For Sharon, there’s no place like home

 Entertainment
Mar 112015
 
For Sharon, there’s no place like home

Sharon Cuneta (MNS photo)  “I just don’t belong anywhere else.” These were the exact words of Sharon Cuneta after she was welcomed back by ABS-CBN executives on Monday for her contract signing with the Kapamilya network. Cuneta left ABS-CBN more than three years ago when she transferred to the No. 3 network TV5. Last year, however, she shocked the entertainment business when she decided to end her lucrative contract with TV5 and return to what she considers her “only home.” “There are no words to describe how happy I am. It’s overwhelmingly wonderful. Alam mo ‘yung pagpasok mo pa lang, ‘Hay nakauwi na rin.’ Parang nagbakasyon lang. Pag-uwi, walang nagbago sa pagtingin ng mga kapamilya mo,” she said. According to Cuneta, she was like a “fish out of water” when she left ABS-CBN. “I can’t say I regret [transferring to TV5] 100% percent because I made friends naman with the other station. Pero parang fish na out of water, tapos pagpasok ko dito, I’m breathing again normally. I really feel na I really don’t belong anywhere else but here,” she said. The veteran actress admitted it was very touching that the ABS-CBN bosses, with whom she had several secret meetings after decided to leave TV5, did not even ask a single question when she expressed her desire to come back. “We never naman lost touch but not once did we ever talk about work. Pero si Tita Charo (Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN president and CEO) was one of the first to know Read More …

You reap what you sow

 Entertainment
Mar 112015
 
You reap what you sow

Recently, various labor groups congregated at the historic Mendiola bridge to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the “Mendiola Massacre,” with the hope of getting justice for the families of the slain farmers. It you may recall, on January 22, 1987, police and military personnel, on orders reportedly emanating from Malacañang, violently dispersed a farmers’ march at Mendiola bridge. The incident left 13 protesting farm workers dead while 20 others were injured, some of them critically, when police and military personnel opened fire on the marchers. After nearly three decades, not even one police or military personnel involved in the shooting has been prosecuted or charged in court. The massacre took place during the early administration of the late President Cory Aquino, mother of current Philippine President Noynoy Aquino. Farmers hold a noise barrage in front of Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City on Tuesday to clamor for the passage of agrarian reform bills pending in Congress. 81 Catholic bishops signed a petition on Monday appealing to President Aquino and congress to pass the bills. (MNS Photo) In the recent rally, instead of getting even a semblance of sympathy from the government, the grieving families of the slain farmers were instead rebuked by Malacanang officials, stating that President Noynoy is not accountable for the deaths of farmers demanding agrarian reforms during the term of his mother. Many farmers have lost or sacrificed their lives with the hope of achieving their elusive dream of owning the land they have been promised Read More …

Fewer crime victims in Q4 2014, but fear still high – SWS poll

 Entertainment
Mar 112015
 
Fewer crime victims in Q4 2014, but fear still high – SWS poll

Women, students and activists perform the One Billion Rising dance in celebration of the International Women’s Month at the Bonifacio Shrine in Manila. One Billion Rising is a global movement first held in 2012 to address issues on rape and sexual violence against women. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Fewer Filipinos were victims of crimes in the last quarter of 2014, but fear of being victimized remained high, according to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations. The SWS poll found that 6.7 percent of respondents, equivalent to four million families, said that either they or their kin were victims of common crimes involving property or violence. In the third quarter, 7.9 percent or 4.7 million families said they were crime victims. Also in the fourth quarter, there was an average of 12 crimes for every 10 victimized families Meanwhile, the average common crime victimization rate for 2014 was 7.5 percent, a new annual record low. The previous record low was set in 2013, at 8.5 percent. The SWS pointed out that victimization by any common crime has been at single-digit levels since March 2012, except in March 2013 when it was at 10.5 percent. The figure was at its lowest in June 2014  at 6.5 percent. A breakdown of the most common crimes finds and that: Some five percent (about three million families) said they were victimized by pickpockets in the past six months, down from the 5.5 percent (estimated 3.3 million) in the third quarter. The 2014 Read More …

