MNS – Page 2 – Maniolas

Fishermen protest 144-hectare reclamation of Manila Bay

Mar 042014

Residents hang on to a rope as they pass strong currents along a flooded area in Marikina, east of Manila, Philippines on Thursday Aug. 9, 2012. A fresh deluge forced more evacuations along fast-rising rivers in the Philippine capital Thursday, as the city and surrounding areas struggled to deal with widespread flooding triggered by nearly two weeks of relentless rains. (MNS photo) MANILA, Mar 3 (Mabuhay) – The government should stop the reclamation project of Manila Gold Coast Corporation which covers 144 hectares of coastline, fishermen from Southern Tagalog said at their fluvial protest action in Manila Bay. The protesters rode in seven fishing boats from Bacoor Bay to the Senate, which sits on another reclaimed portion of Manila Bay, to express their strong opposition to this new reclamation project, which will displace 100,000 coastline residents. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Tagalog (Bayan-ST) together with fisher folk organization Pamalakaya, said the further reclamation of Manila Bay will not only be detrimental to fishermen, but also to residents of Manila who will suffer more severe floods. “In all aspects, this reclamation project will not serve the best interest of our people. It is equally detrimental to the environment and especially those people who live along the coast,” said Bayan-ST spokesperson Andrianne Mark Ng. “Around 100,000 residents are expected to be displaced when the reclamation pushes through,” Ng said. Citing a paper by Dr. Kelvin S. Rodolfo, a geologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago in Illinois, Ng also pointed out that Read More …

Gov’t is hiring professionals for 4,000 teaching positions

Entertainment

Feb 062014

Gov’t is hiring professionals for 4,000 teaching positions

President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Cabinet Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday (December 10). (MNS photo) CARMONA, Cavite (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Monday that the Department of Education (DepEd) is presently hiring professionals for 4,000 teaching positions to address the backlogs in teachers in public schools. In his speech during the ceremonial turn-over of the 66,813 classrooms at the CarmonaNationalHigh School here, the Chief Executive said the DepEd has yet to fill up all the 103,000 new teaching positions created under his administration. “Mula 2010 hanggang 2013 naman, nagdagdag tayo ng halos 103 libong posisyon para sa mga guro. Baka pansinin po n’yo, “posisyon.” Sabi ko, “Bakit ‘posisyon?’” May kulang pa raw ho kasi na apat na libong maha-hire,” the President said. “Dati nag-e-export tayo ng teacher, ngayon naghahanap tayo ng teacher – apat na libo, mga specialized po ito, baka may kakilala kayong naghahanap ng trabaho, kulang pa ho tayo ng apat na libo,” he said. The DepEd has hastened the recruitment and hiring process to fill up the positions. The government finally achieved a zero backlog in classrooms with the construction of 66,813 classrooms, the President said. “Mulat po tayong hindi pa tapos ang ating misyon, at mayroon pa rin tayong mga pagsubok na dapat lampasan. Marami po ang winasak na paaralan ng mga nagdaang kalamidad, at bawat taon ay nadadagdagan ang mga mag-aaral,” he said. “Sa abot ng ating makakaya, titiyakin nating Read More …

Palace: Bus tragedies a reminder to common carriers to practice extraordinary diligence

Entertainment

Dec 182013

Palace: Bus tragedies a reminder to common carriers to practice extraordinary diligence

A policeman searches for personal belongings of passengers after a bus fell off an elevated expressway and crashed into a van below in Taguig city, south of Manila December 16, 2013. At least 21 people were killed during the incident, according to the police. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The deadly bus accidents that killed at least 20 people in the last two days should remind public transport operators of their duty to practice extraordinary diligence, Malacañang said Monday. Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda also assured the riding public the government is enforcing speed limits and other measures aimed at ensuring their safety. “I think tragedies like this fully serve to remind the common carriers that they have an obligation in transportation law, extraordinary diligence,” he said, adding sanctions are imposed upon them if an accident occurs. He said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to order the immediate automatic suspension of all 78 units of Don Mariano Transport Corp., whose bus figured in an accident at Skyway early Monday. During the 30-day suspension, LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez was instructed by Abaya to investigate the drivers and have them undergo drug tests, while reviewing the performance record of Don Mariano Transport Corporation. Also, Abaya ordered Toll Regulatory Board executive director Edmund Reyes to review video footage of the Skyway accident and draw up measures to avoid a repeat of the bus fall from an elevated tollway. Lacierda also said the owner of Don Mariano Read More …

