Maniolas

Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonard-De Castro is the new president of an international group of around 4,000 female judges from 100 countries. In a statement, the SC said De Castro was sworn in as the new president of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and delivered her “Vote of Thanks” during an event in Arusha City in Tanzania in Africa. According to the group, the IAWJ is a “non-profit, non-governmental organization whose members represent all levels of the judiciary who share a commitment to equal justice and the rule of law.” The organization is based in the US. De Castro was chosen to become IAWJ president during the biennial convention of the IAWJ in London in May 2012. For the next two years, however, from 2012 to 2014, De Castro sat in a “president-elect” capacity. In those two years, Tanzanian Court of Appeals justice Eusebia Munuo served as president. Now officially its president, De Castro will head the organization for the next two years from 2014 to 2016. Accompanying De Castro during her oath-taking was her fellow SC Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, the second most junior of the high tribunal’s 15 magistrates. De Castro, meanwhile, is the third most senior justice in terms of appointment to the SC. Those who witnessed De Castro being sworn in as president were Tanzanian Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, Second Vice President Seif Iddi of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, and National Association of Women’s Judges president Judge Blackbunne Rigsby. The 65-year-old Read More …

In anticipation of an order for their arrest, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has already prepared a facility where Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. may be detained, GMA News’ “24 Oras” reported on Thursday. “Meron na tayo. Naka-ready ang ating headquarters service. Meron nang lugar sa ating Custodial Center kung saan sila pagdadalhan,” PNP Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) chief Dir. Benjamin Magalong said in an exclusive interview. Magalong said the facility was especially made for the three senators. “Meron talagang ginawa para sa kanila,” Magalong said. Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel fund scam.  The Ombudsman is expected to elevate the case before the Sandiganbayan anytime soon after it had denied on Thursday the motion for reconsideration filed by the three senators to junk the case. The Sandiganbayan has the power to issue an arrest order against the three once the case is filed. A source from the PNP told GMA News that eight detention cells were recently constructed at the Custodial Center for the possible arrest of the three senators. The source said the newly-built detention cells are located in the area where Rizal Alih, who led the 1989 Camp Kawa-Kawa siege in Zamboanga City was previously detained. The source said each cell has an area of 13×13 square meter and each has its own bed and electric fan. The newly-built detention cells are also far from cells Read More …

PNoy meets EU rep Kristalina Georgieva. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Kristalina Georgieva during the Asia-Europe Meeting Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management at Diamond Hotel in Manila on Thursday, June 5. Also in photo is Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. Gil Nartea The European Union commissioner on humanitarian aid on Thursday announced a €30 million grant for the Philippine government to increase the EU’s reconstruction assistance in areas destroyed by super-typhoon Yolanda. Kristalina  Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, announced the grant in Manila, where she is attending the Asia-Europe Meeting n Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. Georgieva also went to Tacloban City to see the progress of EU-funded projects in the communities affected by the strongest typhoon ever in recorded history. A statement from the EU delegation to the Philippines said, “EU-funded humanitarian actions have already greatly contributed to meeting the emergency needs of the survivors of the world’s most destructive typhoon ever recorded to have made landfall. But the road to reconstruction is still long.” “My visit to Tacloban has been a stark reminder of the devastation which hit the Philippines last November,” Georgieva said. “Seven months on, many survivors are still struggling to recover. The need for assistance remains, but my visit has also been full of encouragement. Everywhere I turned, I saw people rebuilding their homes, replanting their fields, or reopening their businesses,” she added. “While there Read More …

A ranking police official on Thursday said a complaint has been filed against the lawyers of arrested businessman Delfin Lee for obstruction of justice. “I personally filed the case against the lawyers because of deception,” said Director Benjamin Magalong, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The two — William Rivera and Gilbert Requiso — were accused of muddling the status of the arrest warrant on Lee, a suspect in a multi-billion housing scam. “They made it appear that [the] arrest warrant was already lifted when in fact it’s not,” said Magalong. “I have consulted third party lawyers on this and they said that there are grounds to file a case against them,” he added. The warrant was issued by a Pampanga court in connection with the alleged double sale of house and lots and other units under Globe Asiatique Inc., which Lee owns. Lee was arrested last March after more than a year of hiding, but his lawyers questioned the arrest, saying the Court of Appeals had ordered the lifting of the warrant in November last year. The Pampanga court, however, had yet to act on the CA order pending the resolution of another motion filed with the Supreme Court. Despite this, Rivera and Requiso allegedly used the CA order to ask Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima to remove Lee from the police wanted list. At the time, the police were unaware of another motion pending with the high court. —KBK, GMA News

Lansangan with Yassi Pressman, one of Shimmian’s celebrity endorsers. MANILA, Philippines – As people bid goodbye to summer, it’s about time to pamper those sun-kissed skin and reveal its radiance. With Shimmian Manila’s latest Snow Whitening Treatment, no one can rain on your parade as you shine with a lighter, brighter, and fairer tone. It’s not always easy to have that beautiful, blemish-free white skin. Most of the time, without consulting the experts, people provide themselves with a quick fix by purchasing different types of creams that promise to bring out that rosy complexion. However, a lot of over-the-counter products usually contain active ingredients that can even cause more harm. Some whitening facials are also not that effective and just lead to intense reddening and peeling. Unfortunately, these solutions sometimes just aggravate the skin. Hence, instead of having that clean and clear fairness, it becomes more sensitive and even develops unwanted marks. Unlike any other chemical peeling, Shimmian Manila uses a mask that is not hydroquinone and tretinoin-based, making it safe to apply all over the body. Patients do not even have to worry about the irritating sting or burning sensation that comes with other common bleaching procedures. With a functional cosmetic ingredient system that is melanin specific, it directly targets dark spots to ensure that the whitening effect would be even. With this, there would not be a problem with discoloration on any part of the skin even during the thick peeling after two to three days after the Read More …