Maniolas

Candidates (l-r) Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Gringo Honasan, Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Rep. Leni Robredo and Sen. Antonio Trillanes III pose for a group picture at the conclusion of the #PiliPinas2016 Vice Presidential Debates at the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Sixty-six percent of Filipino voters watched the second Vice-Presidential Debate organized by ABS-CBN on April 17, 2016, according to the Bilang Pilipino SWS Panel Mobile Survey of April 18, 2016. Among them, 33% named Leni Robredo, 28% named Chiz Escudero, 27% named Alan Peter Cayetano, and 5% named Antonio Trillanes IV as the one who came out the best during the debate. The remaining 7% of the watchers could not give an answer. Of the 1,200 members of the panel, 632 or 53% sent their responses to the April 18, 2016 Bilang Pilipino SWS Panel Mobile Survey: 168 in Metro Manila, 145 in Balance Luzon, 165 in Visayas and 154 in Mindanao. This gives sampling error margins of ±4% for national percentages, and ±8% in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The area estimates were weighted by the 2016 Commission on Elections data on registered voters to obtain the national estimates. About 3 out of 5 across the board watched the second Vice-Presidential Debate of April 17 The proportion of voters who watched the first Vice-Presidential Debate was highest in the Visayas at 75%, followed Metro Manila at 67%, Mindanao at 64%, and Balance Luzon at 63%. It was equally Read More …

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Philippines John Gomes (2nd left) talks to Senator Teofisto Guingona III on Tuesday during the Senate hearing on the $81-million money laundering heist. Hackers transferred the amount last February from the Bangladesh central bank to the RCBC Jupiter branch in Makati, after which it was laundered in casinos.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The Bureau of Internal Revenue sued PhilRem Service Corp. and its husband-and-wife owners before the Department of Justice on Thursday for evading taxes worth P35.61 million. It was PhilRem which became the conduit in moving the $81 million from the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch on Jupiter Street in Makati City to the casinos – where the stolen money was supposedly laundered – and other benefactors that included junket operators. PhilRem president Salud Bautista and treasurer Michael Bautista were slapped with complaints for alleged willful attempt to evade payment of gross receipts tax (GRT), deliberate failure to file percentage tax returns (PTR), and unlawful pursuit of business from 2005 to 2014. According to the BIR, PhilRem misrepresented itself when it continued to operate as a remittance firm even if it  was registered as a land transport company in 2005. The complaint said PhilRem amended its nature of business with the Securities and Exchange Commission without updating its registration with the BIR. As a non-banking financial institution, PhilRem should have remitted 5 percent gross receipts tax instead of value added tax to the government, according to the BIR. “The gross failure of PhilRem to register, Read More …

Dawn Zulueta (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Former justice secretary and senatorial candidate Leila De Lima said she wants actress Dawn Zulueta to portray her in a hypothetical biographical film on her life as a government official. De Lima mused on the possibility of a film being made about her life, suggesting that it should be titled, “The Lady Justice.” “That’s the story of my life, you know, ‘yung mga nangri-raid, ‘yung lumalaban para sa katarungan,” she said. “Gusto kong mag-focus [ang film] sa nagawa ko, ‘yung paglaki ko, and then ‘yung nagawa ko. Paano ako pinalaki ng parents ko, at paano ako nagtrabaho sa mga ibinigay sa aking trabaho.” Zulueta, who is married to politician Anton Lagmadeo, has yet to express support for any candidate in the upcoming elections. In an interview back in September, she said that she will refrain from endorsing one of the five presidential candidates. “Pero hindi niyo siguro maaasahan sa akin ang makapag-endorso ng presidentiables kasi, like I said, lahat sila ay kaibigan natin,” Zulueta, at the time,

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza (MNS photo) On-screen love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza confirmed that they will launch a new project in July. During the recent Bench Fix event, where the two were launched as the newest endorsers of the clothing brand, Alden said the project is a surprise to their loyal supporters. The said project will coincide with their first anniversary as on-screen love team since appearing in July of last year in “Juan for All, All for Juan” segment of noontime variety program “Eat Bulaga”. “Mayroon kaming surprise sa buong AlDub Nation. It’s for you to find out,” Richards said. He added: “It’s something everyone has been waiting for. Para po sa inyong lahat iyon. Abangan niyo po.” As for Mendoza, she said that the said project is a fitting anniversary gift to their supporters. “It’s for you to find out pero tiyak na matutuwa kayo. Maganda, magandang anniversary gift iyon sa inyo,” she said. Rumor said Richards and Mendoza will headline the remake of hit Korean series “My Love From The Star”. (MNS)

By Ferdinand G. Patinio Candidates (l-r) Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Gringo Honasan, Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Rep. Leni Robredo and Sen. Antonio Trillanes III pose for a group picture at the conclusion of the #PiliPinas2016 Vice Presidential Debates at the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday.(MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that national candidates are no longer allowed to campaign since the overseas absentee voting (OAV) has already started, With this, Comelec – Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) head Commissioner Arthur Lim said that the law prohibited campaigning activities as voting abroad was already commencing. “Candidates are not allowed to campaign anymore. The law is clear that campaigning is prohibited during the voting period,” he said. Lim is reacting on the petition filed before the Supreme Court (SC) asking to stop the poll body from implementing the ban on the holding of political campaigns in Filipino communities abroad. The poll body official noted that they were just implementing the law in connection with the ban on campaigning for the OAV. “The Comelec only implements what is in the law. The Comelec cannot be the one that breaks these laws,” said Lim Based on Comelec Resolution No. 9981, campaigning abroad is prohibited from April 9 to May 9, which is the period for casting of votes by overseas voters. Likewise, the Overseas Voting Act of 2013 provides that all forms of campaigning abroad within the 30-day overseas voting period shall be prohibited. Aside Read More …