Maniolas

Kuh Ledesma (MNS photo) Kuh Ledesma, one of the more iconic singers of her generation with over 20 studio albums to her name, acknowledged that there are more talented singers today than before. Still, she believes talents like herself can hold a candle to the best of them today. “Siguro may mga tao na hindi nakarinig ng songs namin before pero I believe na there’s still a market for our kind of music,” Ledesma said. Asked what is different about today’s music, Ledesma answered, “Ibang-iba na talaga… siguro napakalaking napansin ko eh, wala na ’yung tipong disco.” Ledesma started her music career with the band Lastiko in her hometown of Bacolod. Later she went to Manila and joined Music & Magic. The rest is history. Ledesma divulged that she is planning to write a book about her music career but that might have to wait. “Marami pa kasi akong gustong gawin. So, ’yung book hindi ko pa alam kung matatapos this year,” she said. After 35 years, Ledesma will reunite with Music & Magic for a concert to be held on Oct. 3 at the PICC Plenary Hall in Pasay City. Ledesma is thankful for the chance to work with old friends. She shared that the concert is not merely about nostalgia. “Nagkaroon kami ng reunion kasi gusto ko maka-influence ang music namin dati… kasi wala nang gumagawa ng shows na katulad nung sa amin dati,” she said. Music & Magic took a break from performing in 1986. Ledesma explained Read More …

Nyoy Volante (MNS photo) “Shrek The Musical” is Nyoy Volante’s 10th musical and he is looking forward to doing more in the near future. Christened as the country’s “Acoustic Pop Prince,” Nyoy shared that he made arrangements with Star Magic to allow him to do at least one musical every year. “With musicals, I get to explore different facets of my musical abilities,” explained Nyoy. He divulged that theater has a special place in his heart as it is where he honed his talent prior to making it big as a pop star. “When I did ‘Hair Spray,’ the fans were surprised. They didn’t know I was intro theater, that it was actually a comeback of sorts for me,” remarked Nyoy. In “Shrek The Musical,” he plays Donkey, Shrek’s best friend. Nyoy admitted that he enjoys the role. So did he copy Eddie Murphy’s approach to Donkey as seen in “Shrek” the movie, we asked. “No, I did my own take on the character. I studied what Donkey is all about; his needs, his goals. Hopefully, I got it right,” said Nyoy. It helped too that he was able to establish rapport with Rycharde Everley who plays Shrek. “It’s my first time to work with Rycharde. He is a nice guy. We were always laughing and having fun on and off the stage. So what the audience will see are two real friends having fun on stage,” said Nyoy. Aside from “Shrek The Musical,” Nyoy is currently busy writing songs Read More …

Dra. Thelma Navarrete-Clemente founded the Capitol Medical Center in 1970. It isn’t every day that one can wish someone a Happy 93rd Birthday, so I’m glad to exercise that privilege this week.  On Saturday, Oct. 11, Dra. Thelma Navarrete-Clemente, one of the most accomplished ladies in our country, marks her natal day; the throwback doffs a cap to her birth at the Philippine General Hospital in 1921. Only fitting, too, as she went on to study, graduate from, and serve with distinction in that institution — which she still continues to support with her organizational skills, leadership, and philanthropy. “Thelma was the first of ten children born to Ursula (Frank) and her husband, Nicolas Navarrete of Panjulo (now Panghulo), Obando, Bulacan. At the time of her birth PGH was 11 years old, fairly new by building life-span standards, having opened its doors on Sept. 10, 1910. “… The newborn baby girl had not the slightest inkling then that 24 years later, she would do her parents proud by graduating from the UP College of Medicine, on her way to affixing that precious letter-suffix — MD — to her name.” Those paragraphs come from the first chapter of a coffee-table biography cum corporate milestones, titled Thely and Her Legacy: The CMC. The book will be launched at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Capitol Medical Center founded in 1970 by Thely, the nickname that stuck after the initial Thelmy. Illustrious guests are expected to attend this advance celebration of Read More …

An unusually big number of commuters stand shoulder-to-shoulder while waiting for their train ride at the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3 station on Taft Avenue and Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Pasay City on Thursday morning (March 27, 2014). The commuters, coming from as far as Cavite, are bound for their places of work in Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, San Juan and Quezon City. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The former chairman of MRT Corp. told senators the company had repeatedly proposed the procurement of new trains as early as 1999, but the government failed to act on its proposals. At a Senate hearing on the MRT-3, Robert John Sobrepeña said the MRTC’s last proposal to the government was in 2007, but the Department of Transportation and Communications had begun to request for second-hand trains, instead of new ones. “Our last proposal was in 2007, since all of these were not acted upon, we reiterated another proposal to provide 48 cars, capacity expansion, upgrade of the MRT-3 system, in 2007. At this year, the DOTC began to question us as to why we were buying new cars. They had the idea it would be cheaper if we bought second-hand trains in 2007. This took us aback and we refused to offer govt second hand trains. This led to a long impasse and discussions and letter-writing,” he said. Sobrepeña said Sumitomo and Mitsubishi designed, built and maintained the rail system under the principle of a single point of responsibility. But that changed Read More …

President Aquino tours and views the exhibit on the promotion and advancement of solutions and initiatives on energy efficiency during the Energy Smart Philippines (ESPhil) 2014 in Pasay City (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Philippines plans to set aside around P27 billion ($600 million) to help fund projects and incentives for its shrinking auto industry as part of a development program now under review with the office of President Benigno Aquino III, a senior government official said on Tuesday. The government and the local auto industry have been deliberating for more than two years on how best to expand the sector, including offering incentives, to make local manufacturers more competitive with others in Southeast Asia. “You are going to set aside a huge amount, a big amount of money, $600 million for the program… maybe more, maybe less,” Rene Almendras, secretary to the cabinet, told reporters on the sidelines of an economic briefing in a description of the plans. “We want to make sure that the impact of the money we will put there will not just be one year, two years,” he said. Automakers are hoping to capitalize on the government roadmap to boost local production, after sales hit record highs for several months this year on robust consumer spending. Vehicle ownership in the country remains the lowest among Southeast Asia’s five biggest economies at around just 35 per 1,000 people. Almendras said the government was still discussing how best to deploy the money to be allotted to Read More …