Maniolas

By Jelly F. Musico SENATE’S CLOSING MESSAGE FOR 16th CONGRESS: Senate President Franklin M. Drilon is congratulated by his fellow senators after delivering the Senate’s closing message for the 16th Congress, which adjourned sine die during Monday’s session, June 6, 2016. A four-time Senate President, it was Drilon’s ninth time to deliver the closing message of the Senate. Those greeting Drilon, are clockwise, Senators Bam Aquino, Sonny Angara, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Tito Sotto III, along with Senators Gringo Honasan II, Antonio Trillanes IV, Koko Pimentel III, Cynthia Villar and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.(MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – Senate President Franklin M. Drilon has filed a bill that introduces a 27 percent average increase in the salary of about 1.53 million state workers over a period of three years. Senate Bill No. 13 or the Salary Standardization Law IV, which Drilon filed recently, seeks to introduce reforms in the government’s compensation system to make it competitive with the private sector, and to boost the employees’ morale and productivity. “The compensation for all civilian government personnel shall be competitive with those in the private sector doing comparable work in order to attract, retain and motivate a corps of effective, efficient, professional, committed and competent civil servants,” Drilon said. The bill mandates a three-year compensation increase for the national government’s 1.53 million and military and uniformed personnel. The bill aslo provides for a mid-year month pay bonus equivalent to a one month’s basic salary and an enhanced performance-based bonus equivalent Read More …

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said there have been no reports of Filipinos injured in an explosion on a train in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday night. In a text message, DFA spokesman Charles Jose said: “Wala rin tayong natatanggap na ulat na may kabilang na Pilipino sa mga casualties sa nangyaring pagsabog.” At least 24 people were injured in the said explosion, which happened around 10 p.m. Thursday. The blast caused a small fire and cut power inside the carriage as the train was pulling into a station at the capital, an Agence France-Presse report said. It quoted Taiwan’s premier Lin Chuan as saying that the bombing seemed to have been done by someone “with a malicious intent,” adding that the case will be investigated on. Eyewitnesses were quoted as saying they had seen a man carry a black rectangle-shaped object onto the train. Authorities were revieving surveillance footage to identify him. They also said no threats were made prior to the incident. (MNS

Alma Concepcion (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Actress Alma Concepcion said that her drug-using past should serve as a warning to younger Filipinos, in light of last month’s Closeup Forever Summer concert tragedy that killed at least five people. “I was almost there at papunta na ako sa landas na mali,” Concepcion, who was at the event in Pasay City with her 16-year-old son, said. “Hindi lahat ng tao nakakaalis tulad ko.” She added: “I don’t want my son to experience what I experienced and I don’t want any teenager to experience iyong nangyari lately. Parang, wow at may mas grabe pa pala sa nangyari sa akin.” Concepcion, a former beauty queen, was arrested in Guam for possession of shabu. She pleaded guilty to carrying .08 grams of the illegal substance on July 1998. “We should use history to make us better people. Sana iyong susunod na henerasyon, iyong mga pagkakamali namin ay wag na nilang ulitin,” she explained. Concepcion said her critics still bring up her past drug use. “Matatawa ka kasi kahit hanggang ngayon ay marami pa rin akong nae-encounter na mga tao na parang nagsasabi na wala kang karapatan magbago,” she admitted. Concepcion also vowed support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war on illegal drugs. “I’m very, very happy na magkakaroon na ng environment na hopefully magiging clean for the next generation,” said Concepcion. “The kids kasi nowadays are even proud of flaunting it [drug use]. So nakakatakot

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jinhua pays a courtesy call on President Rodrigo R. Duterte at Malacañang Palace on July 7, 2016. (Presidential Photographers’ Division/PNA) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the Philippines has committed not to make any provocative statements against China ahead of a July 12 ruling by an arbitration court hearing the two countries’ dispute over the South China Sea. “That will only serve to heighten the tension, and the important thing for us first is to wait for that decision,” Yasay said in a press briefing on Friday. Yasay said the Philippines made this commitment during the courtesy call of Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua on President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang on Thursday. Yasay was present in the meeting. “I am happy to announce that the Chinese ambassador had made that commitment that certainly they will not do or take any action that will undermine our friendship and undermine the interests of the Philippines as regards the disputed area. That, in sum, was what was discussed,” Yasay said. The new secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also reiterated that Manila will study first the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration before deciding on what to do next. “What the President conveyed to the ambassador officially was that when we receive the decision of the arbitral tribunal, we will look at it, study it before we make any definitive statement or see what particular course of action Read More …

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrives at Air Force City in Pampanga to grace the 69th Anniversary of the Philippine Air Force as he is welcomed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — An anti-crime watchdog on Thursday claimed receiving intelligence reports against several police officials, even before President Rodrigo Duterte revealed their alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Dante Jimenez, head of the group Volunteers against Crime and Corruption (VACC), said he had intelligence information on two or three of the five officials whom Duterte shamed in public on Tuesday. Duterte links 5 top cops to drug trade VACC was not able to validate the reports due to limited resources, he said. Jimenez also believes Duterte had strong evidence against the officials and that his exposé was not politically motivated. He urged the President to identify more lawmen and local government officials involved in corruption. “Hindi lang dapat ang mga pulis kundi mga local government officials, hanggang taas pa dapat ang sabihin.” (MNS)