11 workers in LA sue scion of Filipino official for forced labor

March 20, 2015, 9:38 am

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SAN FRANCISCO -- On the phone, the woman was so scared for herself and her family in the Philippines, she would only go by the name "Nora." In 2011, she was working at the Le Coeur de France bakery in Manila when she was approached by the former owner, Analiza Moitinho de Almeida, who had moved to the U.S. Almeida, the daughter of Philippine Social Security chair Juan B. Santos, was starting a new bakery in Beverly Hills and Torrance, California ---L'Amande Bakery--and asked Nora to come work for her. Nora said Ana offered $2,000 and an E2 visa. It's a temporary visa, good for five years for skilled workers to America. Ana took care of everything for Nora and ten others. She...

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Aquino approves release of texts

March 20, 2015, 9:40 am

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        President Benigno Aquino III is ready to provide the House of Representatives with a transcript of his exchange of text messages with Director General Alan Purisima, the resigned chief of the Philippine National Police, as Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were battling Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25.   It is unclear, however, if Mr. Aquino is willing to appear in the House inquiry into the Mamasapano incident set on April 7 and 8.   In a statement, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on Friday said that "the pursuit of justice must be defined by a strong commitment to the truth."...

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Filipina wins $11M in Las Vegas Megabucks slot machine

March 20, 2015, 9:46 am

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LAS VEGAS, Nevada-- A Filipina from Utah hit the jackpot at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Saturday, March 14, hotel officials announced. Trinidad Torres, a 78-year-old from Magna, Utah, and a first-time visitor to the hotel, was in Las Vegas with a friend who was playing in Westgate's blackjack tournament. Torres put $100 in the IGT $1 Megabucks slot machine and made several $3 bets before reaching the $10,744,293.40 jackpot around 1 p.m. on Saturday, said Westgate spokeswoman Amy Chasey. "We're thrilled that she won on our property," David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts said in a statement. "What an exciting weekend for our lucky winner. Westgate Las Vegas ...

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What went before: SMS between Aquino, Purisima

March 20, 2015, 11:27 am

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        Earlier this month, the Senate issued a subpoena to telecommunication companies to provide transcripts of text exchanges between President Benigno Aquino III and Director General Alan Purisima, the former Philippine National Police chief, on Jan. 25, the day 44 members of the PNP's Special Action Force were killed in a gun battle with Moro rebels after a bungled counterterrorism mission in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province.   Text messages between Mr. Aquino and Purisima released by Malacaang in late February showed the President was getting information from the suspended PNP chief, not from an officer within the official PNP or Armed...

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View from the Palace: Reply to BOI report

March 20, 2015, 11:30 am

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      (Editor's Note: Below is Malacaang's point-by-point rebuttal of the charges hurled against President Benigno Aquino III in the board of inquiry [BOI] report on the Mamasapano controversy. The Palace response was prepared before the Senate report on the Mamasapano was released, so it answered only the BOI report.)       The President puts all the blame on others, but does not/cannot hold himself accountable.   How many times has the President said that the buck stops with him? How many times has he stated that the successes and failures are his because he is the Chief Executive? Did he not come out and say that he wil...

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‘Acting’ mayor’s office is small stinking room

March 20, 2015, 11:43 am

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        Makati Vice Mayor Romulo Pea Jr. began holding office in a small room on the second floor of the rundown old Makati municipal building from which he issued his first memorandum as the acting mayor on Friday.   The office, measuring about 20 square meters and with some of its rusty windows haphazardly covered with cardboard, was where Pea received guests and did some paper work.   A nameplate written on white paper which read "Hon. Romulo Pea Jr. Acting City Mayor" sat on his desk. His staffers worked in the hallway leading to Pea's office.   Reporters took notice of a strong smell, apparently coming from a nearb...

