Senator Grace Poe (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – With the conclusion of the oral arguments on Tuesday, the Supreme Court should resolve immediately Sen. Grace Poe’s plea challenging her disqualification from the May 2016 presidential elections. This was according to legal experts on Wednesday, who also said that should the high court uphold Poe’s disqualification by the Commission on Elections late in the campaign period, the votes she would be getting would be wasted. Election lawyers Edgardo Carlo Vistan II and Romulo Macalintal, and former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Vicente Joyas all agreed that the high tribunal should already decide on Poe’s two petitions. Vistan said in the event Poe’s disqualification is upheld by the SC but voters still end up voting for her in the May polls, those votes “cannot be credited to her as they would be considered stray votes.” Since January 19, the high tribunal conducted a total of five rounds of oral arguments on the Poe cases. “It is important that the Supreme Court resolve the disqualification cases against Sen. Grace Poe expeditiously,” said Vistan, adding that just because the Comelec had already started printing the 57 million ballots does not make the resolution of the Poe cases less urgent. “Even if the ballots would be printed already with Sen. Poe’s name as one of the presidential candidates, there is still an urgent need for a speedy resolution of the case so that the Comelec can make appropriate adjustments to the automated vote Read More …
Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco (MNS photo) Celebrity couple Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco shared what they believe is the key to a happy marriage. Cantiveros and Francisco, who started their love story inside the “Pinoy Big Brother” house in 2009, celebrated their second wedding anniversary last month. Cantiveros said they always make an effort to “give the best to each other.” “Kasi ‘yun ang importante, ‘yung nag-aangatan kami sa isa’t isa, hindi ‘yung naghihilaan kami,” she said. Francisco agreed, saying he will always be his wife’s number one fan: “Basta ako, hanggang ngumingiti ako sa iyo at hanggang napapasaya mo ako at alam ko na ako ang number one fan mo, habangbuhay yan.” “Walang ibang makakapagpasaya sa akin, ikaw lamang, kaya kita pinakasalan,” he added. The couple said they have become more mature because of their baby girl, Amelia Lucille. “Para kaming nag-start sa scratch na grabe kaming mag-away, immature talaga. Pero ngayon, eh, thank you, Lord [hindi na],” Cantiveros said. Cantiveros and Francisco got married on December 9, 2013 at the Holy Cross Parish in General Santos City, three months after the comedienne announced her pregnancy. (MNS)
Angel Locsin (MNS photo) Just two days before Valentine’s Day, “Everything About Her” star Angel Locsin seemed to have confirmed her split with her boyfriend, actor and “Pilipinas Got Talent” host Luis Manzano. On her official Instagram account, the 30-year-old Locsin posted a video of Manzano singing part of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” In the caption, Locsin referred to Manzano as her former boyfriend. “On the eve of my neck procedure, I saw my ex singing ‘Love Yourself’ sa IG. Kung umiyak na kayo sa taong paulit-ulit kang sinaktan,” she wrote. Locsin returned to Singapore on Thursday to undergo further medical treatment for a disc bulge on her spine. Last December, the actress flew to the country and successfully underwent the first stage of neuro-spine surgery. “Ang priority ko po kasi talaga ay magpagaling,” Locsin said when asked about the possibility of her being recast as Darna after the procedures. “May kaunting usap-usap pero ang kailangan lang po talagang mangyari ay maging successful po ‘yung operation at walang mangyayaring masama after that. So iyon lang po ang iniisip ko,” she explained. Last month, Locsin and Manzano admitted having problems with their relationship. The two, however, maintained that they are working on a solution. (MNS)
Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz (MNS Photo) For the first time, John Lloyd Cruz addressed persistent rumors that he is now in a relationship with his long-time onscreen leading lady Bea Alonzo. Cruz just laughed it off and insisted that he and Alonzo are not a couple. “Hindi po. Magkaibigan po kami. Wala pong [relasyon],” he said. Rumors romantically linking the two began circulating around the same time when Zanjoe Marudo confirmed his breakup with Alonzo. The actress, however, has remained silent about their split. A few days after Marudo’s confirmation, it was reported that Cruz has also called it quits with actress Angelica Panganiban. Rumors about the breakup of Cruz and Panganiban have been swirling following reports late last year that the two were spending less time together due to their busy schedules. As of writing, Panganiban has not spoken about her supposed breakup with Cruz as well. (MNS)
Sen. Antonio Trillanes with members of Magdalo party, shows his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for vice president, at the Palacio del Gobernador in Manila, Tuesday. Trillanes will be running as an independent candidate, but expressed support for Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential bid in the 2016 elections. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 18 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said it was quite “inconsistent” that the Bible-quoting Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao, who drew flak for relegating gays as “worse than animals,” was included in the senatorial slate of a “thief.” Pacquiao is running under the opposition ticket of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance. “Sa inaaplayan niyang trabaho bilang representative ng mga tao sa Senado, kailangan bukas ang isipan niya sa pagkokonsulta. Although I respect ‘yung kanyang opinyon, ‘yang ganyang sarado ang pag-iisip, nagiging self-righteous pero nandoon naman siya sa slate ng magnanakaw,” Trillanes told reporters in a Senate forum. (In the position he is applying for as a representative of the people in the Senate, he has to be open-minded for consultation. Although I respect his opinion, his way of thinking makes him self-righteous. On the contrary, he is in the slate of a thief.) Trillanes, who initiated the Senate probe on corruption allegations against Binay, lamented how Pacquiao had the guts to “judge” other sectors when he turned a blind eye on the supposed wrongdoings of the vice president. “Hindi naman ako nanghuhusga. Kung magbubulag-bulagan siya eh paano nila masusugpo ang korupsyon,” Trillanes said. “Baka ang tingin Read More …
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | – Los Angeles 2024 Olympic bid chiefs unveiled an official logo of an angel basking in rays of Californian sunshine on Tuesday as the city cranked up its campaign to stage the games for a third time. The brightly colored logo is accompanied by an official slogan, urging people to “Follow the Sun” by supporting the Los Angeles bid. The logo and slogan were unveiled at a ceremony in downtown Los Angeles against a backdrop of mountains and the Pacific Ocean as the city sweltered in unusually hot weather on Tuesday. “Everyday people follow the sun to our city in pursuit of their dreams, spurring unprecedented creativity, innovation and progress,” LA 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman said. “We’re inviting the world to Follow the Sun to California in 2024, to join us in LA for an Olympic and Paralympic Games that signal the dawn of a new era for the Olympic Movement.” Los Angeles is chasing a third Olympics after successfully hosting the Games in 1932 and 1984. No American city has hosted the Olympics since the much-maligned Atlanta Games in 1996. Tuesday’s announcement came as the four cities aiming to win the Olympics in eight years time—Budapest, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles – prepare to file their initial bid documents to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne on Wednesday. More detailed dossiers will be submitted in October before visits to the candidates by the IOC evaluation commission in early 2017. The vote for the host city will Read More …
PHILIPPINE economic growth will outperform much of the region this year, according to HSBC Global Research, as government spending maintains its “strong momentum.”
PRESIDENT Benigno S. C. Aquino III is expected to sign on Friday the executive order (EO) that will implement the first tranche of the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 4.
THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) has listed the priority programs it plans to carry out in order to meet its revenue target this year, although the agency’s chief still believes the collection goal is “unrealistic.”
THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) plans to tighten regulation of coal-fired power plants by setting higher standards for greenhouse gas emissions and the quality of the fossil fuel used in generating power.