Iya: I was a virgin until wedding to Drew

 Entertainment
Feb 022015
 
Iya: I was a virgin until wedding to Drew

Iya Villania (MNS Photo) Iya Villania and Drew Arellano did not have sex during their 10-year relationship, until they got married in February 2014, according to the actress-host. Villania, 28, talked about her stand on pre-marital sex as she addressed a recent comment she made on her long-time friend Nikki Gil’s Instagram page, defending the actress-singer against those questioning her virginity. Gil, who was in five-year relationship with TV host Billy Crawford until July 2013, has said she made a vow not to have sex until marriage. At the time, Gil’s stand was speculated as one of the reasons behind the breakup. “I know how it feels,” Villania said, referring to being accused of lying about her virginity. “I know it’s unfair that despite her claims, parang she was being accused pa of being a liar. I mean, it’s really up to someone to tell the world about it or not. But you know, I don’t think it’s fair that she was being accused pa of lying.” Referring to not having sex before marriage, Villania added, “I do believe in that. You know, I don’t look down upon other girls who practice it [pre-marital sex]. It doesn’t make you less of a person. Kanya-kanya namang values ‘yan, e. “But, personally, I do believe that one should not practice pre-marital sex.” Asked to confirm whether this was the case with her and Arellano, Villania laughed as she said, “Yes! Doon ko naman na-confirm na mahal niya talaga ako.” “He was very Read More …

Palace bids to double efforts to regain PHL’s economic glory

 Entertainment
Feb 022015
 
Palace bids to double efforts to regain PHL’s economic glory

President Benigno Aquino III declared the National day of Mourning for the PNP Special Action Forces that was killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao during his message held at the President hall in Malacanang.(MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Thursday vowed sustained efforts to further buoy the domestic economy following its recovery in the fourth quarter of 2014. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) reported that growth in the last quarter of last year grew by 6.9 percent, better than the previous quarter’s 5.3 percent and year-ago’s 6.3 percent. This brought the full-year output, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), to 6.1 percent, which on the other hand is lower than the government’s full-year target of 6.5-7.5 percent. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, in a statement, cited the NEDA report saying expansion of the domestic economy in the last quarter of last year is the third in Asia after China and Vietnam while the full-year output is second after China, the world’s second largest economy. Contributing to this growth are the robust performance of the services, industry and agriculture sectors. ”The welcome news about our economic expansion once more reaffirms the resounding truth that good governance is good economics,” Lacierda said. The Palace official explained that amidst the challenges in most of last year “our economy has shown remarkable resilience and continues to accelerate at a pace that demonstrates that reform works.” ”It is with this drive toward equitable, meaningful growth that we will work hand in hand with our Read More …

Board of Inquiry on Mamasapano clash takes testimonies of nearly 300 witnesses

 News
Feb 022015
 
Board of Inquiry on Mamasapano clash takes testimonies of nearly 300 witnesses

Mar offers sympathy to families of slain SAF men in Baguio. At the Church of the Resurrection in Baguio on Monday, February 2, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas II consoles with Janet Carap, widow of PNP-SAF PO2 Peterson Carap, a Cordillera native and one of the 44 elite police commandos killed in the infamous January 25 Mamasapano clash. Carap asked Roxas to speed up the investigation and resolution to the ongoing probe on the police operation. Dave Leprozo The PNP’s Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigating the Mamasapano clash has documented nearly 300 eyewitness accounts from government troops and civilians, the panel chairman said in a statement Monday. Director Benjamin Magalong, the chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the investigators has taken a total of 286 sworn statements mostly from officers and personnel of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) who took part in the operation, Armed Forces of the Philippines key officers and personnel in central Mindanao, and some civilian witnesses. Forty-four police officers from the elite PNP-SAF were killed during the 11-hour firefight with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Sunday. Authorities said 392 PNP-SAF members were involved in the operation to capture suspected terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, an alleged member of the dreaded Jemaah Islamiya. The BOI expects to get statements from at least 420 individuals to complete its investigation, Magalong said. Members of the panel are police director Read More …

