Ruru Madrid and Gabrielle Garcia to work together again in a telserye in 2015.
Dec 132014
Dec 132014
Kris Janson will celebrate Christmas with her family in Cebu.
Dec 132014
On the first day of Christmas, Kris Aquino reveals what gift her eldest Josh asked from her.
Dec 122014
Kris Aquino is glowing these days, in bloom, “Siguro, generally, happy person lang talaga ako. Walang angst sa katawan.”
Dec 122014
Senator Grace Poe (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said she still has no plan to seek higher post in the 2016 despite her improving rating in terms of people’s choice, but she admitted: the survey result “is truly heartwarming.” In the recent Pulse Asia survey conducted between November 14 and 20, 18 percent of the 1,200 respondents said they would vote Poe for president if the elections were held during the survey period. Vice President Jejomar Binay, meanwhile, dropped five percentage points but remained at the top. In the latest survey, Binay had 26 percent. “But, as of this time, it does not shake off the real reasons I have said before that deter me from even seriously considering to run in 2016,” Poe told reporters in a text message. She earlier said she does not want to go through what her father, actor Fernando Poe Jr., experienced in 2004 when he ran against then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She also said she didn’t want the public to think she was too ambitious as she admitted there were others who are more experienced. “There are still so much to do in the Senate that needs my full attention and efforts,” the neophyte senator added. (MNS)
Dec 122014
In this photo taken Feb. 25, 2014 by surveillance planes and released Thursday, May 15, 2014, by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel, top center, is used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands at South China Sea, Philippines. The Philippines has protested China’s reclamation of land in the disputed reef in the South China Sea that can be used to build an airstrip or an offshore military base in the increasingly volatile region, the country’s top diplomat and other officials said Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The white arrow was added by the source. (MNS photo) Beijing, China | AFP | – China on Sunday slammed the Philippines for challenging its territorial claims over the South China Sea through international arbitration, refusing to back down just a week before a deadline to respond in the case. The Philippines infuriated China in March by filing a formal plea with a United Nations tribunal challenging Beijing’s maritime claims. The tribunal gave Beijing until December 15 to reply, but China reaffirmed Sunday that it would not submit to arbitration to resolve the dispute, which has heightened tensions. “By initiating compulsory arbitration at this moment, the Philippines is running counter to the common wish and joint efforts of China and ASEAN member states,” the government said in a lengthy position paper. “Its underlying goal is not… to seek peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue, Read More …
Dec 122014
President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015 kick-off ceremony at The Eye Ballroom of the Green Sun Hotel in Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City on Monday night (December 01). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has set key targets to be achieved next year and beyond. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura Del Rosario, the chair of the APEC 2015 Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting, has released key APEC targets for 2015 and in the succeeding years. Among these targets include achieving free and open trade and investment based Bogor goals’ timetable, 10 percent improvement in the supply chain performance by 2015 in terms of time, cost and uncertainty using 2009 as base and meeting the goal of 25 percent improvement on ease of doing business next year in five priority areas. These areas are: staring a business, getting credit, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and dealing with permits. Other targets also include tariff reduction on APEC List of Environmental Goods to 5 percent or less by 2015, having one million inter-APEC university students by 2020, reducing aggregate intensity by 45 percent by 2035 using 2005 as base year, and achieving universal broad band access in APEC region by 2015. APEC member economies also target achieving convergence on regulatory approval procedures for medical products by 2020, increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forest by 2020, conserving at least 10 percent Read More …
Dec 122014
MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Transportation and Communications prequalified four groups bid for the central transport terminal project under the public private partnership (PPP) program. In separate letters for prequalification, DOTC said the following groups can bid for the P4-billion Integrated Transport System (ITS) project-South Terminal: Datem Inc., as prospective bidder, with LKY Development Corp. as operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor Filinvest Land Inc., as prospective bidder, with DDT Konstract Inc. as construction contractor and Festival Supermall Inc. and Pro-Excel Property Managers Inc. as O&M contractors MWM Terminals, Megawide Construction Corp. as lead member, WM Property Management Inc. as consortium member Ayala Land Inc. as prospective bidder, Makati Development Corp. as construction contractor and Ayala Property Management Corp. as O&M contractor However, these companies failed to meet the initial hurdle: EEI Corp. – proposed to meet development expertise for Filinvest Land Inc. – was not qualified by the Prequalification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) of the agency due to incomplete general information sheet. Maju TMAS Sdn. Bhd. – proposed to meet the O&M expertise for Ayala Land Inc. – was not qualified by PBAC due to incomplete requirements. The deparment is targeting April next year for the submission of bids, DOTC spokesman Michael Arthur Sagcal told GMA News Online. The ITS South Terminal project seeks to connect passengers from Laguna and Batangas to other urban transport systems such as the Philippine National Railways and public utility vehicles in inner Metro Manila. The project involves a passenger terminal building, arrival Read More …
Dec 122014
Live in Caregivers in Canada have received some bad news lately. The Canadian government did warn the public that major changes were being drafted to amend the live-in caregiver program but it now seems that caregivers will not automatically become permanent residence after two years of work. The old system essentially guaranteed that a caregiver would become an immigrant after completing 24 months of employment. Years ago, the Canadian government removed the medical requirement for caregivers so it was really a no brainer to qualify. However, under current laws, caregivers now must jump through some hoops in order to be eligible under the class. To make matters worse, even if a worker has all their requirements they may be ineligible as there is now a quota imposed on the number of people who can qualify per year. So, for example, a caregiver who has only been able to meet their 24 months of employment late in the four year window prior to arrival may not be able to file an application if the quota has already been filled. Further, caregivers no longer are required to live in their employer’s home. Eligible work can be live out which begs the question as to where all caregivers will go after work. Having to rent an apartment will mean added expenses and many caregivers may prefer to live in the employer’s house. It remains to be seen if the trend will be to live in or out. Highlights of the new programs are: CARING FOR Read More …
Dec 122014
President Benigno S. Aquino III poses with pupils of the newly repaired classrooms of Guiuan East Central School in Barangay 8, Poblacion, Guiuan during the visit to the province of Eastern Samar on Friday (November 07). It was in Guiuan where super Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon ever recorded, made its first landfall on November 08, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – On the 67th year of the historic adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, human rights groups called on the Philippine government to lead the way in protecting rights defenders amid an integrated ASEAN economy. In a joint statement on Wednesday, December 10, the Medical Action Group (MAG) and Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) said, “the Philippines should ensure that the leadership it shows in terms of promoting human rights in the ASEAN is reflected in our national laws.” MAG and TFDP were referring to the looming integration of ASEAN economies in 2015, which might have a deep impact on the economic, social, and cultural rights of Filipinos, especially of human rights defenders. They said human rights can be protected and advanced through the enactment of a law, even as efforts should be made in conducting a comprehensive legislative audit in order to review and repeal policies that sometimes criminalize defenders in doing their work. MAG and TFDP claimed their records show an “alarming increase in the use of laws to impede activities of human rights defenders.” “We Read More …