Maniolas

Jones house: The William A. Jones Home in Warsaw, Virginia (PHOTO: US-Philippines Society) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The sixth Annual Historic House Party of the William A. Jones Home in Warsaw, Virginia commemorated on 24 September 2016 the centennial of the Philippine Autonomy Act, otherwise known as the Jones Act for Philippine Independence, which was enacted by the 64th Congress of the United States of America on 29 August 1916. Organized by the Richmond County Museum, the gathering brought together representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC; and the Jones Family, as well as members of the local community, including Filipino Americans from as far as Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. The Jones Law, as it was commonly referred to, laid down the framework for a more autonomous government, preparatory to the grant of independence to the Philippines by the United States. Through this law, the Philippines saw the creation of a bicameral legislature, the introduction of a representative electoral process, and the recognition of the fundamental civil and political rights of persons living within the bounds of the Philippine Islands. Minister JV Chan Gonzaga with the Jones family: Philippine Embassy’s Economic Minister, Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga (2nd from left) together with the Jones family at the 6th Annual Historic House Party of the William A. Jones Home in Warsaw, Virginia on 24 September 2016. (PHOTO: US-Philippines Society) In the formal program for the afternoon, Minister Jose Victor V. Chan-Gonzaga, representing the Philippine Embassy, and Ms. Elizabeth Hart Jones, representing the Jones Family, Read More …

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago greets supporters during a campaign event at the University if Perpetual Help University in Biñan, Laguna on March 1. Santiago consistently topped a number of student-led election surveys organized in major universities around the country.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Senators on Thursday joined in mourning the death of former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, with most of them hailing her as one of the greatest public servants. Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, a student of Santiago in the UP College of Law, said he owes his legal knowledge to the late senator. “I would always intently listen to her when she would speak in the Senate on constitutional and international law matters. I did not always agree with her position but I always learned from her arguments,” Pimentel said. “I’m saddened by her passing, saddened more by the fact that I wasn’t able to visit her during her last days with us,” he added. In a statement, Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon said “there is no senator, past or present, who can match Senator Santiago’s uncommon brilliance and fiery dedication to her principles and beliefs.” “She was an intellectual giant and a legal luminary whose wit and words benefited this nation and its people so many times over. She’s a loss to the country. She will remain an inspiration to all of us,” Drilon said. Drilon and Santiago were classmates in the University of the Philippines-Iloilo College and the UP College of Law, from 1961 to 1969. Read More …

Senator Grace Poe talks to the media as she concedes to front runner Rodrigo Duterte in the presidential elections on Monday. Poe said she has accepted the electorate’s decision and greeted Duterte, who is leading the count by more than 5 million votes from the next candidate with over half of the votes tallied.(MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Being a newbie in politics, Senator Grace Poe recalled how she had “sleepless nights” to face feisty constitutionalist, former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Poe was the one who defended the proposed Freedom of Information (FOI) as chair of the Senate committee on public information and mass media during the 16th Congress. And Santiago was among those who interpellated her on the floor. “I was already defending the FOI bill, it was the first bill that I defended on the floor and I was quite scared to be interpellated then by Senator Santiago,” she recalled during the hearing of the committee, which she still chairs this 17th Congress. “I remember having sleepless nights preparing for that particular time when she would actually interpellate me,” said Poe. Before interperelatting her, Poe recalled Santiago telling her that: “Senator Poe, I feel very maternal towards you.” “So instead of actually interpellating me, she lectured me on the importance of having a Freedom of Information bill and I will never forget her for that,” she said. “She stressed that the presidential communications privilege should not be abused by any sitting president and I think that’s a valid point Read More …

Sharon Cuneta MANILA, Sept 30 (Mabuhay) — MEGASTAR Sharon Cuneta just laughed off the issue regarding her supposed 2012 show inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). Cuneta’s name was dragged during the recent congressional hearing about the alleged proliferation of drugs inside the national penitentiary when Senator Leila de Lima served as Justice Secretary. One of the witnesses named Cuneta as one of showbiz personalities who performed for drug lords and inmates. In an interview with the singer/actress at the press conference of her self-titled concert scheduled on October 15 and 22 at the Theater at Solaire, she said her performance was non-issue. “I’m so apolitical and sometimes I don’t know what these letters (NBP) stand for. You have to tell me the whole thing. Sabi ko, ‘I don’t know what these letters stand for. What are they associating me with?” She recalled that her team visited the NBP for the taping of her former talk show “Kasama Mo Kapatid,” which aired on TV5. The Kapamilya star said it was part of their advocacy and her way of helping RockEd Philippines. “It was organized by Gang Badoy and we were doing shows outside the studio. Nag Pampanga kami, nag Davao, Cebu, kung saan saan kami nakarating.” “If I’m not mistaken, it was the holiday season. When I went there, I actually talked to those na (nakakulong), ‘Kamusta ang buhay ninyo dito? Anong ginagawa ninyo to pass your time?’ Yung tipong because I wanted the show to reinforce positive values and Read More …