Newly-freed Leviste shows up at DOJ drug cartel probe

 Entertainment
Jan 102014
 
Newly-freed Leviste shows up at DOJ drug cartel probe

Former Batangas Governor Antonio Leviste getting out of the Muntinlupa Bilibid Prison Friday (Dec. 6) as he was one of the 40 prisoners who were given parole this year. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – A month after he was released from prison, convicted killer and former Batangas governor Jose Antonio Leviste on Thursday appeared before the Department of Justice to testify on the reported operation of a powerful Mexican drug cartel in the Philippines. Clad in a blue polo and accompanied by his lawyer, Leviste, who was granted parole last November after almost five years behind bars, arrived around 2 p.m. at the DOJ office in Manila. The proceedings, led by Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, were ongoing as of presstime. DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima had earlier said Leviste will be asked to produce the lease contract of the LPL Ranch located in Barangay Inosluban in Lipa City, Batangas, where P420 million in illegal drugs was seized by authorities last month. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA) said the illegal drugs recovered from the ranch can be traced to the Mexican Sinoloa drug ring, which has been tagged by international media as Mexico’s most powerful drug syndicate. (MNS)

January is National Thank You Month

 Entertainment
Jan 102014
 
January is National Thank You Month

by : Rey Andres PROUDLY FILIPINO: Members of a Filipino American Christian church proudly display the Philippine barong Tagalog and dresses in one of the recent conferences of Orange County churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Huntington Beach recently. Other ethnic churches also joined the day-long event with some of the participants displaying their own costumes and sampling the attendees with their cuisines at display booths erected for the purpose. Danke, grazie, merci, gracias, salamat po  are some of the ways to say “thank you” an expression probably second only to be learned by a child after “Daddy” or “Mommy”. No matter how that feeling is expressed, a simple “thank you” can turn somebody’s day around. And what a more perfect time to say thank you than at the beginning of the year to celebrate the beginning month of the year with a declaration of January a  “Thank You Month”. Most of the 196 countries have the expression for “thank you” that sometimes gets lost as people age and are affected by the hustle and bustle of life. They forget about being polite and acknowledge people for the kind tasks they do on a daily basis. Being thankful researchers have found out give recipients of the gesture “a kind of dopamine rush – an experience linked with pleasurable experience” that will make them want to feel the experience again. January as a national thank you month is considered by some as an “impressive observance that encourages people to be thankful Read More …

Angel denies going on a cruise with politician

 Entertainment
Jan 102014
 
Angel denies going on a cruise with politician

Angel Locsin (MNS Photo) Actress Angel Locsin denied rumors that she went on a cruise with a politician during the holidays. Locsin said she was surprised as well when her manager, Ethel Ramos, started asking her whether she was indeed with a politician during her recent vacation. “Nagulat ako nung tinawagan ako ni manay na may governor ba o congressman daw ako na boyfriend na kasama sa cruise. Hindi totoo ‘yun,” she said. Locsin stressed she was only with her family and some workmates from “Toda Max.” “Kami lang magkakasama ng family ko at saka sina direk Malu (Sevilla), si Kuya Rocky (Ubana,Toda Max executive producer). Hindi ko nga malaman kung governor o congressman daw ba ‘yung nakitang kasama ko doon,” she said. “Siguro may nakakilala sa akin tapos akala nila may boyfriend ako na kasama. Eh hindi naman nila kilala mga kasama ko doon,” she added. Months after breaking up with football player Phil Younghusband, Locsin said she is not yet ready to enter into a new relationship. “Ayaw ko pa muna,” she said. But she was quick to add that she will not stop herself from falling in love again. “Pero kung dumating eh tignan natin. Wala naman akong magagawa kapag na-in love ulit ako eh,” she said. Locsin said that for now, she would like to focus on her upcoming series “The Legal Wife,” and a horror-comedy movie with Vhong Navarro.(MNS)

