Maniolas

PNoy, Abe discuss territorial dispute with China . President Benigno Aquino III shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on Tuesday, June 24. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing territorial dispute with China in a bid to maintain peace in the region. AFP/Yuya Shino/Pool President Benigno Aquino III denied that his government was giving special treatment to the senators detained in connection with the pork barrel scam as they are held at the PNP Custodial Center instead of in regular jails. “It’s the court that decides. We just execute their orders,” he said. Aquino made the statement in response to an open letter by John Silva, executive director of the Ortigas Foundation Library, who earlier complained about the alleged VIP treatment for Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. Revilla was joined at the custodial center by Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday.   Both senators and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile are all facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the massive fraud.   In his letter to Aquino, Silva said that the senators’ “huge comfy” jail cells were 10 times bigger than the one that was given to Aquino’s father, the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., during the Marcos years. The President, however, said it was difficult to compare the late senator’s condition with those of the two already detained for plunder. “Baka mahirap… i-compare… dahil talagang ang Read More …

Security forces have captured four members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in the southern Philippines, including one accused of the 2002 kidnapping of Christian missionaries who were later beheaded, police said Monday. It was the latest in a series of reported arrests of senior Abu Sayyaf men as operations against the group are intensified. Three of the four were arrested in a coastal village near the port city of Zamboanga on Mindanao island on Sunday night, said city police chief Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro. “We recovered from them documents of a plan to kidnap a local businessman and a son of a shipyard owner,” Casimiro said. “The plot was thwarted and we have heightened the security alert around the city,” he said. Earlier on the same day, Casimiro said combined military and police intelligence units arrested Sattar Sabtula, an Abu Sayyaf member involved in the 2002 kidnapping of a group of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries on the nearby island of Jolo, a rebel stronghold. Two of the missionaries were beheaded while four others were freed after months in captivity following ransom payments, police said. On June 11 Khair Mundos, listed as one of the “most wanted” terrorists by the US government which put a $500,000 reward on his head, was captured in a Manila suburb. A week later two of Mundo’s followers, who were linked to various kidnappings for ransom, were captured in Zamboanga. The Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants blamed for the country’s worst terrorist Read More …

“YES, I could care less” By Bill Walsh St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013 Language is a dynamic part of a culture. The English language, for example, continues to change. Even its usage rules change. So, if you think you’ve got it made in mastering the rules of the English language, think again. The book titled “Yes, I could care less” gives you second thoughts about grammar rules made by Strunk and White in the “Elements of Style”—or prescriptions by American Heritage, Webster’s New Word, and Merriam-Webster. On many occasions, as shown in this book, they do agree on certain rules. The author, Bill Walsh, is copy editor of the Washington Post, a job he has held since 1997. In the United States, there is an annual conference of the American Copy Editors Society, and Walsh is a regular presenter in such an elite assembly. Reading the book feels like you are being treated to a long-running discussion of the many acceptable rules of usage of a word or phrase. In a manner of speaking, it is like consulting four or five manuals of style of different publications, if not two or three generally accepted English usage reference books. It begins with a long debate on the use of two phrases—which have found acceptability. The phrases are: “could care less” or “couldn’t care less.” Walsh first introduces the special class to which it belongs: “We are the copy editors. English teachers, usage mavens, armchair grammarians and others who revel in do’s and Read More …

TOM Rodriguez believes that destiny has a funny way of making things work and guiding individuals to their right path. In a recent interview with the Kapuso actor, Rodriguez shared that four years ago, he never envisioned himself joining show business and earning a living through acting. The 26-year-old actor thought that it was just pure luck when he entered the Pinoy Big Brother house in 2009 or even his inclusion in noontime series “Be Careful With My Heart”. Tom Rodriguez When opportunity knocked on his door last year and he was tapped to be one of the cast of “My Husband’s Lover” opposite Carla Abellana and Dennis Trillo, he gambled and moved to GMA-7, which he said was the best decision he has ever made. “Before I didn’t believe in destiny, I thought it was fake or something you saw in movies. But me being here, is a proof enough. I never envisioned my life would be anything like this. When I joined showbiz, hindi ko ito nakita, hindi ko ito pinangarap,” he said. Rodriguez added: “The bad and the good experiences, one small decision that I made differently, I would not be sitting here now. Hindi ko naman sinasabi na parang chess pieces tayo, pero I feel na someone is directing us, guiding us. I’m here right now where I’m supposed to be and I believe it now. Before I was fighting it pa. I’m now a believer of destiny.” After the successful run of the hit primetime Read More …

Eric Quizon (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Actor-director Eric Quizon, the son of the late Philippine King of Comedy Dolphy, has no time for love — at least not at the moment. In a recent interview, Quizon explained his focus now are on his siblings, nearly two years after the death of their father. “Sa akin kasi parang marami lang akong kailangang ayusin. So ‘yang (love) diyan muna sa isang tabi,” he said. “It’s something that I have to do. I promised my dad that. Gusto ko maayos lahat and then,” added Quizon, who was assigned by Dolphy to be his estate administrator. Dolphy, who never got married, had 18 children with six women. Currently, the Quizons are preparing for the second death anniversary of the well-loved comedian, who died on July 10, 2012, at the age of 83 due to multiple organ failure. “May mga plano, definitely. But now there’s a game app na lumabas, ‘yung Dolphy Game. Lumabas na siya noong December pero hindi pa fully introduced. But soon it will be out by the time ng death anniversary niya at birthday niya,” Quizon said, adding that the app will be carried by a major telecom firm. Quizon also returned to TV directing as one of the directors of the legal drama “Ipaglaban Mo,” which debut Saturday, June 7, after “It’s Showtime.” (MNS)