Maniolas

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 MANILA (Mabuhay) — Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte remains the top choice for president among Filipino voters, according to the latest poll by Pulse Asia conducted on April 26 to 29. In the poll sponsored by ABS-CBN, one in three Filipinos, or 33 percent, picked Duterte as the country’s next leader. The survey sampled 4,000 registered voters with a margin of error of ±1.5% Duterte’s rating remained unchanged from the last Pulse Asia poll conducted on April 19 to 24. Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas, meanwhile, was second at 22 percent, two points better than his rating in the previous survey. He remains statistically tied with Senator Grace Poe, who garnered 21 percent, a one-point drop from her previous survey rating. Vice President Jejomar Binay remained at fourth spot with a 17 percent rating, one point lower than his rating from the previous survey. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago rounded up the list with 2 percent. Five percent of voters remain undecided. (MNS)

Coconut farmers from Quezon province and the Bicol region criticize the alleged connivance between businessman Danding Cojuangco and presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe on the use of the Coco Levy Fund, during a press conference in Quezon City on Monday.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Impeachment complaints were filed on Wednesday against the nine Supreme Court (SC) justices who declared that Senator Grace Poe is qualified to run for president. In his complaint filed before the House of Representatives, a certain Teofilo Parilla accused the justices of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust. The justices who voted in favor of Poe were: Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin Associate Justice Jose Perez Associate Justice Jose Mendoza Associate Justice Marvic Leonen Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa Constitutional officers, including SC magistrates, can be dismissed from their positions through impeachment, which is initiated in Congress. Under the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings, a complaint filed by any citizen should get the endorsement of one lawmaker before it will be referred to the House of Representatives’ justice committee for hearing. A vote of one third of all House members is needed to transmit the complaint to the Senate for trial. Voting 9 to 6, the SC said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it barred Poe from running on the ground that she made false statements on her nationality and period of Read More …

Alex Gonzaga (MNS photo) Alex Gonzaga admitted she had a crush on Enchong Dee when she first saw him during an acting workshop. Gonzaga shared that she used to attend acting workshops with Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson and Dee when she was still starting out in showbiz. “Wala pa akong mga show noon so pagpasok ko, parang hindi talaga ako artista noon kasi nag-aaral pa ako. Sila may mga show na. Tapos si Enchong biglang lumapit sa akin. Sabi niya, ‘Halika, tayo na lang ang magsama.’ Tapos hindi niya alam na crush ko siya noon kasi nga chinito siya. Sabi ko, ‘Ay o sige, tayo na lang ang magsama.’ So lagi kaming magkatabi noon,” she recalled. Enchong Dee (MNS Photo) That first meeting immediately transformed into a close connection as Gonzaga and Dee became best friends through the years. “Noong time na kinausap ako ni Enchong, friends talaga kami. Noong nakita ko lang siya na naglakad sa harap, sabi ko cute,” she said. “Enjoy kaming kasama, sobrang enjoy. Wala kaming [romantic] moment.” Dee, for his part, said he loves being with Gonzaga because of her positive outlook in life. “Gusto ko talagang lumalapit sa mga taong non-stop yung energy na masaya. Parang gumaganda yung buhay mo kapag ang kasama mo masasayang tao,” he said. Dee and Gonzaga worked together in the 2008 series “My Girl.”(MNS)

With less than three weeks to go before election day, candidates are now making last minute pitches to the voting public, hoping that they will be able to come out on top of their political rivals on May 6. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s numbers in surveys continue to rise, despite being pilloried by his political rivals for being a self-confessed womanizer, head of a death squad vigilante group and a vulgar. Duterte was also recently censured severely by his critics for his “uncivilized” remark about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary during a prison riot in Davao in 1989. Some political observers are saying that Duterte’s “joke remark” on the rape and murder of the Australian missionary could have a backlash on voters come election day. Some are even saying that his numbers in surveys will significantly go down since most of his supporters might have been disgusted about his remarks on the death of the missionary. With the election coming in less than three weeks, I doubt if Duterte’s political supporters will abandon the feisty city executive from Mindanao. People are tired of empty promises of traditional politicians that no one believes anymore. Duterte’s no-nonsense drive against crime, illegal drugs and corruption are the reasons why voters remain loyal to him. He is the exact opposite of President Aquino, who is a weakling and a do-nothing and indecisive leader. Duterte, on the other hand, is hard worker and an honest politicians for years. He gets things done Read More …

Supporters of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte pose for media as they launch the “Duterte Bantay Boto Brigade” (DBBB) during a press conference in Quezon City on Wednesday. The group aims to solidify its volunteer groups to help safeguard votes for Mayor Duterte, who was ahead in the latest polls. (MNS photo) KALIBO, Aklan,   (Mabuhay) – Presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has downplayed an alleged assassination plot against him. “I live my destiny kung ano ang destiny sa buhay ko, ‘yan ang masunod, kung mamatay ako sa kampanya (I live my destiny, and if I die in the campaign), that is my destiny,” Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview here on Wednesday night. “Kung paabutin ako ng Panginoong Diyos, o ayaw niya (If God would allow me to continue to live or not), still that is destiny—that is the plan of God for me,” he added. The tough-talking mayor was asked by reporters about an alleged assassination plot against him circulating on Facebook. “I will not worry about death threat[s]. It comes naturally. Everything will be okay, everything, someday, will go away,” he said. Sought for comment, Christopher “Bong” Go, in a text message, said Jose Alejandrino “cautioned us to be careful and alert.” Go, the mayor’s closest aide and executive assistant, said Alejandrino was “Duterte’s friend and adviser.” “Para na rin maging alert mga supporters ni Mayor (So the mayor’s supporters will be alert),” he said. Go said Alejandrino phoned him to inform about Read More …