Maniolas

Senator Chiz Escudero, chair of the Joint Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures, conducts a hearing today on the report of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee on the status and direction of the economic, fiscal and monetary policies of the government. Also in photo is Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Is Senator Francis Escudero still eyeing the presidency? Escudero denied he is dead-set on gunning for the presidency and that he is using his closeness to Sen. Grace Poe to be a step closer to his dream. Asked if he wants the presidency, he said: “I’m not even sure I want the vice-presidency. I will cross that bridge when I get there. I might not even reach that bridge. Let me cross this one first.” Escudero also denied that he twice spurned former president Joseph Estrada’s offer to run as his vice-president. He said there is no truth to reports he told Estrada in 2010: “It’s the presidency or nothing.” “That’s not true. That even came out in a book somewhere. Hindi ko sinagot yon. Hindi ko bibigyan ng kawalan ng paggalang si dating pangulong Estrada sa pagbigay ng ganyang uri ng sagot. Naalala ko yang conversation na yan sa bahay niya at sa opisina, at ang sabi ko ay hindi pa ako tiyak at sigurado sa tatakbuhan ko o pagtakbo ko,” he said. “Hindi bargas, hindi ko rin ugali yun,” he added. He said that at the time of his conversation with Estrada, he and Sen. Read More …

The Senate Committee on Local Government, chaired by Senator Bongbong Marcos, together with the Committees on Peace Unification and Reconcillation; and Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, will contiunue its inquiry on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. Also present during the BBL hearing is Senator Chiz Escudero. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Amid speculations that he would run for higher office in 2016, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Monday he has no plans yet for 2016. “I have not decided on anything for the 2016 elections,” Marcos told reporters when asked about his plans for the 2016 elections. The senator arrived at the House of Representatives past 2 p.m. to attend the joint session of Congress for President Benigno Aquino III’s last State of the Nation Address (Sona). Recently, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), the political party formed by his father, is pushing for the presidential candidacy of Marcos with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Vice President Jejomar Binay, a human rights lawyer during the martial law era, has also been reportedly considering Marcos to be his running mate. Asked by reporters about his expectations for Aquino’s last Sona, the senator said he has no expectations. “I don’t have any expectations,” he said, adding that perhaps President Aquino would just give a summary of his five years as the country’s chief executive. (MNS)

In November of 2013, a powerful typhoon devastated large sections of Eastern Visayas region, particularly the province of Leyte, killing an estimated 6000 people and washed away the homes of more than 200, 000 families. Despite a P75 billion fund approved last year by Congress for housing resettlement for calamity victims, thousands of indigent families are still living in tents and sub-standard bunkhouses in the flood ravaged areas of Leyte. According to a recent study made by a church based and civil society groups, only 73,000 poor families of the 205,000 rendered homeless by “Yolanda” were placed in several resettlement areas, leaving behind 130,000 families still staying in makeshift quarters or tents in Tacloban city. The study also pointed out that the apparent snail’s pace construction of housing for these flood victims were being hampered by snags for the timely release of funds for housing resettlements. The study also showed that only P21 billion out of the P75 billion allocated for housing resettlement had been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). With less than a year left in Office, President Benigno Aquino still has to give the “green light” to Budget Secretary Butch Abad to release the remaining P54billion fund for resettlement housing. I don’t expect President Noynoy to expedite the release of the remaining funds for resettlement areas for flood victims in Leyte. It is the home province of former First Lady Imelda Marcos , wife of former President Ferdinand Marcos. It was Marcos who was Read More …

Americans are still filing bankruptcy in record numbers, and with good reason. The economic downturn, including the fall of housing prices and the increase in unemployment has wrecked havoc on our finances. The truth is, that in many cases, bankruptcy is a wise decision for many, since it wipes away debt and interest payments that would take years to pay off, if you are only making minimum payments. Unfortunately, many people do not file bankruptcy because of misinformation. One of the most common questions people ask when contemplating bankruptcy is “will I lose my home?” However, in today’s economy, where few people actually have much equity, the answer is NO! The bankruptcy trustee will first determine whether your home has equity, and how much. This involves determining the current market value of the home, and subtracting the pay off amount, cost of sale, and any liens. If the equity is below specific homestead exemptions, you keep your home provided of course, you stay current on your monthly mortgage payments. The general rule of thumb is that if you continue to make your payments on time, the lender prefers that you stay in your house. Mortgage lenders, contrary to popular belief, are not anxious to foreclose on a property. It means a loss to them, as they will have to spend money holding the property and preparing it for resale. Bankruptcy is also helpful if you are seriously behind on mortgage payments. IT will stop a foreclosure in its tracks, and Read More …

The first “meta-study” pulling together data from nine trials covering 30,000 post-menopausal women found endocrine treatments based on a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors yield higher survival rates after five years compared to standard endocrine therapy with tamoxifen. (Paris, France-AFP) – Two inexpensive classes of drugs available in generic form each reduce the recurrence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women as well as death rates from the disease, a pair of studies reported Friday. Taking the medications together may further boost anti-cancer benefits and help cancel out undesirable side-effects of one of the drugs, according to the research published in medical journal The Lancet. The first “meta-study” pulling together data from nine trials covering 30,000 post-menopausal women found endocrine treatments based on a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors yield higher survival rates after five years compared to standard endocrine therapy with tamoxifen. The likelihood of cancer recurring was cut by about a third and the risk of dying by about 15 percent in the decade after treatment started. Compared to no treatment at all, the danger of dying from breast cancer fell by 40 percent, the study found. Most women have already passed through menopause when breast cancer strikes. Even after surgery has removed all detectable traces, tiny amounts of the body’s own hormones can cause cancer cells to grow. Endocrine therapies are designed to impede these hormones from stimulating the disease, and so help protect against relapse. “But aromatase inhibitor treatment is not free of side-effects and Read More …