PHL World of Champions of Performing Arts pay courtesy call on Consul General Herrera-Lim

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
PHL World of Champions of Performing Arts pay courtesy call on Consul General Herrera-Lim

(2nd frm L) WCOPA Director Gerardo Mercado, (4th frm L-R) Consul General LeoHerrera-Lim and Mr. Jed Madela. Los Angeles  – World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) Philippines’ National Director Gerardo Mercado accompanied by Mr. Jed Madela paid a courtesy call on Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim on 16 July 2014. Jed Madela is the first Filipino to win the “Grand Champion Performer of the World” title in 2005. Jed was a featured guest performer at the 17th annual WCOPA and received an Achievement Award inducting him into the “Performing Arts Hall of Fame” during the 18th WCOPA finals on 19 July 2014.  He is a recording artist of the Universal Records and to date has had six double platinum albums with most becoming classics.  He has become a superstar Filipino recording artist and songwriter, and is known as “The Singer’s Singer.”  His sold-out tours and concerts around the world are legendary.  He is a co-host and performer on “ASAP” and a member of ABS-CBN’s “Star Magic,” two top rated weekly television programs.  For two consecutive years (2011 and 2012), he was named “Male Recording Artist of the Year.” The Philippines had a total of 45 Filipino acts for the competition with talents ranging from vocalist, models, dancers, actors, and instrumentalists.  The Philippines took the world’s center stage with grand slam wins taking the top two (2) awards at the 18th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in downtown Los Angeles.  The Xtreme dancers composed of Raymark Alminasa (22yrs old) and Eddie Melody (23 yrs old) from Coronadal won the “2014 Senior Grand Champion Performer Read More …

Plan your vacation: PNoy declares 18 holidays in 2015

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
Plan your vacation: PNoy declares 18 holidays in 2015

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista, troops the line upon arrival at the Dambana ng Kagitingan, Mt. Samat Shrine in Pilar, Bataan on Wednesday (April 9, 2014) for the 72nd Commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). This year’s theme is: “Balik-Tanaw sa Sakripisyo ng Beterano, Gabay sa Landas ng Pagbabago.”(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III has declared 18 holidays next year, including eight long weekends. Through Proclamation No. 831, signed last Thursday, Aquino declared the following days as regular holidays: New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, Thursday) Maundy Thursday (April 2) Good Friday (April 3) Araw ng Kagitingan (April 9, Thursday) Labor Day (May 1, Friday) Independence Day (June 12, Friday) National Heroes Day (Aug. 31, last Monday of August) Bonifacio Day (Nov. 30, Monday) Christmas Day (Dec. 25, Friday) Rizal Day (Dec. 30, Wednesday) Meanwhile, the following days have been declared as special non-working days: Chinese New Year (Feb. 19,. Thursday) Black Saturday (April 4) Ninoy Aquino Day (Aug. 21, Friday) All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1, Sunday) Additional special (non-working) days (Jan.2, Friday, and Dec. 24, Thursday) Last Day of the Year (Dec. 31, Thursday) February 25 next year, a Wednesday, has been declared a special holiday for all schools to commemorate the EDSA Revolution anniversary. This list of holidays does not include Eid’l Fitr and Eidul Adha, the dates of which will still be determined by the National Commission on Read More …

Bill seeks to lower compulsory retirement of teachers to 60 years

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
Bill seeks to lower compulsory retirement of teachers to 60 years

Chairperson Patricia B. Licuanan (right) of the Commission on Higher Education discusses during a news conference Wednesday at the CHED Office in Quezon City the Students’ Grants-in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation, a most exciting part of the government’s student assistance program as it directly benefits students of the poorest families. The SGP-PA, with an allocation of P500M, is administered by CHED for State Universities and Colleges in support of the reform agenda for public higher education. Also in photo is Social Welfare Secretary Corazon J. Soliman. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – A lawmaker has filed a measure lowering the compulsory retirement age of public school teachers to 60 years. Under House Bill 4501 authored by Rep. Silvestre H. Bello III (Party List 1-BAP), the retirees shall be entitled to the benefits provided that the retiree has already rendered 15 years of service and at least 55 years of age at the time of retirement for optional retirement. The bill seeks to amend Republic Act 8291, otherwise known as the Revised Government Service Insurance Act of 1997, that sets the mandatory and optional retirement age for government employees except those for the military and the police service. Bello said there are about 14,000 newly licensed teachers every year but could not get a teaching job because the posts are still being held by senior teachers. He said these new educators get stuck in unemployment, or go for odd jobs, which provide neither full employment nor career satisfaction. “The few lucky ones Read More …

