Maniolas

Marlon Garcia of Smartmatic Corporation shows the use of a Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) headquarters in Manila on Tuesday. Use of the PCOS in the 2016 elections is still up in the air after the Supreme Court voided Comelec’s maintenance contract with Smartmatic last April. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — A group composed of several bishops and a former senator has asked the Supreme Court to stop a P12-billion contract to lease more than 90,000 optical mark reader (OMR) units for the 2016 elections. In its petition, the group said the Commission on Elections committed a grave abuse of discretion when on June 2 it issued Resolution No. 1544 that allowed the realignment of P12.64 billion for the lease of 93,977 new OMRs. The group said the resolution was legally and constitutionally infirm for violating the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the 2015 General Appropriations Act, and the Supreme Court ruling against the Disbursement Acceleration Program. The SC ruling struck down as illegal several DAP-related acts such as the use of unprogrammed funds and unobligated allotments as savings, as well as the cross-border transfer of the executive’s savings “It is crystal clear that the intention of the Commission en banc in realigning the capital outlay requirement of the FY2016 NLE… amounting to billions of pesos was to meet the funding requirement for the lease with OTP of a total of 93,977 new OMR units, in violation of the Constitution, the 2015 GAA, and the Read More …

Members of Bayan Muna hold a picket in front of Chinese consulate in Makati on Friday April 17 to protest against China’s reclamation activities in Panganiban Reef, part of the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. Recent satellite pictures showed the Chinese constructing facilities in the area. (MNS Photo) Manila, Philippines (AFP)  – The Philippines expects a United Nations tribunal to rule in its favor in an increasingly fraught dispute with China over territories in the South China Sea, a presidential spokeswoman said Saturday. Manila will argue its position against Beijing’s claim over most of the resource-rich sea at The Hague on July 7 to 13. China has refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings. The upcoming hearings will decide whether the tribunal has jurisdiction over the case. “We prepared a strong case. We believe we stand on strong legal ground,” presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte told government radio. “We believe the tribunal will look at our case with favor. We are confident of the Philippine position on this matter.” Philippine foreign secretary Albert del Rosario will lead a government delegation to The Hague, assisted by US-based lawyers, foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said. If the Netherlands-based court decides it has jurisdiction, Jose said the Philippines would be asked to argue the merits of its case in another round of hearings. “We have prepared well enough for these oral arguments,” Jose told reporters. The Philippines is among the most vocal critics of China’s South China Sea claims, which also overlap Read More …

Angel Locsin, Katrina Halili, Cristine Reyes, Sam Pinto, and the effects of the FHM Sexiest title on their respective careers.

President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Cabinet Budget Presentation meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace Monday (July 6). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The minority bloc at the House of Representatives promised stricter scrutiny of the 2016 budget proposed by Malacanang, noting provisions could be used as the administration’s campaign kitty. “If Malacañang thinks it can get away with a bloated budget proposal that is unabashedly designed to fill the ruling party’s campaign kitty to the brim, then it is wrong. We are prepared to scrutinize every centavo, every line item in the 2016 budget proposal,” Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said in a statement. President Aquino approved the proposed P3.002 trillion national expenditure program during a Cabinet meeting on Monday. The proposed budget is a 15.2% increase from the 2015 budget. Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the biggest chunk is for the Department of Education, with an allocation of P436.5 billion. President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Cabinet Budget Presentation meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace Monday (July 6). (MNS photo) Next is the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with P401.14 billion; the Department of National Defense, P172 billion; the Department of Interior and Local Government, P156 billion; the Department of Health (DoH), P128.5 billion; and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, P107.6 billion. This early, Ridon said he and his colleagues are already researching on how the government spent the Read More …

Dock workers unload part of the 2,160 bags of Vietnamese rice on Thursday at the Eva Macapagal Port in Pier 15 in Manila. The shipment is part of the 500,000 metric tons scheduled for importation from Vietnam that will add to the country’s stockpile. (MNS photo) MANILA, July 7 (Mabuhay) — Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. alerted the government on Tuesday against profiteers who might jack up prices following the reported proliferation of “fake rice” in some parts of the country. Marcos, member of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, warned that crooked rice traders might hoard rice supplies and create an artificial shortage to push up retail prices. “This situation is not improbable and it has happened before in different situations. Given the creativeness of some dishonest rice traders who defraud the consumers to make money, the possibility of hoarding is not far-fetched,” he said in a statement. Once rice supplies are withheld in warehouses and a fake shortage is created, the senator said, devious rice dealers and traders would be able to jack up rice prices at retail outlets. Marcos said the government should be one step ahead of these scammers and protect consumers. “Government authorities should constantly monitor the supplies and prices of rice in the market and nip in the bud any attempt to exploit the situation,” he said. The Senate is set to probe the reported proliferation of synthetic rice in the country and its possible effects on people’s health. (MNS)