Maniolas

Comelec Commissioner Athrur Lim take his biometric registration as overseas voters of Hongkong at DFA Aseana voting field registration center in Macapagal Ave. Pasay City on Wednesday. (MNS Photo) MANILA, Nov 11 (Mabuhay) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not keen on regulating election campaigns on social media for the 2016 polls, spokesman James Jimenez said Wednesday. “Hindi pa nagbabago ‘yung stand ng Comelec na ang social media accounts ng tao ay personal space niya ‘yun,” Jimenez told reporters. “But we are not ignoring it entirely,” he said. Jimenez explained that though distribution on social media is free, they will still look into the cost of the production of the materials being uploaded and distributed online, which may be included in the campaign costs of the candidate. The poll body earlier said that social media may be the game changer for the 2016 elections, as around 20 million voters belong to the youth sector who are “wired on social media.” “We are monitoring, we are watching how it develops because we are very interested to know if this will truly be the social media elections that we are watching out for since 2010,” Jimenez added. (MNS)

Although assimilation in the  cultural mainstream is one of  the least of the problems  of many Filipinos who have considered  U.S their home, observance of Thanksgiving Day, which this year falls on a Thursday of November 26, is one that will be marked with a deep touch of their native land. Known for their months-long preparations to celebrate the Holiday Season in the Philippines, Filipinos in the U.S. adopt the ingrained tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving Day with indulgence in style and substance especially in terms of satisfying their palates. And off course, as is the custom, Thanksgiving Day which signals the merry-making season in this part of the globe is celebrated not only with immediate members of the family but with their extended kindred as well. Filipinos in the U.S. celebrate the age-old tradition in their own special way as the “Araw ng Pasasalamat” amidst blessing in this literal land of the plenty. This day also kicks off the elaborate preparations for the onset of the holiday season which gives them the excuse to splurge for themselves and their friends. Filipinos have slowly assimilated into the American observance of Thanksgiving and injecting the event with Filipino colors in the process and synthesizing the beauty and depth of the tradition. Thanksgiving has been a yearly celebrated federal holiday since 1863 with President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation the day during the Civil War as a “National Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our Beneficent  Father who dwelleth in Heaven”. Thanksgiving is one of Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with Stephen Solarz Memorial Fund founder Nina Solarz during the Courtesy Call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Friday (November 06, 2015). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday endorsed to Congress a proposed law that would mandate a four-year P226-billion compensation increase for government workers, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said. In a press statement, the DBM said the bill titled “Salary Standardization Law of 2015” or SSL 2015 was submitted to Congress for its approval. The salary hike will cover 1.53 million civilian and military and uniformed personnel. According to Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, the compensation package is composed of a salary increase, a mid-year 14th month pay, and an enhanced performance-based bonus (PBB) system. If the bill is approved, the basic salary of covered employees will be increased on the average by 27 percent, while the 14th month pay will raise compensation by 8 percent, said the DBM. The enhanced PBB is equivalent to one to two months’ salary or an average 10 percent increase in salary. “The first tranche of the adjustment will take effect on Jan. 1, 2016, and the subsequent three tranches on every January 1thereafter until the final tranche in 2019,” Abad said. Abad noted that at the end of the four tranches, government compensation will be around 84 percent of its equivalent in the private sector. The lowest salary grade, Salary Grade 1 will be Read More …

Commuters still opt to take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) instead of braving the traffic on EDSA on Tuesday despite the reported improvement on the flow of traffic along the major thoroughfare. The Highway Patrol Group said it is still adjusting on their second day of managing traffic on EDSA. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya assured the Senate Monday that there will be an improvement in the services of Metro Rail Transit (MRT3) as new trains become operational in the first quarter of 2016. “There will be improvement in the service come first quarter. Now we are rolling out beep cards, that helps in the shortening of queues and the easier transfer from one line to another is appreciated,” Abaya said when asked by Senator Ralph Recto during the resumption of the Senate Committee on Public Services’ hearing on MRT. “For the first quarter of 2016 what we can expect is the first set of Dalian train[s] will be moving. Getting a better experience is all relative. But in terms of capacity, we will have additional capacity. We are about to award the maintenance. The maintenance awarded by GM Buenafe was short term. We hope we can award three years,” he added. Earlier during the hearing, committee chairperson Senator Grace Poe questioned the delay in the repair of escalators and elevators at the MRT stations. Abaya said the repair of Schindler escalators is expected to be finished by December while the remaining 22 to 23 Mitsubishi Read More …

http://www.apiavote.org/ For this year’s elections, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC partnered once again to support AANHPI voters through our national election protection hotline, 1-888-API-VOTE. Bilingual assistance was available to voters in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Calls were fielded from across the country, including from states with APIAVote grantees, such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Texas. This was thanks to the voter mobilization efforts of APIAVote’s partners, who over the last few weeks sent mailers and phone banked into their communities, highlighting language assistance through the hotline. Most questions that came through the hotline asked for Election Day information, including the location of polling places, voter registration information, voter ID requirements, and general voting procedures. Notably, many callers wanted information on the election itself, such as what races are taking place and who or what is on the ballot. “Many voters expressed a desire to vote, but did not have access to translated, in-language materials about specific races or what and who was on the ballot,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote. “This emphasizes the critical need of in-language ballots and other election information for our communities, to give them the access they deserve to the political process.” The influx of calls throughout the last week and on Election Day highlights the importance of voter outreach and mobilization efforts, and that AANHPI voters are noticing our efforts to reach out to them. “The National Asian Language Election Protection Read More …