Aug 192016
 
New innovation lab opens in Makati CBD PLDT Innolab is Philippines lair of digital smarts

PLDT Innolab previews the future of telecommunications in the Philippines. MANILA, Philippines – The country’s leading telecoms and digital services provider PLDT recently opened its newest Innovation Laboratory (Innolab) at the Makati CBD which takes to a higher level its pioneering commitment to define the future of telecommunications in the Philippines. PLDT Innolab is a world-class facility where innovative products and business solutions are tested and developed, and where PLDT’s field experts provide training, ICT services and other technical assistance to the digital clientele. “The newest lair of digital smarts is the PLDT Innolab,” Joey Limjap, PLDT vice president for ICT Research and Development, said, citing that Innolab set the standards in building a world-class ICT research and development center for new generation technology and applications. The opening of this cutting-edge facility marks PLDT’s seventh Innolab nationwide after Manila, Clark, Subic, Cebu, Davao and Baguio. “In these times of mind-boggling advances in technology, Innolab is the perfect avenue to identify trends and business models, and facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges within the dynamic digital community,” Limjap said. PLDT Innolab is a host to a mixture of techies in the digital community in a cross-section of demographics – from the telecom industry, academe, software and gaming industry, and service providers in government – all engaged on new technologies and solutions as stakeholders of the digital economy. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Since 2003, Innolab has had a positive and lasting impact in providing innovation in ICT services and Read More …

Aug 192016
 
Ayala Land to issue new P10-B bonds

Ayala Land Inc. is preparing to issue another round of its pioneering Homestarter Bonds worth P3 billion and a third tranche of its fixed rate bond series worth P7 billion. STAR/File photo MANILA, Philippines – Ayala Land Inc. is preparing to issue another round of its pioneering Homestarter Bonds worth P3 billion and a third tranche of its fixed rate bond series worth P7 billion. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) yesterday, ALI said its board of directors approved the terms and conditions for the combined P10 billion new issuances yesterday. Both issuances would be under the company’s P50 billion debt securities program as approved by the SEC in March. The Homestarter Bonds, a concept pioneered by ALI, enables bondholders to build up full or partial downpayment to buy a residential unit in the future. The coupon rate may be 3.5 percent to four percent, same as in previous rounds of Homestarter Bonds, officials earlier said. ALI first launched the innovative instrument in 2006, making it the first property company to issue such types of bonds. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It has been issuing the bonds regularly, saying that it has been an effective savings instrument for many bondholders. In the past, eligible investors including the targeted retail investors could buy a minimum of P50,000 worth of the bonds and in multiples of P5,000 or P10,000 thereafter. ALI has an approved shelf registration for up to P50 billion. A shelf registration is Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Iya Villania goes on maternity leave

Iya Villania (MNS Photo) Iya Villania is now officially on a maternity leave from showbiz, weeks ahead of giving birth to her first child. On Instagram, the former Kapamilya star shared a video of her enjoying some “me time” at a salon where she had her hair trimmed. “Approaching d-day so taking the time now to get a trim to keep whatever freshness I can during labor,” she wrote in the caption. Villania said she has accepted that her son will keep her busy for the next couple of months so she is getting the most out of her free time before she official becomes a mom. Villania is married to TV host Drew Arellano. The celebrity couple fist announced Villania’s pregnancy

Aug 182016
 
Mama Sita commemorative stamps added to US Postal Museum collection

Mr. Ted Wilson (right) shows Mr. Roberto Mercado the Philippine stamps that were on display at the Postal Museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. WASHINGTON, DC – The Mama Sita Foundation officially handed over a donation of Mama Sita commemorative stamps to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum during a simple turnover ceremony held at the museum lobby on 15 August 2016. The late Teresita “Mama Sita” Reyes was an iconic figure in Philippine culinary arts history, pioneering the use of mixes and seasonings that accompany Filipino food. The series of commemorative stamps were issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation in honor of her contribution and influence in the propagation of authentic Philippine cuisine as well as to honor her birth centenary in 2017. Mr. Roberto Mercado (5th from left) hands over the commemorative Mama Sita stamps to Mr. Ted Wilson (6th from left) of the Collections Department of the National Postal Museum on 15 August 2016. “The stamps signify the flavors that the Philippine cuisine offers as well as the country’s vision of sharing our biodiversity to the rest of the world,” Mr. Roberto Mercado, consultant and representative of the Mama Sita Foundation said. “We love to have it,” Mr. Ted Wilson of the Postal Museum’s Collections Department received and welcomed the inclusion of the stamps to the museum’s collection on display. After the ceremony, Mr. Wilson took Mr. Mercado and other Philippine Embassy representatives to a brief tour of the Postal Museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. The turnover ceremony was organized by the Mama Sita Foundation in collaboration with Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Palace: Duterte’s tirades vs De Lima due to her ‘assumption’ he is linked to extrajudicial killings

