Maniolas

Senator Pia Cayetano (MNS Photo) MANILA, June 18 (Mabuhay) – Senator Pia Cayetano slammed Destileria Limtuaco, Inc. (DLI) for allegedly desecrating and trivializing the names of historical figures and places, including Tacloban. Cayetano also twitted the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) for giving the firm the go-signal. The senator, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, said DLI’s plan to register as its own trademarks the names of “Rizal,” “Bonifacio,” and “Gomburza” only “threatens to desecrate, misappropriate and trivialize their national and historic significance.” “Dr. Jose Rizal, Gat Andres Bonifacio and the three martyred priests (Padre Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora) all laid their lives for the freedom and rights we enjoy today, and this is how Destileria Limtuaco intends to honor them? Or are they simply taking advantage of their good names to reap the benefits by having their names and images emblazoned on their bottles of whisky, gin, brandy and rhum?” the senator asked. She said the company is so “un-Filipino” to link the names of heroes to products that are known vices. Cayetano also said she could not comprehend why the IPO, a government office, initially approved the DLI’s application to register “Intramuros” as a liquor brand. “I cannot understand how the IPO, a government agency that is tasked to uphold the law and the national interest, would allow the name of a national heritage site to be reduced into a brand of an intoxicating beverage? The IPO could have used its authority Read More …

Susan Roces (MNS Photo) June Susan Roces has endeared herself to the public as the country’s one and only “Queen of Philippine Movies” for decades now, not only because of her longevity and acting prowess but for her humility. Roces downplays the matter saying the title was afforded her merely as a matter of respect by virtue of being the wife of the late Fernando Poe Jr., also known as the “King of Philippine Movies.” Her fans, however, know that her being a “Queen” is more than just about her being married to the “King.” The numerous movies she starred in speaks volume of her achievements as an actress. Roces admitted that she has never taken the title seriously nor did it ever got into her head. Witness to this is Bea Alonzo, her co-star in her latest teleserye from Dreamscape Entertainment Television entitled “Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon.” “She won’t make you feel like she’s the ‘Queen.’ She’s very humble and very grounded and I learned a lot from her,” Bea related. Incidentally, Bea was recently christened as “The New Generation’s Movie Queen,” and Roces agrees, admitting, “I am one of her huge fans, I’ve seen many of her performances on TV and in movies. More, I really like how her beauty registers on-screen.” Roces recalled that she admired Bea’s beauty from when she first met her as a guest in the late Dolphy’s sitcom “John and Shirley.” In “Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon,” Bea plays dual roles, that Read More …

By Cecil Morella Philippines Army Soldiers exit a grounded training helicopter during helicopter insert and extract training with U.S. Army Soldiers on Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 29, 2014. Philippine and U.S. Army personnel are preparing for an upcoming field training exercise during Balikatan 2014. This year marks the 30th iteration of the exercise, which is an annual Republic of the Philippines-U.S. military bilateral training exercise and humanitarian civic assistance engagement. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Pete Thibodeau/Released) ULUGAN BAY (AFP) – As fears grow that China is on an aggressive South China Sea territorial grab, a sleepy Philippine village is being transformed into a major naval base that may host US warships. Ulugan Bay, a small, picturesque cove encircled by thick mangroves, has suddenly become a vital part of the Philippine military’s efforts to shore up its defense of contested South China Sea islands and waters. “This is the frontline of our territorial defense operations in the Kalayaan island group,” President Benigno Aquino declared last month as he inspected the progress of a recently announced upgrade of a tiny naval station on the bay. Ulugan is on the west coast of the large western Philippine island of Palawan, only 160 kilometres (100 miles) from a small group of islands and islets within the Spratly archipelago known locally as the Kalayaan group. The Spratlys are among the most prized assets in the decades-long but increasingly hostile struggle for control of parts of the South China Sea. The sea has Read More …