Maniolas

Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz on Tuesday called on President Benigno Aquino III to once and for all reveal his involvement in the Mamasapano clash, instead of dropping pieces of information every now and then in an “information striptease.” Dela Cruz said Aquino’s explanation during a Monday prayer gathering that he had at first failed to read then-suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima’s first Feb. 25 message, sent at 5:45 a.m., because his mobile phone was off “makes things worse” for the bereaved families of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police officers killed in the clash. “They (the families) do not deserve this kind of [ambiguity]. This information striptease will just convince people that there’s a massive cover up in this operation because [the President] just comes out with all kinds of contorted [information],” he said. In the same prayer gathering, Aquino said he was “fooled” by Napeñas by giving him wrong information about the operation. This contradicted Aquino’s earlier explanation to lawmakers at a meeting in Malacañang that he had been lied to by Purisima when he received inaccurate information that help was on the way to the beleaguered SAF troopers trapped in a firefight with Moro rebels. Purisima supposedly called the shots during the police operation dubbed “Oplan Exodus” despite being having been suspended by the Ombudsman at that time. Dela Cruz also urged Aquino to take full responsibility for the incident as the police and military services’ commander in chief, and come clean Read More …

Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday criticized President Benigno Aquino III for his Monday speech, in which he again blamed sacked Special Action Force (SAF) director Getulio Napeñas for the bloody results of the Mamasapano clash. Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said Aquino seemed to have forgotten he should be at fault for breaking the chain of command by allowing then-suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima to take charge of planning and implementing “Oplan Exodus,” the covert police operation to nab two high-profile terrorists. The mission ended in the death of 44 SAF police officers and five civilians. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) claimed it had also lost 18 of its fighters in the clash. “Not owning up to such violation and denying the reported participation of US forces in the Mamasapano operation amount to cover up and is compromising the Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigation,” Colmenares said., The effect of Aquino’s statement on the BOI’s probe likewise concerned United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) interim president and Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, who said the President practically preempted the board in determining who should be held accountable for the tragic police operation., “Can we expect the BOI members to say otherwise when the President absolved himself of any blame, barely mentioned his BFF Purisima, and dumped the blame on Napenas?” he asked. During Monday’s gathering of Christian leaders in Malacañang, Aquino enumerated the errors allegedly committed by Napeñas during the Read More …

TAIPEI—Taiwan is pushing for joint explorations and development among claimant nations in the South China Sea as a path toward the peaceful resolution of the protracted dispute, hoping the parties would set aside sovereignty issues for the sake of mutual benefit. Kao Ming-Tsun, senior advisor at Taipei’s Department of Economic Affairs, told visiting Manila journalists: “Our concept is that we should be sharing all these resources in these areas, whether in the East China Sea or South China Sea. We should all share the resources together.” The Philippines calls its area in the waters the West Philippine Sea. “Our position would be to share the resources, to put aside differences,” said Kao, who is involved in looking after Taipei’s affairs with China. Taiwan and the Philippines are among the claimants to parts of the South China Sea, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and China. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, while the island state asserts its sovereignty and right to independent representation and participation in the international community. The Philippines, meanwhile, observes a one-China policy, handling affairs with Taiwan through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) in Taipei. Taiwan deals with the Philippines through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) in Manila. Among the more vocal claimants to disputed islands within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Philippines is pursuing an arbitration case in the United Nations to invalidate China’s “excessive” territorial delineation through its so-called nine-dash line. Manila also hopes to stop Chinese incursions into its Read More …

First posted in PositivelyFilipino.com  My husband has invited three Filipino coworkers and their wives to dinner. That means we will be eight people total. I have been prepping and cooking for two days. Butternut squash bisque. Grilled salmon. Baby bok choy. Sesame honey chicken wings. Roasted eggplant and tomatoes. Steamed rice. Chocolate cake. Mango bars. Tea and coffee. The guests will be here any minute now. Husband: Are you sure you made enough?Wife: Are you kidding? There’s more than enough!Husband: But you’re sure?Wife: Yes! I’m sure.Husband: Well as long as you’re sure.Wife: Look … why don’t you go get some ice or something?Husband: Okay. Last minute touches to the table. Last minute touches to the guest bathroom. Last minute touches to my face. Return to kitchen where husband is returned and there are two foil bags on the counter. My last minute busyness immediately screeches to a halt. Wife: What is that?Husband: Two roasted chickens.Wife: What? Why?Husband: You know … just in case…. Glaring at him, I move towards the bags, fully intending to slam both to the floor and smash them into flatness … but the doorbell rings. Okay. I accept that it’s my fault. When we were newly married, well over two decades ago, my husband asked if he could bring his teammates home after a big game. Even though I’d never entertained a pro-basketball team, and Manang Loisa (family cook and fall-back person for all things culinary) was on vacation, I have always been a woman of Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has joined other Department of Labor and Employment-attached agencies, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in appealing again to the nearly 2,400 Filipinos in Yemen to avail themselves of the government’s mandatory repatriation program following the continued deterioration of the political and security situation in the West African nation. In an advisory over the weekend, the OWWA said Philippine nationals should coordinate with the crisis management team (CMT) in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. OWWA head Rebecca Calzado noted the agency was “part of the CMT, composed of officials from the DOLE and the DFA” and has been monitoring the situation in crisis-hit countries to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers. “If immediate action is needed, the CMT automatically activates its committees to respond to the situation,” she explained. In Sana’a, the CMT holds office at the Movenpick Hotel on Berlin Street. It can be reached through tel. +967.73.384.4958. Filipinos there may also contact the Philippine Consulate on Damascus Street in the Hadda Area through tel. no. +967.1.416.751. According to Calzados, 2,391 Filipinos work in Yemen as nurses, household service workers, engineers, technicians and mechanics. “The continued occupation of the capital city by Houthi rebels and the recent suspension of the operation of several embassies in Sana’a were the basis for the DFA’s heightened alert level for Filipinos in Yemen,” she said. The OWWA appealed to the relatives of OFWs in Yemen to “convince their loved ones Read More …