Group prefers amending EPIRA to head off 2015 crisis than PNoy emergency power

 Entertainment
Jul 252014
 
Group prefers amending EPIRA to head off 2015 crisis than PNoy emergency power

President Benigno S. Aquino III, assisted by SACASOL’s chairman Jose Maria “Jomari” Zabaleta and president Jose Maria “Sech” Zabaleta, Jr., leads the Ceremonial Switch-on of the San Carlos Solar Energy, Inc. (SACASOL) Phase I during the Inauguration Ceremony at the San Carlos Ecozone in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Thursday (May 15, 2014). The SaCaSol project is a greenfield, stand alone solar farm that would supply daytime base load power to the local grid throughout the entire year. It is expected to have a total gross capacity of 22 MW to be developed in two phases: Phase 1 with 13 MW and Phase 2 with 9 MW. The solar farm will provide supplemental electricity to an area of short supply and increasing demand for power. Its goal is to harness sustainable power from our planet’s largest source of energy, the sun. The Project is committed to maintaining the environmental integrity of the surrounding area. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Amending provisions in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) and allowing government to build and run power plants once again is the better solution to a looming power crisis than giving President Benigno Aquino III  additional clout to deal with the situation. The People Opposed to Unwarranted Electricity Rates (POWER) said granting the President emergency powers to solve power crisis – as proposed by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla –  is part of the “quick fixes that will ultimately lead to higher prices of electricity without effectively Read More …

JV: Impeaching Aquino not good for PHL

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
JV: Impeaching Aquino not good for PHL

President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the singing of the Philippine National Anthem during the Inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria (City of Victory) in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday (July 21). Ciudad de Victoria is a 50-hectare tourism enterprise zone established by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) in time for its centennial celebration on Sunday (July 27). (MNS photo) MANILA, July 24 (Mabuhay) – An opposition senator believes impeaching President Aquino at this time would not be good for the country. Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, son of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, believes impeaching the President would be divisive and could damage political stability and the economy. Ejercito said lawmakers and various groups should allow Aquino to finish his term in hopes the administration would shape up for the remaining two years of his term. “Hayaan na nating tapusin ng pangulo ang dalawang taong naiiwan sa kanyang termino…But we’re hoping that the administration would shape up for the remaining two years,” he said. He said opposition senators have agreed not to support an impeachment process so as not to worsen divisiveness. President Aquino is facing several impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives. Two of the complaints have already received endorsement from members of the Lower House while another complaint is set to be filed today. Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the filing of impeachment complaints against President Aquino over the unconstitutional disbursement acceleration program (DAP) will not affect the President’s focus. Coloma acknowledged that impeachment is Read More …

Nancy Binay suspects political rivals behind plunder rap vs dad, brother

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
Nancy Binay suspects political rivals behind plunder rap vs dad, brother

Senator Nancy Binay meets with then Governor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr. in a publicly released photo shoot. Date 17 May 2011 (photo courtesy of www.commons.wikimedia.org) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senator Nancy Binay suspects that the people behind the filing of plunder charges against her brother and father might be allied with either the Liberal Party (LP) or the Nacionalista Party (NP). “Paulit-ulit naman ho naming sinasabi, this is all about 2016 (We’ve been saying that this is all about 2016),” she said, reacting to the case filed against her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and brother, Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay. The case filed at the Office of the Ombudsman Tuesday stemmed from an allegedly overpriced parking building in Makati City. Asked who could be the allies of their detractors in Makati, the senator said: “E ewan ko kung sino ba ang nag-aambisyon sa 2016. Marami naman hong gustong tumakbo sa 2016 so it can be anyone of them.” (I’m not sure who has political aspirations for 2016. There are many candidates who want to run in 2016 so it can be anyone of them) Pressed to identify the party of the local opponents of her brother, the senator said she did not know exactly the group but said it could be the NP or the LP. “NP or LP ho kasi ang alam ko sa local may koalisyon ang NP at LP dahil ang kapatid ko nga ho ay sa UNA tumakbo,” she said, referring to the United Nationalist Read More …