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Pilipino-American Retirees Association reunion tour, ball: A resounding success

March 20, 2015, 12:04 pm

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        MANILA, Philippines---The Pilipino American Retirees Association Military Retirees Association's (Pamra) biennial tour and ball was a resounding success!   The Pamra activities started with a tour in Batangas and Bicol that included visits to heritage structures, historical and natural landmarks, churches, enjoying and immersing in various cultural activities and of course feasting, on native delicacies.   This biennial week long engagement is a chance for the Pamra members, not only to visit their land of origin, but also a way for these indefatigable men from the military service -- comprised of retired members of the US...

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Town, coal plant site, seeks brownout shield

March 20, 2015, 12:08 pm

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      SUAL, Pangasinan---Officials of this western Pangasinan town want the operator of a coal-fired power plant to supply electricity directly to this town to spare it from brownouts, especially this dry season.   In a resolution, the town council asked Team Energy Corp. (Team Energy) to reserve 1 megawatt (MW) of electricity every month for the power needs of the town.   "We find it strange why we have to bear with brownouts arising from the impending power crisis when right in our municipality, the largest power plant in the country is located," said Mayor Roberto Arcinue.   The facility has a generating capacity of 1,218 MW...

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Firm dragged into Makati scandal to rush Drilon pet project in Iloilo

March 20, 2015, 12:09 pm

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ILOILO CITY---A construction firm accused of taking part in the overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II is having no such controversy in its contract to finish a pet project of Senate President Franklin Drilon in this city, the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC), which is envisioned to be the site of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings that this city will host in September.   Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said they had asked Hilmarc's Construction Corp. (HCC) to speed up work on the second phase of the ICC to finish it in time for the Apec meetings.   Edilberto Tayao, DPWH Western Visayas director, said the sec...

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Boracay corals dying fast, says group

March 20, 2015, 12:12 pm

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      Is trouble brewing in Boracay, the country's top tourist destination?   After concerns have been raised about the deteriorating water quality at a portion of the pristine White Beach of the island in Malay, Aklan province, a coral reef rehabilitation group has now reported mass dying of corals. The report, however, has been refuted by a business group that is also undertaking a beach management project, including the rehabilitation of corals.   The Sangkalikasan Producer Cooperative claimed that its monitoring team observed the mass dying of corals and marine species during a semiannual survey conducted from October to November last...

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Onion farmers’ woes: DA OKs 1,000 import permits

March 20, 2015, 12:13 pm

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        SCIENCE CITY OF MUOZ---Farmers turned their ire on cooperatives after they found that these groups had obtained more than 1,000 permits from the agriculture department to import onions during harvest time, causing a drop in prices and losses to farmers.   But Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the decline in prices was due to oversupply. Alcala said "many areas in the country planted onions this season and there is abundant harvest of this commodity."   In a forum in Bongabon town in the province, farmers were told that thousands of tons of yellow granex onions entered the country from Sept. 14, 2014 to March 9 this...

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Employees rally behind Junjun Binay

March 20, 2015, 1:09 pm

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        Makati government employees, wearing black shirts, took a break from work on Friday to protest what they claimed was the "continued defiance" of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) of the appellate court's temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the Ombudsman's suspension of Mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay, who is under investigation for corruption.   Rallying behind the embattled Binay, who has been holed up in his office on the 21st floor of the City Hall since the standoff began last weekend, the employees said they were concerned that the legal conflict would delay the release of their salaries and ha...

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Floyd’s legs are shot, says Arum

March 20, 2015, 1:50 pm

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MANILA, Philippines -- Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s defensive skills, ring savvy and boxing know-how have, arguably, stayed intact. But for trained eyes like Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum's, there's something lacking in Mayweather's arsenal now---his legs have slowed, for instance---and it could put him at a disadvantage when he fights Manny Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas. "People who don't follow boxing too much don't understand how important legs are," Arum told cbssports.com. "There's no question that Floyd's legs have slowed up. That happens, generally, with fighters. It's very significant with Floyd, because his leg movement was part of his great defensive arsenal. And he doesn'...

