Maniolas

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. addresses some 200 exceptional students in the Hall of Laureates during the Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa on 15 October 2015. Photo courtesy of Philippine Consul General Generoso Calonge. WASHINGTON, D.C – Exceptional high school students from across the United States and other countries learned about positive developments in the Philippines and its efforts to become climate-resilient, climate-smart, and food-secure. Some 200 high school students are participating in the three-day Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa from 15 to 17 October 2015. Throughout the event, participants present and discuss their findings with international experts and peers, connect with other students from around the world, tour leading industrial and research facilities, and take part in symposium discussions with experts in science and industry. Students are also given the opportunity to meet global leaders. This year, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. addressed the participants on behalf of President Benigno S. Aquino III on the first day of the event. “I would like to commend the World Food Prize Foundation for having a program such as the Global Youth Institute to inspire the next generation to study and work in fields related to global agriculture. By improving agricultural productivity and incomes, promoting fair trade and better nutritional practices at all levels, immediate access to food by those who are most in need can be enhanced,” said Ambassador Cuisia. According to the Read More …

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago arrives at the Commission on Election headquarters in Manila to file her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president under the People’s Reform Party on Friday. Santiago also announced Sen. Bongbong Marcos would be her running mate for the 2016 elections.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Marcos family doesn’t owe the Filipino people an apology over the the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ imposition of martial law, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said on Friday after she filed her certificate of candidacy to run for president in 2016. Santiago, however, disagreed that the details of what transpired during martial law should already be relegated to the background in favor of addressing the country’s current problems. “I don’t think that on a family basis, the Marcoses as a family owe us an apology. In the first place, it was not the case that President Marcos the father pooled all the Marcoses in one table and they all decided jointly to do certain activities,” Santiago said in a news conference at the Commission on Elections. “That was not the case…. This was all a result not of a familial discussion but a result of policy decisions of the executive department of the government—President Marcos and his advisers,” she added. Santiago is running for president for a third time since 1992 and has chosen Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the sone and namesake of the former strongman, to be her vice presidential candidate. Santiago, however, said she did not agree with remarks attributed Read More …

Campaign for Filipino Children pledges similar gifts to four other regional hospitals in the country The eldest of seven siblings, Allan Pineda better known as Apl.de.ap grew up in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. He worked in the farm with his grandfather and sold the crops at the open market. Coming from a poor family, he knew early on that going to school was his long-term ticket to a better life.Clinically blind, the young Apl managed to get treatment for his eyes in the U.S. through the Pearl S. Buck Foundation with his sponsor, Joe Ben Hudgens, who eventually adopted Apl. At the age of 14 years old, Apl moved to LA where Hudgens fostered the importance of education that would lead to achieving his dreams.Apl became a rapper, record producer, and the member of the multi-Grammy award winning group the Black Eyed Peas.Drawing from his own life experiences and putting action behind his words, he established the Apl.de.ap Foundation. The Foundation is committed to equip Filipino youth with the knowledge and skills to improve their lives. This is through key partnerships with organizations whose focus are in computer technology, arts, and eye care. Ultimately, the foundation hopes to build a school that will prepare these program services. (courtesy of http://apldeapfoundation.org/) (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Allen Pineda Lindo, or better known as Apl.de.ap of the Grammy award-winning group Black Eyed Peas, is legally blind. So it was only appropriate that when his international foundation decided to launch its first healthcare initiative it Read More …

Janet Lim Napoles (center), the alleged pork barrel scam queen, is escorted out of the court room after being found guilty on her kidnapping and serious illegal detention case of scam whistleblower Benhur Luy at the Makati Regional Trial Court on Tuesday. Napoles was sentenced to permanent imprisonment. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan has denied for the second time the bail plea of Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the supposed pork barrel scam. “Wherefore, accused Janet Lim-Napoles’ petition for bail, filed on July 7, 2014, is hereby denied for lack of merit,” Sandiganbayan Third Division clerk of court Dennis Pulma announced Friday, reading from the 249-page ruling penned by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang. The Third Division, who has been hearing Napoles’ petition to post bail for a plunder case since July last year, said the prosecution was able to present strong evidence to warrant a full-blown trial to prove the guilt of the embattled businesswoman. “There is a determination by the court that the evidence of guilt against the accused is strong. But let me clarify that this does not mean that the guilt has already been found,” Pulma said, explaining the ruling. “This is not a prejudgement on the merits of the case. The finding of whether there is guilt beyond reasonable doubt must be done during the trial proper,” he added. Pulma said the Napoles’ camp has 15 days to file their motion for reconsideration, “otherwise the decision is considered final.” Napoles is facing multiple Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III is received by Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr., upon arrival for the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Philippine M.I.C.E. Conference (MICECON 2013) at the 3rd Floor, SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premiere in Davao City on Thursday (March 07, 2013). The MICE Conference is a prestigious gathering of key players in the travel and tourism industry. The conference will provide the Host an opportunity to showcase its destinations to approximately 400 stakeholders in the tourism industry comprised of: travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, professional congress/ exhibition/event organizers, association/corporate executives, destination management companies, airline representatives, local government officials, academe, students and the media. (MNS photo)). MANILA (Mabuhay) — Minutes before the deadline of filing for candidacy, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that he had no interest in being president. “A little over two years ago, I posted in the government website over the Internet that I was not interested in the Presidency,” he wrote on his official Facebook account. “Nothing has changed. I am comfortable where I am now.” Speculation was rife on Friday about a Duterte run, with rumors flying that he was en route to Manila to beat the Commission on Elections deadline. But a highly-placed source said that the mayor remained in Davao City. His executive assistant Bong Go confirmed this as well in a radio interview. By the 5 p.m. deadline, there was no Duterte COC for president filed with the poll Read More …