Maniolas

An MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft takes off from the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard during aviation operations exercises in the East China Sea, April 23, 2014. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam D. Wainwright MANILA (Mabuhay) — A lawmaker wants the House of Representatives to probe into the alleged US spying operations in the Philippines through the National Security Agency’s MYSTIC program. In a resolution, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon urged the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Information and Communications Technology to conduct a joint congressional inquiry to investigate and ascertain the scope of MYSTIC. Online publication The Intercept, which releases whistleblower and fugitive Edward Snowden’s leaks, claimed the MYSTIC collects “metadata” from mobile networks in countries such as the Philippines, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Kenya. “All told, the NSA is using MYSTIC to gather personal data on mobile calls placed in countries with a combined population of more than 250 million people,” The Intercept said. One of the leaked documents that pertain to MYSTIC also exposed that the program serves as “legitimate commercial services for telcos” while covertly doing “signal intelligence.” Ridon speculated that the country’s own National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is involved in MYSTIC’s operations. “Given the information from Snowden’s documents, it is possible that the NTC has given express approval for the embedding of the MYSTIC program in the country’s telecommunications systems,” he said. “With the possible involvement of the NTC, and the advanced capability of the MYSTIC program, Read More …

Zanjoe Marudo (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) -– Actor Zanjoe Marudo is not afraid of being typecast in gay roles and is even thrilled to be playing another challenging role in an upcoming Star Cinema movie. Marudo revealed he will be part of the Wenn Deramas-directed horror flick titled “Maria Leonora Teresa,” where he will play a gay teacher. “Kahit naman gumanap na ako ng character na medyo binabae, para sa akin, bago pa rin itong character ni Julio kasi unang una, hindi niya pinapakita kasi isa siyang teacher. Ipinanganak lang talaga siyang ganun. Seryoso siya, drama siya. Hindi tulad ng ibang ginagawa ko, comedy kasi ‘yun kapag gumaganap akong gay,” he said. Marudo’s last project with Star Cinema was “Bromance: My Brother’s Romance” where he was seen portraying two characters: a “macho” man and a cross-dressing gay. “Challenge talaga. Hindi ko pa rin alam kung paano ko gagawin. Magsu-shooting na ako bukas. So hihingi ako ng tulong kay direk kung paano namin sisimulan yung character ni Julio,” he said. Also featuring Iza Calzado and Jodi Sta. Maria, “Maria Leonora Teresa” is slated to be released in theaters this year. (MNS)

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President Benigno Aquino III grace the ceremony of the Pambansang Kongreso ng Wika at the Leong hall,Ateneo de Manila University(ADMU) in katipunan ave. q.c. with Theme “WIKA NATIN ANG DAAN MATUWID with Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin ADMU Pres. And Virgilio Almario Chairman of KWF ….(MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Wednesday denied it had conspired with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to oust Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito from office. “We certainly did not have a role in whatever happened to Governor Ejercito,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference. The denial came after Ejercito claimed that the Palace wants him out of office because he is not a member of the ruling Liberal Party. In a ruling issued on May 21, the Comelec said Ejercito spent about P6 million in just one contract for a television advertisement for his campaign when he was allowed to spend only P4.5 million for his entire campaign. The Comelec said he spent around P23.5 million in total for his campaign. On Wednesday, Lacierda said the Comelec decision “very clearly” explains the basis for Ejercito’s disqualification. “I think the decision speaks for itself. The acts that were outlined by the Comelec decisions clearly showed the basis for that disqualification…so wala kaming kinalaman po dito sa nangyari kay Governor ER Ejercito,” he said. Given this, Lacierda said other aspiring candidates should remember to follow the law. “We should clearly abide by the election rules, election procedure, and election requirements… so that Read More …

Pope Francis MANILA (Mabuhay) – January 2015 will be a significant month for the Philippines, as it will get a visit from no less than Pope Francis. The Pope said he plans to visit the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January, Catholic News Service reported Tuesday. While no other details were immediately available, the CNS said the Pope “announced he plans to visit the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January.” Last May 19, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle told CNS in a separate interview that plans are underway for Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines and Sri Lanka. At the time, however, Tagle said the visit would be in “early 2015.” “The Vatican has not yet announced the dates and the specific itinerary that the pope will observe, but I am confident it will happen early next year,” he was quoted in the interview as saying. In the same interview, Tagle said one purpose of the papal visit could be “to come close to the people who suffered from the recent typhoon (in November) and the earthquake (in October).” “We will see how that could be done. But he, I think, would want that to be a defining character of his trip,” he said. On the other hand, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said there is no problem with making preparations on short notice if the visit pushes through. “The pope is welcome anytime. The time to prepare is not an obstacle,” Read More …