Maniolas

Vice President Jejomar Binay speaks to senior citizens in Amapola St., Barangay Pembo, Makati, Thursday. The city government of Makati has been under public scrutiny amid new allegations of having “ghost” senior citizens who reportedly receive benefits. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Wednesday accused Vice President Jejomar Binay of using the execution in Saudi Arabia of migrant worker Joselito Zapanta to criticize the administration. “It’s in bad taste to politicize a tragedy whereas dapat, we should all rally behind…We have always stated that this is a team effort and they are now trying to politicize the whole situation,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing. Lacierda said the opposition presidential candidate was being “disingenuous” in claiming that Malacañang was to blame over Zapanta’s death for failing to act on his proposals for the payment of blood money. Zapanta was sentenced to death in April 2010 by the Riyadh Grand Court for killing a Sudanese national over a rental dispute. He was executed in December after his family raised only P23 million of the P48 million blood money asked by the victim’s widow. In a statement on Tuesday, Binay said that his office submitted policy recommendations on providing assistance to Zapanta as early as 2012, but these were not immediately acted upon. Binay served as the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) concerns until he resigned from the Cabinet in June last year. Lacerida said it was unfair for Binay to single out President Aquino, who Read More …

If your business is in distress – you owe a lot of money but you can’t pay, your creditors will probably threaten legal action against your business and very likely, you personally as well. How much they can collect, and how they can go about collecting it, will depend on how your business is organized, and whether you personally guaranteed repayment of the obligation. To what extent you are personally liable depends on several factors, the most important being, how your business is structured and whether you personally guaranteed or secured the debt. Sole Proprietors and Partnerships If you are a sole proprietor, you and your business are one and the same in the eyes of the law, which means you are personally responsible for all of the business’s debts. If there isn’t enough money in the business to pay these debts, creditors can take your personal assets to pay them. Partners in a general partnership have similar personal liability for business debts: Each partner is personally liable for the entirety of the business’s debts (and any partner can usually bind the entire partnership to a business deal — a scary combination). This means that if there isn’t enough money in the business to pay the debts, and your partners are broke, creditors can take your personal assets to pay all of the business’s debts, not just your share. Corporations and Limited Liability Companies If your business is organized as a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC), your personal Read More …

(Family Features) For people who manage their health through nutrition or use food as a medicinal replacement, few products offer the power of “superfoods.” Kale is one leafy green commonly recognized as a superfood, but watercress is a tastier superfood option worth considering. Watercress has more flavor, is more versatile and is healthier than its leafy cousins. It’s also easier to digest with a more pleasing texture. In fact, according to an independent research study published last spring by the Centers for Disease Control, it is the most nutrient-dense food available today. For a high concentration of phytonutrients, antioxidants and vitamins, look to options such as those available through hydroponic greenhouse grower Hollandia Produce, which raises two cress varieties: Live Gourmet Living Upland Cress and Grower Pete’s Living Organic Watercress. Both varieties also deliver up to twice the vitamin C of an orange; more calcium than milk; and high levels of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, beta-carotene and vitamins A, B1, B6, K and E. Watercress also has multiple uses as a medicinal herb. Some of these more popular applications include preventing eczema, as well as supporting digestive, urinary tract, eye and respiratory health. “Cressto” Pesto Sauce Visit hollandiaproduce.com to find more recipes and learn more about this flavorful superfood. “Cressto” Pesto Sauce 3 cups Live Gourmet Living Upland Cress or Grower Pete’s Living Watercress, root ball and bottom 1/3 stems removed, rinsed and patted dry 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup grape seed oil 1 Read More …

Senator Grace Poe (MNS photo) MANILA, Jan 5 (Mabuhay) — Did President Aquino pressure Solicitor General Florin Hilbay to back the Senate Electoral Tribunal in the case of the disqualification of presidential aspirant Grace Poe? “Sa tingin ko wala,” said former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, noting that Solicitor General Florin Hilbay is a very intelligent lawyer. Brillantes said Hilbay’s position is to “protect his client”, which in this case is the Senate Electoral Tribunal. The SET majority earlier ruled that Poe is a natural-born Filipino and is thus qualified to run for president in 2016. This runs counter to the Commission on Elections’ ruling that Poe cannot run for president because she lacked the 10-year residency requirement and is not a natural born Filipino The Solicitor General earlier wrote to the Commission on Elections, saying he cannot represent the Comelec before the Supreme Court since his position is opposite that of the poll body. Brillantes, a former poll chief, said it was not the first time that the SolGen did not side with Comelec on an issue. “That really happens. When I was in the Comelec, there are times when SolGen said our position is opposite yours so kayo na ang bahala,” he said. He said the Comelec can tap its own law department to represent the poll body in the oral arguments before the Supreme Court later this month. Brillantes said Comelec Chairman Andy Bautista and Senior Commissioner Christian Robert Lim cannot represent the poll body before the SC Read More …

Rep. Imelda Marcos sits with a book in her hands during the launch of their product, “Imeldifique” cooking wines, at a restaurant in Quezon City on Tuesday. The Marcoses are trying to solidify their return to power, with Sen. Bongbong Marcos running for vice president in the May 2016 elections.(MNS photo) MANILA, Jan 5 (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Tuesday welcomed the decision of a Sandiganbayan division ordering the Marcoses and the family of alleged Marcos crony Alfonso Lim to return all properties claimed by the government. The decision on the 28-year civil case – filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) in 1987 – was a “significant win for the Filipino people,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement. “The judgment rendered by the Sandiganbayan is a significant win for the Filipino people in the long-term effort to recover assets that had been illegally acquired during the dictatorship by known cronies of then President Ferdinand Marcos,” he said. In a 35-page decision, the Sandiganbayan Second Division ordered the Marcos and Lim families to return various properties which were found to be illegally obtained through timber concessions and management contracts which “unjustly enriched” both families. The PCGG will implement the decision once it attains finality, Coloma noted. The Lims are owners of the logging companies Taggat Industries Inc. and Pamplona Redwood Veneer Co. Inc. According to the Sandiganbayan, the remaining assets registered to Alfonso Lim which may be considered for possible compromise settlements are parcels of land Read More …