Maniolas

2015 Nissan NP300 Navara. The unit will be available in Cebu this month, according to Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc., the only authorized local dealer.  (Contributed foto) NISSAN Philippines, Inc. (NPI) launched Monday the company’s all-new compact truck, the 2015 Nissan NP300 Navara. It will be available in Cebu this month, according to Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc., the only authorized local dealer. The launch at Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila last Feb. 2 was the first such event among 180 countries worldwide that Nissan Motor Corp. held to introduce Nissan Navara commercially outside Japan. The 2015 Navarra combines toughness with attractive design and smart interior, an innovation in response to customers demand for comfort, modern styling and attention to details on top of durability, reliability and practical performance, the company said in a press statement. “Nissan has been innovating in the compact pick-up market since 1935. This is part of our history,” said Mamoro Aoki, executive design director of Nissan Motor Corp.of Japan. The Nissan NP300 Navara has a very solid vehicle structure with wider fender and big tires. “It’s fundamentally a tough car, but its design treatment is very dynamic and modern,” said Aoki. While Nissan engineers recognized that customers today demand comfort, they realized that comfort in any condition or situation is not easy. They had to test the Navara in various terrains and road conditions to develop what is now the NP300 model, the company said. NPI president and managing director Antonio Zara, meanwhile, said the interior of the Read More …

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine police chief, holding back tears, said Wednesday that Muslim rebels shot to death some of his anti-terror commandos as they lay wounded in a fierce gunbattle last month that has stalled the government’s peace deal with the insurgents. Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina told a congressional hearing that the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, which signed a peace deal with the government last year, should explain why its insurgents committed the “overkill” that left 44 of his men dead in the Jan. 25 gunbattle. Espina struggled not to cry as he spoke during the nationally televised House of Representatives inquiry into the deaths of the elite policemen, killed during a secret search mission in the marshy outskirts of southern Mamasapano town. The commander of the slain policemen, Getulio Napenas Jr., since relieved of his job, approached Espina to console him and openly wept over the combat deaths that followed the killing of one of Southeast Asia’s most-wanted terror suspects, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan. “My men were very much alive, but you did not let them return home to be with their children,” Espina said, pausing as he struggled to control his emotions. “What is this overkill that you did to my men?” Espina said he was unable to sleep after reading a medical report that indicated three of his men were still alive with gunshot wounds in the feet when two were shot at close range in the head. Gunmen removed the Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) has generated about P8.9 billion in fresh funds through an overnight equity placement and plans to raise up to P10 billion more through borrowings to support infrastructure investments in the country and refinance obligations. The company, led by business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan, told the local bourse yesterday it raised $200 million following the placement of 1.81 billion in new MPIC shares priced at P4.90 each. The deal involved MPIC’s major shareholder, Metro Pacific Holdings Inc. (MPHI), lending a portion of its existing shares for sale to investors. In turn, it will subscribe in the same number and at the same price which the shares were sold. MPIC said the conduct of an equity fund raising through the placing and subscription transaction allowed the company to raise equity funds “in a most expeditious and efficient manner, with the least cost to MPIC, for use in its debt repayments, expansion and acquisition projects.” MPIC said the placement managed by UBS AG Hongkong was conducted overnight and garnered strong interest from institutional investors in Asia especially within the Philippines, as well as Europe and the US. Following the transaction, MPHI’s economic interest in MPIC was reduced to 52.13 percent from 55.8 percent. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “With recent developments in our new investment in Vietnam, accelerating progress in the Philippines in our roads, specifically the SCTEX, together with rail and further PPP opportunities ahead of us we Read More …

An Etihad Airways official stands inside a mock-up first class cabin, at a training facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, May 4, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, carried a record number of passengers and cargo in 2014, marking its strongest operational performance to date. Almost 14.8 million passengers flew with Etihad Airways last year, a significant increase of 23 percent over 2013 levels. The growth in passenger demand continued to outstrip the airline’s capacity increase, highlighting the strength of its long-term growth strategy. In total, Etihad Airways carried more than 74 percent of the 19.9 million passengers who travelled through Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2014. With the addition of the airline’s equity partners that operate flights into the UAE capital, the combined total rises to a significant 82 percent of passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport. James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our business model, which focuses on organic network growth, codeshare partnerships and minority equity investments in other airlines, continued to yield positive results in 2014 and surpassed our double-digit targets for passenger and cargo growth.” Etihad Airways introduced 10 additional destinations to its global route network in 2014, with new services launched to Medina, Jaipur, Los Angeles and Zurich in the first half of the year, and Perth, Rome, Yerevan, Phuket, San Francisco and Dallas in the second half of the year. In addition, frequencies were increased Read More …

popular . The agony of a city: Manila 70 years ago Manager gets jail term for refusing to give 20% senior citizen’s discount His absence speaks louder than words Campos family taps $100M loan from BPI for Del Monte Pacific Serendipity, and nice girls on Tinder PAL mulls over P9B Naia 2 expansion plan SAF survivors to tell stories in Senate on Monday ‘Juana Change’ lampoons Kris Aquino at SAF 44 rite videos Lacson wishes ‘normal life’ for accuser Mancao Marcos laments gov’t silence on Mamasapano incident Purisima’s Senate testimony fails to convince Poe, kin of slain SAF men Purisima: I have no role in Mamasapano operation Napeñas: Purisima told me not to tell Roxas, Espina of SAF operation AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Pump prices may rise more than initially expected, petroleum industry sources said on Monday, citing updated market reports. Sources said the first major upward adjustment for 2015 could be “around P2” for gasoline, and not the estimated P1 to P2 range as of the weekend. Diesel prices, on the other hand, are forecast to increase by P1 to P1.50 per liter. Since the start of the year, there has been a net decrease of P3.60 per liter for gasoline and P4.16 per liter for diesel. Speculative trading has driven prices up, however, a source said, due to weak US economic data and concerns that oil drilling activities would be curtailed. It will be recalled that there have been recent reports of oil majors cutting capital expenditures in Read More …