Maniolas

President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the 8th East Asia Conference (EAC) on Competition Law and Policy at the Mindanao Ballroom, Sofitel Philippine Plaza in CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City on Wednesday (August 28, 2013). EAC is an open event for key high-level officials of competition agencies in East Asia. EAC participants exchange ideas, views and experiences on emerging regional competition issues; and undertake to strengthen understanding and cooperation with regard to the implementation of competition policy and law across the region. In photo are Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) chairman Kazuyuki Sugimoto. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Facing an international audience at a United Nations meeting in France, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima shared the Philippine government’s approach in dealing with cases of extra-judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances. De Lima said the government’s “composite team approach” was designed to ensure a focused case build-up and speedy resolution of all unsolved and as well as new cases of media killings, torture, and other grave violations of a person’s right to life, liberty, and security. This approach, adopted by the Inter-Agency Committee under Administrative Order No. 35 that she chairs, allows prosecutors and investigators to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate in the investigation and build-up of validated cases of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, among others. “This means a more pre-positioned personnel to respond quickly to these cases,” said the Department of Justice in a statement about De Lima’s speech at the UN Read More …

Catch Piolo Pascual, Xian Lim and Sam Milby this holiday season at Ayala Malls.

The new BMW X6M and X5M: Both cars are capable of hitting 280 km/h. ©BMW Group (Relaxnews) – Not one, but two supercar-baiting BMW SUVs are heading to this year’s LA Auto Show in November. Both the X5M and X6M are powered by the same glorious twin-turbo 4-liter V8 that currently works miracles in the company’s M5 executive sports sedan and M6 coupe and the result is, if anything, even more impressive considering the extra size, weight and girth the engine is attempting to propel. Whether you go for the X5M with its full-sized boot and sufficient headroom for four or the sloping coupe-styled X6M you’ll get a car theoretically capable of not getting stuck in the mud and being able to cope with inclement weather but that can also go from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 280km/h if you ask BMW very nicely to remove the engine’s restrictor. For those that are too shy to ask about the restrictor or who are frankly scared of traveling at nearly 300km/h in something that weighs 2275kg (2265kg for the X6M), then the cars are limited to a slightly more sedate 250km/h but will still offer the same levels of power and acceleration – 564bhp and 553lb ft of torque to all four wheels. As a result the new cars are not only faster and lighter than the cars they’re replacing, they also give everything from the latest Porsche Cayenne Turbo S to the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Read More …

Carmina Villaroel (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — “They made a choice to let me go.” These were Carmina Villaroel’s words in recalling her bitter departure from the ABS-CBN sitcom “Palibhasa Lalake,” following a disagreement with her fellow cast members, including Richard Gomez, over her relationship with then-boyfriend Rustom Padilla. Villaroel said her relationship became the subject of jokes on set, which eventually led to a conflict between her and her co-stars. “That time, medyo serious na ‘yung tampuhan… Actually, kung ako lang talaga ang masusunod, tampo but mapapatawad ko. But since may ibang tao nang involved, I had to choose between them and [my boyfriend],” she said. Villaroel was an original cast member of “Palibhasa Lalake,” which started in 1987. She left the show in 1993, five years before the sitcom concluded its decade-long run. “They also made a choice to let me go, because lumaki na, eh,” Villaroel said. “Hindi na siya ‘yung parang internal problem. Lumaki na siya, eh. National news na, eh!” In the scene explaining the departure of her character, Cathy, Villaroel turned emotional as Gomez’s lines reflected the situation behind the cameras — that of a “younger sister” not heeding the advice of her brother. “It’s just so sad na I had to leave, and obviously I chose the other one kaysa doon sa show,” Villaroel said, referring to her relationship with Padilla. “Iyak ako nang iyak, hindi ako makapag-move on. Na-hurt ako bilang pamilya.” Villaroel and Padilla got married in 1994, but separated in Read More …

The Manila Fashion Festival will be held on November 11 to 13 at the Green Sun Arts Center in Makati City.