Nissan launches new compact truck

 General
Feb 112015
 
Nissan launches new compact truck

2015 Nissan NP300 Navara. The unit will be available in Cebu this month, according to Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc., the only authorized local dealer.  (Contributed foto) NISSAN Philippines, Inc. (NPI) launched Monday the company’s all-new compact truck, the 2015 Nissan NP300 Navara. It will be available in Cebu this month, according to Nissan Cebu Distributors, Inc., the only authorized local dealer. The launch at Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila last Feb. 2 was the first such event among 180 countries worldwide that Nissan Motor Corp. held to introduce Nissan Navara commercially outside Japan. The 2015 Navarra combines toughness with attractive design and smart interior, an innovation in response to customers demand for comfort, modern styling and attention to details on top of durability, reliability and practical performance, the company said in a press statement. “Nissan has been innovating in the compact pick-up market since 1935. This is part of our history,” said Mamoro Aoki, executive design director of Nissan Motor Corp.of Japan. The Nissan NP300 Navara has a very solid vehicle structure with wider fender and big tires. “It’s fundamentally a tough car, but its design treatment is very dynamic and modern,” said Aoki. While Nissan engineers recognized that customers today demand comfort, they realized that comfort in any condition or situation is not easy. They had to test the Navara in various terrains and road conditions to develop what is now the NP300 model, the company said. NPI president and managing director Antonio Zara, meanwhile, said the interior of the Read More …

Purisima says it was advice, not order, he gave on Mamasapano operation

 Entertainment
Feb 112015
 
Purisima says it was advice, not order, he gave on Mamasapano operation

Taking their oath before speaking at the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano incident are PDDG. Leonardo Espina, Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine National Police, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Embattled former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima on Monday said it was advice, not order, he gave to the Special Action Force in connection with the January 25 Mamasapano operation that left 44 elite policemen dead. “During my preventive suspension, I did not give any order,” he told the Senate committee on public order, which was investigating the incident. “I just [gave] advice, not as a directive or order.” In a more direct statement, he said: “I have no role in that operation.” Purisima added that he did not know that the operation In Mamasapano, to be executed by SAF member, proceeded on January 25. “I did not know that the PNP-SAF jumped off already,” he said. Purisima, who tendered his resignation in the aftermath of the incident, was accused of masterminding the operation despite his suspension as PNP chief in connection with allegations of corruption. However, former PNP-SAF head P/Dir. Getulio Napeñas Jr. said that he received a text on January 19 from Purisima asking if the operation, designed to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, would proceed. Napeñas said his response was: “Plan is a go on the timeline January 23 to 26.” When asked by Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona Read More …

Napeñas: Info says Marwan planned to bomb Pope Francis’ convoy

 Entertainment
Feb 112015
 
Napeñas: Info says Marwan planned to bomb Pope Francis’ convoy

Philippine National Police Special Action Force Chief Supt. Getulio Napenas, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chairperson of the Government Peace Negotiating Panel for talks with the MILF, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Sec. Teresita Quintos Deles and Former Agriculture Secretary and member of the Peace panel Senen Bacani take their oath during the hearing on the Mamasapano incident where 44 members of the PNP SAF were killed.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan had planned to bomb the convoy of Pope Francis during the pontiff’s visit to the Philippines last month, a police official said Monday. In his speech during the Senate hearing on the January 25 Mamasapano clash, relieved Special Action Force (SAF) director Getulio Napeñas said they received “unconfirmed” information that the Jemaah Islamiyah, in coordination with Marwan, was planning to device a bomb that will be detonated as the papal convoy drove from T.M Kalaw Street in Manila on Jan 18, 2015. “These reports were not confirmed and neither admitted nor denied by the Philippine National Police, but the fact, however, remains that there exist this information,” he said. Reached for comments, military spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla Jr. said they also received information on Marwan’s supposed plan to bomb the papal convoy during his visit in the Philippines last month. “We got wind of this piece of info but this was unverified and unconfirmed information,” Padilla said. He also said that the security plan on the papal visit was adjusted to ensure the Read More …

