Aquino skips speech after 3 hours of dialog with SAF’s Mamasapano survivors

 Entertainment
Mar 042015
 
Aquino skips speech after 3 hours of dialog with SAF’s Mamasapano survivors

President Benigno S. Aquino III and The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing troop the line during the Departure Honors at the Malacañan Palace Main Lobby on Tuesday (March 03). (MNS photo) MANILA, Mar 4 (Mabuhay) – After three hours of dialog with the surviving police commandos who were in the Mamasapano mission, President Benigno Aquino III decided to skip formally addressing the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force during the leadership turnover ceremonies on Wednesday. The meeting with the PNP-SAF members that figured in the mission to capture terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan was supposed to last for only 30 minutes, but was extended to over three hours. SAF officers had to wait at the open-air venue in front of the elite unit’s headquarters in Taguig while the President talked with the police commandos. When Aquino finally arrived at the venue for the formal turnover from officer-in-charge Chief Supt. Noli Taliño to new director Chief Supt. Moro Virgilio Lazo, the SAF troopers did not clap. They just watched as the President entered the quadrangle. Media advisories sent to the Malacañang press corps on Tuesday night indicated that Aquino will speak during the ceremony. By Wednesday morning, however, Aquino’s speech was removed from the official programme. Still, a podium with the presidential seal was set up on Wednesday morning on the stage in front of the PNP-SAF headquarters in Taguig. The podium was however removed later in the afternoon. On January 25, 44 Read More …

Jolo’s condition improves, Bong cancels furlough request

 Entertainment
Mar 042015
 
Jolo’s condition improves, Bong cancels furlough request

Senator Bong Revilla (center) consoles his son, Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, at the Asian Hospital on Tuesday. The elder Revilla was allowed by the court to visit his son who sustained a gunshot wound on Saturday. Also in the picture is Sen. Revilla’s wife, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado (right).(MNS photo) MANILA, Mar 4 (Mabuhay) – Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. will not ask for another furlough after a latest CT scan showed improvement in the condition of his son, Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla. Atty. Raymond Fortun, the Revilla family’s spokesman, said the result of the latest CT Scan on Jolo “unofficially, was pretty encouraging.” “I cannot pinpoint what medical term it should be so I’ll just wait for the doctor’s say on it. But it was encouraging enough that Senator Revilla decided not to push through with his plan to ask the Sandiganbayan for another furlough,” Fortun said. “Senator Revilla felt that Jolo’s condition was not urgent enough to require his presence for today.” Fortun said the Revilla camp decided not to push through with another furlough request so the senator would not be accused of taking advantage of the situation. He said Jolo underwent another CT Scan Tuesday evening, earlier than the original schedule of Wednesday morning due to concerns regarding the distention of his abdomen. “It was a cause for concern among doctors. The medical term is acute abdominal distention where they noticed that Jolo’s umbilical button appeared to have turned over.” “The hospital will be Read More …

Lani feels ‘sweet happiness’ seeing Bong reunited with family

 Entertainment
Mar 042015
 
Lani feels ‘sweet happiness’ seeing Bong reunited with family

Senator Bong Revilla, shown in photo on his way to be detained on plunder and graft charges, said his lawyer, Sal Panelo, only talked about the rats and roaches in his cell in jest. Revilla’s lawyer has said the senator’s family saw rats “as big as cats” inside the senator’s cell. (MNS photo) Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado Revilla has expressed elation that her husband, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., was able to spend five hours with their family Tuesday at the hospital where their son, Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, is confined for a gunshot wound. In a Facebook status posted Tuesday night, Lani thanked God for granting her family’s wish to see the Revilla patriarch again. “Lord, thank you for granting our wish. It was a joy to see Bong today. It is such sweet happiness to see my family together despite these trying times,” she said. The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday allowed the elder Revilla to visit his son at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. that day. The lawmaker is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame in connection with plunder charges filed against him over the pork barrel scam. Jolo has been confined at the hospital since Saturday night after he sustained a gunshot wound to his chest. His family said the vice governor fired his gun by accident while cleaning it. A photo released by the Revillas showed the father and Read More …

From 9 last month, working MRT trains now 15: GM

 General
Mar 042015
 
From 9 last month, working MRT trains now 15: GM

Two days before Christmas and with thousands of Metro Manila denizens on vacation outside the metropolis, MRT riders experience a rare comfortable ride to their destinations on Tuesday, December 23. Malacañang on Monday stood firm on the government’s decision to raise fares of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) amid calls from some senators to defer the fare hike scheduled on January 4, 2015.(MNS photo) MANILA, Mar 4 (Mabuhay) – The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) has replaced 150 meters of rail tracks but will need to replace at least 6,000 meters more, MRT General Manager Roman Buenafe said Wednesday. Buenafe said the shortened operating hours over the weekend allowed the MRT to replace 150 meters of tracks. He said the next stage is to replace another 190 meters of rail tracks but said pre-welding work for the replacement has not been finished. This means there will be no shortened MRT schedule for the weekend. “There is a pre-welding process so hindi aabot sa weekend…Tuloy tuloy ang operation. Walang isasara ngayong weekend,” he said. Buenafe said the MRT is targeting to replace 6,000 meters of rail tracks of the entire 16.9-km MRT line. “6,000 meters ang di magandang condition na riles. We have ordered 7,000 meters of rails that will arrive May-June,” he said. The MRT official said he wants the entire track replaced but admitted there are budgetary constraints. He said he is recommending that the recent fare increase be used for the rail replacements Read More …