President Rodrigo Duterte poses for a photo with National Youth Commission Chairperson Cariza Yamson Seguera and Film Development Council Chairperson Mary Liza Diño after the oath-taking ceremony at the Rizal Hall in Malacañan Palace on August 15.(MNS photo) MANILA, Aug 18 (Mabuhay) — A Malacañang official on Thursday said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against Senator Leila de Lima are rooted in her supposed assumption that the chief executive himself is linked to extrajudicial killings. In a statement, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella pointed out that Duterte understands that “public discourse has its dynamics and perimeters,” as exhibited in his previous exchange with the Supreme Court Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. “However, he has taken umbrage with Sen de Lima’s approach, of not only taking the moral high ground with regard to drug-related deaths, but her assumptions that said deaths are directly attributable to PRRD’s War on Drugs,” he stated. President Rodrigo Duterte and his appointees do the fist gesture after the oath-taking ceremony at the Rizal Hall in Malacañan Palace on August 15. (MNS photo) The newest word war started Wednesday afternoon in Camp Crame when Duterte hinted that a senator was linked to the narcotics trade through her driver who happened to be her lover. He said that the senator went to Davao City to investigate his connection to the so-called vigilante group Davao death squad and its violation against human rights. Press to reveal the name of the human rights crusader in a news briefing later that afternoon, Duterte Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Palace cites achievements: Lower crime rate to PHL’s Miss Universe hosting

President Rodrigo R. Duterte meets with Miss Universe 2016 Pia Wurtzbach during a courtesy call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Monday July 18, 2016. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Wednesday gave a glimpse of what it considers as achievements of President Rodrigo Duterte in his first 50 days in office. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters THAT Duterte’s top achievements would be the mass surrender of drug users and pushers and the decline in crime rate last month as a result of the government’s intensified campaign against criminality and illegal drugs. Andanar also mentioned the suspension of mining firms that allegedly did not comply with environmental safety standards, the historic release of the first executive order on freedom of information, launching of the one-stop service center for overseas Filipino workers, reopening of the Malacañang of the South in Davao City and fight against contractualization. Also on the list is the country’s third hosting of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant slated for next year, the increase in the allowances of Filipinos competing in the Olympic Games, appoinment of leftist individuals to Cabinet positions, hotlines for emergencies and citizens’ complaints, planned administrative order on task force that will address media killings, name-and-shame campaign against suspected drug lords and their protectors, and the $2.4 billion infrastructure grant from Japan for the construction of a 38-kilometer railway from Manila to Bulacan. In a statement, Andanar said this will be the first time that an incumbent President will Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Palace: Hero’s burial for Marcos to proceed unless there’s a TRO

Members of Catholic and Protestant church groups stage a candle-lighting protest as part of the “Anti-Marcos in Malacañang Campaign,” in Plaza Miranda on Tuesday. The groups recalled the accounts of torture, detention, disappearances and killings during Martial Law.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Wednesday said the hero’s burial for the late strongman President Ferdinand Marcos will push through unless the Supreme Court will issue a temporary restraining order (TRO). “Like I said, it seems that everything is starting to move according to arrangements so unless somebody, unless there is a TRO or anything like that, it will proceed as planned,” Abella said at a press briefing in Malacañang. The Marcos family reportedly wants the Libingan ng mga Bayani interment to be held on September 18 or just 10 days before his death anniversary. But Abella said no official date has been set yet. “The process is ongoing. Nobody is rushing anything. It’s just people need to respond as appropriate as possible,” he added. The Supreme Court (SC) has scheduled oral arguments on August 24 on the petitions filed by Martial Law victims and their families earlier this week. Nonetheless, Abella reiterated that Duterte will abide by whatever ruling of the SC on the matter. Over the weekend, about a thousand gathered at Rizal Park in Manila to protest the impending burial of Marcos at the Libingan. Duterte had said that he will allow protests against the hero’s burial for Marcos to proceed and will assign a Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Bato Dela Rosa: 2 to 3 regional directors may be sacked for failure to fight illegal drugs

