So he will arrive on time, Alden Richards rides a helicopter.
Oct 272015
Oct 272015
President Benigno S. Aquino III administers the oath of office to newly-appointed generals and flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the oath-taking of military officers at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday (May 27). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that its Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) Company is now preparing for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila this November. The event will take place Nov. 18 to 19, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said Saturday. The training is to ensure better response in situations requiring CDM service. The AFP CDM Company will be on standby for the duration of the APEC Meeting as support unit to Philippine National Police personnel who will be on the frontline of keeping the safety and security of the event. They will be immediately deployed if necessary or when when the peaceful conduct of the event is threatened. The CDM Company is composed of soldiers under the Security and Escort Group of AFP General Headquarters based in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. They will also be accompanied by AFP K-9 units. They regularly undergo training on crowd management. These soldiers were also properly briefed in human rights as part of their training, Detoyato stressed. (MNS)
Oct 272015
Members of the Philippine Air Force load relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to a C-130 airplane on Wednesday at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. The relief goods consist of food packs, blankets, and other necessities, for affected families in Baler and Casiguran, Aurora. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Saturday said the government will start the “build back better” phase as its agencies continue relief efforts for those affected by tropical cyclone Lando in Luzon. “Moving forward, we will remain in close collaboration with other sectors as we build back better the affected areas,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told state-run Radyo ng Bayan. Valte also cited that the government’s response efforts for Lando has been credited by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). “The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction credited this improvement to preemptive evacuations and the early communication of warnings,” she said. Valte said that the key to the government’s successful response to Lando “lies in partnership.” “As a result, we were able to minimize the number of casualties, compared to previous typhoons,” she said. She added that close coordination from the national down to the local levels and other sectors was the main factor for the successful evacuation of people living in high-risk areas. Valte reported that 5,426 families or 23,993 people in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and Cordillera Administrative Region were preemptively evacuated. The government has counted a total of 46 deaths from Lando’s Read More …
Oct 272015
Mayor Antonio “Tony” Cartagena, City of Walnut Councilmember (photo courtesy of http://www.ci.walnut.ca.us/) LAKEWOOD, CA — The La Union Association of Southern California is celebrating its 51st year and Golden Anniversary with a dinner-dance on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, at the Lakewood Country Club in this city. City of Walnut Councilmember and four-time Mayor Antonio “Tony” Cartagena, is the guest speaker. Founded on May 31, 1964 in Los Angeles, the La Union Association of Southern California, formerly La Union Association of Los Angeles, is an organization of immigrants from the province of La Union, Philippines, who now live in Southern California. It is one of the oldest Filipino-American organizations in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Founder and first president was the late Sisenando “Sammy” T. Delmendo, World War II U. S. Army veteran and Los Angeles civic leader. The co-founders were: Johnny Fangon, Felix Soriano, Glicerio “Glen” Rilloraza, Faustino Marquez, Florence Flores, Jovita Soriano, Elisa Mangrobang, Bonifacio Florendo, and others. The association was formed to help defray the burial expenses of a new immigrant-provincemate,whose family stayed behind in La Union. It was born amid an upwelling of hope that the better nature of man would prevail. The association has grown and is still growing. It has come a long way, ever since the founders “passed the hat” around. It has had the services of ten presidents, some of whom have occupied the office at different intervals. It has held five beauty contests, the candidates of which trace their roots to the Province of La Union. The Read More …
Oct 272015
Want to join a trick or treat event, wear a scary costume or just relax? Choose your own adventure this Halloween weekend.
Oct 272015
SCE employee’s late-night heroics earn praise as he helps first responders after Visalia car accident By Paul Netter, Southern California Edison SCE lineman Matt Duma discusses how he got downed live wires deactivated after a car hit a utility pole in Visalia. Photo: Courtesy of Lewis Griswold/The Fresno Bee Matt Duma wasn’t dressed to impress, but he left quite the impression anyway. Pajamas, slippers and all. The Southern California Edison transmission line foreman’s quick thinking played a pivotal role in a car-hit-utility-pole accident late Monday in Visalia. Duma’s actions may have saved a man’s life, and the first responders couldn’t have been more appreciative. “The action of the off-duty Edison employee were instrumental to the outcome of the incident,” Visalia Fire Department battalion chief Danny Wristen told the Fresno Bee. Duma, however, believes he was just doing his job. “I don’t think I did anything heroic. I did my job,” said Duma, an 11-year veteran of SCE. “It’s no different than a firefighter going to rescue someone in a burning house or a cop doing his job. I respond to a wire down and I know how to take care of it.” Another member of the fire department who was there, engineer Shane Yoder, begs to differ. “He made an appearance at some point real quick after we were there,” said Yoder. “Definitely appreciate his help and it sped the process up quite a bit rather than having to wait for the [SCE truck] to get on the scene. It was great that someone was there to assist us.” Read More …
Oct 262015
Rob Moya gets first big acting break in Nuclear Family.
Oct 262015
Richard Gomez adds, “It’s important for parents to know kung sino ba ang mga nakakasama ng anak nila.”
Oct 262015
Anne Curtis (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) –Anne Curtis is known to join marathons. More than just to stay fit, however, she has aligned her passion with advocacy to help underprivileged children. The actress has organized the Heroes for Children Run 2015 in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines. The activity is meant to raise awareness on the importance of health and nutrition in the crucial first thousand days of an infant. “For someone (like me) who actually does enjoy running and is into health and fitness, it would just be a great way to raise resources, giving children the best start in life,” said Anne in a recent conference. Anne took the initiative to spearhead the fundraising project, noting, “Hindi naman pwede na you’re just gonna sit there and wait for things to be done for you. You have to come up with your own ideas and share with the team (UNICEF) and see if it’s approved or if it’s within what they would like.” The drive behind the project was inspired by her visit to Tacloban, Leyte early this year where she was able to meet mothers and children deprived of proper health care and nutrition. “I saw firsthand how important it is for mothers to have prenatal checkups, vaccinations, how important breastfeeding is, etc.” She added, “The experience I had there was something I’ll carry. It’s just how happy I am – just being able to bring smiles to these children, to their families. It’s Read More …
Oct 262015
This author was recently mesmerized by various types of intricately-crafted handbags made of recycled newspapers. The brainchild of Lourdes Trinidad-Ocampo, the handbags carry the name “D’yario” and each handbag is intricately handwoven, handmade and distributed through the Bags4Life Livelihood Initiative Program, a non-profit organization helping incarcerated women develop their creative skills, to enable them to get rehabilitated and go back to the workforce once they leave the facility. Lulu Ocampo’s ‘D’yario’ bag Sheltered all her life (her dad, Anselmo Trinidad of Iba, Zambales was the former President of the Manila Stock Exchange and her deceased husband, Ed Ocampo, was a three-time Olympian who has coached the teams of: Toyota, Shell and Pepsi), Lulu had to learn to stand on her own and by sheer luck, after her husband Ed passed away, she went to ‘Sapang Palay’ where they both used to do apostolic work and while there, she noticed a choir guitarist “rolling strips of newspaper making boats and other things.” So, she approached him and requested him to make her a handbag out of the recycled newspapers. Thus, after a week, her Bags4Life Livelihood Initiative Program was born. As a “bag lady,” Lulu’s tenacious pursuit of excellence, quality control,and product development has brought her immense recognition by name-brand stores such as Tesoro’s who now carry her products. Now almost 14 years into the business, Lulu has trained thousands of disadvantaged students making her bags ranging from the Smokey Mountain youth to the women inmates at the National Center for Read More …