Oct 182015
 
Apl.de.ap Foundation International donates ophthalmology equipment to medical center in Davao City

Campaign for Filipino Children pledges similar gifts to four other regional hospitals in the country The eldest of seven siblings, Allan Pineda better known as Apl.de.ap grew up in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. He worked in the farm with his grandfather and sold the crops at the open market. Coming from a poor family, he knew early on that going to school was his long-term ticket to a better life.Clinically blind, the young Apl managed to get treatment for his eyes in the U.S. through the Pearl S. Buck Foundation with his sponsor, Joe Ben Hudgens, who eventually adopted Apl. At the age of 14 years old, Apl moved to LA where Hudgens fostered the importance of education that would lead to achieving his dreams.Apl became a rapper, record producer, and the member of the multi-Grammy award winning group the Black Eyed Peas.Drawing from his own life experiences and putting action behind his words, he established the Apl.de.ap Foundation. The Foundation is committed to equip Filipino youth with the knowledge and skills to improve their lives. This is through key partnerships with organizations whose focus are in computer technology, arts, and eye care. Ultimately, the foundation hopes to build a school that will prepare these program services. (courtesy of http://apldeapfoundation.org/) (Los Angeles, Calif.)  Allen Pineda Lindo, or better known as Apl.de.ap of the Grammy award-winning group Black Eyed Peas, is legally blind. So it was only appropriate that when his international foundation decided to launch its first healthcare initiative it Read More …

Oct 182015
 
PNP alerts six regional commands in Luzon due to Lando

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by PNP Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez, troops the line during the 114th Police Service Anniversary at the PNP Multi-Purpose Center, Camp Crame in Quezon City on Friday August 7 with the theme: “Pambansang Pulisya: Patuloy sa Makabuluhang Paglilingkod at Makatarungang Pagpapatupad ng Batas.” The Philippine National Police celebrates the Police Service Anniversary in commemoration of the joint founding anniversaries of the Insular Constabulary established in 1901 and the Integrated National Police, organized in 1975, both forerunner organizations of the PNP. (MNS photo) MANILA, Oct 17 (Mabuhay) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday said it has alerted its six regional commands in Luzon as Typhoon Lando is expected to pass through Luzon starting Sunday. PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez has issued directives to the regional commands in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, Bicol and Cordillera Administative Region. The PNP chief specifically alerted Public Safety Battalion and Municipal Police Stations in areas that are projected to be affected by Lando, which was also feared to intensify into a super typhoon. President Benigno Aquino III on Friday night said residents in areas that may be affected by the typhoon should expect up to 12 hours of heavy to intense rainfall amount as Lando crosses Luzon. The PNP leadership has asked its regional commands to submit as soon as possible their action plans. It has also activated a Disaster Incident Management Task Group. In its latest weather bulletin, weather bureau PAGASA said Read More …

Oct 182015
 
Sandiganbayan denies Napoles’ bail plea anew

Janet Lim Napoles (center), the alleged pork barrel scam queen, is escorted out of the court room after being found guilty on her kidnapping and serious illegal detention case of scam whistleblower Benhur Luy at the Makati Regional Trial Court on Tuesday. Napoles was sentenced to permanent imprisonment. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan has denied for the second time the bail plea of Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the supposed pork barrel scam. “Wherefore, accused Janet Lim-Napoles’ petition for bail, filed on July 7, 2014, is hereby denied for lack of merit,” Sandiganbayan Third Division clerk of court Dennis Pulma announced Friday, reading from the 249-page ruling penned by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang. The Third Division, who has been hearing Napoles’ petition to post bail for a plunder case since July last year, said the prosecution was able to present strong evidence to warrant a full-blown trial to prove the guilt of the embattled businesswoman. “There is a determination by the court that the evidence of guilt against the accused is strong. But let me clarify that this does not mean that the guilt has already been found,” Pulma said, explaining the ruling. “This is not a prejudgement on the merits of the case. The finding of whether there is guilt beyond reasonable doubt must be done during the trial proper,” he added. Pulma said the Napoles’ camp has 15 days to file their motion for reconsideration, “otherwise the decision is considered final.” Napoles is facing multiple Read More …

