Maniolas

Launched only last November, the HardieFlex Flooring is James Hardie’s latest product that innovates the way people build and live. Diamond-trimmed which delivers flatness, evenness and squareness for easy installation in any type of space, HardieFlex Flooring meets the requirements of the National Structure Code of the Philippines and the Australian Loading Code. MANILA, Philippines – With countless companies playing in the global building materials field, only a handful of them are true heritage brands. Taking pride in their tradition and long experience and expertise in offering the best products for consumers, James Hardie is one of the esteemed few as it marks its 125th anniversary this month. Considered as a world leader in building materials, James Hardie has stayed true and relevant to the times by constantly challenging itself by coming up with products, technologies and solutions that redefine how people construct their homes, buildings, structures — the built environment. “At James Hardie, we are delighted to mark this milestone along with our partners and consumers whose unwavering belief in the company inspires us to exceed expectations every step of the way,” said Mark Sergio, James Hardie Philippines sales and marketing director. “In those 125 years, we have created a variety of products that ease and upgrade the life of homeowners, encouraging them to live without compromise. Longevity in the very competitive field of construction business does not only mean endurance but excellence. We are proud that our company has subscribed to the ideals of our founders,” Sergio added. Read More …

Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JESS YUSON TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Na higugma ha iyo an santo papa!(The Holy Father loves you!). This was the message conveyed by Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Guiseppe Pinto during his homily in a Christmas Mass he celebrated at the Sto. Niño church, this city. The church was one of the city structures badly damaged by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan). The Papal Nuncio said that Pope Francis has always included all the victims of the world’s strongest typhoon this year in his prayers. “The Holy Father has already shown his closeness to the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda, especially you who have witnessed a catastrophe beyond all telling. It is my privilege to bring to you the solidarity of his Holiness Pope Francis. You know how much he cares for you,” said Pinto, the Holy See’s representative to the country, in his less than 10 minutes homily inside the rain-soaked main church of Tacloban, considered to be the ground zero of Yolanda, which resulted in deaths of more than 6,000 people. Close to 2,000 people are still missing. He disclosed that Pope Francis, speaking before a group of faithful that included several Filipinos in a Papal audience at the Vatican on Nov. 21, said that he “felt that the trials were too tough but I also felt that the (Filipino) people were strong.” “Christmas is an assurance that despite the tragedy you have faced, you are not alone. God is with Read More …

By Niña P. CallejaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:28 pm | Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration wants to make its services accessible to foreign nationals by setting up a frontline office at the central business district of Makati City. Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the agency has been scouting for a building in Makati to house the immigration personnel in its frontline operations. “We would want our services like processing of renewal and extension of visas of foreign nationals to be accessible. They can no longer have the excuse that our office is too far from them,” Mison said in a recent interview with reporters. The BI main office is located in Intramuros, Manila, while it has field offices in other regions in the country. “Our main office will still be here in Intramuros. My office will still be here. Just a part of operations will just be transferred to Makati to make it conducive and convenient foreign nationals,” Mison said. Makati is the place of choice, according to Mison, since it is the middle of the metropolis’ urban centers. “We think most of our foreign nationals stay there since it’s the country’s financial capital. It is also relatively near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport,” the BI chief said. Mison said the agency would like to see the office set up by 2014 in line with its plan to hire 200 additional immigration officers to be assigned in the country’s ports of entry. The immigration commissioner Read More …