New pact allows information cooperation, exchange between Phl and Myanmar media

Entertainment

Dec 092013

New pact allows information cooperation, exchange between Phl and Myanmar media

His Excellency U Thein Sein, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,is being escorted by Department of Agriculture Sec.Proceso Alcala during the wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Manila on Thursday, the 2nd day of his state visit to the Philippines. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Media entities in the Philippines and Myanmar can now strengthen their information cooperation following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Malacañan Palace on Thursday. The memorandum of understanding was signed on the second day of Myanmar President Thein Sein’s state visit to the Philippines. Signing it were Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. and Myanmar Deputy Minister for Information Ye Htut. The MOU provides for an exchange of visits of journalists, cooperation between private radio and TV networks, and sharing of best practices in media’s role in national development and the peace process. It covers news exchanges, radio and television broadcasting, film industries, public relations, printing and publishing. (MNS)

PHL cuts 2014 import, export targets

Entertainment

Dec 092013

President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Task Force Yolanda Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Plan Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace on Friday (November 29). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Philippines on Friday lowered its import-export targets for 2014, citing lingering uncertainties in global demand – particularly from advanced economies led by the United States, a member of the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee said. The DBCC, which manages the Philippine macroeconomic program, cut the exports target to 6 percent from 11 percent as originally programmed and brought import goal to 5 percent from 13 percent. The revisions were done after giving the latest demand indicators were given a closer look and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas modified the computations for the balance of payments, said Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balicasan, who sits on the budget committee. However, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad, who also chairs the DBCC, said government is keeping its 2 percent deficit to GDP (gross domestic product) target for 2014, citing the Philippines’ strong fiscal position and better tax collections. The Aquino administration has enough leeway to absorb additional expenditures to cover post-Yolanda reconstruction while keeping deficit spending within original target, he added. (MNS)

Ombudsman: No eight-page memo tagging Enrile as ‘pork’ scam mastermind

Entertainment

Nov 292013

Ombudsman: No eight-page memo tagging Enrile as ‘pork’ scam mastermind

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, poses questions to Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged pork barrel scam mastermind during the hearing on Thursday (Nov. 7, 2013) at the Senate building in Pasay City. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Thursday denied the existence of an eight-page memo tagging Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile as the mastermind of the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. “I’m surprised about that eight-page memo. There’s no such thing as an eight-page memo… I have several memos. I don’t recall about an eight-page memo. Pero ang memo na natatanggap ko, more than 200 pages,” Morales told reporters at the sidelines of Senate deliberations on her office’s budget for next year. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Thursday that an investigative team from the Office of the Ombudsman submitted an eight-page report to Morales last week pointing to Enrile as the alleged mastermind in the pork barrel scam. According to the Inquirer report, the memorandum prepared by Assistant Ombudsman Joselito Fangon stated that “all facts point to Senator Enrile as the unseen hand directing the compass and the tempo of the whole orchestra.” Enrile and two of his collegues – Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla – have been named respondents in a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly receiving kickbacks from the scam that was allegedly engineered by controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. Morales said her office has not yet recommended any charges against the lawmakers before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft Read More …

Palace: Quake, disaster preparedness should start at home

Entertainment

Oct 252013

Palace: Quake, disaster preparedness should start at home

Bartolome Bautista, deputy director of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), points to the epicenter of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake which hit central Philippines on Monday Feb. 6, 2012 during a news conference at suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Officials said the quake in central Philippines killed at least five people as it destroyed buildings, triggered landslides that buried dozens of houses, trapping residents and listed 29 more as missing. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – After the deadly magnitude-7.2 quake that devastated Central Visayas, Malacañang on Saturday pushed for quake preparedness measures at the community and family levels. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said families should draw up and review their own measures, saying disaster preparedness starts at home. “We highly encourage everybody to review your family’s disaster preparedness measures. Kung lahat tayo maihanda ang pamilya natin, malaking bagay ‘yan,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. Her call came amid reports that the West Valley Fault Line could move every 200 to 400 years, with the last major movement occurring 200 years ago. So far, she said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been distributing geo-hazard maps to local governments. “Ang pinakamagandang panangga rito, ihanda natin ang ating pamilya,” she said. In the meantime, she urged the public to make sure their homes are structurally sound. She also said government preparedness measures “will be for naught if citizens do not cooperate.” “If we can take care of our families and contribute to the preparedness of Read More …

