Maniolas

Seven things you need to know about the art of drinking wine.

BEIJING, P.R.O.C. – President Benigno S. Aquino III greets Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a Bilateral Meeting at the Birch Room of the St. Regis Hotel in Beijing, People’s Republic of China on Monday (November 10, 2014), at the sidelines of the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting (AELM). At the core of Philippine-Canada relations is the human dimension – the presence of more than 682,000 Filipinos in Canada. They are among Canada’s most active citizens, contributing to the economic, social and cultural dynamism of the country. Of the total US$ 17 billion remittances from overseas Filipinos in 2010, 10% or about US$1.7 billion came from Canada. Filipinos now comprise the 3rd largest immigrant community in Canada. (MNS Photo) BEIJING, China (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III encouraged various potential investors on Sunday to do business in the country, underscoring that “there is no better time to invest in the Philippines than now,” given its steady economic growth. In his speech at the 2014 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chief Executive Officers (CEO) Summit, President Aquino relayed how his administration was able to bring about economic reforms in the Philippines over the last few years, thus making it more viable for investments. President Aquino cited the steady growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the last four years, averaging at 6.3 percent, as compared to 4.3 percent from 2006 to 2009 during the previous administration. He said this development is even more impressive, considering that Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III inspects the facilities of the temporary shelter at the Cogon Relocation Site in Barangay Cogon, Guiuan during the visit to the province of Eastern Samar on Friday (November 07). More than 200 Yolanda survivors will benefit from the 133 housing units. 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) – Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson denied Tacloban has not received a single centavo for the rehabilitation of the city after the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda. During a multi-stakeholder conference Monday morning, Lacson said Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez has been telling lies about not receiving money from the national government for the rehabilitation effort. He added the mayor also keeps on changing policies that affected the rehabilitation process. “We keep on hearing [Romualdez] tell the media that Tacloban City has not received a single centavo… That’s a lie. We know that Tacloban City has received [among others] projects worth P6 billion,” he said. He said the local government has submitted a program of work for the building of new structures or replacement for the damaged city hall, astrodome, public market, etc. The program of work stated that it will be the Department of Public Works and Highways that will finish the projects. Romualdez, however, decided that he only wanted repairs, Lacson said. “The agreement between the [Department of Interior and Local Government] and the DPWH Read More …

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. presenting a plaque of commendation to members of Team Rubicon during ceremonies at Skirball Cultural Center. Los Angeles – Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. in separate ceremonies, presented plaques of appreciation to Mammoth Medical Missions on 06 November 2014 at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles and Team Rubicon of Los Angeles on 07 November 2014, for their crucial roles as the first foreign responders to arrive in typhoon-devastated Leyte. To mark the first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, Ambassador Cuisia visited Los Angeles to present plaques of commendation to Mammoth Medical Missions and Team Rubicon. Mammoth was one of the first foreign rescue teams to reach the disaster area, saving numerous lives in Tanauan, Leyte.  The award was received, in behalf of Mammoth Medical Missions by Mr. David Page, Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Sara May, Chief Medical Officer. The following day, Ambassador Cuisia attended a reception hosted by Team Rubicon where the Ambassador also recognized the valiant and humanitarian acts of Team Rubicon. “Many of our kababayans are alive today because of Mammoth Medical Missions and Team Rubicon,” Ambassador Cuisia said. “The casualty list could have been higher had Mammoth Medical Missions and Team Rubicon not made it to the area on time. As a result, numerous lives in Tanauan and nearby areas were saved.” Described as the most powerful storm in modern history, Yolanda/Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people, injured close to 30,000 and displaced more than four million in its rampage across the Central Philippines. It also affected the lives of another 12 million in 44 provinces. Ambassador Cuisia recalled that it Read More …

On Tuesday, November 11, we will again fly our flag high to honor and remember all our veterans and those who sacrificed their lives for us. In retrospect however, those of us who in one way or another have loved ones who either perished or survived due to war, have always wondered what it was really like to go to war. In one of a series of panel discussions I have attended in our local library recently, we discussed the book of Karl Marlantes entitled “What It is Like to Go to War.” The library’s goal of featuring the program is to “spark a public conversation about how our community can best support the process of reincorporating veterans into the fabric of civilian life.” Beterano Poster The panel discussion presented visual images and quotations on the “Changing Nature of Warfare Technology and its Effect on the Soldiers.” Shown for example were World War I images of: General Patton’s Saber, the British Mark V Tank, B-29 Superfortress Bomber, Tomahawk Subsonic Cruise Missile, MQ-1 Predator (which looked like the current Drones), the Renault FT Tank, Messerschmidt BF 109 Fighter Jet, Bell UH-1 Iroquois and of course, the significance of Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” painting. In his book, Karl Marlantes describes war as: “this is just a platoon Commander, the  lowest-ranking officer in an infantry unit, which itself has the lowest level of sophistication in weaponry. In today’s combat environment, this lowly lieutenant can call in bombs from B-52’s flying so high, they are unseen and Tomahawk missiles fired from some 500 miles at sea, Read More …