Palace seeks legal opinion on Purisima puzzle

 Entertainment
Mar 112015
 
Palace seeks legal opinion on Purisima puzzle

Members of women’s group Gabriela join religious and civil society organizations in forming a human chain along E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City on Friday to commemorate the 40 days of the Mamasapano incident. The activity was one of several events calling for peace in Mindanao. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The President has asked his legal team to study how to deal with having to appoint a Philippine National Police (PNP) chief even while a four-star general is still on active duty in the police organization. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President is aware that the PNP chief has to have four stars but there can only be one four-star general at a time. “Normally, when a person is appointed, nae-elevate siya to the position and the rank especially in the rank. Pero ang problema ho ngayon, the position is vacant but the rank is not so that has to be looked into as well,” Valte said. Director General Alan Purisima has resigned as chief of the PNP following the Mamasapano incident. He, however, has not yet retired or left service. “Matagal na hong pinapatingnan din ng Pangulo ‘yan. Remember the former chief of the PNP is retiring November pa of this year. So, yes, that is an issue that is being studied,” Valte said. Asked if the President would appoint an officer-in-charge instead, she said, “The President is quite aware of the urgencies of appointing a chief PNP.” The Palace also assuaged fears that Aquino will Read More …

APEC business leaders pushing for infrastructure financing alternatives

 General
Mar 112015
 
APEC business leaders pushing for infrastructure financing alternatives

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015 kick-off ceremony at The Eye Ballroom of the Green Sun Hotel in Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City on Monday night (December 01). (MNS photo) TAGAYTAY CITY (Mabuhay) – Asia-Pacific business leaders are pushing for alternative ways of financing long-term infrastructure investments in the region, including tapping the capital markets. Dr. Julius Caesar Parrenas, a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), said APEC member economies do not have enough financing particularly for long-term infrastructure projects. “Most regions really depend on the banking sector; banks get very short term, medium term funds…They need insurance companies, the pension funds to really develop and to invest in infrastructures,” he said in a press briefing on the sidelines of APEC meetings here. Parrenas thus underscored the importance of the development of the capital markets. He noted that the region is still very much dependent on the banking sector as a source of financing, while more advanced markets have more diversity. “You have the bond market, the debt market and then you have the equity market. So that if there is a crisis in one of them, then the others can step in to provide the financing and keep the economy going,” he added. Parrenas said that institutional investors like insurance companies and pension funds park their money in the capital markets in order to invest in the long-term projects like infrastructure. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Read More …

Malaysia, Philippines defense chiefs meet to strengthen bilateral ties

 News
Mar 112015
 
Malaysia, Philippines defense chiefs meet to strengthen bilateral ties

MANILA, Philippines—The defense chiefs of Malaysia and Philippines met on Wednesday at Camp Aguinaldo to strengthen bilateral ties and to discuss the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and other issues. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Minister Defense of Malaysia YB Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein exchanged views on regional and global security challenges and committed to strengthen defense cooperation between the Philippines and Malaysia, the Department of National Defense said in a statement. The two defense ministers met amid China’s aggressiveness in the disputed waters. Both are claimants to the resource-rich West Philippine Sea, including China, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. “At the meeting, the two ministers reaffirmed the importance of promoting peace, security and stability, maritime security, unimpeded trade and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea,” the statement said. Both sides agreed that disputes in the West Philippine Sea should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Malaysian defense minister also invited Gazmin to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting and the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition on March 15-16 and 17-21 in Malaysia. The two countries also expressed concern over the terroristic attacks of Islamic State and other extremist groups Iraq and Syria. They also agreed to strengthen mutually beneficial efforts to enhance disaster risk reduction and disaster response, the statements said. Both countries also encouraged their respective militaries to pursue more opportunities for engagement in Read More …