‘New York Pinoy Eat’

 Entertainment
Feb 022015
 
‘New York Pinoy Eat’

New York – There’s a saying that goes, ‘You can take the Filipinos out the Philippines; but never the Philippines out of the Filipinos.’ And I guess that’s why even in the freezing cold, 8,593 miles from the Philippines, Pinoys in the Big Apple still love their dinuguan, sisig, kare-kare, adobo,  and pan de sal.  After all, that’s one of what I call the three F’s of Filipino culture – food. The other two are faith and family. “Masarap naman kasi talaga ang pagkain natin, lalo na kung lutong bahay,” said Melchor Evangelista, the man in the kitchen of Manhattan’s oldest Filipino restaurant, Grill 21. The 8-year old fixture in the Gramercy neighborhood of New York is understandably frequented by Filipinos craving Filipino dishes. According to the staff, garlic rice is a famous staple. In Tagalog, it’s “sinangag.” I tried it with the restaurant’s bestseller, their “sisig,” a dish made of pig snout, pig ears, liver and other innards, on a sizzling plate topped with fried egg. The Grill 21 version has “chicharon,” that’s one difference from other versions I’ve encountered. In the kitchen, the preparation of this beloved “pulutan” dish is also not common. sisig “We don’t take short cuts,”he said. “Sisig is the most difficult to cook. You have to boil the meats; then grill at hiwain nang pinung-pino. There’s a lot of steps and each step is all about timing. For instance, the meats can’t be over-boiled.” The result was a circus in my mouth. The meats Read More …

Ex-intel officer blames Aquino for bloodbath

 Entertainment
Feb 022015
 
Ex-intel officer blames Aquino for bloodbath

Mendoza: Purisima ran the show A policeman walks past flowers offered in memory of the slain members of the Special Action Force (SAF) at the Philippine National Police Headquarters gate in Quezon City Wednesday. Forty-four elite police officers were killed during the bloody encounter with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels Sunday, reportedly a “misencounter” with Muslim rebels after a lack of coordination by the PNP led by its chief, Gen. Alan Purisima (inset with President Benigno Aquino III, right). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – A top intelligence officer wants heads to roll for the bloody Maguindanao operation that left 44 police commandos dead. Former police chief superintendent Rodolfo “Boogie” Mendoza said President Aquino himself should be held accountable. “From the project sponsor to the coordinator, case officer and others who planned and designed that and most importantly even the President has the accountability,” he said. Mendoza is questioning why Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima continued to call the shots even after being suspended by the Ombudsman. “Gustong bumawi ni chief PNP against all those alleged backlash against him,” he said. “He is not only running the show, he is controlling the implementation of the project with the permission of the Executive Secretary and the President himself.” Mendoza also called the President’s defense of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa questionable. He refused to believe that Ochoa was not aware of the operation to capture Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Basit Usman. Ochoa is the anti-terrorism czar and the head of Read More …

Kin of MILF dead in Mamasapano also cries for justice, seeks explanations

 News
Feb 022015
 
Kin of MILF dead in Mamasapano also cries for justice, seeks explanations

It’s not only the families of the 44 fallen commandos of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force who are calling for justice. A pregnant widow of a slain fighter of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also wants answers and explanations on the Mamasapano clash that led to the death of her husband.  Rakhma Dagadas is the wife of Omar, one of the 18 members of the MILF 105th Base Command killed in the firefight against SAF commandoes on Jan. 25.  “Pareho rin kaming nawalan ng anak o asawa. Kaming lahat na namatayan ng asawa, nasasaktan din. Hindi lang sila, pati kami rin dito,” Dagadas said in a report on 24 Oras on Monday.  Dagadas is five months pregnant with their third child and first son.  “Hindi ko mapigilang umiyak ngayong naiisip ko lahat ng sinasabi nila. Excited siya kasi may anak na siya na lalaki kasi babae ‘yung anak namin na dalawa,” she added.  Othe residents of Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano who lost a kin during the clash are also mourning their loss.  MILF fighter’s story  One of the MILF survivors said that they tried to follow the ceasefire agreement.  It was around 5 a.m. of Jan. 25 when they heard that large tanks were posted near their area. From their houses near the highway, the MILF retreated and tried to cross the wooden bridge to the cornfield to avoid any firefight. But they didn’t know PNP-SAF members were already on the other side of the bridge.  The MILF fighter Read More …

