Maniolas

RANCHO MIRAGE, California) President Benigno S. Aquino III joins fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders, during the first retreat session of the Special US-ASEAN Summit on the theme of “Promoting an Innovative, Entrepreneural ASEAN Economic Community.” at the Sunnyland’s Garden and Center in Rancho Mirage. The summit is a follow-up to the elevation of US-ASEAN dialogue relations into a Strategic Partnership last November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (MNS photo) LOS ANGELES, California  (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III arrived in Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday afternoon for a two-day working visit following his participation to the US-ASEAN Leaders Summit. President Aquino left Palm Springs International Airport after attending the special summit hosted by US President Barack Obama with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Sunnyland’s Estate in Rancho Mirage. On Tuesday morning (February 16), the President attended the second retreat session themed “Protecting Peace, Prosperity, and Security in the Asia-Pacific.” He also joined a family photo opportunity with other world leaders. (California is 16 hours behind Manila) While in Los Angeles, President Aquino will participate in a series of business meetings with the top executives of Walt Disney International, Western Digital Corporation, and AECOM’s Enterprise Growth Solutions. (RANCHO MIRAGE, California) President Benigno S. Aquino III is welcomed by United States President Barack Obama at the Sunnylands Garden and Center in Rancho Mirage, the venue of the Special US-ASEAN Summit hosted by the United States of America (USA). The summit is a Read More …

Senator Grace Poe (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – With the conclusion of the oral arguments on Tuesday, the Supreme Court should resolve immediately Sen. Grace Poe’s plea challenging her disqualification from the May 2016 presidential elections. This was according to legal experts on Wednesday, who also said that should the high court uphold Poe’s disqualification by the Commission on Elections late in the campaign period, the votes she would be getting would be wasted. Election lawyers Edgardo Carlo Vistan II and Romulo Macalintal, and former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Vicente Joyas all agreed that the high tribunal should already decide on Poe’s two petitions. Vistan said in the event Poe’s disqualification is upheld by the SC but voters still end up voting for her in the May polls, those votes “cannot be credited to her as they would be considered stray votes.” Since January 19, the high tribunal conducted a total of five rounds of oral arguments on the Poe cases. “It is important that the Supreme Court resolve the disqualification cases against Sen. Grace Poe expeditiously,” said Vistan, adding that just because the Comelec had already started printing the 57 million ballots does not make the resolution of the Poe cases less urgent. “Even if the ballots would be printed already with Sen. Poe’s name as one of the presidential candidates, there is still an urgent need for a speedy resolution of the case so that the Comelec can make appropriate adjustments to the automated vote Read More …

Angel Locsin (MNS photo) Just two days before Valentine’s Day, “Everything About Her” star Angel Locsin seemed to have confirmed her split with her boyfriend, actor and “Pilipinas Got Talent” host Luis Manzano. On her official Instagram account, the 30-year-old Locsin posted a video of Manzano singing part of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” In the caption, Locsin referred to Manzano as her former boyfriend. “On the eve of my neck procedure, I saw my ex singing ‘Love Yourself’ sa IG. Kung umiyak na kayo sa taong paulit-ulit kang sinaktan,” she wrote. Locsin returned to Singapore on Thursday to undergo further medical treatment for a disc bulge on her spine. Last December, the actress flew to the country and successfully underwent the first stage of neuro-spine surgery. “Ang priority ko po kasi talaga ay magpagaling,” Locsin said when asked about the possibility of her being recast as Darna after the procedures. “May kaunting usap-usap pero ang kailangan lang po talagang mangyari ay maging successful po ‘yung operation at walang mangyayaring masama after that. So iyon lang po ang iniisip ko,” she explained. Last month, Locsin and Manzano admitted having problems with their relationship. The two, however, maintained that they are working on a solution. (MNS)

Sen. Antonio Trillanes with members of Magdalo party, shows his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for vice president, at the Palacio del Gobernador in Manila, Tuesday. Trillanes will be running as an independent candidate, but expressed support for Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential bid in the 2016 elections. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 18 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said it was quite “inconsistent” that the Bible-quoting Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao, who drew flak for relegating gays as “worse than animals,” was included in the senatorial slate of a “thief.” Pacquiao is running under the opposition ticket of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance. “Sa inaaplayan niyang trabaho bilang representative ng mga tao sa Senado, kailangan bukas ang isipan niya sa pagkokonsulta. Although I respect ‘yung kanyang opinyon, ‘yang ganyang sarado ang pag-iisip, nagiging self-righteous pero nandoon naman siya sa slate ng magnanakaw,” Trillanes told reporters in a Senate forum. (In the position he is applying for as a representative of the people in the Senate, he has to be open-minded for consultation. Although I respect his opinion, his way of thinking makes him self-righteous. On the contrary, he is in the slate of a thief.) Trillanes, who initiated the Senate probe on corruption allegations against Binay, lamented how Pacquiao had the guts to “judge” other sectors when he turned a blind eye on the supposed wrongdoings of the vice president. “Hindi naman ako nanghuhusga. Kung magbubulag-bulagan siya eh paano nila masusugpo ang korupsyon,” Trillanes said. “Baka ang tingin Read More …

Vice President Jejomar Binay addresses the crowd during United Nationalist Alliance proclamation rally in Mandaluyong on Tuesday. The 90-day campaign period for the May 2016 election officially started Tuesday, with candidates organizing their respective campaign sorties around the country.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The campaign promise of Vice President Jejomar Binay, to scrap the income tax for workers earning P30,000 and below when is elected as President, was doable. Binay’s present stance on the matter goes against the the position of President Benigno Aquino III, who insisted that the government cannot afford to lose tax revenues. In a statement on Thursday, Joey Salgado, Binay’s communications director, said they were not surprised by the reaction of the Vice President’s critics on reforming the tax structure of the country. “Our detractors will always find reasons to reject a move that will improve the lives of those in the below-middle class and the middle class levels,” he said. At 32 percent for individual fixed-income earners and 30 for corporations, the Philippines has one of the highest income tax rates in Asia. The Aquino administration has rejected the proposal to lower corporate and individual income tax rates, saying tax revenues are needed to keep the economy growing. “This is no surprise as they come from a group whose knee-jerk reaction is to protect the status quo where factory workers, government employees and call center agents pay the same taxes as millionaires. This is the mark of an insensitive leadership,” Salgado claimed. Menu of options Read More …