Maniolas

— Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) presses hands with admirers during his speaking engagement at the Unibersidad de Manila on Wednesday. Marcos is touring universities to talk about the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which his committee handles in the Senate. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has closed in on Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero based on the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations survey on vice presidential candidates early this month. Results of the nationwide survey conducted from Jan. 8 – 10 showed that Escudero obtained the nod of 28 percent of the 1,200 validated voters while Marcos of the Nacionalista Party had 25 percent. The two may be considered statistically tied since the survey had a margin of error of ±3 points for national percentages and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Escudero’s rating was 2  percentage points lower compared to the one he got in December. On the other hand, Marcos had an increase of 6 percentage points from his December rating. Also statistically tied were administration vice presidential bet, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo who got 17 percent (down 2 percentage points from the December survey) and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano who had 14 percent (17 percent in December). Meanwhile, Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan of the United Nationalist Alliance got 8 percent, the same rating he got in December. On the other hand, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV obtained 3 percent or 2 percentage points lower from the last SWS survey Read More …

Orange County is the third most populous county in California with its more than three million people. It is the sixth most populous in the United States and the second most densely populated in the U.S., second only to San Francisco. Of the 34 cities comprising the county, four largest cities-  Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Huntington Beach, have populations exceeding 200,000. Of the 34 incorporated cities Anaheim was the first to be incorporated in 1870. Orange County is home of attractions to world-class tourist magnets like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and several beaches along its more than 40 miles coastline. Orange County was at one time in U.S. history “the largest county to have declared bankruptcy in 1994” but has since recovered from the unfavorable image. Orange County is one of the most diverse in terms population with over 50 ethnicities represented in its diversified demographic and serves as a microcosm of California’s increasingly diversifying make up. ABAOC Connects: A panel of experts shares their experiences with the members of the Asian Business Association of Orange County at one of the events sponsored by the organization in Orange County. ABAOC President Tom Nguyen is at the podium moderating the exchange. Asians make up 3 percent of the total population. Of the total Asian population, the Vietnamese at 6.1 percent, Koreans (2.9%), Chinese (2.7%), Filipinos (2.4%) Indians (1.4%), Japanese (1.1%), Cambodians (0.2%), Pakistanis (0.2%), Thais (0.1%), Indonesians (0.1%) and Laotians (0.1%). Orange County has also the largest proportion of Asian Read More …

The USS Topeka (SSN-754), a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, prepares to dock at the Alava pier of Subic port in Zambales Tuesday, for a three-day port stop. Subic Naval Base is one of the agreed locations that the US government identified as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (MNS photo) Manila, Philippines | AFP |   – The Philippines is set to offer the US military use of eight bases, a military spokesman said Wednesday, after the country’s supreme court upheld a security agreement with Washington forged in the face of rising tensions with China. The facilities include the former US Clark airbase and air and naval facilities on the southwestern island of Palawan which faces the South China Sea, the focus of territorial disputes with China. Military spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla said the facilities would be used to store equipment and supplies. He added that the offer had still to be finalized after the Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 10-year security accord. The decision allows for the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement (EDCA), signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges from groups opposed to US military involvement in the Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946. It will see more US troops rotate through the Philippines for war games and help Manila build military facilities. “We have resumed talks now that there is a go-signal that EDCA is constitutional,” Padilla said. “We are continuing talks and we will finalize the agreement on the locations,” Read More …

The USS Topeka (SSN-754), a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, prepares to dock at the Alava pier of Subic port in Zambales Tuesday, for a three-day port stop. Subic Naval Base is one of the agreed locations that the US government identified as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. (MNS photo) Manila, Philippines | AFP |   – The Philippine Supreme Court ruled Tuesday a military accord with the United States was constitutional, paving the way for a greater presence of US forces in the former American colony as tensions simmer in the South China Sea. The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops rotate through the Philippines for war games and help their hosts build military facilities. Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said the accord was upheld with a 10-4 vote, ruling that President Benigno Aquino’s government had the authority to sign the pact and did not need congressional approval. The pact “is a mere implementation of existing laws and treaties,” Te said. Aquino negotiated the accord to help the Southeast Asian nation improve its military capabilities and draw the United States closer, partly in a bid to counter a fast-expanding Chinese presence in disputed parts of the South China Sea close to the Philippines. US President Barack Obama also pushed hard for the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Pact (EDCA) as part of his so-called strategic “pivot” to Asia that has involved expanding American military presence in the region. However it faced immediate legal challenges Read More …

The collection features exclusive Asian tea-inspired chocolates  and kicks off the chocolatier’s 90th Anniversary Dark Chocolate Green – Group New York (Jan. 11, 2016) – In celebration of Lunar New Year, legendary Belgian chocolatier GODIVA debuted the Year of the Monkey collection in North America. Building off of the success of its previous Lunar New Year collections, including last year’s sold-out gift boxes, GODIVA brings its Asian-American consumers another unique treat to celebrate an important cultural holiday. The launch of the Year of the Monkey collection also kicks off the GODIVA 90th year anniversary and serves as a sweet beginning to a milestone year for the company. LNY Monkey Box The GODIVA Year of the Monkey collection featuring pieces in the shape of a monkey is the perfect gift for family and friends for Lunar New Year and a perfect treat for yourself during this holiday. The new collection features ganache pieces delectably crafted with enticing and aromatic Chinese teas enrobed in white, milk and dark Belgium chocolate.  The chocolates that are sold as a part of the Lunar New Year gift box include: Dark chocolate green tea – smooth ganache made of fresh green tea and white chocolate, covering a layer of crunchy Piedmont hazelnut praliné, coated by a fine 50% dark chocolate White Chocolate Oolong – Group Milk chocolate pu-erh tea  – delectable macadamia praliné with cocoa nibs surrounded by mellow, Peruvian dark chocolate infused with aged pu-erh tea, coated in smooth milk chocolate White chocolate oolong tea Read More …