Maniolas

President Benigno S. Aquino III and His Excellency Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, witness as Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor signs in the Palace guest book at the Reception Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Prime Minister’s Working Visit to the Philippines and to witness the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on Thursday (March 27). MANILA (Mabuhay) — The draft Bangsamoro Basic Law will be submitted to Congress when it resumes session in July, Malacañang and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) committed on Tuesday. “At present, efforts have already been made to coordinate with the Senate and House leadership to ensure that the draft BBL is submitted to Congress when sessions resume in July,” Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and BTC chair Mohagher Iqbal said in a joint statement released Tuesday. The BBL will formalize the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its draft, which was crafted by the 15-member BTC, was based on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed late March. Ochoa and Iqbal said they acknowledge the urgency behind the passage of the BBL but that they also recognize that a “thorough, extensive and comprehensive review of the draft law’s numerous provisions is a necessary part of the process to ensure that these are consistent with what the parties agreed upon in the 17 years of peace negotiation.” “We believe that investing time in Read More …

Officers of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) led by general manager Eduardo Chu launch its monthly Manila Bay port clean-up campaign on Monday (July 29, 2013) at the Navotas Fish Port complex in Navotas City. (MNS photo) BRUSSELS (AFP) – The EU warned Tuesday the Philippines, one of the world’s largest fishing nations, and Papua New Guinea that they faced an import ban if they do not curb illegal fishing. The European Commission said it had failed to make progress in talks with both countries and decided to issue a formal warning – a “yellow card” – that they must reach European Union standards on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. If the Philippines, listed as the 12th biggest global fishing nation, and PNG fail to come up to scratch “through dialogue and cooperation … then the EU can proceed to trade measures,” it said. The position will be reviewed in six months time to see if the two countries have made enough progress on action plans drawn up by the EU, it added. In March, the EU banned fish imports from Belize, Cambodia and Guinea for “acting insufficiently against illegal fishing.” The Commission similarly warned Panama, Fiji, Togo, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu in 2012 and South Korea, Ghana and Curacao in 2013 but said Tuesday most of these countries had “cooperated constructively” with Brussels. Illegal fishing is estimated to account for 15 percent of the world catch annually, with the EU importing about 65 percent of its seafood. Fisheries Read More …

By Mynardo Macaraig Senators Jinggoy Estrada (leftmost) and Juan Ponce Enrile (rightmost) may land in jail if plunder charges, a non-bailable offense, are filed against them. The two, along with Sen. Bong Revilla, have been named by whistleblowers and alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles as the lawmakers who accepted bribes for ghost projects. In photo with the senators are ousted president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (second from right) and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is also the presumptive presidential opposition candidate in 2016. MANILA, (AFP) – The Philippines on Saturday said it was preparing to arrest three powerful senators after an anti-graft court indicted them in a massive corruption scandal that has riveted the nation. The three, who include a son of former president Joseph Estrada and a 90-year political survivor who enforced martial law under dictator Ferdinand Marcos, are accused of channeling millions of dollars of public funds into bogus organizations in return for huge kickbacks. President Benigno Aquino took office in 2010 vowing to fight the massive corruption that has long weighed down the Southeast Asian archipelago. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, whose investigators prepared the case against the opposition senators, said she was confident they had enough evidence. “We are confident that there is enough evidence to support conviction and we continue to strengthen the evidence,” she told AFP. The evidence included testimony from whistleblowers involved in the alleged corruption and documents from government agencies showing that funds were syphoned off, she added. A Read More …

Orange County joined the rest of the nation in highlighting the role of Asian American and Pacific Islanders by recognizing the visionary spirit that serve as community role models at the South Coast Plaza, a commercial complex known for being an international shopping destination  which had generously made its resources available for the annual commemoration for years. The May 31 event brought together by local organizations and their partners made the May celebration known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, one that showcased the celebration of culture, traditions, and history of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the county of 34 cities. The awardees had their moments of recognition for their exemplary effort to succeed in their respective ventures. These community role models who have joined their peers in receiving the  Diversity Visionary Awards which recognized their abilities to compete in the highly competitive environment of Orange County whose demographics represent tapestry of cultural and entrepreneurial mix. Joining in the efforts to recognize in acknowledging the achievements of the awardees who serve as role models for going the extra mile in the pursuit of their passions for the second year are the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, the Friends of Thailand International Network, the Hong Kong Association of Southern California, and their community partners like  the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, and the Asian Business Association of Orange County. Honored for their Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his message during the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 40th Anniversary Celebration at the NEDA Building in Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City on Tuesday (January 29). This year’s celebration has for it’s theme: “NEDA at 40 and Beyond: Lead, Engage, Transform.” Based on the Socioeconomic Report 2010-2012 of NEDA, the government moves closer in achieving its targets in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016. NEDA, as mandated by the Philippine Constitution, is the country’s independent economic development and planning agency. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Headline inflation in the Philippines rose to 4.5 percent in May, from 4.1 percent in April and 2.6 percent a year earlier, driven by higher prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, the National Statistics Office reported Thursday. “Faster annual increments were also registered in the indices of clothing and footwear; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; transport; and communication,” the report read.  “Excluding selected food and energy items, core inflation escalated 3.1 percent in May 2014, faster than the 2.9 percent growth in April 2014 and 3.0 percent in the same month last year,” NSO added. In a separate statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said headline inflation for 2014 will stay within government’s target of 3.0 to 5.0 percent – “in the absence of major economic shocks.” Inflation risks “However, the balance of risks to the inflation outlook remains slightly tilted toward the upside,” Economic Read More …