Maniolas

President Duterte shakes hands with a Chinese military official: President Rodrigo R. Duterte shakes hands with a Chinese military official upon his arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Monday (Oct. 17, 2016). (PNA photo by Toto Lozano/PPD/PNA) MANILA, Oct. 19 (PNA) — The Philippines’ current pivot to China concerns trade and not aids, with USD18 billion in export deals, USD6 billion foreign direct investments (FDI), some USD10 billion ODA loans for railways and the prospect of about 3 million tourists, and modern technology for renewable energy. Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda articulated this perspective and said President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to China, at the invitation by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is hailed by many as a game changing pivot in trade and investment. A noted economist, Salceda, in a recent TV interview said China is officially listed as third largest trading partner of the Philippines with about USD17 billion investment in the country, next to ASEAN with USD18 billion and Japan as the largest with USD21 billion. Contrary to common perceptions, he said the US comes only as the Philippines’ fourth largest trading partner, with USD16 billion investments. If informal trading is considered, he pointed out, China emerges as the Philippine’s largest partner, with about USD32 billion, and such massive trade relations do not benefit from protection nor promotion. He added that trading between the Philippines and China concerns mostly undeclared and undervalued commodities, resulting to trade imbalance of USD5 billion annually (USD11 billion import and USD6 billion Read More …

Senator Leila de Lima, chair of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, leads the inquiry on the extrajudicial killings, Monday morning.(MNS photo) MANILA, Oct. 18 (PNA) – Amid unresolved killings linked to the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the current administration, a senator on Tuesday urged the government to fix the campaign’s defects to prevent the number of killings from increasing. Senator Leila de Lima made this call citing an alternate report submitted by the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) last week noting that the administration has failed in addressing extrajudicial and summary killings in the country. The report also noted that the administration was more concerned on “winning the war on drugs, rather than investigating and preventing these killings.” Moreover, it also noted several defects in the implementation of intensified anti-illegal drug campaign which, as of last Sept. 15, claimed the lives of 986 since June 30, including innocent individuals, including children, treated as “collateral damage” in the anti-drive campaign. “The rash of extrajudicial and summary killings has become a serious concern not only domestically but also internationally. We cannot claim success in the government’s war against drugs if there are innocent individuals who are being summarily killed or those apprehended were not accorded due process of the law,” de Lima said. De Lima, who was former justice secretary, earlier filed Senate Bill No. 1197 which seeks to define extrajudicial killings and imposing penalties of life imprisonment without parole for any public officer, person in authority, agency of a Read More …

Barangay volunteers assist in the evacuation of residents of Barangay Casambalangan in Sta. Ana, Cagayan in preparation for Typhoon Lawin on Wednesday. Local government units carried out preemptive evacuation of residents after PAGASA issued a storm surge warning of up to 5 meters along coastal areas of Cagayan and Isabela. (MNS photo) MANILA, Oct 20 (Mabuhay) – Initial assessment from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that about 60,000 families were affected by Typhoon “Lawin” (international name: Haima). “Around 13,428 families or 61,126 persons were affected in 118 barangays (villages) in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Bicol and Cordillera,” the NDRRMC said. It added that 3,919 families or 15,328 persons were displaced and 3,825 families or 14,895 persons were taking shelter in evacuation centers. Lawin made landfall in Peñablaca, Cagayan at 11p.m. on Wednesday as a supertyphoon. The NDRRMC said that it had received reports from the regional DRRM councils that a number of infrastructures had been damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were toppled. There were no immediate reports of deaths, it added. The NDRRMC said a region-wide power outage was reported in the Cordillera Administrative Region. “Some road networks in CAR, Cagayan and Isabela are impassable due to landslides, and toppled trees and electric posts” it added. The government is also getting ready for road reconnaissance for initial asssement of the damage  brought by the typhoon. Lawin continued to weaken on Thursday morning, and is expected to leave the Philippine area Read More …

Jessy Mendiola (MNS photo) Without going into the details of her supposed relationship, actress Jessy Mendiola said she is open to the idea of marrying TV host and actor Luis Manzano. In an interview, Mendiola was asked: “If there is one person, if there is one man, that you will marry at this point in your life, would that be Luis (Manzano)?” She replied with a simple “Yes.” Mendiola, however, declined to confirm if she and Luis are officially a couple. The actress added that it is better to ask Manzano about the real status of their relationship. Mendiola also revealed that she will attend the Star Magic Ball with Manzano. Recently, Mendiola attended the APAN Star Awards 2016 in South Korea, where she mingled with some of South Korea’s top actors and actresses. Mendiola, who has been named as an honorary Korea Tourism Ambassador to the Philippines, had her photos taken with Choi Jin-woong, Shin Dong-yup, Honey Lee, Chae Jung-an and “Descendants of the Sun” lead actor Song Joong-ki.(MNS)