Maniolas

WATCH: Rep. Leni Robredo speaking in San Francisco/Video By Vic Valbuena Bareng SAN FRANCISCO –- Commenting on the efforts of some Philippine civic groups to make her run for president next year, Rep. Leni Robredo told more than a hundred Filipinos who came to see her March 20 at the Philippine Center, “I’ve learned never to say ‘never.’” The congresswoman from Camarines Norte’s 3rd District, recalled having to retract — at the last minute — her vow not to run for office after the untimely death of her highly respected husband, Jesse Robredo; the pressure from local residents was overwhelming, she said. She won by a landslide, defeating an opponent from a powerful local political dynasty. “But I would really like to finish the work I started in my district because lot more needs to be done,” Robredo qualified. While Naga may be a model city where a lot of reforms have borne fruit, she reported that poverty, malnutrition, bad governance and inefficient social services still haunt the surrounding towns in her district. Not done with her district Mayor Joe Esteves of Milpitas giving Rep. Leni Robredo the key to his city. INQUIRER.NET PHOTO Robredo had spoken to “200 Bicolanos” in San Leandro, across the San Francisco Bay, and her public appearances here were among her first as a visiting elected government official of the Philippines. The UP Alumni Association of San Francisco hosted her speech at the Philippine Center. Robredo related the many challenges her district faces, describing the poverty and deprivation Read More …

WATCH Joshua Ortiz’s “Listen” SAN FRANCISCO — Joshua Ortiz, a Filipino American filmmaker, recently topped more than 20,000 entries across the United States to win in the first-ever annual Greenie Awards launched by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Project Greenlight. Ortiz’s entry “Listen” won the Most Unique Short Film award. Originally from San Francisco but now Orlando, Florida resident, Ortiz made a $30-short film for his younger siblings (the golfer and ice skater in the film). It went on to inspire thousands of people around the world. “I made it for my two siblings because I know that people will try and tell them that their dreams are not worth chasing, but I want them to know that no matter what people say and what failures come their way, you can’t give up,” Ortiz said. Filmmaker Joshua Ortiz “Since my siblings loved it, we decided to submit it to a contest. and out of thousands of entries across the nation, the film recently won the Most Unique Short Film in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Project Greenlight on HBO and had the most views among all the contestants. Also, the film played at several high school assemblies to inspire the youth to reach for their dreams,” Ortiz said. Ortiz’s film has gone on to win multiple awards at film festivals and even played at high school assemblies to inspire the students and teachers. Ortiz has done videos for celebrities like Shaquille O’neal, Olympic gold medalist Bob Beamon and radio host Monica May. Read More …

NEW YORK CITY –- An impressive array of beautiful, intelligent and talented single young women of Filipino descent 16 up to 25 years old will vie for the Diwa Ng Kalayaan (Spirit of Independence) title, the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) announced. The contestants will be presented at the Diwa Ng Kalayaan Selection, Coronation Pageant and Gala on Saturday, April 11, from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Newark Airport at 128 Frontage Road, Newark, New Jersey. The 24th annual Diwa Ng Kalayaan Pageant is the first pre-celebratory event that kicks off commemoration in New York City of the 117th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence, organized, produced, directed and presented by PIDCI, which is now on it’s 13th year, under the auspices of the Philippine Consulate General in NY. The Diwa Ng Kalayaan competition, introduced in 1991 by PIDCI, has been a traditional part of the build up towards the Philippine Independence Day Celebration, the largest of its kind outside the Philippines. The celebration itself features a trio of crowd-drawing major events–-the Independence Day Parade, the Street Fair (a Filipino Food Festival and Mini-expo), and the Cultural Festival, every first Sunday in June. The reigning “Diwa Ng Kalayaan 2014” Mikaela Alexa Rada, multitalented teen from Bayonne, New Jersey enjoyed the honor of being the PIDCI Goodwill Ambassador. She will meet the new set of candidates, all community-service-oriented: Joanna Lizardo, Rianne Avendula-Philips, Jazmine Emmanuelle B. Binag, Andrea Joyce Read More …

Alekhine Nouri with Garry Kasparov after the former world champion’s recent visit to Manila. FACEBOOK PHOTO. LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Nine-year-old Filipino chess prodigy Alekhine Nouri beat the March 31 deadline and will compete in the 2015 Millionaire Chess Open scheduled in October at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The child prodigy from Escalante, Negros, created a sensation last year when he jumped two sections to finish strongly in the Under 1900 Section. He has moved up to the U2000 this year. First place offers $30,000 in this section, but focus will be in the Open Section, in which grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So are anticipated to battle for the $100,000 top prize. After scrambling for a sponsor to help him with the stiff registration fee, Nouri finally made it, thanks to Jeorge Balares of JBS Income Tax & Notary Service. “Thank God I finally made it,” said Nouri. “Thank you to Sir Jeorge,” he added in a Facebook posting. Born in Negros on December 12, 2005, and named after the great Russian grandmaster Alekhine, Nouri started playing chess at five under the tutelage of his father, Hamed Nouri, himself a FIDE master. To give his son full attention, Hamed quit his job and moved the family to Metro Manila, where Alekhine earned a scholarship at Far Eastern University. In June 2013, during the Asean Age Group Chess championships in Thailand, Nouri earned an outright FM title with his victory in the Open 8-under category, making him the youngest Read More …