Maniolas

First it was fellow Sen. Bong Revilla who surrendered; Enrile next? Senator Jinggoy Estrada leaves the residence of his father, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, in Greenhills, San Juan on Monday, June 23, to proceed to Camp Crame to surrender following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him and several others in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam. (MNS photo) MANILA, June 23, 2014 (AFP) − Philippine police detained Monday the senator son of former president Joseph Estrada, the second high-profile official arrested within days over a massive corruption scandal. Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, 51, gave himself up to police after the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court said it found probable cause to proceed with the charges and issued an arrest warrant. “I never stole a single centavo from government coffers,” a defiant Estrada told reporters, as he accused President Benigno Aquino of playing politics and cracking down on his opponents. “At the end of the day, I will prove my innocence,” he said. “I will face all charges against me in court.” Flanked by his father Joseph Estrada, the senator then boarded a white van trailed by a long line of media vehicles for a short drive to the police headquarters, where he turned himself in. Estrada is among 54 people indicted for an alleged scam in which lawmakers, their staff, and other officials are accused of embezzling millions of dollars alloted for development projects. In particular, Estrada is accused of pocketing 183 million pesos (about $3.4 million) in “pork Read More …

Cherie Gil (MNS photo) MANILA, June 23 (Mabuhay) − Cherie Gil denied that her character was killed off in the top-rating series “Ikaw Lamang” because of a rift between her and the show’s production team. The veteran actress explained that it is just normal for the cast and crew of a TV show to have some “ups and downs” but it wasn’t the reason why her character died on the soap. “Tampuhan? Wala. It’s just ups and downs, rollercoaster, just the way a soap should be. The way the process is always ganyan, ‘di ba? Hindi naman smooth sailing. Alam natin iyan,” she said. “Mahirap ang ating trabaho, hanggang umaga. So nagkakaroon ng mga konting glitches pero naaayos,” she added. In the June 12 episode of “Ikaw Lamang,” Gil’s character, Miranda, died after she was accidentally shot by her father, Maximo (Ronaldo Valdez). Miranda’s death came after she tried to save Maximo from being ambushed by Gonzalo (John Estrada) and Paquito (Ronnie Lazaro). Last March, Dreamscape publicity head Eric John Salut confirmed that Gil “walked out” of the set of the ABS-CBN soap at around 10 p.m. to attend a send-off party even though she was supposed to shoot her scenes until 2 a.m. Gil, for her part, complained about the alleged lack of work ethic in TV soaps. (MNS)

A batch of 37 female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Syria, arrive at 4 p.m. Friday (March 7) via EK 332. OWWA personnel and from Office of the Vice President (center photo) assist the returning OFWs upon their arrival at the Gate 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, on Thursday announced the lifting of the deployment ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning to Libya under certain skills categories. “The POEA Governing Board, in a meeting, approved Governing Board Resolution No. 9, Series of 2014 allowing the processing and redeployment of OFWs under certain skills categories,” Baldoz said. The resolution was signed by Acting Secretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III, together with Governing Board members Milagros Isabel Cristobal, Alexander Asuncion, Estrelita Hizon, Felix Rofolfo Oca, and POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, the Governing Board’s Vice Chairman. The resolution takes effect immediately and allows the gradual re-deployment of returning workers under the following categories: (a) OFWs employed by diplomats, foreign embassies, missions, and international organizations in Libya; (b) OFWs working off-shore in oil rig platforms, provided they will not pass through, or spend their vacation in, mainland Libya; (c) OFWs working for multinational companies, government hospitals, and schools, as well as those working for the Libyan National Oil Company; and (d) Filipinos who are married to Libyan nationals. To further ensure the safety of OFWs under Read More …

(DOJ building) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Justice has created a three-member committee to investigate the unauthorized hospitalization and other perks of so-called “high profile” inmates of the New Bilibid Prison, such as convicted drug lord Ricardo “Cha cha” Camata. Undersecretary Francisco Baraan has been named to head the committee created by Department Order No. 435 issued by Secretary Leila de Lima, who instructed that the probe should go beyond the case of Camata, who was allowed to check into the Metropolitan Medical Center last month, ostensibly because of a lung ailment, despite the lack of permission from the DOJ. “Said fact-finding committee shall be mandated to investigate the incident involving inmate Ricardo Camata, as well as validate and probe other similar recent incidents involving other high-profile inmates,” de Lima said in her order. The members of the committee are National Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director for Intelligence Service Jose Doloiras and State Counsel Charles Cambaleza. During his “confinement,” Camata, who heads the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik gang, CCTV footage showed visitors, including starlet Krista Miller, entering the convict’s room. The scandal led to the relief of NBP warden, Superintendent Fajardo Lansangan and the 12 guards who escorted Camata to the hospital, acting NBP hospital chief Gloria Achazo-Garcia and Dr. Cecilia Villanueva, and Superintendent Gabriel Magan, head of the jail’s escort unit. Baraan’s committee has also been tasked to determine the administrative or criminal liabilities incurred by the jail officials in the Camata case, and to recommend measures to prevent a Read More …

The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (FACCOC), one of the busiest and most active organizations in the county of 34 cities, will earmark proceeds of its annual golf tournament on July 16 at the at the Oak Creek Golf Club as it has done so for four years in a row to a community organization in support of its advocacy. In the effort to extend its reach out to the community as part of its avowed mission, FACCOC has maintained a strong cooperation with various professional and business organizations in the service of the community. This year’s recipient is Reach Out, a nonprofit group from the Inland Empire. The annual golf tournament has been one of the highlights of FACCOC in its calendar of events that draws the members together who share the same passion for the sport and serves as the only fundraising tool to raise needed funds to help the organization to fulfill its mission of helping the community. The golf tournament has been limited to only 144 players and offers the opportunity for the golfer-participants to win $1 million, $10,000 and $5,000 in a hole-in-one contest as well as in others contests that will put their skills to the test like putting and driving. Coordinating this year’s tournament are FACCOC President Rodolfo “Jun” Jao (949) 751-8268 and Felix de Leon (949) 413-7453. Meanwhile Reach Out is a non-profit organization which shares the same outreach philosophy of FACCOC that’s focused on “embracing communities, youth and families to strengthen the human Read More …