The year that was in business…

 Economy
Jan 102014
 
The year that was in business…

I musty apologize to our dear readers for rudely interrupting this short series on our Business Yearender which I started on the first week of January.  I expected to be back in town in time to churn out this second part but my flight schedule got mired somewhere – it’s a very long story, but try as hard as I could, I couldn’t get a flight back in time. So sorry. For the first part of this short series, we had assessments from the top leaders of PhilExport (Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis, president), the Philippine Chamber of Handicrafts Industry of PCHI (Mr. Dennis Orlina, honorary president and Mrs. Mila Lacson, current president) and Philippine Plastics Industry Association (Mr. Peter Quintana, president). We go now to the meat industry. Business & Leisure (B&L) talked to Mr. Jesus Cham, director of the Meat Importers & Traders Association (MITA) whose tales of woe have not stopped since 2012. And 2013 has been another tough year for all of the country’s meat importers, he said, and because of the government’s tough new regulations on accreditation, about one-third of the importers have dropped out of the scene. He went further to say that government has apparently bowed down to pressure from local producers to collect more customs duties from the importers, so apart from a big number from their ranks bowing out, many of them have been slowing down.  This development has resulted in price increases for imported meat products, and Mr. Cham decries the government’s Read More …

Net foreign direct investments surge 66%

 Economy
Jan 102014
 
Net foreign direct investments surge 66%

MANILA, Philippines – Net foreign direct investment inflows rose 66 percent to $254 million in October last year from $153 million in the same period in 2012 amid the country’s robust growth and favorable macroeconomic fundamentals, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported yesterday. “The notable rise in foreign investments into the country reflects favorable investor sentiment on the back of the country’s macroeconomic stability amid challenging global conditions,” the central bank said. The economy expanded 7.4 percent in the first nine months of last year, faster than the government’s six- to seven-percent target. Inflation stood at an average of three percent in 2013, at the low end of the BSP’s three- to five-percent target range. Central bank data showed net equity capital grew 19 percent to $68 million in October from $57 million in the previous year, while reinvested earnings plunged 44 percent to $50 million from $90 million. Placements in debt instruments or borrowings made by local subsidiaries from the parent companies, meanwhile, surged to $135 million from $6 million. Gross equity placements in October last year came from the US, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. These funds went into manufacturing, transportation and storage, financial and insurance, real estate, and mining and quarrying. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In the first 10 months of 2013, net FDI inflows went up 35 percent to $3.361 billion from $2.485 billion in the same period in 2012. Net equity capital placements slid 48 percent to $658 million Read More …

Philippines tells nationals to shun red, yellow in Thailand

 General
Jan 092014
 
Philippines tells nationals to shun red, yellow in Thailand

Filipinos travelling to Thailand have been told to shun red or yellow items to avoid being caught up in the political unrest there, the Philippine embassy in Bangkok said. “Participating and/or showing support in any form to any of the parties is strongly discouraged,” the mission said in a travel advisory on its website. “For (your) information, the red and yellow colours are closely identified with some of the parties involved,” it said in a note directed at Filipino travellers as well as residents there and other parts of Thailand. The protests are aimed at overthrowing Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and her government. Thaksin’s overthrow in 2006 by generals loyal to the king ushered in years of political turmoil and rival street protests by the royalist “Yellow Shirts” and Thaksin’s supporters, known as the “Red Shirts”. Yellow and red are also popular colours in the Philippines, associated with religious festivals in the Catholic country. And just like in Thailand, the hues are rich in historical and political symbolism. Yellow is the signature colour of supporters of Philippine President Benigno Aquino and his late mother Corazon Aquino. Red is the campaign colour of his family’s arch-political foe, the heirs of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos’ 20-year rule was ended by a bloodless popular revolt by yellow-clad street protesters that propelled the younger Aquino’s mother to the presidency in 1986. The embassy also reiterated an earlier warning by the Philippine foreign department for Read More …

