Maniolas

The Commission on Election (Comelec) is not giving up its legal tussle with the Supreme Court to disqualify Senator Grace Llamanzares to run in the May 9presidential elections. For many, like myself, consider the Supreme Court’s decision as a complete disregard of the provisions under the Constitution, when it allowed that Senator Llamanzares is eligible to run president. In a 56-page motion for reconsideration, the Comelec, spearheaded by Commissioner Arthur Lim, urged justices to re-consider its ruling since there was no majority vote finding Senator Llamanzares a natural born citizen. Comelec warned that the controversial decision has “heightened political passions in the country that could possibly ignite civil strife.” The poll body argued that there was no factual or legal basis for the ruling that Llamanzares is a qualified presidential candidate for the May 9 elections. In the same motion, Comelec asked the Supreme Court to re-deliberate and re-vote on the issue of citizenship to “avoid dire repercussions that the majority decision has brought in its wake.” The poll body was right, I think, in asking the Supreme Court to reexamine its constitutional ruling on the Poe Llamanzares case for its legal and constitutional infirmities. It is good to know that there are still some officials from Comelec who are not afraid to speak their legal minds if only to preserve the sanctity of the Philippine Constitution. It is a shame that some justices have decided to set aside what is clearly written in the Constitution to be able to kowtow to an influential Read More …

High level panel group shot: (From left) DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, DOST Undersecretary Amelia Guevara, DAR Secretary Virgilio De los Reyes, and DA Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano are the panelists of the High-Level Discussion on PH Agriculture, Manufacturing and Science and Technology held at the Philippine Embassy, Washington DC on 17 March 2016 WASHINGTON, D.C.— Secretary Virgilio De los Reyes of the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and a panel of senior Philippine officials recently discussed the “opportunities and challenges” in Philippine agriculture, manufacturing, and science and technology, highlighting the country’s economic growth, the inclusiveness of progress, the sustainability of reforms, and the quality of the Filipino workforce. The panel discussion was held at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on 17 March 2016. Secretary De los Reyes was joined by Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Amelia P. Guevara, and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo, Jr. They also discussed initiatives aimed at building capacities and improving Philippine competitiveness in key sectors. Secretary De los Reyes asserted that agrarian reform has made lives better for Filipinos. Mandated under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Act of 1988 (CARP), DAR has assured ownership of land and access to technical support and legal services. The Secretary explained that “based on our statistics, most of the land under the scope of DAR has been distributed to small landowners.” The Secretary stated that DAR is in the process of digitizing a landholding database Read More …

LP chairman President Benigno S. Aquino III attends the “Daang Matuwid: To Be Continued…” of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) at the Corazon C. Aquino Kalayaan Hall of the Club Filipino in San Juan City on Monday (October 05). Also in photo are LP Vice Presidential Candidate Camarines Sur 3rd District Representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and daughters Jessica Marie “Aika”, Janine Patricia “Tricia” Robredo and Jillian Therese “Jill” Robredo. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Following the latest pre-election survey ranking her third among vice presidential candidates, administration bet Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo said she intends to focus her campaign in areas in the Luzon region. “Mas bibigyan ko ng pansin yung Luzon kasi for the past several months, [sa] Visayas at Mindanao. Nakita na namin sa survey results na nagkakaroon na talaga ng dent ‘yun,” Robredo told reporters in an interview. Robredo, along with Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, took her campaign to Pampanga on Tuesday. In the latest Pulse Asia survey, Robredo ranked behind Senators Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 20 percent. Although statistically tied with Escudero, Marcos edged his colleague by one point at 25 percent. Among the four locations, Robredo ranked highest in Visayas with 34 percent, followed by Mindanao with 19 percent, the rest of Luzon with 17 percent, and the National Capital Region with 12 percent. Robredo is optimistic that she could catch up with Escudero and Marcos by doubling her efforts in the campaign Read More …

RCBC –Jupiter Branch Manager Maia Santos-Deguito takes an oath before testifying during a Senate hearing on the US$81 million money-laundering scandal, at the Philippines Senate on Tuesday. Deguito was summoned to shed light on the Philippines’ biggest anti-money laundering case involving money stolen from the central bank of Bangladesh.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The government on Tuesday filed complaints against two individuals implicated in the $81-million money laundering controversy involving a branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) filed the complaints against Kim Wong and Weikang Xu. Weikang Xu, reportedly a junket operator, allegedly owned the bank accounts where the $81 million stolen from Bangladesh Bank through computer hacking ended up. On the other hand, Kim Wong, a businessman, has been tagged as the mastermind in the money-laundering scheme. He has been described as a valued client of RCBC who is close with the bank’s president and CEO Lorenzo Tan. Tan said he has not seen Wong in more than 10 years. The $81 million was reportedly hacked and stolen from Bangladesh Bank’s account in New York and laundered in Philippine banks and casinos. (MNS)

Rachelle Ann Go (MNS Photo) Rachelle Ann Go turned sentimental as she looked back on the night she had a duet with her idol, veteran singer Regine Velasquez. On Instagram, Go shared a collage of pictures when she was still a contestant in the talent competition “Search for A Star,” which was then hosted by Velasquez. “It has been 12 years since it all started! I will never forget that night (March 13, 2004)… Singing with my idol Regine Velasquez was more than enough for me (and always will be) but God has more surprises. My life changed after this,” she said. Noting that she has been through a lot of challenges in life, Go said she manages to pull through every time through prayers. “Even before I joined Search For A Star, I’ve been bullied A LOT. But I kept on moving forward and just trusted God. Prayer is the key. He never left me even when I was on the verge of giving up,” she said. Now that she is celebrating her 12th year in showbiz, Go took the opportunity to thank those who have helped her. “Thank you to my family who is always on my side… To all my friends & Shinatics for all the love and support. Maraming Salamat sa inyo! Cheers to many more years to come,” she said. Go added: “Never stop reaching for that dream. It will happen one day… Believe and it will come true!” Currently, Go is busy playing the Read More …