Chiz puzzled why MILF took seven hours to enforce ceasefire

 Entertainment
Feb 112015
 
Chiz puzzled why MILF took seven hours to enforce ceasefire

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas speaks with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano incident. (MNS photo) Senator Chiz Escudero said he was puzzled why it took the Moro National Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) about six to seven hours to order its combatants to stop firing at the elite police force despite having knowledge that these were government troopers. Escudero raised this observation at the Senate hearing conducted earlier today by the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs with the Committees on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, and the Committee on Finance, to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the January 25 Mamasapano clash that killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and injured about over dozen others. During the Senate investigation, Rashid Ladiasan, head secretariat of the MILF’s Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), said that they received the information about the clashes between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.. Reports, however, showed that MILF fighters stopped firing past noon that day. At this point, Escudero asked: “Why did it take six to seven hours before the MILF instructed their men to stop firing? They only stopped when everyone was dead.” “We have an ongoing peace talks, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front already knew that the troops they were firing at were from the government. Why didn’t they stop firing?” Escudero pointed out. According to Ladiasan, lack of coordination and communication constrained the MILF from immediately carrying out a ceasefire. The senator also asked Read More …

AFP aids Muslim group despite bloody clash

 Entertainment
Feb 112015
 
AFP aids Muslim group despite bloody clash

Mourners take part in a memorial for the victims of the Mamasapano encounter in front of the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Quezon City Tuesday. The groups demand truth and accountability from those involved in the bloody clash, which resulted in the death of 44 PNP-SAF officers, 18 Moro rebels, and 7 civilians. (MNS photo) Manila, Philippines | AFP |  – Philippine soldiers rescued members of a Muslim armed group from rival extremists despite frayed ties over the killing of 44 policemen last month, a military report said Sunday. Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is engaged in a peace process with the government, were besieged by the rival Abu Sayyaf group in the troubled island of Basilan on Saturday, requiring military intervention, said a statement from the regional military command. “Three platoons… along with armoured vehicles together with some members of MILF in the area… proceeded to the encounter site to reinforce the beleaguered MILF members who were engaged in the firefight,” the statement said. One wounded MILF fighter was evacuated by the soldiers who later overran an Abu Sayyaf camp and are believed to have killed one Abu Sayyaf leader, the report added. MILF members and other Muslim fighters ambushed and killed 44 police commandos while they were on an anti-terror operation in the southern island of Mindanao on January 25. The incident violated a ceasefire between the government and the MILF and threatened President Benigno Aquino’s efforts to complete a peace process which would create Read More …

Piolo admits problems with son Inigo

 General
Feb 112015
 
Piolo admits problems with son Inigo

Piolo Pascual (MNS Photo) Actor Piolo Pascual admitted that he is now having difficulties spending time with son, Inigo who is now very busy with his own showbiz commitments. “Akala ko nga mas madali ngayon. I just realized na mas naging busy pa siya sa akin. So parang mas nadagdagan pa ‘yung problema namin. Kasi we hardly have time for each other,” Pascual said. “Now, I have to consult his manager kung kailan siya pwede bigyan ng day-off para ako naman ang makapagpa-adjust doon so mas mahirap,” added Pascual, who quickly stressed that he fully supports his son’s decision to join the entertainment industry. Inigo Pascual (MNS Photo) On the plus side, the actor said his son is now earning his own money. “So hindi ko na kailangang problemahin ‘yon,” the “Hawak Kamay” star said. “The least I can do is to guide him, be there, support him. Kasi hindi nga madali, pero kung nagsisisi ako? Hindi siguro. I’m happy because he is with Star Magic, Cornerstone and with ABS-CBN.” The actor stressed that he keeps on reminding his son that his priority should still be his studies. “I reminded him just make sure,’” he said. Inigo is set to do a movie for Star Cinema, as well as an episode for “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” (MNS)

