Maniolas

President Benigno S. Aquino III offers a wreath in front of the stained glass mural at the Colonnade of the Dambana ng Kagitingan, Mt. Samat Shrine in Pilar, Bataan during the 73rd Commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) on Thursday (April 09, 2015). This year’s theme: “Ipunla and Kagitingan sa Kabataan, Ihanda ang Beterano ng Kinabukasan.” Also in photo are US Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Philip Goldberg and Japan Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Kazuhide Ishikawa. (MNS Photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg has congratulated Filipinos over the conduct of the recently concluded national and local elections. In a tweet posted Tuesday, Goldberg said: “I congratulate the Filipinos on their exercise of democracy. It reminds the world that PH is such an open & healthy democratic system.” The US envoy said he will congratulate the new leaders who will be at the country’s helm once their victories have been declared official. “Looking forward to congratulating the next leaders of the Philippines once the official election results are in,” he tweeted. The unofficial count of election results indicate Davao City Rodrigo Duterte is the apparent winner in the presidential race. Two of his rivals, administration standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Senator Grace Poe, have already conceded defeat. A Reuters report quoted a US official as saying Monday that Washington is ready to work with presumptive President Duterte despite allegations of human rights abuses in the city he Read More …

Presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Santiago (right) and vice-presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left), the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, gesture to supporters during a campaign rally in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Tuesday, at the start of the campaign for the May 10 national elections.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. have emerged victorious in the local absentee voting. On a list of total, unofficial results for the local absentee voting provided by Commissioner Rowena Guanzon from Committee on Local Absentee Voting director Allen Francis Abaya on Wednesday, Duterte got 10,283 votes. Vice President Jejomar Binay is a far second with 4,375 votes. Trailing behind Duterte and Binay are Senator Grace Poe with 1,628 votes, former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II with 1,419 votes, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago with 1,253 votes and the late ambassador Roy Seneres with 2 votes. Meanwhile, Marcos topped the vice presidential race with 11,638 votes. His closest rival, administration candidate Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo got 2,341 votes. Presidential aspirant-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said in a press conference at the Golden Bay Restaurant in Pasay City on Thursday (April 29, 2016) that he has instructed his lawyer, Atty. Sal Panelo, to have his bank account in the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Julia Vargas branch opened in front of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday, May 2. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)SCS/acd Following Marcos and Robredo are Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (2,134 votes), Read More …

Sharon Cuneta (MNS photo) Veteran actress-singer Sharon Cuneta is excited to be one of the coaches on the third season of “The Voice Kids.” Cuneta will replace Sarah Gernomino, who earlier explained that she wants to concentrate on “ASAP” and hone her talents as an artist. Cuneta said she is thrilled to join fellow coaches Lea Salonga and Bamboo. “Sobrang excited ako. I will be part of ‘The Voice Kids’ with, of course, Bamboo and Lea Salonga,” she said. But Cuneta’s surprises do not end there. She also teased her fans that she will have a “really big” surprise for them this year. This, she said, is the reason why she has not been active on social media for quite a while. “To all my supporters and fans, my Sharonians whom I love very much, alam kong ang tagal kong nawala sa Facebook, ‘di ba? Sadya po ‘yon. I have been hibernating,” she said. “I’ve been hiding because I have been working on myself para i-surprise kayo. Hindi pa ako tapos but I have lost a lot of weight, preparing for something really big.” When asked to spill some details, she just said: “It is a huge, huge surprise na hindi pa talagang puwedeng i-announce. Pero ang masasabi ko lang po, kumapit po kayo ng mahigpit na mahigpit,” she added. (MNS)

NVM Gonzales Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – Friends, colleagues and former students of Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, better known as NVM Gonzalez will remember him at a Centennial Celebration on Saturday, May 21, 2016. The event will be held at the Echo Park Branch Library located at 1410 W Temple Street, Los Angeles from 2-5 p.m. NVM was born in Romblon, Philippines on September 8, 1915 and he grew up in Mindoro. He passed away on November 28, 1999 at the age of 84 in Manila. He was a novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet. He wrote five novels, eight short fiction and two essays. His books have been published in English and Filipino, as well as in Chinese, German, Russian and Indonesian.  In 1997, he was declared as one of the Philippines’ National Artists for Literature. He was on the Board of Advisers of Likhaan, the University of the Philippines (UP) Creative Writing Center, Founding Editor of The Diliman Review and first president of the Philippine Writers’ Association. He attended creative writing classes under Wallace Stegner and Katherine Anne Porter at Stanford University. While in the Philippines, he taught at UST, PWU and UP. He also taught in the US at UC-Santa Barbara, CSU-Hayward, the University of Washington, UCLA and UC-Berkeley. Many well-known Filipino and Filipino American writers today have been mentored by NVM. The following will share their memories of NVM: Dr Paulino Lim, Jr., Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Dr Barbara Gaerlan, Mr. Allan G. Aquino and Cecilia Ochoa. Dr Paulino Lim, Jr. is a Read More …

Liberal Party (LP) chairman President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the meeting with local leaders and the community at the City Pavilion in Ligao City, Albay on Thursday (May 05). (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Tuesday said it “accepts” and “respects” the initial election results showing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte leading the presidential race with at least six million votes ahead of administration standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. In a statement released by Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., Malacañang said: “Our people have spoken and their verdict is accepted and respected.” “The path of good governance or Daang Matuwid is already established as all presidential candidates spoke out against corruption, and in favor of continuing and expanding present pro-poor programs, and pursuing more initiatives to sustain the strong economy and achieve inclusive growth,” Coloma said. “Daang Matuwid may be called different names, but its purpose and spirit will have lasting impact, and continue to shape the consciousness of our people and those that serve them in accordance with the principles of good governance and responsible citizenship,” he added. Partial and unofficial results as of 11:30 a.m. show Duterte leading the presidential elections with 15,295,515 votes. Roxas is at second place with 9,221,159 votes. Senator Grace Poe, meanwhile, was at third place with 8,566,885; Vice President Jejomar Binay, 5,073,511; Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, 1,367,731; and the late Rep. Roy Señeres with 24,028 votes. Poe on Monday night conceded to Duterte. President Benigno Aquino III earlier Read More …