Maniolas

Both the police and military said they will leave it to the Philippine government’s peace panel to decide if the Moro Islamic Liberation Front should surrender its members who figured in the firefight in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that left 44 police commandos dead. The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines said this after MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal stated that his group will not surrender its members who joined in the bloody confrontation on Jan. 25, which left over 60 people dead, including 18 MILF fighters. Iqbal said his group would instead impose sanctions on its members, who engaged in the deadly clash with the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) men. AFP public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc told GMA News Online that while the military wants the surrender of the MILF men, it would be up to the government’s peace panel to decide on the matter. “Panawagan sana namin ‘yon, along with the surrender of the rest of the SAF 44’s equipment, pero it will be up to the peace panel to decide,” he said, adding, “Sila kasi ang nakikipag-negotiate [with the MILF].” For his part, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo said PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director-General Leonardo Espina has called on the MILF to surrender its members responsible for the deaths of his men. But, Cerbo stressed the PNP they will follow orders based on the decision of the peace panel. The implementing guidelines of the ceasefire agreement signed by the MILF and the Read More …

A diver fins through a field of pristine soft leather corals at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. YVETTE LEE/CONTRIBUTOR MANILA, Philippines—Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo is offering the church’s services in monitoring the repairs at the world-renowned Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, part of which had been damaged by a US warship in January 2013. “If we would be given an opportunity to participate in the monitoring, like what we have been doing at the UBAS (Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan), the church would welcome it,” Arigo said in an interview over the Church-run Radyo Veritas. He himself expressed willingness to join the monitoring team, saying he wants to ensure that the P87 million, which the United States paid as compensation for the damages caused by the USS Guardian on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site, would not be diverted to some other use. It should be spent to rebuild the prized corals that were damaged when the US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef in 2013, he said. “You know very well the system in the Philippines that is why we really need to properly account how the money would be spent. It should be used to really repair the damage, if it is still possible to be repaired,” he added. Arigo said he was hoping that some of the amount would also be used in exploring the use of technology that would speed up restoration of the affected corals. “They said Read More …

PERFORMER Aicelle Santos has no problem with going solo after singing group “La Diva” disbanded last year. In a recent interview, the Kapuso talent shared that going solo has its own perks and disadvantages. She likes that there’s always new things to discover in showbiz but also saddened that she no longer get to share the stage with then group mates Jonalyn Viray and Maricris Garcia. “It’s a new adventure and masaya siya. Although minsan nami-miss ko yung nasa stage ka with a group and you help each other. Now, may mga bagay ako na natututunan on my own na okay din,” Aicelle said. “I have to stay focused and work hard not to only disappoint the management but also yung mga tao na naniniwala sa akin, sa talent ko in singing.” She makes sure that she will give her best in every performance. “I try to sing from the heart. Singing is personal to me because I get to share my emotions, my feelings and sometimes yung frustrations na rin. I get to be myself when I’m singing,” she said. Aicelle also tried her hand at acting. She was part of last year’s hit musical “Rak of Aegis” and “Katy.” “Yung realization of reinventing thy self only came when I got the ‘Katy! the Musical’ stint. People were telling me it’s the new me and doon ko lang na-realize na I needed to do that, to try other things. It’s my awakening,” she said. “I keep reinventing myself, gawa Read More …

The Supreme Court building INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court has ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to stop collecting corporate income tax from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s (Pagcor) operations and licensing of gambling casinos, gaming clubs and other similar recreation or amusement places, gaming pools and other related activities. In a 14-page decision released recently, the court en banc ordered the BIR to cease and desist from implementing a 2013 memorandum circular that imposed corporate income tax on Pagcor’s income derived from its gaming operations as well as franchise tax on income from other related services. The BIR issued its circular after the Supreme Court, in 2011, ruled as valid an amendment to the National Internal Revenue Code that listed several entities exempt from paying corporate income tax. The list did not include Pagcor so the BIR began assessing Pagcor for income and franchise taxes, thus prompting the state-owned company to file a motion for clarification before the high court in September 2013. In its new ruling, the high court said the amendment of the code, made though Republic Act No. 9337, did not also amend Pagcor’s charter, which provided that income from gaming operations was subject only the 5-percent franchise tax while its income from operation of other related services was subject to income tax only. The 5-percent franchise tax being collected by the BIR was not applicable to Pagcor’s income from other related services, the court’s decision, written by Justice Diosdado Peralta, stated. Read More …

Representatives from the Boy Scout of the Philippines national executive board for the year 2011 (L-R) Senior Vice President and Asst. Secretary HUDCC Atty. Wendel Avisado, Secretary General Rizal Pangilinan, International Commissioner Dale Corvera and Vice President for Visayas Atty. Arthur Umbac attend the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the Boyscouts of the Philippines and Alphaland deal. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The president of property developer Alphaland Corp. may have committed tax fraud for failing to pay the taxes for his shares from a land deal that allegedly benefited Vice President Jejomar Binay. During the continuation of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said Alphaland president Mario Oreta may have failed to pay up to P600 million in taxes. Oreta said during the hearing that he got a 5-percent share from the joint property development deal Alphaland entered into with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) in 2008. The payment was in the form of shares of stock in Silvertown Property Development Corp., which was later acquired by Alphaland. The Alphaland official added that he used his firm, Noble Care Management Corp., as a vehicle for these transactions. Oreta said that he “held unto” the shares and then later asked Alphaland president Roberto Ongpin to transfer the shares to the mother company. Asked if his shares were eventually bought back, Oreta said: “If it says in the financial statement, then it must be true.” Former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado earlier Read More …