Philippine police say rebels finished off wounded commandos

 General
Feb 112015
 
Philippine police say rebels finished off wounded commandos

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine police chief, holding back tears, said Wednesday that Muslim rebels shot to death some of his anti-terror commandos as they lay wounded in a fierce gunbattle last month that has stalled the government’s peace deal with the insurgents. Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina told a congressional hearing that the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, which signed a peace deal with the government last year, should explain why its insurgents committed the “overkill” that left 44 of his men dead in the Jan. 25 gunbattle. Espina struggled not to cry as he spoke during the nationally televised House of Representatives inquiry into the deaths of the elite policemen, killed during a secret search mission in the marshy outskirts of southern Mamasapano town. The commander of the slain policemen, Getulio Napenas Jr., since relieved of his job, approached Espina to console him and openly wept over the combat deaths that followed the killing of one of Southeast Asia’s most-wanted terror suspects, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan. “My men were very much alive, but you did not let them return home to be with their children,” Espina said, pausing as he struggled to control his emotions. “What is this overkill that you did to my men?” Espina said he was unable to sleep after reading a medical report that indicated three of his men were still alive with gunshot wounds in the feet when two were shot at close range in the head. Gunmen removed the Read More …

Manila Cathedral snow sculpture in Japan wows tourists

 News
Feb 102015
 
Manila Cathedral snow sculpture in Japan wows tourists

The snow sculpture of the Manila Cathedral towers over guests at the 66th Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan. SCREENGRAB SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL WEBSITE MANILA, Philippines — A large snow sculpture of the historic Manila Cathedral wowed tourists at the annual Sapporo Snow Festival (SSF) in Hokkaido, Japan. The 13-meter ice replica of the Manila Cathedral was designed and sponsored by the Japanese media firm Hokkaido Broadcasting Co. (HBC). “The Cathedral withstood numerous calamities including typhoons, fire, earthquakes, and wars, and is a symbol of the resilience of Filipino faith,” HBC said in statement. “The intricate designs and decors of this Neo-Romanesque structure contributes in making the Manila Cathedral as one of the most-prized edifice of the Filipino Christian heritage,” HBC added. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. in a Twitter post said it was an “honor” for the Philippines to be part of Japan’s snow festival. “First time ever! Ice replica Manila Cathedral at Sapporo Snow Festival. What an honor. Mabuhay!” Jimenez posted. The snow festival opened last February 5 and will run up to February 11. The Manila Cathedral, built in 1581, has been damaged and destroyed several times by fire, earthquake and by war but has been repeatedly rebuilt. The current cathedral building was built in 1958. It was closed for renovation in 2012 to make it withstand earthquakes. It was reopened in 2014 after completion of the renovation. RELATED STORIES The Manila Cathedral, like Pope Francis, has humble start Brighter, tougher Manila Cathedral Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on Read More …

Filipino nurse from Saudi has deadly MERS-CoV—DOH

 News
Feb 102015
 
Filipino nurse from Saudi has deadly MERS-CoV—DOH

popular 5.7 quake rattles Eastern Samar ‘BBL won’t pass if vote is taken now’ Dating and the single dad Man in 8 QC heists sought SAF survivors say ‘only God came to help’ Family of slain SAF to get free housing from NHA Globalport routs ailing Alaska Should I buy a brand-new or a second-hand car? videos Purisima asked: Don’t you trust Roxas, Espina? Napeñas quizzed on US knowledge of role in Mamasapano operation Can the MILF still be trusted? Napeñas had ‘no sense of urgency’ during Mamasapano clash—military exec Honasan hits PNP, AFP for relying on SMS at height of Mamasapano battle Passengers walk past a thermal scanner at the medical quarantine area at the arrival section of Manila’s International Airport in Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — An overseas Filipino worker from Saudi Arabia has tested positive for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-COV), a radio report said Wednesday. The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a 32-year old Filipina nurse was infected with the virus and was confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City, radio dzMM said in a report. RELATED STORIES Filipina nurse from Negros Occidental dies of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia Filipino envoys meet over MERS-CoV Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps: Tags: Department of Health disease DOH MERS-CoV OFW Saudi Arabia virus Related Stories: Australia investigates ‘paedophile’ father in Thai baby scandal Bangladesh ferry owner Read More …

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