TUCP seeks P136 minimum wage hike

 General
Feb 022015
 
TUCP seeks P136 minimum wage hike

— PISTON members, representing drivers and operators of public utility vehicles, march to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, urging justices to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the implementation of Joint Administrative Order no. 2014-01. The order imposes higher penalties for traffic violations, which the group finds unreasonable. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP) and the Trade Union Congress Party-list is seeking an P136 increase to the current P466 minimum wage for workers in Metro Manila. TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the current minimum wage can no longer sustain needs of a family, arguing that the real value of the peso has been eroded by 35 percent due to several factors including consumer price index, tuition fees, the recent Metro Rail Transit/Light Rail Transit fare hike, and the impending water and electricity rate increases. “The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only. It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor. Thus, we are asking the board to give a ‘living’ minimum wage. We particularly appeal to employers to grant our petition,” Tanjusay said. Rep. Raymond Mendoza, meanwhile, cited a “social discrepancy” between the country’s economic growth and wages of workers. “We have been experiencing growth in our economy but the workers who worked hard for it are wallowing in poverty. They have jobs and most are employed yet they Read More …

Bangsamoro law cannot abolish ARMM, says ex-solon

 News
Feb 022015
 
Bangsamoro law cannot abolish ARMM, says ex-solon

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) cannot be abolished by the proposed Bangsamoro law currently pending in Congress, a former lawmaker said Monday. Facing senators at a hearing, former House deputy speaker Pablo Garcia said ARMM, being a constitutionally created body, is the most formidable obstacle to the passage of proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the product of the final agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). “But the intended abolition of ARMM is easier said than done. It cannot be legally done at all. The ARMM being a Constitutional creation cannot be abolished,” said Garcia in his speech during the hearing of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes. He noted that Sec. 5 Article 12 of the proposed law mandates that ARMM should be abolished after the ratification of the BBL, as the two “have the same geographical areas and constitutional areas.” Garcia said the creation of ARMM, including its powers and functions, is in eight sections of the Constitution. “The BBL cannot repeal and nullify a mandate of the Constitution. It has been said that the spring cannot rise above its source… The manner of subdividing the Philippine cannot go out of existence except by Constitutional amendment,” he said. BBL unconstitutional Garcia said the “BBL is palpably and incorrigibly unconstitutional.” “I’d like to begin  by stating the inconvenient yet fundamental and compelling truth: unless and until the Constitution is amended or revised by the Filipino people, Congress cannot and Read More …

Longtime pals PNoy, Purisima at center of controversy over Mamasapano operation

 General
Feb 022015
 
Longtime pals PNoy, Purisima at center of controversy over Mamasapano operation

President Benigno Aquino III and suspended police chief Director General Alan Purisima are both at the center of controversy for the botched operation in Maguindanao last week, which left 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) dead. Aquino admitted last week that he tapped Purisima to explain the “intricacies” of the plan to arrest Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as “Commander Marwan,” which ultimately led to the deadly clash involving the PNP-SAF, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). This, despite being suspended as PNP chief since December because of a graft case. A Philippine Star report citing unnamed sources even identified Purisima as the one calling the shots during the operation. In contrast, acting PNP chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Aquino’s close ally, have both said they were unaware of the operation in Mamasapano town. Why did the President put his trust in a police official who was not even supposed to be performing his official duties for advice on this operation? Their longtime friendship may provide an explanation. ‘Invaluable’ connection In a speech after Purisima’s appointment to helm the PNP in December 2012, Aquino said he has an “invaluable” connection with the police official that dates back to 1987. Purisima was the commanding officer of the Presidential Group of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) at a time when the administration of President Aquino’s mother, Corazon, was being rocked by coup attempts. “Buhat noon, Read More …

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