Maniolas

By Joann Santiago An employee counts U.S. dollar bills before changing it to Philippine Pesos inside a money changer in Manila September 19, 2013. The Philippine central bank said remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have allowed households to save money, boosting the country’s savings rate.(MNS Photo) MANILA  (PNA) – An economist of ING Bank Manila is optimistic that the Philippines’ external payments position could sustain its strength this 2016, backed by robust growth of revenues of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and remittances. In a research note, ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng projects BPO sector revenues to rise by 16 percent this year to USD 25 billion. These inflows are seen to get further boost from remittances from Filipinos overseas, which is seen to rise by three percent this year. For May 2016 alone, Cuyegkeng sees remittances to rise by four to five percent to USD 2.2 billion, to bring the five-month amount to USD 10.9 billion. Cuyegkeng said recent hikes in oil prices “should deliver some relief that remittances are unlikely to contract year-on-year for the whole of 2016.” ”In addition, the deployment of higher skilled Filipinos abroad would likely support a modest growth not only this year but in the coming years,” he said. Last April, cash remittances rose by 4.1 percent year-on-year to USD 2.2 billion while end-year growth rose by 3.1 percent to USD 8.67 billion. In 2015, cash remittances grew by 4.6 percent, higher than the central bank’s four percent target, Read More …

Liza Soberano (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Liza Soberano has expressed interest in playing Filipino superhero Darna, saying she would like to try action roles for a change. The 18-year-old is reportedly among the actresses who are being considered to replace Angel Locsin in an upcoming movie about the komiks icon. Soberano was asked about a scene in a recent episode of “Dolce Amore” where she screamed “Darna” and asked co-star Enrique Gil, “Bagay ba?” This created a buzz among Soberano’s followers, who immediately created fan-made Darna posters of their idol. Soberano, however, dismissed the speculations, saying the line was “only part of the script.” “It doesn’t mean anything naman talaga. Because there’s speculation before I think so they were just teasing the audience,” she said. However, she added that “it would be an honor” if she is cast. “It would be an honor to play Darna but I don’t know if I’m ready just yet,” she said. But whether or not she bags the role, Soberano wants to play physically challenging roles in the future. “I want to do action talaga. Wala lang, parang cool lang na parang mga superhero or like a zombie or something like that,” she said. “Darna” director Erik Matti agreed that Soberano can play the role. “She has the strength physically, ‘yung itsura at katawan. And then tama ‘yung edad and you can do a lot of things sa mukha niya. Puwede siya mag-iba-iba ng itsura and she could still look really good. At Read More …