Still no soap for Bela Padilla?

 Entertainment
May 302014
 
Still no soap for Bela Padilla?

Bela Padilla (MNS photo) It’s been a year already and Bela Padilla doesn’t know if and when she’s coming back to primetime TV. The last primetime soap opera she starred in was “Love and Lies” in 2013. Despite the long wait, Bela is thankful that somehow she had been busy with other projects. “Hindi naman ako nabakante. Kung iisipin ko, nakaka-miss naman talaga ang TV pero marami akong na-try. They were all new experiences for me na tinanggap ko kasi naka hindi na muli’t muli or mabigyan pa ako ng mga ganun ulit,” Bela expressed. Among other stuff that Bela was busy with in the past year was the movie “10,000 Hours,” which was lauded at the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival Awards. She was also in the recently concluded Singaporean drama series “Point of Entry.” In the works for Bela is “Sa Puso ni Dok,” which will also star Dennis Trillo and directed by Adolf B. Alix Jr. It will air on GMA News TV. “Isa itong bagong advocacy show ng GMA News TV like ‘Titser’ and ‘Bayan Ko’ so definitely it’s a socially relevant show. It gives people awareness and I’m glad that I’m going to be a part of it. I know I’ll also learn from this show,” she related. Bela is also cast as lead in the upcoming film “Barbara,” a re-imagining of the classic Celso Ad Castillo horror flick, “Patayin Mo sa Sindak si Barbara.” Directed by Christopher Ad Castillo, the film will see Bela Read More …

Binay advises Filipinos in conflict-stricken Libya to leave

 General
May 302014
 
Binay advises Filipinos in conflict-stricken Libya to leave

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 5:38 pm | Friday, May 30th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos still in Libya despite the worsening security situation have been urged to leave by Vice President Jejomar Binay Friday. “Once again I am calling [on] our countrymen in Libya to refrain from taking chances and come back to the Philippines,” Binay, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFW) concerns, said in a statement. “The situation is dangerous and the Philippine Embassy in Libya is ready to assist in the repatriation so they can come back,” he said. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) previously raised crisis alert level 3 in Libya which means that voluntary repatriation will be implemented. Libya’s security situation worsened after a senior military official attacked armed militias without authorization from the government. The current violence is the worse in the country since a civil war ended in 2011 with the ouster and death of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi. “Under crisis alert level 3, the estimated 13,122 Filipinos are encouraged to leave Libya voluntarily as soon as possible,” Binay said. Filipinos in Libya were advised to contact the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli to coordinate their repatriation and the government will be shouldering the repatriation cost. The Philippine Embassy in Libya is in KM 7 Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas, Tripoli. Its hotline number is (+218) 918244208, telephone number (+218-21) 483-3966, and official e-mail addresses: tripoli.pe@gmail.com; tripoli.pe@dfa.gov.ph. RELATED STORIES Alert level 3 raised for Filipinos in Libya OFWs warned as DFA raises alert level Follow Us Other Stories: Read More …

Chinese fishing in disputed waters threatens PH marine life

 News
May 292014
 
Chinese fishing in disputed waters threatens PH marine life

A Green Sea Turtle comes on the shore. Chinese fishermen were previously arrested after they were found poaching the endangered species in the Spratly Group of Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Photo by Haribon Foundation. MANILA, Philippines—The massive fishing operations of Chinese ships in the South China Sea could make the local population of sea turtles and giant clams extinct, a marine biologist said Friday. “Their fishing operations will have an effect on our marine biodiversity but we won’t see this until years or decades later,” Ditto Dela Rosa Jr., a research specialist with expertise in marine biology, said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net. “The Philippine marine ecosystem is home to seven species of giant clams out of the total nine species worldwide and five out of seven sea turtle species worldwide,” he said. Recently, aerial photographs taken by the Philippine military, showed Chinese fishing vessels in the Spratly Group of Islands, filled with clams. Several Chinese fishermen were also apprehended by police after their boat was found to be filled with hundreds of dead sea turtles. Giant clams, locally known as “taklobo,” can grow up to 4.5 feet and weigh in excess of 200 kilograms. The large shells allow corals to grow on them and create reefs. Sea turtles, called “pawikan” locally, play a big role in keeping the local population of jellyfish, which they feed on, controlled. A Giant Clam opens its hard shell to show the soft inside parts. Chinese fishing vessels were recently seen Read More …

Peso stays flat midday Friday

 Economy
May 292014
 
Peso stays flat midday Friday

MANILA, Philippines – The peso moved flat against the dollar midday Friday, slightly slipping to 43.868 from the previous day’s 43.9. Total volume transacted at the Philippine Dealing System amounted to $470 million in the morning, lower than the $736.5 million posted the same period on Thursday. The peso opened Friday at 43.86.

US economy shrank at 1% pace in 1st quarter

 General
May 292014
 
US economy shrank at 1% pace in 1st quarter

In this June 3, 2009 file photo, Baldor Electric Co. employees Dave Johnston, left, and Steve Davis, right, work inside the company’s factory in St. Louis. The US economy shrank for the first time in three years in the first quarter, underscoring its struggle to gain momentum nearly five years after exiting recession, data showed Thursday. AP PHOTO/JEFF ROBERSON WASHINGTON—The US economy shrank for the first time in three years in the first quarter, underscoring its struggle to gain momentum nearly five years after exiting recession, data showed Thursday. Economic output as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) fell at an annual rate of 1.0 percent in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said, sharply revising lower the initial estimate of 0.1 percent growth. The Commerce Department’s revision was much worse than analysts expected; the consensus estimate was a 0.5 percent decline. It was the second time the world’s largest economy has contracted since officially exiting severe recession in July 2009. GDP fell 1.3 percent in the 2011 first quarter. “Negative GDP growth is rare in expansions, declines of more than a couple of tenths rarer still and two declines of one percent in one expansion unheard of until now,” said Chris Low of FTN Financial. “It’s a reminder that the growth trajectory is flatter than normal, a consequence of an ongoing credit squeeze that has dragged on so long it is easy to forget how unique it is compared to past decades.” The start of the year was marked Read More …

China’s military base in PH territory must absolutely be blocked

 News
May 292014
 
China’s military base in PH territory must absolutely be blocked

Push has now come to shove. Emboldened by the lack of military resistance in occupying Philippine islands and with her fishing and navy boats sailing at will in our waters, China’s military leaders have now initiated a bold land reclamation military base project in Mabini Reef (Fiery Cross Reef). Location:  about 150 miles from Palawan and within the Philippines 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). China online news Qianzhan.com reported that the military installation would cost around $5 billion and would take ten years to complete.  The No. 9 Design and Research Institute of the State Shipbuilding Corp. has come up with a proposed design for the military base, which is similar to that of a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier. It would function like an anchored aircraft carrier with fighter planes and sophisticated weaponry, which would  likely include missiles eventually. Another similar base is also planned for Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), about 120 miles from Palawan. The Qianzhan report announced the intentions of China’s military leaders clearly indicating expansionist motives: “Construction of the two artificial islands at Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Islands will be equivalent to that of building aircraft carriers but the strategic gains will be very big. The artificial island at Fiery Cross will be an unreplaceable (sic)military base with great strategic significance because of its location and size. Such a base will realize the value of the South China Sea for China and ensure Read More …

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