Coco bags three-peat at Yahoo! Celebrity Awards

 Entertainment
Jul 242014
 
Coco bags three-peat at Yahoo! Celebrity Awards

Coco Martin (MNS photo) Kapamilya stars, led by actors Coco Martin and Kim Chiu, dominated this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards held at the SM Mall of Asia. Chiu won the top two awards of the night—Celebrity of the Year and Actress of the Year – while Coco Martin bagged a rare three-peat, again winning Actor of the Year. The two were also onstage to receive the Teleserye of the Year award for their primetime television series “Ikaw Lamang,” which also stars Male Kontrabida of the Year Jake Cuenca. Kris Aquino and Vhong Navarro swept the hosting categories, while “Mirabella” star Julia Barretto and JC de Vera took home both the Emerging Star trophies. Child star Andrea Brillantes, along with “The Voice” coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Manalac, also won for the Kapamilya network in their respective categories. Kim Chiu (MNS Photo) Meanwhile, comedian Vice Ganda led the charge in the newly introduced categories, winning both the Social Media Star and Love Team of the Year award—the latter for his “It’s Showtime” tandem with Karylle. The poll-driven awards ceremony also named ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast “TV Patrol” as News Program of the Year, while the Padilla celebrities were named Family of the Year. Hosted by Robi Domingo and Maxene Magalona, the star-studded awards night featured performances by Gary Valenciano and son Gab, Sam Concepcion and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Spongecola, among others. Here’s the full list of winners at this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards: Actress of the Year: Kim Chiu Celebrity of the Read More …

Tornado kills two Fil-Am campers in Virginia

 News
Jul 242014
 
Tornado kills two Fil-Am campers in Virginia

Lolabeth Ortega and Lord Balatbat of Jersey City, New Jersey died in a tornado that hit a campground in Virginia. FACEBOOK PHOTO CAPE CHARLES, Va. — An F1 tornado toppled trees and flipped campers at a Virginia campground Thursday, killing two Filipino American campers and sending at least 33 more to area hospitals, officials said. The storm slammed into the Cherrystone Family Camping & RV Resort, which sits on 300 acres on the Chesapeake Bay in rural Northampton County. Virginia State Police Spokeswoman Corinne said in a press conference July 24,Thursday afternoon that a husband and wife, identified as Lord Balatbat and Lolabeth Ortega of Jersey City, New Jersey, were killed when a tree crushed their tent. Their son, who was in another nearby tent, was injured. The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Hospitals prepared for mass casualties, but they did not come. Injuries ranged from cuts to broken bones to life threatening, said Geller. “I love thunderstorms and I went out to see it,” said Albert Thorn, of Monroeville, New Jersey. “There was a wall of grey — wind and rain. It was coming through the trees right at us. By then, we shut the sliding door and it was pounding them windows like you couldn’t believe. You could hear people screaming before it even got to us.” When the tornado hit about 9 a.m., more than 1,300 people were at the campground which features swimming pools, mini-golf, pier fishing, crabbing and other activities. “All hell broke loose,” said Read More …

Xyza Bacani’s HK journey passed through SF

 News
Jul 242014
 
Xyza Bacani’s HK journey passed through SF

Xyza Bacani CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Documentary photographer Rick Rocamora doesn’t not even know how to pronounce her name. In fact, he and Xyza Bacani have yet to meet face-to-face, even though they’ve become key players in an inspiring story about Filipino photography that’s been drawing attention worldwide. Like many things nowadays, it began on Facebook. Rocamora, who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, was surfing the site when he found on a photography group’s page compelling pictures of street life in Hong Kong. He assumed at first that they had been taken by some rich Filipino kids based in Hong Kong. “Akala ko anak ng mayaman na nakatira sa Hong Kong na kuha lang ng kuha,” he told me. But when he reached Xyza via email, she initially gave vague answers on what she was doing in Hong Kong. She told him she was a “mentor.” Only later did she become comfortable enough to disclose that she was a domestic helper working for an affluent Chinese family. Rick understood her reluctance to be more open at first. “She didn’t know me.” Then there’s the stigma around being a domestic helper in a city like Hong Kong. But the fact that she was DH made her work even more impressive to Rick. She immediately reminded her of Vivian Maier, the celebrated American photographer who worked as a nanny in Chicago and whose photos of that city, Los Angeles and New York later won critical acclaim. It was Rocamora who led Read More …

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