Maniolas

Senate Minority Floor Leader Juan Ponce Enrile (center) arrives at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Friday, July 11, to attend his arraignment on graft and plunder charges in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. He faces one count of plunder and 15 counts of graft. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan Third Division has issued a subpoena ordering the head of the Philippine General Hospital to appear before the court to testify regarding detained Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s health. In a subpoena issued Monday but made public on Tuesday, the court also said that in addition to PGH Chair Dr. Jose Gonzales, the medical team which conducted Enrile’s checkups should also be present at the hearing. “You are hereby commanded to appear before the Sandiganbayan, Third Division, on the fourth day of September, 2014, at 1:30 in the afternoon to be present at the hearing, then and there to testify in the above-entitled case pending therein. Fail not under penalty of law,” the subpoena ad testificandum said. Enrile is temporarily detained at the Philippine National Police General Hospital, pending the court’s decision on whether he should be allowed hospital arrest. Enrile faces plunder and graft charges stemming from his alleged misuse of his pork barrel funds, specifically, allegedly diverting millions to bogus NGOs owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. He and his co-accused are alleged to have amassed P172.8 million in kickbacks from 2004 to 2010 through Napoles NGOs. The court earlier ordered the PGH to Read More …

Gilas Pilipinas MANILA, Sept 4 (Mabuhay) – Despite the team’s elimination at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas is still a source of pride for the country, Malacañang said Thursday. “Taas noo ang ating mga manlalaro, taas noo pa rin ang mga Pilipino ‘pagkat kahanga-hanga rin naman ang kanilang pinakitang husay sa pakikipaglaro,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said during a televised briefing. (Our players are holding their head up high. Filipinos are also holding their head up high because the team has done well in the competition.) Coloma said that although Gilas Pilipinas failed to beat Puerto Rico,73-77, it lost by a slim margin, similar to its previous games against higher-ranked squads like Croatia, Greece and Argentina. “At sino mang nakakaunawa ng basketball ang magsasabing kung nadagdagan lang ang swerte eh maaari pang naipagtagumpay ito,” he said. (And to anyone who understands basketball, they may say that with a little more luck, our team would have won.) Malacañang has been cheering for the team since it joined the World Cup, its spokespersons remaining optimistic and enjoining the public to continue showing support. However, the latest loss meant Gilas Pilipinas has been eliminated from joining the Round of 16. Nevertheless, Coloma said it still has a game versus Senegal, a team that has also been considered an underdog earlier in the tournament but has been winning its games, on Thursday evening. “Sa aking palagay ay dapat pa ring ipagpatuloy ang ating pagsuporta at dapat pa rin nating ipagmalaki ang Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III tours and inspects the Apolinario Mabini Museum to formally open the museum during the commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Apolinario Mabini at the Apolinario Mabini Shrine in Barangay Talaga, Tanauan City, Batangas on Wednesday (July 23, 2014). The modernized museum features Mabini’s life and legacy, and historical artifacts which highlight Mabini’s role in the Philippine-American war in 1899. With theme: “Mabini: Talino at Paninindigan,” the yearlong festivities aims to honor Mabini, the “Sublime paralytic,” as the brains behind the Philippine revolution. Also in photo are National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Dr. Maria Serena Diokno Batangas, 3rd District Representative Nelson Collantes and Batangas Vice Governor Jose Antonio Leviste II. (MNS Photo) MANILA, (Mabuhay) – The latest jump in the country’s competitiveness ranking proves that the country is ready to take in more businesses and investments, Malacañang said Wednesday. “Coming on the heels of the successful WEF (World Economic Forum) on East Asia in Manila last May, this latest measurement of the country’s competitiveness is another demonstration that the Philippines is indeed more open for business than ever before,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said, in reaction to the WEF Global Competitiveness Report that showed the Philippines climbing seven places to rank 52. “In our region, for example, the Philippines is considered one of the brightest spots, and is the second fastest growing economy among major Asian countries for the second quarter, tied with Malaysia,” he added. Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr., Read More …

Daniel Matsunaga and Heart Evangelista (MNS photo) While it came to him as a surprise, Daniel Matsunaga was not hurt to find out that Heart Evangelista had just been engaged, saying he has long accepted there was no longer a chance for them as a couple. The Brazilian-Japanese model learned of Evangelista’s engagement to Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero during a party celebrating the final night in “Pinoy Big Brother.” Escudero proposed to Evangelista just a night before Matsunaga was proclaimed winner of the ABS-CBN reality show. Matsunaga was asked if he was hurt over the news of the engagement, which generated buzz online and made headlines over the past weekend. Matsunaga answered: “Not really, not really. Because for me, I knew that me and Heart would never get back together. By that time… But I’m really happy, because we’re still friends, you know.” “Everything is doing really well, with her career also, to my career, so I’m really happy that we ended up good friends,” he said. Citing “cultural differences,” Evangelista confirmed her breakup with Matsunaga in April 2012 after more than a year of being a couple. At the time, the actress had just spent a vacation in Matsunaga’s hometown in Brazil. She stressed, however, that his family was kind and accommodating to her. Evangelista, 29, and Escudero, 44, became officially a couple on July 30, 2012, but the senator only confirmed that status of their relationship in October that same year. “I’m really happy for her. I’m really Read More …

By Cecil Morella President Benigno S. Aquino III is briefed on the status of passenger volume and traffic, airport security and assistance measures by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) OIC, general manager (Ret.) MGen. Vicente Guerzon, Jr.,during the Inspection of Major Passenger Terminals in Metro Manila at the Departure Lobby of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Wednesday (April 16, 2014) during the Inspection of Major Passenger Terminals in Metro Manila. The President wants to make sure that all security preparations are in place to ensure safe travel during the Holy Week. Also in photo are Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and NAIA Terminal 3 manager Engr. Octavio Lina.(MNS photo) MANILA (AFP) – Standing near mountains of goods destined to be smuggled through the Philippines’ biggest port, the nation’s customs chief admits that being on the frontline of the president’s war on graft is overwhelming. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” John Sevilla said, commenting on a pervasive culture of bribery, extortion and stealing at a government agency that collects revenues equivalent to 20 percent of the nation’s budget. “There’s no secret about the fact that this is not an agency which inspires a lot of trust and confidence among our people.” But Sevilla, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has bold plans for systemic change that are showing early signs of success. President Benigno Aquino, who has made fighting graft a central tenet of his administration, appointed Sevilla to head the bureau Read More …