Maniolas

Members of ProGay and women’s rights group in a rally to denounce the alleged government inaction on violence against women. After days of a thorough investigation, the suspect in her death, as US Marine, has been charged with murder. (MNS photo) The lawyer representing a US Marine found guilty of killing a transgender Filipina filed an appeal on Wednesday seeking to reverse his conviction. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of homicide last month by an Olongapo court in a case that reignited long-simmering anti-American sentiment in the country. The American’s lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores also filed a separate motion seeking a reduced sentence for the marine in the event that the acquittal is not granted. “Of course, we want an acquittal but what is the likelihood the court will grant that?” she told AFP. Pemberton met the transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude in October 2014 in a bar in Olongapo after the marine took part in a joint US-Philippine military exercise. During the trial, the court heard that Pemberton and Laude agreed to have sex after meeting in Olongapo’s red light district, but that the drunken marine turned violent when he discovered Laude still had male genitals. He acted out of “passion and obfuscation,” the court said, adding that “in the heat of passion, he arm-locked the deceased, and dunked [her] head in the toilet.” Pemberton was sentenced to six to 12 years in jail and is being held in a cell in Camp Aguinaldo. If Pemberton’s conviction is upheld, Read More …

Vice President Jejomar Binay speaks to senior citizens in Amapola St., Barangay Pembo, Makati, Thursday. The city government of Makati has been under public scrutiny amid new allegations of having “ghost” senior citizens who reportedly receive benefits. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Wednesday accused Vice President Jejomar Binay of using the execution in Saudi Arabia of migrant worker Joselito Zapanta to criticize the administration. “It’s in bad taste to politicize a tragedy whereas dapat, we should all rally behind…We have always stated that this is a team effort and they are now trying to politicize the whole situation,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing. Lacierda said the opposition presidential candidate was being “disingenuous” in claiming that Malacañang was to blame over Zapanta’s death for failing to act on his proposals for the payment of blood money. Zapanta was sentenced to death in April 2010 by the Riyadh Grand Court for killing a Sudanese national over a rental dispute. He was executed in December after his family raised only P23 million of the P48 million blood money asked by the victim’s widow. In a statement on Tuesday, Binay said that his office submitted policy recommendations on providing assistance to Zapanta as early as 2012, but these were not immediately acted upon. Binay served as the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) concerns until he resigned from the Cabinet in June last year. Lacerida said it was unfair for Binay to single out President Aquino, who Read More …

If your business is in distress – you owe a lot of money but you can’t pay, your creditors will probably threaten legal action against your business and very likely, you personally as well. How much they can collect, and how they can go about collecting it, will depend on how your business is organized, and whether you personally guaranteed repayment of the obligation. To what extent you are personally liable depends on several factors, the most important being, how your business is structured and whether you personally guaranteed or secured the debt. Sole Proprietors and Partnerships If you are a sole proprietor, you and your business are one and the same in the eyes of the law, which means you are personally responsible for all of the business’s debts. If there isn’t enough money in the business to pay these debts, creditors can take your personal assets to pay them. Partners in a general partnership have similar personal liability for business debts: Each partner is personally liable for the entirety of the business’s debts (and any partner can usually bind the entire partnership to a business deal — a scary combination). This means that if there isn’t enough money in the business to pay the debts, and your partners are broke, creditors can take your personal assets to pay all of the business’s debts, not just your share. Corporations and Limited Liability Companies If your business is organized as a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC), your personal Read More …

(Family Features) For people who manage their health through nutrition or use food as a medicinal replacement, few products offer the power of “superfoods.” Kale is one leafy green commonly recognized as a superfood, but watercress is a tastier superfood option worth considering. Watercress has more flavor, is more versatile and is healthier than its leafy cousins. It’s also easier to digest with a more pleasing texture. In fact, according to an independent research study published last spring by the Centers for Disease Control, it is the most nutrient-dense food available today. For a high concentration of phytonutrients, antioxidants and vitamins, look to options such as those available through hydroponic greenhouse grower Hollandia Produce, which raises two cress varieties: Live Gourmet Living Upland Cress and Grower Pete’s Living Organic Watercress. Both varieties also deliver up to twice the vitamin C of an orange; more calcium than milk; and high levels of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, beta-carotene and vitamins A, B1, B6, K and E. Watercress also has multiple uses as a medicinal herb. Some of these more popular applications include preventing eczema, as well as supporting digestive, urinary tract, eye and respiratory health. “Cressto” Pesto Sauce Visit hollandiaproduce.com to find more recipes and learn more about this flavorful superfood. “Cressto” Pesto Sauce 3 cups Live Gourmet Living Upland Cress or Grower Pete’s Living Watercress, root ball and bottom 1/3 stems removed, rinsed and patted dry 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup grape seed oil 1 Read More …