CONGRESSMAN MANNY MISSING IN ACTION

 News
Feb 132015
 
CONGRESSMAN MANNY MISSING IN ACTION

BY LEANDRO MILAN – Manny Pacquiao, full-time professional boxer and part-time everything else (entertainer, Bible preacher, politician and basketball coach) has a number of rivals – among them Floyd Mayweather Jr. – for the distinct title “Best Pound-for-Pound Boxer.” Until the proposed mega fight with the unbeaten American boxer materializes, the Filipino boxing idol will have to settle for just being one of the best inside the ring. But Manny doesn’t have to fret for he has just been bestowed a new title all his own, albeit it’s for something he did – or more accurately, he did not do – outside the ring. Our sporting hero, who goes by the official government designation of Honorable Emmanuel Pacquiao, Congressman of Sarangani Province, has just been crowned “Top Absentee Member of the House of Representatives in 2014.” According to House records, the Gentleman from Sarangani showed up for work at the Lower House only four days last year. Coming in poor second is Negros Occidental Congressman Jules Ledesma (better known as the husband of actress Assunta de Rossi) who was marked “present” seven times in 2014. Unlike in regular work or school, the absentee solons did not get any pay cut or even a reprimand. There is no law or House rule that compels members to attend sessions and committee hearings, so Congress leadership is helpless in enforcing attendance. A boring day in Congress Last December former Senator Rene Saguisag, scandalized by the congressman’s wanton disregard for House rules and proper Read More …

Worst chocolates you should never give to anyone this Valentine's Day

 Entertainment
Feb 122015
 
Worst chocolates you should never give to anyone this Valentine's Day

Not all chocolates are pleasant, just like this chocolate-coated onion. Photo from Neatorama MANILA, Philippines – People who often give gifts always say that “it’s the thought that counts.” But in reality, that isn’t always the case. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to declare your passionate love for your special someone. So for those who are in a relationship, the hoopla and the pressure get worse as the 14th quickly approaches. Since there are just two days before the overrated holiday, now is probably the time to get going on that gift for your special someone. Experts say that you can never go wrong with chocolates, but here is something to refute their claim. These gifts are so cringeworthy, any girl who would receive any of these would crawl under a rock on February 13th and refuse to emerge until at least the 16th. Anus Chocolate Beef Jerky Chocolate Bugs Chocolate Onion Chocolate Peppers Chocolate Roses Chocolate Squid Chocolate Tabasco Chocolate Photo credits: Neatorama

US embassy in Manila closed on Feb. 16, 2015

 News
Feb 122015
 
US embassy in Manila closed on Feb. 16, 2015

popular Aquino claims responsibility for Mamasapano tragedy Resignation at what cost? Avoiding investment scams Palace: No effort to stop Cabinet members from testifying in probes Remembering Manila’s 30 days of terror Incompetent hunk grumbles against handsome colleague Palace clears Purisima: No PNP chain of command Vilma Santos, most successful Filipino actor of all time, receives NCCA award videos Inquirer Road to Cannes: Winners of Young Marketers Competition announced What did Mohagher Iqbal tell Leonardo Espina? ARMM governor turns emotional as Cayetano slams MILF’s ‘terrorist acts’ Iqbal: There’s need for independent investigation on Mamasapano incident Gazmin confirms coup reports amid outrage over Mamasapano clash MANILA, Philippines – The United States Embassy in Manila on Friday announced that its offices will be closed on February 16, 2015, Monday, in commemoration of Presidents’ Day. The Embassy and its affiliated offices will resume operations on February 17. Presidents’ Day is an American holiday which honors the past leaders of the US. It is observed every third Monday of February. “Until the mid-1970s, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War (1861-1865), was a holiday in most states,” the US Embassy said in a statement. It was in the 1970s that the US Congress institutionalized Presidents’ Day. Kristine Angeli Sabillo Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps: Tags: holiday President’s Day US Read More …

Mitsubishi expects robust sales of Strada in 2015; launch of new model set in March

 General
Feb 122015
 
Mitsubishi expects robust sales of Strada in 2015; launch of new model set in March

