Palace says sorry to the people inconvenienced by ASEAN events

 Entertainment
Nov 252017
 

Metro Manila Development Authority(MMDA) personnel remove on Wednesday the plastic barriers used to create an exclusive ASEAN lane along EDSA for the 31st ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN lane was reserved for VIPs and delegates traveling from Clark International Airport to Manila and Manila to Clark for the 3-day regional meeting.(MNS photo)

MANILA, Nov 16 (Mabuhay) –Hosting the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Meetings, which coincided with the regional bloc’s 50th founding anniversary, was a success considering that no unfortunate incident occurred, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also apologized to the people who were inconvenienced by the ASEAN-related events and said the hosting proved that the Philippines is capable of organizing international events.

“Congratulations to the rest of the Filipino people. Siyempre po may mga naabala, lalong-lalo na doon sa closure ng EDSA, pasensya na po kayo. Ang naging kapalit naman ay iyong paghanga ng buong daigdig sa kakayahan ng bansang Pilipinas,” he said at a briefing in Malacañang.

There was a collective sigh of relief now that the ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners have left the country, the Palace official noted.

“It was a tremendous success. Of course, now that all the guests are gone, there is a sigh of relief that there was not one untoward incident. All that could have happened was one explosion, even if no one was hurt, for us to have a major disaster in our hands,” he said.

The cooperation of the Filipinos helped avert untoward incidents, said Roque.

“The world community now recognizes not only the fact that the Philippine President is not just a President of the Philippines, a leader of Southeast Asia, but a recognized leader in the international community,” he said.

“They have also given notice that the Philippines is able to competently host a bidding, a meeting of this scale and scope. And the fact that there was no untoward incident proves that the Philippines is safe to visit,” he added. (MNS)

Duterte lauds ASEAN, international partners for Marawi aid

 Entertainment
Nov 182017
 
Duterte lauds ASEAN, international partners for Marawi aid

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his partner Honeylet pose for a photo with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and dialogue partners prior to the start of the gala dinner hosted by the Philippines at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on November 12, 2017. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO MANILA, Nov 13 (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday expressed gratitude to ASEAN member states and other international partners for their assistance in the recently-concluded campaign against the Maute Group terrorists in Marawi City. “Less than a month ago, Philippine government forces liberated the city of Marawi from terrorist groups who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Resolute, we are now in the process of helping people back on their feet to reclaim their lives,” the Chief Executive said. He thanked these nations in his speech during the opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “We thank our international partners for providing assistance in dealing with the situation in Marawi City,” Duterte said. “Our ASEAN brothers provided support by sending relief items for the benefit of the internally displaced persons while others provided valuable assistance and bolstered our military campaign,” he stressed. Fighting broke out in the city after government troops tried to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and his cohorts last May 23. It officially ended on Oct. 23 after military units have neutralized Hapilon and Omar Maute, one of the co-founders of the Read More …

Palace: No ASEAN holiday declaration yet

 Entertainment
Oct 072017
 

MANILA, Sept 28 (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Thursday clarified that it has not declared holidays in November coinciding with the Philippines’ hosting of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella made this clarification in light of a supposed Malacañang document circulating online saying that the government has declared November 13 to 15 as “special non-working holidays.” “It’s not official but I’m sure a statement will be forthcoming,” Abella said in a news conference in Malacañang. The Philippines chairs the ASEAN this year and has been a host to various activities and meetings. The 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings are scheduled to take place from November 10 to 14 in Clark, Pampanga and is expected to gather top officials from the bloc and its partner countries. (MNS)

Palace: No ASEAN holiday declaration yet

 Entertainment
Oct 072017
 

MANILA, Sept 28 (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Thursday clarified that it has not declared holidays in November coinciding with the Philippines’ hosting of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella made this clarification in light of a supposed Malacañang document circulating online saying that the government has declared November 13 to 15 as “special non-working holidays.” “It’s not official but I’m sure a statement will be forthcoming,” Abella said in a news conference in Malacañang. The Philippines chairs the ASEAN this year and has been a host to various activities and meetings. The 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings are scheduled to take place from November 10 to 14 in Clark, Pampanga and is expected to gather top officials from the bloc and its partner countries. (MNS)

Darlin Baje wins ASEAN Pop Singing Title in Vietnam

 News
Sep 112017
 
Darlin Baje wins ASEAN Pop Singing Title in Vietnam

Filipina Darlin Joy Baje won the first Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) pop singing contest held in commemoration of the association’s 50th anniversary celebration. Darlin Joy Baje The overseas Filipino worker in Vietnam became the winner of the ASEAN+3 Song Contest after competing against 9 other contestants who made it to the finals. Baje was one of the 10 finalists from among 17 other candidates from 10 ASEAN countries who joined the inaugural pop singing contest. The 29-year old won for her performance of “One Night Only” from the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls” which was popularized by Jennifer Hudson in the movie of the same title. In an interview over Radio the Voice of Vietnam, the host of the ASEAN contest, Baje revealed how it wasn’t her idea to join the contest and that in fact it was her first time to perform in a singing competition. She shared how surprised she was when her name was announced the winner. “I can’t believe it, are you sure,” Baje remembers saying at the contest. On the VOV5 Lunch Show, Baje admitted she came to Vietnam to work as a singer at the prodding of a Vietnam-based aunt of an aunt who trained her in the Philippines. However it has been two years since she last sang professionally when her contract ended, and is actually too busy with her fulltime work in the hotel industry. Baje agreed with the VOV5 host’s hopes that winning the ASEAN song contest can help her Read More …

6 Filipinos best of the best in ASEAN film fest awards

 News
May 102017
 
6 Filipinos best of the best in ASEAN film fest awards

Six Filipinos received major awards from the 3rd ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards 2017 (AIFFA 2017) held May in Kuching, Malaysia. [via Facebook] Six awards were given to the Philippine entries out of 18 nominations at the AIFFA 2017. Popular comedienne Ai Ai DeLas Alas bagged the Best Actress award for her role as an ageing woman trying to get away from a life of prostitution in the movie, Area. Louie Ignacio received the Best Director trophy for the same film, Area. Ana Capri won the Best Supporting Actress award for the film, “Laut.” Ricky Davao received the Best Supporting Actor for “Dayang Asu.” Lawrence Fajardo won the Best Editing award for “Imbisibol.” Lav Diaz was honored with a special citation for “Ang Babaeng Humayo” which has been receiving several international acclaim. The AIFFA which is on its third run since it was first held in 2013, offers a platform to promote ASEAN films to the international market, facilitate collaborations among ASEAN film industry members, and provide business opportunities for film exhibitors and distributors. In 2015 the Philippines received 5 trophies, with Cherie Gil bagging the Best Actress trophy, and a Lifetime Achievement award for Nora Aunor. The Philippine trophies at the ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards “furthers the art and craft of ASEAN filmmaking by inspiring and championing the work of screenwriters, filmmakers and all artistes who use the language of film to tell a story,” according to AIFFA.   The post 6 Filipinos best of the Read More …

ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea agree to enhance financial safety nets

 Economy
May 052017
 

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Finance ministers and central bank governors of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members and their China, Japan and Korean peers meeting here on the sidelines of the 50th anniversary of the Asian Development Bank’s Board of Governors agreed on Friday to help each other enhance resilience to financial shocks and to promote trade and investments.

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