Maniolas

pile sand bags along the sea wall of Roxas Boulevard as Typhoon Rammasun hit Metro Manila on July 16, 2014. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday the total number of evacuation centers still serving Typhoon Glenda victims was down to 108. In its DSWD twitter account, DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman said that the 108 evacuation centers that are still open are currently housing more than 5,000 families. According to Soliman, the houses of the remaining evacuees were damaged by the strong winds of ‘Glenda’. She added that the family evacuees are continuously provided with hot meals. DSWD has provided the affected LGUs some 62,522 food packs and other food items to affected families as augmentation to Local Government Units (LGUs) who are the first responders. It likewise distributed non-food items such as mattresses, blankets and tarpaulins, among others. Repacking of food packs in DSWD Field Offices and National Relief Operation Center still continues. More than 800,000 families were affected in areas hit by ‘Glenda’ when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and made landfalls last week (July 16). A total of 3,075 evacuation centers were opened to temporarily house the victims. Most of the evacuees who heeded the call for pre-emptive evacuation returned home after their towns had been declared safe by authorities. The Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Teams of DSWD continue to coordinate with the affected LGUs on the extent of damage and for the provision of Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the singing of the Philippine National Anthem during the Inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria (City of Victory) in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday (July 21). Ciudad de Victoria is a 50-hectare tourism enterprise zone established by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) in time for its centennial celebration on Sunday (July 27). (MNS photo) MANILA, July 24 (Mabuhay) – An opposition senator believes impeaching President Aquino at this time would not be good for the country. Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, son of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, believes impeaching the President would be divisive and could damage political stability and the economy. Ejercito said lawmakers and various groups should allow Aquino to finish his term in hopes the administration would shape up for the remaining two years of his term. “Hayaan na nating tapusin ng pangulo ang dalawang taong naiiwan sa kanyang termino…But we’re hoping that the administration would shape up for the remaining two years,” he said. He said opposition senators have agreed not to support an impeachment process so as not to worsen divisiveness. President Aquino is facing several impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives. Two of the complaints have already received endorsement from members of the Lower House while another complaint is set to be filed today. Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the filing of impeachment complaints against President Aquino over the unconstitutional disbursement acceleration program (DAP) will not affect the President’s focus. Coloma acknowledged that impeachment is Read More …

Coco Martin (MNS photo) Kapamilya stars, led by actors Coco Martin and Kim Chiu, dominated this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards held at the SM Mall of Asia. Chiu won the top two awards of the night—Celebrity of the Year and Actress of the Year – while Coco Martin bagged a rare three-peat, again winning Actor of the Year. The two were also onstage to receive the Teleserye of the Year award for their primetime television series “Ikaw Lamang,” which also stars Male Kontrabida of the Year Jake Cuenca. Kris Aquino and Vhong Navarro swept the hosting categories, while “Mirabella” star Julia Barretto and JC de Vera took home both the Emerging Star trophies. Child star Andrea Brillantes, along with “The Voice” coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Manalac, also won for the Kapamilya network in their respective categories. Kim Chiu (MNS Photo) Meanwhile, comedian Vice Ganda led the charge in the newly introduced categories, winning both the Social Media Star and Love Team of the Year award—the latter for his “It’s Showtime” tandem with Karylle. The poll-driven awards ceremony also named ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast “TV Patrol” as News Program of the Year, while the Padilla celebrities were named Family of the Year. Hosted by Robi Domingo and Maxene Magalona, the star-studded awards night featured performances by Gary Valenciano and son Gab, Sam Concepcion and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Spongecola, among others. Here’s the full list of winners at this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards: Actress of the Year: Kim Chiu Celebrity of the Read More …

Residents wade through floodwaters to return to their submerged houses in Marikina City Metro Manila August 8, 2012. Emergency workers and troops rushed food, water and clothes to nearly 850,000 people displaced and marooned from deadly floods spawned by 11 straight days of southwest monsoon rains that soaked the Philippine capital and nearby provinces. About 60 percent of Manila, a sprawling metropolis of about 12 million people, remained inundated on Wednesday, Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster agency said. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said the Supreme Court’s decision on the disbursement acceleration program (DAP) won’t stop the agency from implementing its flood control and other infrastructure projects. Singson said the Department of Public Works and Highways pooled its own savings and savings from other agencies to fund its flood control masterplan. That masterplan was finalized in late 2012. Singson said rather than wait for next year’s budget, he asked President Aquino and the National Economic and Development Authority board to use savings to cover the 5 billion pesos needed for high-priority projects. He said they might run into delays but they are determined to pursue the projects. “These are ongoing. I will not stop the flood control projects because I don’t think the unconstitutional aspect of the Supreme Court decision refers to projects like this. Hindi naman cross-border ito,” he said. Without the DAP, the DPWH will tap into its quick response fund for typhoon reconstruction. The fund is allocated in Read More …

According to clinical psychology PhD candidate Adam Heenan, exercise activities are quite literally able to change people’s perception of the world, reducing threatening and negative feelings. (Relaxnews) – Researchers at Queens University in Canada challenged the common association of yoga and other exercise-based relaxation activities with relief from tension, stress and anxiety, concluding they can be beneficial to those with social anxiety. According to clinical psychology PhD candidate Adam Heenan, such activities are quite literally able to change people’s perception of the world, reducing threatening and negative feelings. “This is a big development because it helps to explain why exercising and relaxation techniques have been successful in treating mood and anxiety disorders in the past,” says Mr. Heenan. In the study, subjects were asked to either perform muscle relaxation exercises similar to yoga, jog on a treadmill or, in the case of the control group, just stand on the treadmill. A total of 66 male and female participants between the ages of 17 and 29 were assessed, although no information on their state of mental health at the time of the study is mentioned and their level of social anxiety was assessed solely by means of Heenan’s tests. To test subjects’ perception, Heenan asked participants to view a point-light display of a human walking and asked them to identify whether the figure was approaching them or not. More subjects said the figure was walking towards them, a sign of social anxiety and intimidation, before their relaxation exercises rather than after. “We found Read More …