Maniolas

CAPITOL HILL MEETING. Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, accompanied by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., Rep. Abigail Binay-Campos and Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay discuss bilateral issues with Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, Chair of the Sub-Committee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the United States Senate, during a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. (Philippine Embassy Photo by Ariel Penaranda) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Contrary to text rumors, Vice-President Jejomar Binay will not be holding a press conference to announce his resignation from the Aquino Cabinet. Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said the text rumors are nothing but a hoax. Binay earlier expressed support for President Aquino amid calls for the latter’s impeachment over the unconstitutional disbursement acceleration program. Last week, the Vice-President said he will respect Aquino’s decision not to accept the resignation of Budget Secretary Butch Abad. “The President has made a decision and I respect his decision. The decision to accept or reject the resignation is the prerogative of the President,” he said. Binay’s ally, United Nationalist Alliance secretary-general Toby Tiangco, refused to comment on why Binay apparently did not clap when Aquino announced that he rejected Abad’s resignation after the Supreme Court declared parts of the disbursement acceleration program (DAP) as unconstitutional. He said he has not yet talked to the Vice-President. “One thing I’m sure of is gusto niya ng transparency,” he said. Binay has called for full disclosure and an independent audit of projects under the DAP. He said the SC decision was clear on Read More …

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was accompanied by Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero and Agricultural Attache Josyline Javelosa during the Economic Outreach in Florida. JACKSONVILLE – A Florida-based Fortune 500 company that is one of the world’s leading provider of banking and payments technology services has expressed serious interest to expand its presence in the Philippines. “We welcome the interest of Florida companies, particularly FIS Global, to collaborate and invest in Philippine businesses and institutions,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. who led an economic diplomacy mission to Florida recently. Ambassador Cuisia said FIS Global wants to tap the Philippines for Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) services. “FIS Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank Martire has informed us that his company is considering to expand its present operations in the Philippines because of the favorable investment climate and other advantages, particularly the encouraging support that the government provides,” Ambassador Cuisia said. Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero, who accompanied Ambassador Cuisia in the mission, said FIS Global, which is headquartered in Jacksonville, employs more than 37,000 people worldwide, including more than 1,700 in the Philippines. Alvero said FIS Global, which has been serving bank clients in the Philippines for the past two decades, is No. 1 in the annual FinTech 100 list and 434 on the Fortune 500. It is a member of Standard & Poor’s 500® Index. “We see this as a step forward in  further developing our local industries as well as further strengthening economic ties with between the Read More …

Andrea Brillantes (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Child actress Andrea Brillantes has drawn enough life lessons from co-actors to survive the topsy-turvy world of local show business. She shared, “’Wag po lalaki ’yung ulo, act naturally lang po, tsaka dapat lagi pong careful, (and) paglaki ko, mag-ipon po ako nang mag-ipon.” Andrea said that she learned these mostly from her “Annaliza” co-stars, particularly actor Zanjoe Marudo, who plays her father in the family drama. She admitted that among her co-stars in the now defunct show, she has grown closest to Zanjoe, whom she continues to call Tatay. She considers Zanjoe and his girlfriend, actress Bea Alonzo, as her “second family.” “Ninong ko din po siya,” Andrea added, referring to when she was baptized last year. Life has indeed gotten better for the 11-year-old and her family. They have since transferred to a town house and now own a car as well. Humility is important to Andrea, especially with people touting her as the next Judy Ann Santos. “I-a-accept ko ’yun kasi maganda din pong maging next Judy Ann Santos. Magaling po kasi siyang umarte kaya parang feeling ko super touched ako dahil parang magaling siguro akong umarte kaya ako naco-compare sa kanya,” she said. The future is bright Even with a slew of product endorsements and TV projects, Andrea still makes it a point to catch up on her lessons as a regular student. “Siyempre importante po ’yun dahil hanggang sa paglaki ko madadala ko po ’yun. Tsaka gusto ko Read More …

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar – President Benigno S. Aquino III expresses his views during the Coffee Meeting with the Philippine Media at the sidelines of the 24th ASEAN Summit at the State Meeting Room 1 of the Horizon Lake View Hotel on Sunday night (May 11, 2014). In photo are House Speaker Sonny Belmonte and Presidential Communication Oprerations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma (PLDT powered by SMART) (MNS photo) MANILA, July 14 (Mabuhay) – Less people approve of and trust President Benigno Aquino III amid the Supreme Court (SC) declaring parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional, the latest survey by Pulse Asia said. The poll, conducted among 1,200 respondents from June 24 to July 2, showed that Aquino’s approval rating dropped to 56 in June from 70 percent last March. Meanwhile, his trust ratings went down to 53 percent last month from 69 percent in March “Various issues preoccupied Filipinos immediately prior to and during the conduct of the field interviews for this survey,” Pulse Asia said, enumerating issues that included the filing of plunder charges against lawmakers involved in the pork barrel scam, calls for the President’s impeachment, high-profile killings, the controversial decision of Aquino to reject Nora Aunor as National Artist and the SC decision on DAP. In addition to the lower approval rating, disapproval of Aquino also increased to 14 percent from 8 percent three months ago. Indecision grew from 22 percent in March to 30 percent last month. Aquino’s approval rating was highest in Visayas Read More …

Cebu Pacific says they are banning shark fin carriage effective immediately because of its “unsustainable shark fishing and our carriage of shark fin is not aligned with (our) position on sustainable development.” MANILA (AFP) – The Philippines’ largest airline Cebu Pacific said Wednesday it has ceased carrying shark fins, becoming the latest carrier to impose a ban as part of global conservation efforts. “We are banning shark fin carriage effective immediately as we learned that unsustainable shark fishing and our carriage of shark fin is not aligned with (our) position on sustainable development,” the airline said in a statement. The carrier, controlled by the Gokongwei family, an ethnic Chinese clan with interests in food processing, real estate and banking, also it would no longer serve shark fin soup in its corporate events. Cebu Pacific, the country’s largest airline in terms of number of passengers carried, becomes the second Filipino carrier to ban shark fin shipments following a similar decision by rival Philippine Airlines in April. Several airlines have announced they would no longer transport shark fins in recent years, following a global campaign to stop the consumption of the controversial foodstuff. The fins are traditionally used in expensive Chinese soups and served at important events. Conservationists warn that the demand for shark fins has led to overfishing, with many shark species now considered endangered.