Maniolas

The Senate, led by Senate President Koko Pimentel, welcomed Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum to the session today. Arum is the promoter of Senator Manny Pacquiao’s boxing fights. Also in the photos to welcome him are Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon, Majority Leader Tito Sotto, Senators Manny Pacquiao, Dick Gordon, Sonny Angara, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda and Migz Zubiri. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Sen. Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said opening up private roads inside gated subdivisions would do little to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila. Instead, he proposed for the Department of Transportation to go against illegally parked vehicles on city streets so traffic could be diverted there. “Remove illegally parked vehicles in the entire Metro Manila and you’ll practically solve 50 percent of the traffic problems,” he said, interpellating Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade during a Senate committee hearing on giving emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve Metro Manila’s traffic woes. In his speech at the hearing, Tugade bared plans to convince homeowners associations to allow traffic to be diverted to their roads with assurance that their subdivisions’ security would not be compromised. Sotto, however, was apprehensive over the idea. “Siguro mas maigi pag-aralan niyo muna ang pagbukas ng city streets,” he told Tugade. Sotto mentioned community-based traffic and navigation mobile application Waze to demonstrate how viable city streets could be to help ease traffic congestion. “Waze will not tell you to pass by EDSA. He will give you city streets. It’s Read More …

By Jelly F. Musico Senator Leila de Lima (right) views replicas of Central Bank’s pre-Hispanic gold collection during the opening of exhibit: Ginto a Golden Heritage from Our Filipino Ancestor on Monday (Aug. 1, 2016) at the 2nd floor Senate Hallway in Pasay City. From left are Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo, National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Felipe De Leon, Jr., and Senator Loren Legarda. The exhibit features ancient ornaments crafted by our Filipino ancestors from 700 to 1,200 years ago. These form part of the BSP Pre-Hispanic Gold Collection. (MNS photo) MANILA, Aug. 3 (PNA) – The senators adopted Wednesday four Senate resolutions recognizing and commending the Filipino athletes, including 12 Olympians, who will compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics slated from Aug. 5 to 21 this year. Senator Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara, former chairman of the Senate committee on youth and sports, introduced Senate Resolution (SR) No. 75 to extend well-wishes to the 12 Filipino athletes who will try to win the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medal in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The 12 Filipino athletes include swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Lacuna; table tennis paddler Ian Lariba; golfer Miguel Luis Tabuena; long jumper Maristella Torres-Sunan; hurdler Eric Cray; marathoner Mary Joy Tabal; weighlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Nestor Colonia; boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez, and taekwondo jin Kristie Alora. Angara encouraged the Filipinos to give the same supports they gave to Filipino boxing super star and now Senator Read More …

Supporters of Sen. Bongbong Marcos protest outside the House of Representatives on Wednesday during the first day of the canvassing of votes. The protesters urged members of the joint canvassing committee to hold a separate date for the proclamation of the winner of the vice-presidential race.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to issue an order ensuring the safety and integrity of the ballots, documents and equipment related to his poll protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. In an urgent manifestation, Marcos asked the high tribunal to issue a precautionary order directing the Commission on Elections (Comelec), data centers, and telecommunications firms involved in the May 9 elections to preserve the integrity and safety of the following: (a)       all ballot boxes and their contents, including the ballots, voter’s receipts and election returns; (b)       lists of voters, particularly the Election Day Computerized Voter’s List (EDCVL), and voters registration records (VRRs), and the books of voters; (c)       the audit logs, transmission logs, and all log files; and (d)       all other documents or paraphernalia used in the elections, including the automated election equipment and records such as the Vote Counting Machines (VCM), Consolidation and Canvass System (CCS) units, Secure Digital (SD) cards (main and back up), and the other data storage devices containing electronic data on the results of the elections in all of 92,509 clustered precincts throughout the country. Apart from the Comelec, the precautionary order should also cover city/municipal Treasurers, Read More …

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is welcomed by Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Mayoralgo dela Cruz during his arrival at Edwin Andrews Airbase in Zamboanga City on July 21. (MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – President Rodrigo Duterte admitted on Monday that the road to peace is always a rocky road but still hoping his administration could talk again with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). ”There is no negotiation that comes easy to us especially given the turmoil of our country. We are hoping that we could just talk, maybe we did not understand each other,” the President said during the mass oath-taking of his appointees in Malacanang. President Duterte has lifted the unilateral ceasefire he declared with the communist rebels after the CPP-NPA-NDF did not reciprocate before the 5 p.m. ultimatum last Saturday. ”The best way is really is to talk again and find out whether it is reachable or beyond our reach,” President Duterte said. ”I hope that we can proceed with the talks the Communist Party of the Philippines and I’ll be spending about 10 days after tomorrow,” he added. The President said he will also address the problem in Mindanao, particularly the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). President Duterte clarified that he will not talk with the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group. ”I will not deal with criminals. I will not deal with persons of extreme brutality. There is no redeeming Read More …

By Jelly F. Musico Neophyte Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao (right) administers the oath of office of newly-elected Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III during the opening of the Senate session under the 17th Congress on Monday (July 25, 2016) at the Plenary Hall of the Senate Building in Pasay City. Also in photo are immediate members of the Pimentel family, including former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. (center). (MNS photo) MANILA  (PNA) – Neophyte Senator Manny Pacquiao took a committee chairmanship after the Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 68 that separated the Senate committee on games, amusement and sports into two new standing committees. As the result, Pacquiao has been awarded with the chairmanship of the now Senate committee on sports while Senator Panfilo Lacson got the Senate committee on games and amusement. Pacquiao has now two committees, including the committee on public works approved last week the Senate constituted the first 21 standing Senate committees. On Monday, the Senate announced the chairmanship and members of the 12 more committees. These are the committees on government owned and controlled corporations given to Senator Richard Gordon; climate change to Senator Loren Legarda; banks, financial institutions and currencies to Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero; youth to Senator Joel Villanueva; and, economic affairs to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. Senator Leila de Lima got the committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation; Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV with the committee on science and technology; Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri with the cooperatives; Senator Sonny Angara with local Read More …