Maniolas

Piolo Pascual (MNS Photo) Actor Piolo Pascual said he is open to the idea of doing a movie with Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo. “Definitely. She is one of the few na gusto kong makasama but nagkasunud-sunod sila ni Lloydie,” he said, referring to Geronimo’s movies with John Lloyd Cruz. In a previous interview, Geronimo said that she dreams of working with Pascual. Despite his willingness to work with Geronimo, however, Pascual admitted that it will be hard for him to shoot a film while doing “Hawak Kamay”. “It’s hard kasi hindi pa kami nage-ere eh everyday taping na kami. So I don’t think I will be able to devote time kung pagsasabayin ‘yun,” he said. Pascual said that he is set to do two movies, one of them with Toni Gonzaga, his leading lady in “Starting Over Again”. “Sabi sa Star Cinema, there’s going to be one movie before I do another [with] Toni. So it still depends kasi we are taping four times a week for the soap. I will concentrate on this one first bago ko isipin ang pelikula,” he said. Meanwhile, Piolo vowed that he will end his career in ABS-CBN. Pascual said staying with ABS-CBN is the greatest gift that he could give to the network. “I think ang pinakamagandang regalo na maibibigay ko sa ABS-CBN – and you can quote me on this – is that I started with ABS-CBN and I will end my career in ABS-CBN,” he said. (MNS)

http://images.gmanews.tv/ WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Filipino Community in the United States will now be able to listen to daily news updates from GMA Network, one of the largest broadcasters in the Philippines, as part of a public diplomacy initiative being undertaken by the Philippine Embassy in cooperation with AudioNow, the world’s leading call-to-listen platform. The Embassy announced today that as part of its efforts to better serve the diaspora, it was able to convince GMA’s premier radio station, DZBB, to offer US-based Filipinos daily five-minute news headlines on any phone through a simple telephone call. In a statement, the Embassy said GMA Network joins other industry leaders, such as Veritas 846 AM, the Catholic Media Network, and the People’s Television Network, as a part of a public diplomacy initiative to serve the Philippine diaspora in the US with greater access to media. The pioneering initiative also features Radyo Tambuli, a virtual radio station created by the Embassy exclusively for the Filipino Community that broadcasts news, interviews, folk music and opinion polls. “We applaud GMA’s initiative to join in our efforts with other leading Filipino broadcasters to serve the diaspora. This is another great step towards a digital public diplomacy for the Embassy,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. GMA’s flagship AM radio station DZBB, established in 1950 in a small office space in Manila, has become one of the most awarded radio stations in the Philippines by the Association of Broadcasters in the Philippines (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas), and serves Read More …

Senator Chiz Escudero, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, delivers a privilege speech on the 2014 General Appropriations Bill, Tuesday morning. According to Escudero, the 2014 budget proposal, which includes funds for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction programs and projects in the amount of P70 billion, will also include specific funding for the rehabilitation of the Visayas on top of the existing calamity fund to be sourced from items which can be postponed in the 2014 national budget. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The timing of the House investigation may be dubious, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Supreme Court still owes the public an explanation on how it utilizes the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF), a senator said Thursday. “Wala namang above the law,” said Senator Francis Escudero at a news forum at the Senate. “The issues and the principles of accountability and transparency apply to all, even to SC, even to the chief justice, as it does with the President and all of us.” Still, he believes it was “bad timing” for the House of Representatives to investigate the JDF following the SC’s unfavorable ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which are both discretionary funds. “Hindi ko maikakaila parang napakasama ng timing at talagang mukhang resbak yan lalo na yung imbestigasyon sa JDF,” he said. Escudero, however, refused to comment on the plan of Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas to file an impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Read More …

The Blue Fairy (played by Liesl Batucan) visits Pinocchio (Noel Comia) in Rep’s Theater for Young Audiences’ production of Pinocchio, which opens on Aug. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at Onstage Theater in Greenbelt One. PHOTOS BY JOJIT LORENZO One of my favorite quotes comes from an article on theater for children by Lauren Gunderson who, quoting Bill English of San Francisco’s SF Playhouse, wrote, “Theater is like a gym for empathy. It’s where we can go to build up the muscles of compassion, to practice listening and understanding and engaging with people that are not just like ourselves. We practice sitting down, paying attention and learning from other people’s actions. We practice caring.” This is what I love about theater. Learning comes so easily, affects deeply, and lasts a lifetime. To my mind, nothing gives such a clear understanding of human nature as theater does —“understanding and engaging with people that are not just like ourselves.”  And this is why I am passionate about theater for children. They need to learn to care.  We care for our children’s health. We see that they get their shots, their vitamins, their check-ups, that they get enough sunshine and exercise and that they eat the right food. We try to give them the best schooling possible. But sometimes we overlook how vulnerable and sensitive children’s minds are and that there is another part of their brain that needs care and feeding, too. Our children are made to grow up too fast. Electronic devices, Read More …

Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa’s Presidential Villa offers top-of-the-line luxury plus a viewdeck with an infinity pool merging with the Bohol Sea. Ahh, R&Rs. While I accept and love being MetroManileño through and through, from cradle to likely grave, like most of you of course my long tooth gnashes itself, all by itself, whenever confronted with insufferable traffic. Especially when this is largely caused by the left hand of government challenging the right hand to a wrestling match. As has been the case of late, given the eyeball contest between the MMDA and LTFRB. Oh, that last agency happens to also fall under the DOTC, yes. So what’s with the DOTC, when most of the complaints that have mounted against government service appear to involve this humongous, powerful agency — which seems to be ever mired in a bog of analysis-paralysis? Our terrible airport terminals. The MRT. The LRT-MRT connection desideratum. The continuing deficiency with regard LTO’s issuance of vehicle plates sans that extra process of meting out conduction stickers — which are of course produced for a fee. And the LTO/DOTC heads have the gall to say they’ll soon issue a “No Plate No Travel” edict, because they say the prob is that vehicle owners and distributors don’t get the plates when so many are ready already? And now the LTFRB releases 8,000 colorum vehicles on our congested avenues and streets? Jeez, it’s when I wish all the anti-PNoy voices would start to also choose the battles we really Read More …