Over P100M needed for 4 damaged Bohol churches

Entertainment

Oct 252013

Over P100M needed for 4 damaged Bohol churches

Residents try to put out a fire in Malabon city, north of Manila, October 21, 2013. The fire razed fifty houses and displaced an estimated 100 residents, local media reported.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – More than P100 million is needed to restore or rebuild four churches in Bohol that were heavily damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the province and other parts of central Visayas last week. Atty. Trixie Angeles, the legal counsel of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the agency’s vice chairwoman for the national committee on monuments and sites, said a lot of money is needed to address the structures of the St. Peter’s Church in Loboc, the Baclayon Church and two small churches in Tawis and Luay. She stressed, however, that they still have to collate the opinions of other experts to come up with a final budget. “We have something in the back of our heads but this is not a final amount… We know it is going to be more than a hundred million to address four structures because they need to be retrofitted. They need to be shored up. There have to be tests done on the structure itself to see if any of the foundations have been compromised, and so on,” Angeles said. Angeles added that they also have to “consider the feelings of the stakeholders,” saying that they do not want to end up putting the heritage structures “in a glass case.” “The best heritage Read More …

Govt to launch ‘structural resiliency program’ for public buildings – DPWH

Entertainment

Oct 222013

Govt to launch ‘structural resiliency program’ for public buildings – DPWH

Residents walk past a destroyed church belfry in Tubigon, Bohol , a day after an earthquake hit central Philippines October 16, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) –Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson on Thursday said the government would implement a “structural resiliency program” for all public buildings to keep these functional even after strong earthquakes. “We have what we call ‘structural resiliency program’. Ibig sabihin niyan ay imbes na ire-repair lang namin mga lumang buildings we will retrofit and upgrade them (It means instead of repair, the old building will undergo retrofitting and upgrading,” Singson said after the send off ceremonies for President Benigno Aquino III at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday morning. President Aquino left for a two-day state visit to South Korea. Singson said the government would prioritize the program on government hospitals, public schools, and government buildings. He said they would come up with a template of the standards that should be followed. “Ang ibig sabihin ng programang ito (structural resiliency) we cannot upgrade them unless they are compliant with the new building code para sa ganoon kapag nangyari ang ganito (strong earthquake), sana naman ay hindi na, ay magiging operational pa rin sila. We will make them structurally fit (The program means we cannot upgrade them unless they are compliant with the new building code so if ever a strong earthquake will hit, I hope not. We wikll make them structurally fit) ,” he said. A 7.2 magnitude quake hit Central Visayas on Tuesday, killing Read More …

U.S. Embassy in Manila to continue operations despite shutdown

Entertainment

Oct 042013

U.S. Embassy in Manila to continue operations despite shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 08: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomes President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III, (R), during a luncheon at the Department of State, on June 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. Later today President Aquino is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Operations at the U.S. Embassy in Manila will continue despite the budget lapse that led to the shutdown of American government agencies. “Activities carried out by the Bureau of Consular affairs, both domestically and abroad, are fee-funded and will continue operations,” embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer said on Wednesday. “The department will continue visa issuance overseas. We will also continue our passport operations,” he added. The shutdown of US government agencies was caused by failure to meet a deadline to pass a budget, sparking speculations that President Barack Obama may completely forgo his Asian trips, including a two-day visit to the Philippines, or limit his travel time in Asia to deal with the crisis. “Previously, the department relied on a mixture of fees and appropriated funds for its consular operations but has moved to funding from retained fees,” Hoyer explained. “Thus, we can continue these operations even given the appropriations lapse. The Department will continue visa issuance overseas,” he said. (MNS)

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