Maryland Fil-Am leaders to host laugh-in for ‘Yolanda’ rehab

 News
Jan 092014
 
Maryland Fil-Am leaders to host laugh-in for ‘Yolanda’ rehab

The cast and crew of “FNL at the FAC” OXON HILL, Maryland—To start the new year on a lighthearted noted, Filipino-American community leaders will host “FNL at the FAC” or “Friday Night Laugh-In” at the Filipino American Center (FAC).” The event is billed as an evening featuring amateur comedians, storytellers, psychiatrists, magicians and a variety of local entertainers, to be held on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the center on 7500 Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, MD. Launched last year as a pilot, FNL will return to raise funds for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yoland” (international name: Haiyan). “Our community has been through so much pain and loss lately, notably the tragic deaths of friends and loved ones and the devastation in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan,” says FNL producer Mya Talavera Grossman. “That’s why we need to fortify ourselves with laughter and humor and stay healthy so we can be productive and creative in facing the challenges ahead,” she adds. In a format patterned after TV’s popular talk shows, FNL will feature special guests including child psychiatrist Marilou Tablang-Jimenez, medical director of the Montgomery County Crisis Center. A mental health professional with sterling credentials, Dr. Jimenez will talk about “releasing those feel-good endorphins that are so essential to wellness and good mental health.” Featured band Tutubi. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS Co-hosted by Manila Mail columnist Jon Melegrito and Abe Lobo, board chairman of the National Philippine Multicultural Center Foundation (NPMCF), the comedy show will also feature an “Open Mike” segment, Read More …

Fil-Am young professionals launch scholarship

 News
Jan 092014
 
Fil-Am young professionals launch scholarship

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:01 am | Friday, January 10th, 2014 San francisco—The Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) will kick off its first scholarship program for promising young Filipino students who aspire for college degrees, on the evening of Jan. 18 at the historic I-Hotel Manilatown Center. The organization is celebrating 11 years of “fostering professional connections, ideas and expertise to support and engage Filipino professionals in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.” The theme for this year’s celebration is “Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders.” The keynote speaker for the celebration will be Filipino entrepreneur and engineer Dado Banatao, who has been dubbed the “Filipino version of Steve Jobs” because of his trailblazing science and technology work in the early years of Silicon Valley. The versatile Allan Manalo will be the emcee. He wears many hats in the field of entertainment as a Filipino writer, producer, director and stand-up comic. There will be performances by Kulintronica, which blends the traditional, ancestral sounds of the Filipino instrument kulintang with the urban beats of Electronica. Ro Birco, a multi-instrumentalist who will be accompanying on the piano, will also showcase his traditional kundiman singing skills. Also performing is the group, immaj, a talented R&B/pop vocal trio. Kristian Kabuay, artist, educator and entrepreneur, will also have Baybayin (Philippine Script) live art demonstrations. Regina Finuliar, YFPA President, states, “The night will be special because attendees will not only be supporting YFPA and our initiatives, everyone there that night will be raising funds to help those students who Read More …

Fil-Am led health center gets $6M NY state grant

 News
Jan 092014
 
Fil-Am led health center gets $6M NY state grant

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:00 am | Friday, January 10th, 2014 NEW YORK—A Filipino-American led community center is one of 37 recipients of funding from the New York State Department of Health’s safety net program. The Department of Health’s Vital Access Provider/Safety Net Program, Phase II, awarded APICHA Community Health Center more than $6 million last month. The department recognized as an essential institution that fulfills the healthcare needs of underserved populations throughout the city. The program is aimed at transforming the state’s healthcare system and increasing the availability of better health services for New Yorkers. Safety net funds were awarded to hospitals, nursing homes, free standing clinics and home health establishments that have financial difficulties but are critical in the delivery of quality healthcare to communities across the state. “We applaud the New York State Department of Health for acknowledging the essential role of organizations like APICHA have in addressing the need of healthcare access of New York’s most vulnerable communities,” says APICHA CEO Therese Rodriguez. “Our decades of experience providing HIV prevention and care services have prepared us to be part of the solution to achieve the goals set by the New York State Department of Health of providing quality, cost-efficient healthcare,” Rodriguez adds. For the past 23 years, APICHA has promoted awareness of and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. The center has grown from an HIV/AIDS coalition for Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) to a health home that opened a Trans Health clinic Read More …

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