MANILA, Philippines–Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) expects to more than double the sales this year of its all new Strada pickup, which will be launched next month. MMPC vice president for marketing services Froilan Dytianquin confirmed the planned launch as parent firm, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Japan, had announced earlier this week the rollout of the all-new Triton pickup truck from its assembly facility in Thailand. In the Philippines, the Triton is marketed as the Strada. “(The all-new Strada) was actually introduced first in Thailand and we are the first left-hand drive market to launch it since our pick-up sales volume comes after Thailand and Indonesia,” Dytianquin said Thursday in a text message. “We are looking at selling around 7,000 units this year. Last year, we sold around 3,000 units of the Strada,” he added. In a separate statement, MMC said this model, considered one of the company’s best-selling nameplates, had been developed to be the “ultimate sport utility truck, combining comfortable interior space of a passenger car with the functionality and reliability of a pickup.” The all-new Triton went on sale in Thailand in November 2014, and MMC plans to roll out the all-new Triton starting in the Philippines, then sequentially in the Asean, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Latin America, and eventually will be exported to some 150 countries. MMPC is expected to launch two other models this year, as it moves to strengthen its hold on the automotive market. The company forecasted sales to increase Read More …

Filipina faces several fraud charges in Canada

 News
Feb 122015
 
Filipina faces several fraud charges in Canada

TORONTO, Canada – A Filipino woman in this city has been charged with immigration fraud that preyed on the Filipino community, the Toronto Police Service reports. Police allege more than 500 people from six different countries may have been defrauded by GoWest Jobs International of a total of more than $1.5 million. GoWestJobs is a recruiting agency. The police probe investigation began in October. Workers were allegedly recruited from other countries for jobs in Canada. A large number of Filipinos were among the applicants. GoWest asked for payment for documents, references and employment contracts. According to police, the applications were submitted to the government agency in the applicant’s home country. Applicants’ entry to Canada, however, was denied because the documents submitted on their behalf were allegedly fraudulent. The applicants were banned from re-applying for two years. Imelda Fronda Saluma, 46, of Toronto has been charged with 11 counts of fraud over $5,000, nine counts of pass off wares/services, eight counts of fraud under $5,000, nine counts of obtaining money by false pretense, and one count each of making a false statement to procure a discount and making a document without authority. Anyone with information is asked to call Toronto police at 416-808-3100, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3100, Toronto Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the Read More …

US Navy intel officer says China gearing for war

 News
Feb 122015
 
US Navy intel officer says China gearing for war

SAN FRANCISCO — China is flexing its muscles and preparing for military conflict in Asia, the outgoing intelligence chief of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet recently warned. The warning came amid Beijing’s feverish reclamation efforts in disputed reefs and islets in the South China Sea that analysts said could be converted into naval and air force bases to project its military might and dominate China’s smaller neighbors. “The strategic trend lines indicate the Communist Party of China is not only ‘rejuvenating’ itself for internal stability purposes, but has been and continues to prepare to use military force,” Navy Capt. James E. Fanell said during a speech January 31 before more than 100 guests, including several admirals, at Pearl Harbor. The straight-shooting intelligence officer, who is retiring after more than 28 years in the Navy, said it would be unwise for the United States to ignore or paper over the warning signs of China’s increasingly aggressive behavior. “…[L]et’s not deceive ourselves. The evidence I’ve been chewing on over the past 15 years is overwhelming,” Fanell said in a blunt warning first reported by the Washington Beacon. “Beijing has prepared for military action and [Chinese] President Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ has a defined timeline to reach this ‘rejuvenated’ end state.” Fannel urged his fellow intelligence officials to present honest assessments of the danger posed by China’s growing military power, an oblique reference to what officials consider as numerous U.S. intelligence failures in assessing China’s military build up over the last few decades. ‘Tell the Read More …

Cell phone thefts down sharply in SF, NY, London due to kill switches

 General
Feb 122015
 
Cell phone thefts down sharply in SF, NY, London due to kill switches

FILE PHOTO NEW YORK – New crime data shows that smartphone thefts and robberies have declined dramatically in New York City, London and San Francisco since the wireless industry began to implement “kill switches” on their devices. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, London Mayor Boris Johnson and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón released the data. The three co-chair the Secure Our Smartphones (SOS) Initiative, an international partnership of law-enforcement agencies, elected officials and consumer advocates formed in June 2013 to tackle the violent crime wave of smartphone thefts. The SOS Initiative called on the smartphone industry to adopt kill switch technology as a theft deterrent. The crime data released shows the effectiveness of the strategy of putting pressure on private industry to implement existing technology that removes incentives to steal a smartphone is working to reduce crime and protect wireless consumers. After SOS called on the industry to adopt a kill switch, Apple introduced Activation Lock in September 2013.  While initially an opt-in solution, there has been a steady downward trend in thefts targeting smartphones since the implementation of this technology. From January 2013 to December 2014, New York City’s Police Department recorded a 16 percent overall drop in cell phone robberies, including a 25 percent drop in iPhone robberies—the first phone to adopt a kill switch. During that same time period, San Francisco recorded a 27 percent overall drop in cell phone robberies, and a 40 percent decrease in iPhone robberies. London has recorded a similar decline in Read More …

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