Maniolas

Is it really more fun in the Philippines? Maybe its residents can convince you. Filipinos are one of the happiest citizens in the world according to a global survey. The Philippines follows close behind ten Latin American countries – most of them sharing ranks based on the results of a Gallup poll Positive Experience Index released a day before the United Nations International Day of Happiness on March 20. Gallup asked 1,000 individuals aged 15 or older in 143 countries in 2014 if they had positive experiences on the day before the survey. Results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews. Gallup compiled the “yes” responses from five questions: “Did you feel well-rested yesterday?”, “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”, “Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?”, “Were you treated with respect all day yesterday?” and “Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about enjoyment?” into a Positive Experience Index score for each country. Paraguay topped the survey with a score of 89. In second, third and fourth places are Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala which all received a score of 84. Honduras, Panama and Venezuela shared the fifth, sixth and seventh place on the list with a score of 82. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua got 81, placing eighth, ninth, and tenth. The Philippines received a score of 80, sharing the spot with Singapore, Switzerland and Uruguay. Money isn’t everything. Latin American countries aren’t the wealthiest countries but they Read More …

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Monday denied the motion for reconsideration filed by detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada regarding the ordered attachment and freeze of his assets, in relation to his alleged involvement with the pork barrel scam. In a five-page resolution issued Monday, the anti graft court denied Estrada’s motion which asked the court to reverse its earlier ruling to temporarily freeze P183.793 million worth of his assets pending the resolution of of his plunder and graft cases. “As movant has not filed a counter bond and as his arguments heron are unmeritorious, there is therefore no compelling reason to lift the attachment while the main case is still pending,” the court said. Estrada’s main argument is that his plunder and graft cases have yet to be decided. However, the Sandiganbayan said in its decision that since a writ of attachment was an ex-parte motion, a case didn’t need to be resolved for the order to freeze an accused’s assets to be valid. “With regards to motions in general, the Rules of Court requires only that motions be heard; it does not direct the court to order the filing of comments or oppositions to the motion before the motion is resolved,” the court said. The decision also referenced the Supreme Court in saying stopping the freeze order would be grossly unfair to the prosecution, which was well within its rights to ask for the freeze of Estrada’s assets “On the other hand, borrowing the words of the Supreme Court, ‘allowing Read More …

Photo from usgs SYDNEY, Australia — A powerful earthquake rattled the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea on Monday, prompting officials to issue a tsunami warning for vast swathes of the Pacific and as far north as Russia. The magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck at a depth of 65 kilometers (40 miles), about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves could hit coasts located within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of Kokopo, with waves between 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) possible for Papua New Guinea. Farther afield, tsunami waves of less than 0.3 meters (1 foot) could hit other Pacific island nations, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Antarctica later Monday, the tsunami warning center said. The Japan Meteorological Agency, however, said there was no tsunami risk to Japan from the quake. Officials in the capital, Port Moresby, were working to contact their counterparts in the outer provinces, but there had been no reports of damage or injuries within an hour of the quake striking, said Martin Mose, acting director for Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center. No one had reported seeing any tsunami waves, he added. “The situation seems to be under control at this stage,” he said. The quake caused strong shaking and knocked items off shelves in Kokopo, but had Read More …