Number of evacuation centers serving typhoon ‘Glenda’ victims down to 108–DSWD

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
Number of evacuation centers serving typhoon ‘Glenda’ victims down to 108–DSWD

pile sand bags along the sea wall of Roxas Boulevard as Typhoon Rammasun hit Metro Manila on July 16, 2014. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday the total number of evacuation centers still serving Typhoon Glenda victims was down to 108. In its DSWD twitter account, DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman said that the 108 evacuation centers that are still open are currently housing more than 5,000 families. According to Soliman, the houses of the remaining evacuees were damaged by the strong winds of ‘Glenda’. She added that the family evacuees are continuously provided with hot meals. DSWD has provided the affected LGUs some 62,522 food packs and other food items to affected families as augmentation to Local Government Units (LGUs) who are the first responders. It likewise distributed non-food items such as mattresses, blankets and tarpaulins, among others. Repacking of food packs in DSWD Field Offices and National Relief Operation Center still continues. More than 800,000 families were affected in areas hit by ‘Glenda’ when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and made landfalls last week (July 16). A total of 3,075 evacuation centers were opened to temporarily house the victims. Most of the evacuees who heeded the call for pre-emptive evacuation returned home after their towns had been declared safe by authorities. The Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Teams of DSWD continue to coordinate with the affected LGUs on the extent of damage and for the provision of Read More …

Group prefers amending EPIRA to head off 2015 crisis than PNoy emergency power

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
Group prefers amending EPIRA to head off 2015 crisis than PNoy emergency power

President Benigno S. Aquino III, assisted by SACASOL’s chairman Jose Maria “Jomari” Zabaleta and president Jose Maria “Sech” Zabaleta, Jr., leads the Ceremonial Switch-on of the San Carlos Solar Energy, Inc. (SACASOL) Phase I during the Inauguration Ceremony at the San Carlos Ecozone in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Thursday (May 15, 2014). The SaCaSol project is a greenfield, stand alone solar farm that would supply daytime base load power to the local grid throughout the entire year. It is expected to have a total gross capacity of 22 MW to be developed in two phases: Phase 1 with 13 MW and Phase 2 with 9 MW. The solar farm will provide supplemental electricity to an area of short supply and increasing demand for power. Its goal is to harness sustainable power from our planet’s largest source of energy, the sun. The Project is committed to maintaining the environmental integrity of the surrounding area. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Amending provisions in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) and allowing government to build and run power plants once again is the better solution to a looming power crisis than giving President Benigno Aquino III  additional clout to deal with the situation. The People Opposed to Unwarranted Electricity Rates (POWER) said granting the President emergency powers to solve power crisis – as proposed by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla –  is part of the “quick fixes that will ultimately lead to higher prices of electricity without effectively Read More …

JV: Impeaching Aquino not good for PHL

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
JV: Impeaching Aquino not good for PHL

President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the singing of the Philippine National Anthem during the Inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria (City of Victory) in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday (July 21). Ciudad de Victoria is a 50-hectare tourism enterprise zone established by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) in time for its centennial celebration on Sunday (July 27). (MNS photo) MANILA, July 24 (Mabuhay) – An opposition senator believes impeaching President Aquino at this time would not be good for the country. Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, son of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, believes impeaching the President would be divisive and could damage political stability and the economy. Ejercito said lawmakers and various groups should allow Aquino to finish his term in hopes the administration would shape up for the remaining two years of his term. “Hayaan na nating tapusin ng pangulo ang dalawang taong naiiwan sa kanyang termino…But we’re hoping that the administration would shape up for the remaining two years,” he said. He said opposition senators have agreed not to support an impeachment process so as not to worsen divisiveness. President Aquino is facing several impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives. Two of the complaints have already received endorsement from members of the Lower House while another complaint is set to be filed today. Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the filing of impeachment complaints against President Aquino over the unconstitutional disbursement acceleration program (DAP) will not affect the President’s focus. Coloma acknowledged that impeachment is Read More …

