Read More …

By Nimfa U. Rueda Lovelyn Marquez-Prueher awarded as California Teacher of the Year LOS ANGELES – When Filipino-American Lovelyn Marquez-Prueher was a young immigrant student struggling to learn English, her teacher thought she had a learning disability. She also got bullied by classmates because of her foreign accent. “Those challenges have made me a strong advocate for immigrant students who are English learners,” said Marquez-Prueher, the first Filipina to become a California Teacher of the Year. A 34-year-old English teacher at Dodson Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Marquez-Prueher has recently been selected as one of the top five among the nearly 300,000 public school teachers in the state. As a California Teacher of the Year, she serves as a standard-bearer for the teaching profession statewide. “This is not just an award but an opportunity to talk to students, parents and fellow teachers all over California about what it’s like to be an immigrant…and to be suspected of having a learning disability because of language needs,” she said. “This is about overcoming obstacles by working really hard and not settling for being average.” Cultural gap Marquez-Prueher, whose family is from Cavite, came to the United States when she was nine years old. As a newcomer, she had a tough time in the classroom, having to overcome not just the language barrier but also the cultural gap. When she was in third grade, her teacher asked which in the group didn’t belong in a drawing of a spoon, fork, knife Read More …

The tradition of Simbang Gabi has endured for more than 400 years. The nine-day pre-dawn celebration of the Mass serves as a prelude to the climatic celebration of Christmas. Catholic churches in hundreds of different locations in the Philippines, and even at the corridors of malls and shopping centers have become venues for  holding Masses in the hope of faithful earning favors from the Jesus Christ of having  petitions granted. Considered as one of the oldest Catholic traditions, the observance starts on the sixteenth of December culminating on Dec. 24, with the faithful enduring the coldness of the morning and harboring big hopes that by completing the attendance to the Masses they will have gained the favors for their wishes and petitions to be granted. Sy, Al-Os Accountancy Corp.:The partnership of accountants Victor Sy and Arlene Al-os is expected to strengthen the delivery of accounting and other services to its clients whose patronage has enabled it to exist for more than 30 years. The executives and staff of the accountancy group take brief time out before the blessing of its offices (From L-R): Eliza Esquillo, Elma Balmeyo, Arlene Al-os, Fr. Jose Carlos Corral of St. Andrews parish who officiated the blessing, Victor Sy, Liz Breva, Veronica Dolatre and Grace Zaide. Church bells will peel as early as 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. for nine days with the Misa de Gallo celebrated on Christmas even shortly before midnight. Mass attendance is “a gift for the Child Jesus, a sacrifice that requires dedication and discipline,” a Read More …

Comedy is first Asian American TV show in 20 years By Hannah De Castro-Abinuman “When they first told me about the idea of making an all-Asian TV show on network TV, I thought, Good luck. I didn’t think it was going to be picked up. So now that it’s finally happening, we are very excited and hopeful that the viewers will be able identify with the characters.” – Film and TV actor, Randall Park, who plays Louis Huang in the show (also known for The Interview, Neighbors & Larry Crowne). On this year’s Conference for Creative Content (C3), Visual Communications presented ABC’s newest comedy TV show – “Fresh Off The Boat.” A special screening of the pilot episode was held last December 6 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Los Angeles for students, creatives, media executives and community organizations of the entertainment media. The screening was then followed by a panel discussion, moderated by actor and Asian American community leader, Amy Hill. During the panel discussion, attendees of the event were able to learn more about how the show came about and the challenges faced by the producers and media executives in creating and presenting an Asian-centered show in today’s TV industry in the United States.  Members of the panel include actor and producer, Randall Park (who plays Louis Huang in the show), the show’s creator for television and executive producer, Nahnatchka Kahn, Executive Producer Melvin Mar and ABC’s  Executive Vice President for Comedy Development, Samie Kim Falvey. “Fresh Read More …