Oct 182015
 
Flights cancelled, passengers stranded as Typhoon Lando nears

Weather forecasters monitor the progress of typhoon Ruby inside the PAGASA head office in Quezon City on Sunday. Ruby is slowly making its way through central Philippines in a west-northwest direction at 15 kilometers per hour, and is expected to pass near Metro Manila on Monday. (MNS photo) MANILA, Oct 17 (Mabuhay) — Several domestic flights were cancelled on Saturday due to bad weather brought by Typhoon Lando. In an advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the following flights were cancelled: Terminal 3 5J 196 MNL-CAUAYAN 5J 197 CAUAYAN-MNL 5J 504 MNL-TUGUEGARAO 5J 505 TUGUEGARAO-MNL 5J 506 MNL-TUGUEGARAO 5J 507 TUGUEGARAO-MNL 5J 887 MNL-COTABATO 57 888 COTABATO-MNL PR 2959 MNL-COTABATO PR 2960 COTABATO-MNL Terminal 4 DG 6113 MNL-NAGA DG 6114 NAGA-MNL In its 11 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Lando was tracked 295 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora and was moving slowly at 10 kilometers per hour westward. Lando is expected to hit Aurora early Sunday but its rains are starting to be felt in a wide area of Luzon due to its 600 kilometer radius. Pagasa raised public storm Signal No. 3 over Aurora, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Ifugao and Northern Quezon including Polillo Islands. Cagayan including Calayan and Babuyan group of Islands, Benguet, Mt. Province, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Rizal, rest of Quezon, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes were placed under Signal No. 2. Areas placed under Signal No. Read More …

Oct 182015
 
No interest to be president, says Duterte minutes before deadline

President Benigno S. Aquino III is received by Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr., upon arrival for the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Philippine M.I.C.E. Conference (MICECON 2013) at the 3rd Floor, SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premiere in Davao City on Thursday (March 07, 2013). The MICE Conference is a prestigious gathering of key players in the travel and tourism industry. The conference will provide the Host an opportunity to showcase its destinations to approximately 400 stakeholders in the tourism industry comprised of: travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, professional congress/ exhibition/event organizers, association/corporate executives, destination management companies, airline representatives, local government officials, academe, students and the media. (MNS photo)). MANILA (Mabuhay) — Minutes before the deadline of filing for candidacy, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that he had no interest in being president. “A little over two years ago, I posted in the government website over the Internet that I was not interested in the Presidency,” he wrote on his official Facebook account. “Nothing has changed. I am comfortable where I am now.” Speculation was rife on Friday about a Duterte run, with rumors flying that he was en route to Manila to beat the Commission on Elections deadline. But a highly-placed source said that the mayor remained in Davao City. His executive assistant Bong Go confirmed this as well in a radio interview. By the 5 p.m. deadline, there was no Duterte COC for president filed with the poll Read More …

Oct 182015
 

(First of two parts) On Oct. 5, 2015, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued the final report on all 15 BEPS Action Plans. This caps two years of work started in September 2013, when G20 Leaders endorsed the ambitious and comprehensive Action Plan on BEPS, to restore confidence in the international tax framework which was designed more than a century ago.

Oct 182015
 
All systems go for Asia Pacific Writers and Translators 2015

It’s “all systems go” for this year’s edition of the annual Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT) conference, which will be held in Manila later this week, from Thursday on to the weekend. As a member of the APWT Board and one of APWT 2015’s convenors, I’m particularly thrilled for the Philippines to be hosting this event, which is the literary equivalent of the APEC, the SEA Games, and let’s throw in The Amazing Race, which it could be a bit of for our foreign guests. It’s not a competition, of course, and we won’t be signing any treaties or squabbling over territory. In fact, the way we’ve set things up, it’ll be a politician-free zone, which isn’t to say that politics will be off the menu. With topics ranging from “Sex and Sensitivities” and “Criminal Intent” to “Love in the Time of Dissonance” and “Why Publishers Prefer Outsiders,” there’ll be fireworks aplenty in the panel discussions we’ve put together for the three-day conference, which will be held at the Institute of Physics in UP Diliman on Thursday and Friday, before moving to De La Salle University and the University of Sto. Tomas on Saturday. I’ll be one of four keynote speakers for the conference, and will speak on the conference theme, “Against the Grain,” at UP on Thursday morning, to introduce the Philippines and our culture and literature to the audience, especially our visitors. I’ll be followed the next day by Romesh Gunesekera, the UK-based, Sri Lanka-born Booker Prize Read More …