Double taxation: same but different

 Economy
Mar 042015
 

THE PHILIPPINES has the unfortunate reputation of imposing high tax rates, especially in comparison with our neighbors within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The 30% corporate income tax and 32% maximum income tax on individuals imposed under our National Internal Revenue Code (or Tax Code) are among the highest in the region.

US billionaire says WWII Japanese ship found in Philippines

 General
Mar 042015
 
US billionaire says WWII Japanese ship found in Philippines

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen says he has found the Japanese Navy’s biggest warship at the bottom of the sea in the Philippines, 70 years after US forces sank it. Allen posted a photo on Twitter on Tuesday of the World War II battleship Musashi’s rusty bow, which bore the Japanese empire’s Chrysanthemum seal. The American billionaire, who has also pursued space exploration, said his luxury yacht and exploration ship, the M/Y Octopus, found the Musashi one kilometre (1.6 miles) deep on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea. The Octopus’ remote operated probe Octo ROV located the Musashi on Monday, according to Allen’s website. The Octopus is also outfitted with an exploration submarine. “RIP (rest in peace) crew of Musashi, approximately 1,023 (lives) lost,” Allen said in another tweet. Allen also posted a photo of a valve from the wreckage, which he described as the “first confirmation” that it was of Japanese origin. He said on Twitter he would soon post video of the ship’s catapult and valve areas. The Sibuyan Sea, at the heart of the Philippines’ central Visayas islands, covers busy shipping lanes and lies on the path of most tropical storms that cross the country from the Pacific Ocean. American warplanes sank the Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea on October 24, 1944, at the height of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered the largest naval encounter of World War II in which US and Australian forces defeated the Japanese. The Musashi was a “mighty battleship” with “mammoth 18-inch Read More …

Klub Teapresso brews a perfect cup of tea

 Entertainment
Mar 042015
 
Klub Teapresso brews a perfect cup of tea

Fit to a tea: Locally distributed by HKR Corporation, Klub Teapresso is a brand of state-of-the-art machines from Taiwan used to make fresh brew with just the push of a button. MANILA, Philippines – Locally distributed by HKR Corporation, Klub Teapresso is a state-of-the-art machine from Taiwan used to make fresh brews with just the push of a button. Its Teapressos are equipped with a patent bulk brewing system that extracts the essence of tea in seconds, producing consistently good quality tea with just the right balance of flavor, color and fresh taste. Its adjustable brewing quantity and pressure guarantees the best pre-infusion result; a patent multi-section pre-infusion feature makes it possible to concoct different kinds of beverages using an unlimited choice of ingredients. Other user-friendly features like programmable brewing time and 12 memory settings allow baristas to standardize the brewing process for each kind of tealeaves, thus minimizing wastage while enhancing efficiency and the quality of the beverages. In addition, tea extracts from the Teapresso may also be used as the base for many handcrafted concoctions such as lattes, bubble milk teas, ice blended drinks and even sorbets. Those thinking of getting one for their own teashop may choose from different models of Klub Teapresso machines distributed by HKR. There’s the Tea & Espresso Machines that combine the dual function of brewing tea and coffee; the Steam-Plus Bulk Tea Brewer, the total solution for commercial teashops equipped with a large-volume brewing system; and the 3-in-1 Combo Machines, a versatile Read More …

David a Pinoy at heart

 Entertainment
Mar 042015
 
David a Pinoy at heart

American balladeer David Pomeranz has an upcoming project mainly dedicated to Filipinos as his way of saying thank you MANILA, Philippines – The thrill factor of having balladeer David Pomeranz in the country may have kind of diminished the fact that he’s often here — two to three times a year to be more precise about it. Yet to know that the man truly loves Filipinos should surely hit a sensitive chord deep within every Pinoy. The singer-songwriter does have a deeper reason to be here more than the obvious truth that he’s a relevant nostalgic act, with multiple classic tunes tucked under his belt. “My relationship with Filipinos is a strong, genuine one that never changes. It seems like we’re cut from the same cloth and have a similar bloodstream. We like a lot of the same things,” shared the recording artist whose works have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. The voice behind perennial prom night theme tracks King and Queen of Hearts and Got to Believe in Magic is presently promoting his 13-track Greatest Hits album released by Polyeast Records, including, of course, the two just mentioned and others like On This Day, Undying Admiration and Born For You. It also has a new number, the single Crazy Beautiful, which he co-wrote because “you don’t fall in love with a woman’s lipstick, but on her uniqueness and what’s going on in her eyes.” Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Sensibly, he has an upcoming Read More …

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