Nancy Binay suspects political rivals behind plunder rap vs dad, brother

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
Nancy Binay suspects political rivals behind plunder rap vs dad, brother

Senator Nancy Binay meets with then Governor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr. in a publicly released photo shoot. Date 17 May 2011 (photo courtesy of www.commons.wikimedia.org) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senator Nancy Binay suspects that the people behind the filing of plunder charges against her brother and father might be allied with either the Liberal Party (LP) or the Nacionalista Party (NP). “Paulit-ulit naman ho naming sinasabi, this is all about 2016 (We’ve been saying that this is all about 2016),” she said, reacting to the case filed against her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and brother, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay. The case filed at the Office of the Ombudsman Tuesday stemmed from an allegedly overpriced parking building in Makati City. Asked who could be the allies of their detractors in Makati, the senator said: “E ewan ko kung sino ba ang nag-aambisyon sa 2016. Marami naman hong gustong tumakbo sa 2016 so it can be anyone of them.” (I’m not sure who has political aspirations for 2016. There are many candidates who want to run in 2016 so it can be anyone of them) Pressed to identify the party of the local opponents of her brother, the senator said she did not know exactly the group but said it could be the NP or the LP. “NP or LP ho kasi ang alam ko sa local may koalisyon ang NP at LP dahil ang kapatid ko nga ho ay sa UNA tumakbo,” she said, referring to the United Nationalist Read More …

Coco bags three-peat at Yahoo! Celebrity Awards

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
Coco bags three-peat at Yahoo! Celebrity Awards

Coco Martin (MNS photo) Kapamilya stars, led by actors Coco Martin and Kim Chiu, dominated this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards held at the SM Mall of Asia. Chiu won the top two awards of the night—Celebrity of the Year and Actress of the Year – while Coco Martin bagged a rare three-peat, again winning Actor of the Year. The two were also onstage to receive the Teleserye of the Year award for their primetime television series “Ikaw Lamang,” which also stars Male Kontrabida of the Year Jake Cuenca. Kris Aquino and Vhong Navarro swept the hosting categories, while “Mirabella” star Julia Barretto and JC de Vera took home both the Emerging Star trophies. Child star Andrea Brillantes, along with “The Voice” coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Manalac, also won for the Kapamilya network in their respective categories. Kim Chiu (MNS Photo) Meanwhile, comedian Vice Ganda led the charge in the newly introduced categories, winning both the Social Media Star and Love Team of the Year award—the latter for his “It’s Showtime” tandem with Karylle. The poll-driven awards ceremony also named ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast “TV Patrol” as News Program of the Year, while the Padilla celebrities were named Family of the Year. Hosted by Robi Domingo and Maxene Magalona, the star-studded awards night featured performances by Gary Valenciano and son Gab, Sam Concepcion and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Spongecola, among others. Here’s the full list of winners at this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards: Actress of the Year: Kim Chiu Celebrity of the Read More …

Estrada: Past ‘inefficient governance made Manila the gates of hell’

 Entertainment
Jul 232014
 
Estrada: Past ‘inefficient governance made Manila the gates of hell’

Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada leads wreath-laying during Commemoration of the 69th Anniversary of the Historic Battle of Manila at the Freedom Triangle, Manila City Hall, on Monday, Feb.03, 2014. (MNS photo) MANILA, July 23 (Mabuhay) – Former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Wednesday said the “inefficient governance” in Manila by the past administration made the city the “gates of hell.” “Six years of inefficient governance made Manila the gates of hell,” Estrada said during his State of the City Address (Soca) at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. Estrada said that he inherited from the previous government “poor peace and order, saddled debt, and bloated bureaucracy.” The former president also mentioned the increase in revenue collections during his term compared to the previous administration. Estrada won the 2013 local elections against former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. He also reiterated his commitment to the Manila police to beef up measures to promote the city’s peace and order. He said thousands of “orange cards” have been distributed to poor families for their free access to healthcare and medicines. Estrada’s Soca was attended by officials of the city government of Manila and the people of Manila. (MNS)

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