Maniolas

TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan (left) with TV5 chief entertainment content officer Wilma Galvante on the set of Wattpad Presents: The Magic In You at Hong Kong Disneyland When TV5, the Happy Network, was invited to shoot inside the “happiest place on Earth, Disneyland,” we knew that it was an engagement that was wrapped in magic. The more than one-week sojourn in Hong Kong Disneyland has been a memorable, and to say the least, magical, experience for the TV5 staff and production people as they shot the special rom-com episode of Wattpad Presents last month. The Magic in You, which is based on the Wattpad novel originally written by marielicious, ushers in the much-anticipated return of the sought-after love team of Artista Academy alumni Mark Neumann and Shaira Mae as they give life to the well-loved characters of Basti Rivera and Princess Anne Dimla. This special Wattpad Presents episode tells the story of Princess (Shaira Mae) who, like every girl, grew up with a certain fondness for Disney characters. Like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella and Mulan, she, too, believes in the magic of love that comes to all the princesses. As if the universe granted her heart’s desire, Princess finally gets her wish when she gets to fly to the happiest place on earth, Hong Kong Disneyland. Her adventure through the world-class entertainment-cum-resort is virtually a personal tour of Disneyland’s major attractions and the warmth and creativity of its creators. What made the TV5 crew’s experience in this outing Read More …

Ayala Corp. is set to ramp up partnerships in the coming years as it eyes new investment opportunities in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, said chair and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. The conglomerate is already undergoing changes in its business model, with power and infrastructure units seen to deliver significant returns in the next few years to add to revenues from its core telecommunications, real estate, water service, banking and electronics manufacturing arms. Ayala turned 181 years old this March and while Zobel said the company was embracing new management styles and would like to keep its growth strategies “flexible,” it would maintain a decades-old practice of executing partnerships with other groups and even business rivals. “In many cases, we have been very comfortable in sharing an opportunity with others. We have a good track record on that front,” Zobel said in a briefing following the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on Friday. “Not all Philippine corporations move in that way but both of us, Fernando and I, decided a long time ago that we would like to develop a culture where we could build trust with a variety of stakeholders,” Zobel said, referring to his brother and Ayala president, Fernando Zobel de Ayala. “We saw this [strategy] as a potential strength and we don’t see this slowing down,” he said. Recent high profile-tie ups involve most of the company’s ventures in power and infrastructure and. Ayala has won deals with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. for Read More …

The alleged involvement of the US government in the Jan. 25 operation of the Special Action Force (SAF) to arrest an international terrorist did not go beyond the parameters set under the 1987 Constitution. “Under our constitution, the parameters are the following: establishment of military bases without concurrence of the Senate is not allowed, there is also a ban on the presence of nukes within Philippine soil and also there is the general principle of non-intervention in the affairs of the State as a sovereign State,” de Lima told reporters Friday. De Lima noted that according to the police and the military, the US involvement has been limited to intelligence sharing and medical help. READ: Napeñas admits US hand in intelligence sharing during Mamasapano operation “I do not see any constitutional or legal transgression from the established facts…and even if there is information that there was presence of several personnel in the commend post, per se I don’t see any transgression,” de Lima said. “We are all engaged in the global war against terrorism and therefore the cooperation between and among sovereign States is key, very crucial in terms of combating terrorism,” she added. READ: De Lima defends Aquino anew, says he is ‘over and beyond’ any chain of command De Lima said that the Philippines especially needs all the help in neutralizing terrorism. “Now, for as long as the Philippine government retains absolute control as to a specific operation, as to the what, who, when, how in the operations, Read More …

Two years after World War II wiped out the movie theaters in Manila, newly-built and newly-renovated ones were back in operation between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 1946. Contributor Celso de Guzman Caparas has made a list of the theaters and the re-opening movies as a rejoinder to Funfare’s tribute to Post-war Actresses and Post-war Actors and Directors published last year. This feature is also in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Manila (Feb. 3 to March 3) and the 96th anniversary of Philippine Cinema.  Ideal (Rizal Ave., Sta. Cruz) — Somewhere I’ll Find You, Clark Gable and Lana Turner; owned by the Roces family in partnership with Teotico, Basa, Tuason and Guidote families (the first theater was made of wood in 1912).  Times (Quezon Blvd.) — We’ve Never Been Licked, Richard Quinne and Anne Gwynne; re-opened on Aug. 21, 1945, erected in 1939 and designed by architect Luis Araneta with an Art Moderne relief; the only pre-war theater still in operation, showing double foreign films.  Lyric (Escolta) — Desert Song, Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning, Warner; re-opened on Sep. 16, 1945.  Zest (R. Hidalgo St., Quiapo) — I Was A U-Boat Prisoner, Bruce Bennett and Erik Rolf; re-opened on Nov. 9, 1945. Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1  Globe (Raon St., Quiapo) — None Shall Escape, Marsha Hunt and Alexander Knox; re-opened on Nov. 11, 1945.  Astor (Plaza Sta. Cruz) — The Fleet’s In, Dorothy Lamour and William Holden; re-opened on Nov. 11, Read More …

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The list of wishes of war veterans remains long and still unfulfilled, data from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) showed. PVAO had requested an initial P27 million subsidy for the annual Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) coverage of 12,297 World War II veterans and 53,284 living spouses to augment the subsidies of P1,200 daily for hospitalization and special medical procedures. The Department of Budget and Management and Department of Health are studying subsidizing the amount through President Aquino’s Kalusugan Pangkalahatan (universal healthcare) program. The increase of the P5,000 monthly old age pension has not come. Four bills in Congress have proposed P10,000. In a statement, PVAO said it requested priority for older veterans of World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars, finding it suitable to give them P20,000. Most of them are now in their 90s. There are pension arrears that have accrued due to delayed claims. Five bills are seeking alternative sources of funds, like the use of PVAO properties. PVAO said the repeal of the total administrative disability (TAD) pension had been proposed through two bills because no funds had been appropriated for this. “For living World War II veterans, there are no more [TAD] arrears since these had been fully settled as early as 2013,” it said. In 2013, President Aquino authorized TAD payments of P2.877 billion to 17,817 World War II veterans from 1994 to 2002. This brought the payment of TAD arrears to P6.93 billion. Unpaid TAD obligations to deceased veterans, Read More …