Philippine National Police chief Director General Roland Dela Rosa speaks to politicians and police officers named by President Rodrigo Duterte as allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade. Some personalities on Duterte’s list “voluntarily surrendered” at Camp Crame on Monday.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa on Wednesday said at least two  to three police regional directors might be sacked if they will not step up their efforts against illegal drugs. “Mga dalawa or tatlo na medyo kailangan pa talagang magsumikap,” Dela Rosa said in an interview after the launch of the PNP’s health and fitness program at Camp Crame  in Quezon City. Dela Rosa said he found the efforts of the Police Region Office 5 and 6 lacking. “Kasama na diyan yung Region 6 … meron tayong information na ongoing pa yung drug trade doon, yung mga drug lord doon eh namamayagpag pa rin. Medyo kulang pa but the regional director promised me that he will step up his campaign,” he said. “Yung Region 5, tahimik,” he added. Dela Rosa said the National Capital Region is barely passing but he knows the efforts the officers are exerting. “Metro Manila so far so good sila, but still they have to step up,” he said. Dela Rosa said if he will take into consideration his own standards, the regional directors are doing well but they may fall short as they need to eradicate illegal drug operations in six months. “So far okay kung babatayan Read More …

Aug 182016
 
Busy Arci Munoz

Arci Muñoz (MNS photo) Arci Muñoz is the busiest among her co-stars in “Camp Sawi” where she’s paired with Rico Blanco. The other stars of “Camp Sawi” are Andi Eigenmann, Bela Padilla and new comedienne Kim Molina. Aside from this, she’s also in a new teleserye with Jericho Rosales, “Never Say Goodbye,” and she’s doing another movie, “Extra Service” for Star Cinema, co-starring Coleen Garcia and Jessy Mendiola, directed by Chris Martinez. Of course, she’s ecstatic about the beautiful opportunities coming her way. She likes her role in “Camp Sawi,” which is by new director Irene Villamor and filmed in scenic Bantayan Island in Cebu. “Camp Sawi is a special place for people who are nursing a broken heart,” she explains. “Mabait akong girlfriend dito kay Rico Blanco. Kung anong gusto niya, kung anong trip niya, sinusunod ko, nag-a-adapt ako. Pero sa kabila noon, he dumped me.” In real-life, her boyfriend is also a band member, Badi del Rosario aka Bones Frankenstein, lead vocalist of the band known as Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus. She admits their relationship is somewhat adversely affected by the successful turn in her career now. “Masyado akong naging busy dahil sa dami ng projects ko,” she says. “So wala kaming masyadong time to see each other, but he understands it naman.” (MNS

Aug 182016
 
Nissan Versa Note also named one of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com ‘10 Best Back-to-School Cars of 2016’

2016 Nissan Versa Note: The 2016 Versa Note is offered in a range of five well-equipped models: S, S Plus, SV, SR and SL. Each is powered by a 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine. Versa Note S features a 5-speed manual transmission. The S Plus, SV, SR and SL models are equipped with a next-generation Nissan Xtronic transmission, helping them achieve 40 miles per gallon highway fuel economy. NASHVILLE, Tenn  – For the second consecutive year, the Nissan Versa Note has been named by the editors at Kelley Blue Book to the annual KBB.com “10 Best Back-to-School Cars” list. Once again the vehicles selected for a “Back-to-School” recommendation had to be available for under $20,000 and meet the editors’ criteria of being safe and stylish. The 2016 Versa Note has a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price* (M.S.R.P.) of $14,230 USD. KBB.com, utilizing its Fair Purchase Price (FPP) data, ranked Versa Note the second lowest priced vehicle on the 2016 list. “We are honored to be recognized by the editors of Kelley Blue Book for the second school year in a row,” said Dan Mohnke, vice president, Nissan Chief Marketing Manager & Marketing Operations. “Versa Note offers a great combination of available safety and security features, combined with an affordable price. It also has the sporty style and roomy, versatile interior that is perfect for the demands of campus life.” The 2016 Versa Note is offered in a range of five well-equipped models: S, S Plus, SV, SR and SL. Each is Read More …