Maniolas

GMA International partners with the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) to further enrich the parade, street fair, and cultural festival in New York that is the Philippine Independence Day Celebration through the presence of top Kapuso artists Tom Rodriguez and Heart Evangelista. The Philippine Independence Day Celebration showcases the best authentic Philippine cuisine, customs, and products. It draws crowds of around 100,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Americans coming from the Greater New York area and the Northeast region. Americans are expected to attend the event on June 1, 2014 at 38th Street to 23rd Street on Madison Avenue. The event is spearheaded by the PIDCI, a non-profit organization responsible for conceiving the biggest Philippine Independence Day celebration outside the Philippines. Prior to Philippine Independence Day, PIDCI supervises affairs such as galas, pageants, and balls leading up to the festival. GMA International, the business unit that manages the operations and distribution of GMA Network’s international channels – GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV International – is all set to make the Philippine Independence Day Celebration even more memorable by a performance from Tom and Heart. Attendees will also have the rare opportunity to take pictures and have a “Heart-to-Heart with Tom and Heart” in the GMA booth. Tom left a lasting impression on Filipinos at home and abroad with his stellar portrayal of the controversial character “Vincent” in “My Husband’s Lover”. Heart, on the other hand, has never left the limelight and is now a host of the Sunday noontime variety show “Sunday All Stars” and talk show “Startalk”. The Philippine Independence Day Celebration will Read More …

Janet Lim Napoles arrives at the Senate for the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, which reportedly involves her group and several legislators. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Former Congressman and now Budget Secretary Butch Abad on Wednesday denied teaching Janet Lim Napoles how to use non-government organizations to get money from government, which eventually led to the multibillion-peso pork scam. This, amid the Napoles’ camp’s insistence that they gave P4 million to Abad to finance an electrification project in Batanes in the year 2000. Abad flatly denied having transactions with Mrs. Napoles or even teaching the businesswoman how to use cooperatives as conduits of lawmakers’ priority development assistance funds (PDAF). He pointed out that it was improbable for Mrs. Napoles to give him P4 million when they hardly knew each other. “Sa karaniwang karanasan ng isang tao, pag una mo pa lang nakilala, you will not give that person 2 million without any papers. Pauutangin mo at dadagdagan mo ng 2 million. In this context, this is not philanthropy. Gulangan ito e. Hindi pwedeng palabas, dapat pakabig,” he said. “Masakit naman sa akin na tawagin akong pork king. Walang kaano-ano,” he added. However, Napoles’ lawyer Bruce Rivera said Napoles had a series of meetings with Abad, which eventually led to her giving money to the then congressman. He said it was former agriculture official Manuel Jarmin who introduced Napoles to Abad. In her original affidavit submitted to the Department of Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III guides His Excellency Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, upon arrival at the Malacañan Palace Grounds during the Welcome Ceremony for the State Visit to the Philippines on Friday (May 23, 2014). Indonesia was the 13th major trading partner of the Philippines in 2013, with a total trade of US$ 3.512 billion. There is a 9,844-strong Filipino community living and working in Indonesia. This year also marks the 65th Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Indonesia. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III has started to make personal follow-ups with the government’s legal team in submitting the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress for ratification, Malacañang said Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino recognizes the urgency of the situation but is “understanding” of the task at hand, given the intricacies of the draft measure. “The president himself made several follow-ups of (the) legal team (but) is understanding of the task at hand,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She noted the draft law, which would pave the way for a Bangsamoro political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is “two to three inches” thick. One month after receiving the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law from the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, the Office of the President has yet to submit to Congress the proposed measure for ratification. BTC chairman and Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told MindaNews Read More …

Ex-senators ask SC to strike down EDCA 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) – Two former senators who voted against the US bases in the country in the early 90s on Monday asked the Supreme Court to strike down the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the US. In their 65-page petition, former senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada claimed the terms and provisions of the EDCA are clearly “lopsided in favor of the Americans, leaving the Philippines with nothing more than empty promises of support in the event of a Chinese invasion of Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea.” Under the EDCA, the US will be allowed to build structures, store as well as preposition weapons, defense supplies and materiel, station troops, civilian personnel  and defense contractors, transit and station vehicles, vessels, and aircraft for a period of 10 years. The petitioners said the EDCA would grant the US “carta blanche power to establish and operate de facto military bases anywhere on Philippine soil, minus the cost of paying for one.” They also said the agreement would be a mere implementation of policies enshrined in the PHL-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) – a treaty whose constitutionality is being challenged for the first time before the high court with Saguisag and Read More …

Claudine Barretto (MNS Photo) All’s well that ends well. This seems to be the case between Claudine Barretto and Mon Tulfo two years after they figured an altercation at the NinoyAquinoInternationalAirport which left them bruised. Barretto confirmed she and Tulfo already talked and both of them asked for each other’s forgiveness. “Actually nagkausap na kami ni Kuya Mon noong una pa lang. Sinabi ni Kuya Mon sa akin na hindi naman daw siya galit sa akin. Humingi rin ng pasensya at ako rin ganun sa kanya,” she said. Tulfo, on the other hand, said he has long forgiven Barretto. He said, however, that it would have been more appropriate if it was Barretto’s estranged husband, actor Raymart Santiago, who reached out to him. “Matagal ko na siyang pinatawad. Dapat unawain mo ang babae. Meron pang diperensya sa pag-iisip. Dapat nga diyan kaawaan at unawain,” he said. “Wala na [yung mga kaso]. Hindi na ako nag-aattend ng mga hearing. Pinatawad ko na sila lahat. Pangalawa, wala akong tiwala sa hustisya natin. I would appreciate it kung si Raymart ang humingi ng tawad sa akin bilang lalaki,” he added. Meanwhile, Tulfo also commented on the picture shared by Barretto on Instagram last Thursday where she is seen with his brother, Raffy. “Natawa ako kasi kilalang-kilala ko si Raffy. Yung tawa niya, yung ngiti niya parang nakakaloko. Sinakyan-sakyan lang niya si Claudine,” she said. According to Raffy, it was his friend Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, who is Barretto’s lawyer, who made their meeting possible. Read More …