Maniolas

A senior US official on Friday met with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario who is set to leave for Washington to get “substantive support” from the United States in the Philippines’ dispute with China in the South China Sea. Scot Marciel, principal deputy assistant secretary at the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian Pacific Affairs, was in the Philippines on April 16-18 as part of his regular visit to Southeast Asia. In a roundtable with Filipino reporters at the US Embassy in Manila, Marciel said he had a “broad discussion” with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials on Friday on key regional issues, including China’s reclamation work, the rise of tensions in the South China Sea, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and the Philippines. “I reiterated [to the DFA] the concerns that we have made public about certain actions that we think undermine the overall positive environment in the region,” Marciel said, referring to the reclamation by China of contested islands in the South China Sea where it is building airstrips and military facilities. Marciel expressed the hope that all claimant nations in the South China Sea—the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei—would show restraint and refrain from provocative actions. “We exchange ideas on how best to create that pattern of behavior among all the claimant states that will reduce tensions,” Marciel said, admitting that there was “more work to do” in addressing the problem. The Philippines has an arbitration case pending in the Read More …

Despite the issues surrounding Makati Homeville, Vice President Jejomar Binay said on Friday that the city’s relocation site in Calauan, Laguna is a model in the housing sector.  “Magtanong ho kayo sa housing sector — modelo ho kami ng naglilikas at naglilipat ng taga-Makati,” he said in an exclusive report on “24 Oras.”    However, residents of the relocation site have complained about the lack of electricity and water in their new homes.  To this, Binay said it was former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado’s fault, saying his former ally owns Twinleaf Construction, the contractor that was supposed to provide amenities for the relocation site. Mercado, on the other hand, admitted that he and two of his children are part owners of Twinleaf, stressed he was not connected to the firm until years after the project was finished in 2008.  “Ako ay nagkaroon ng partisipasyon sa Twinleaf noong 2013 hanggang ngayon. ‘Di ko tinatanggi na ako ang presidente niyan,” he said.  At the time the recolation was done, Mercado’s participation was only as the city’s vice mayor–not as a stakeholder in Twinleaf.  Part of his job then was to make sure the permits for the project are complete. This did not include electric and water lines. He said that was already the job of the engineering department of Makati.  “Marami kami meeting ng Engineering, ‘di ko na alam ano nangyari dahil na-cut na relasyon ko sa kanila. ‘Di ko alam bakit ‘di na-process or nabayaran,” he explained.  Phase 1  Read More …

An ordinance signed by Makati Mayor Junjun Binay in 2013 authorized the city government to open the allegedly overpriced Makati Friendship Suites to the public to generate more income for the city.  City Ordinance No. 2013-A-018 said that it was the Commission on Audit that recommended the opening of the hotel to the public.  “The Commission on Audit, through Audit Observation Memorandum No. 2011-039, has recommended the opening of Makati Friendship Suites to the public for a fee to generate income for the city government,” said City Ordinance No. 2013-A-018.  According to the ordinance, the hotel will have an introductory rate of P2,100 per room per day. It also stated that although it is open to the public, it should reserve 15 rooms for the use of the city’s guests.  Before opening it to the public, the Makati Friendship Suites was only meant for use by the city’s official guests and to paying transient visitors when Vice President Jejomar Binay was mayor. Overpriced In the recent Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearings, lawyer Rene Bondal testified that the hotel was overpriced by P195 million.  In 2007, the city also set aside P120 million for the rehabilitation of the Makati Friendship Suites, but the contractor, ITP Construction, said at the Senate hearing on Jan. 22 that the hotel revamp cost P242 million. “Na-implement po ito in three phases. Phase One is about P119 million. Phase Two is about P90 million. And then the third is about P33 million,” said ITP Construction president Read More …

Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam, had new mug shots taken at the Correctional Institute for Women after she was transferred to the facility early Thursday morning, a report on “24 Oras” showed. The Makati Regional Trial Court earlier this week convicted Napoles of serious illegal detention in connection with the complaint of her former trusted aide, pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy. A video showed Napoles garbed in a prisoner’s orange uniform while her pictures and fingerprints were taken at the CIW’s Reception and Diagnostics Center. She also went through a physical examination, which in part found her blood pressure during the transfer at a “manageable” 130 over 90. Napoles will be at the reception and diagnostics area for two months to help her get used to the women’s prison. She won’t have visitors for a week except for her lawyers and immediate family. The report said Napoles would be kept in the same facility as illegal recruiters and “pyramid scam queen” Rose Baladjay. -NB, GMA News

Mauling suspect Troung Son Huynh. MILPITAS, California — Police has arrested one of two men in connection with the brutal assault last month on a Filipino American teenager, who sustained serious head trauma and brain injury and is still at the ICU at press time. Troung Son Huynh, 25, of San Jose was arrested at his home and booked into jail on suspicion of felony battery, San Jose police said. The other suspect is still at large. According to police, 17-year-old Christian Rasner of Milpitas was hanging out with a cousin at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose on March 11 when two men approached him and asked if he was affiliated with gangs. Based on the cousin’s account of the incident, relayed to the victim’s parents Greg and Maria Rasner, Christian, a high school junior honor student, told the men he had no gang ties and tried to walk away, but the attackers followed him in the parking lot and beat him up. The elder Rasner, an IT manager at a leading Silicon Valley firm, said the force of the blows was so tremendous that his son actually got fractures in his eye sockets. He added that his son was in the Superintendent’s Honor Roll for 2014 and has absolutely no gang ties. Mauling victim, Fil-Am Christian Rasner. Speaking to FilAm Star by phone Tuesday, April 7, Greg said Christian is still in ICU but is very much better, and has started to talk, albeit with difficulty. Read More …