Qatar OFWs bound, burned, beaten into confessing crime

 News
Mar 112015
 
Qatar OFWs bound, burned, beaten into confessing crime

Department of Foreign Affairs building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Three Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) convicted of espionage in Qatar back in April 2014 had been bound, burned and beaten to force them to confess to the charges, an international human rights group said. Amnesty International (AI) questioned the verdict of a lower court in Qatar last April 30, 2014, after they have received information that one of them was “repeatedly tortured” to make him confess to the allegations. The 48-year-old OFW, identified as “Ronaldo,” was working as a civilian technician at the Qatar Air Force Base when he was arrested in Doha in April 2010 for allegedly selling confidential information. Ronaldo and another were sentenced to life imprisonment while the other one was sentenced to death. BACKSTORY: Filipino meted out death in Qatar for espionage “(Ronaldo) endured repeated bouts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment for the first eight months of his detention in the state security prison,” AI said in a statement. “During two interrogation sessions he was burned with cigarettes on his back and legs, stripped naked and forced to crawl around on the floor until his knees bled, and was frequently punched and slapped,” it said. Ronaldo was made to spend four years in solitary confinement and was only allowed out of his cell two or three times a week for 15 minutes at a time. He was also not permitted to go outdoors, AI said. “During his time in detention he was also held Read More …

Filipino owner of SF Bay Area care home arrested for elder abuse

 News
Mar 102015
 
Filipino owner of SF Bay Area care home arrested for elder abuse

Elder abuse suspect Herminigilda Manuel’s Valley Manor care home in Castro Valley, California. SFGATE PHOTO SAN FRANCIS CO — The Filipina owner and the administrator of a Castro Valley assisted-living facility were each charged March 19 with 14 felony counts of elder abuse, which could send them to prison if they’re found guilty. The charges were filed in Alameda County Superior Court against Herminigilda “Hilda” Manuel, 58, who owned the failed Valley Manor care home, and administrator Edgar Babael, reported SFGate.com/San Francisco Chronicle. Manuel had been in trouble with authorities for the way she ran her assisted living facilities. If convicted, Manuel and Babael face up to 17 years in prison and fines of up to $6,000 per count. The charges were the result of a joint investigation by the state Department of Justice, the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse and the sheriff’s office. In 2013 the San Francisco Bay Area was shocked when 14 sick and elderly residents were abandoned in the care home, and a few workers volunteered to take care of the patients without pay. The case led lawmakers to tighten California’s oversight of residential care homes. Manuel and Babael are accused of walking out of the home on Apricot Way on October 24, 2013, after the state ordered it closed. Inside, authorities found indigent patients, many of them bedridden, attended by a few volunteer staff members. The staffers who stayed, including a cook and a janitor, “stayed because they felt bad for the patients,” Read More …

Jury finds Pharrell, Thicke copied for 'Blurred Lines' song

 General
Mar 102015
 
Jury finds Pharrell, Thicke copied for 'Blurred Lines' song

In this Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015 file photo, singer Robin Thicke performs at the 17th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Legacy Concert at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File LOS ANGELES — A jury awarded Marvin Gaye’s children nearly $7.4 million Tuesday after determining singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied their father’s music to create “Blurred Lines,” the biggest hit song of 2013. Gaye’s daughter Nona Gaye wept as the verdict was read and was hugged by her attorney. “Right now, I feel free,” she said outside court. “Free from … Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told.” “Blurred Lines” has sold more than 7.3 million copies in the U.S. alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures. It earned a Grammy Awards nomination and netted Williams and Thicke millions of dollars. The case was a struggle between two of music’s biggest names: Williams has sold more than 100 million records worldwide during his career as a singer-producer, and Gaye performed hits such as “Sexual Healing” and “How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You)” remain popular. The verdict could tarnish the legacy of Williams, a reliable hit-maker who has won Grammy Awards and appears on NBC’s music competition show “The Voice.” He and Thicke are “undoubtedly disappointed,” said their lead attorney, Howard King. “They’re unwavering in their absolute conviction that they wrote this song independently,” he said. Thicke and Williams earned more than $7 Read More …

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