Maniolas

Laban pa rin! (from left: PALM President Mitzi Pickard, Jon Melegrito, Maurese Oteyza Owens and Richard Villa Mercado are the main speakers at the Embassy Talakayan to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of People Power Revolution on 29 February 2016. WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Filipino community in the Metro DC area swapped stories and insights into the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution in a Talakayan held on 29 February 2016 at the Romulo Hall of the Philippine Embassy. The Talakayan was jointly organized by the Embassy and the Philippine Arts, Letters and Media Council (PALM) to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of People Power. “The first peaceful uprising in history, EDSA not only restored democracy and supremacy of civilian authority in the Philippines, but also laid out for the world to see the best of the Filipino – courageous, peace-loving, and compassionate,” said Philippine Ambassador to the Philippines Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. in his keynote address. Consistent with this year’s anniversary theme, “Pagbabago: Ipinaglaban N’yo, Itutuloy Ko,” Ambassador Cuisia made a call to action for the protection of People Power’s legacy. “To honor the memories of those who fought for the restoration of Philippine democracy, we are duty-bound to ensure that the lessons of the Revolution are well-learned and never forgotten,” the Ambassador stressed. He highlighted the need to engage the younger generations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in order to keep the spirit of EDSA alive. Memories of a peaceful revolution (Photo courtesy of Dr. Annabelle Carnice and her husband, Jonathan) “It is therefore my fervent Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III pays respect during the transfer and reinterment of the remains of the late President Elpidio R. Quirino at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Bayani Road, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Monday (February 29). In photo are Former president Fidel Ramos, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Maria Serena Diokno, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and Armed Forces of the Philippines Vice Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division has convicted three former officials of the Department of Finance (DOF) for graft and estafa for their involvement in the P5.3-billion tax credit scam in the 1990s. The anti-graft court promulgated a 60-page ruling on the matter February 29 and was released to the media on Tuesday. In the ruling, the Fifth Division found former DOF Executive Director Uldarico Andutan Jr., former Deputy Executive Director Raul De Vera and former Senior Tax Specialist Rosanna Diala “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” of violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and estafa as defined under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC). Also convicted of the same offenses were private individuals Mukesh Uttamchandani and Olivia Demetrio, owner and manager, respectively, of the company Precision Garments International (PGI). The accused were sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month to a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for graft. They were also perpetually disqualified from holding public office. For estafa the accused Read More …