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‘Insurgent’s’ bark is worse than its bite

March 20, 2015, 2:23 pm

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          Seeing Shailene Woodley surrounded by her screen consorts, Theo James, Ansel Elgort ("The Fault In Our Stars") and Miles Teller ("The Spectacular Now"), makes "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" instantly viewable.   The novelty of this casting attraction quickly dissipates, however---because director Robert Schwentke has a difficult time making the film's perfectly timed disclosures, deus ex machina twists and storytelling convolutions coalesce into a cohesive whole.   Moreover, the film's bark is worse than its bite---it often trots out action sequences that look exciting but don't feel so. Deceptively glo...

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Jim Parsons–from misfit to almighty

March 20, 2015, 2:26 pm

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LOS ANGELES---It's a good time to be Jim Parsons. He will be God soon (well, at least he'll portray Him in a play on Broadway); he recently got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and President Obama dropped by when Jim was recording for the new animated film, "Home."   Looking dapper in a blue suit, with a majestic view of Central Park and New York's skyline behind him in this recent chat at the Mandarin Oriental, Jim also talked about the passing of Leonard Nimoy, working with Rihanna in "Home," and the latest about "The Big Bang Theory," where he plays Sheldon.   Jim is a natural as a voice talent in director Tim Johnson's animated feature, where he voices Oh...

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Regine Velasquez-Alcasid shares unguarded views about her family life and career

March 20, 2015, 2:27 pm

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We have long admired Regine Velasquez-Alcasid as a singer-performer. At her peak, no other singer, male or female, could match her lovely, supple voice, made more prodigious by her peerless technique and wide, stratospheric range.   So, when Jojo Aquio and Rica Torres invited us to join GMA 7's star-studded merrymaking for Araw ng Dabaw last weekend, which included the stellar likes of Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Dennis Trillo and Tom Rodriguez, we told them that the biggest draw for us was Regine.   The legendary singer swept us off our feet with her honesty, candor and unguarded views---about her husband, Ogie, and their precocious 3-year-old son, Nate, he...

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Break in war on BIFF sought for graduation

March 21, 2015, 9:30 am

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CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao---School and provincial officials have asked the military to halt its all-out offensive against members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) for at least three days to allow the graduation of 13,000 students in Maguindanao province, where towns and communities had become either battlefields or evacuation sites in the ongoing war. Meriam Kawit, Maguindanao education superintendent, and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu, told reporters here the request was meant to give the education department a chance to peacefully hold commencement exercises for 10,000 high school and 3,000 elementary students. During a peace and order council meet...

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‘Aquino in pink of health’

March 21, 2015, 9:59 am

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      MANILA, Philippines--Has Mamasapano gotten into President Aquino's nerves? Or have too many cigarettes and too much soda joined forces with pressure from handling the cares of state to bring his 55-year-old body down?   None of the above, if Malacaang can be believed, but at any rate there it was: President Aquino "collapsed" around midnight on Friday---but he did not know.   He found out when his spokesperson called to ask if it was true.   It was just a rumor, of course, but since it concerned the President's health, Malacaang had to work overtime to assure the public that it was not true and that Aquino was in the pink...

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IN PHOTOS: Sinag Maynila film fest awards night

March 21, 2015, 10:19 am

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As it came to its conclusion, the first Sinag Maynila Film Festival, which drew five competing indie films, announced the winners at the "Gabi ng Parangal" on Sunday at SM Aura Skypark.   Lawrence Fajardo's "Imbisibol" swept the awards, winning seven of the night's eight trophies including Best Picture and Best Director.   READ: 'Imbisibol' bags Best Picture award at 1st Sinag Maynila film Fest   Here are snapshots during the awards night.               *PHOTOS BY ARVIN MENDOZA...

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One Direction, minus one, takes Manila by storm

March 21, 2015, 10:37 am

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        MANILA, Philippines--Murphy's Law, or "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," may have caught up with English-Irish boy band One Direction (1D) as it performed without one key member, Zayn Malik, on Saturday night at SM Mall of Asia (MOA) open grounds in Pasay City.   The last of the group's two-date concerts in Manila, part of its 2015 On the Road Again tour, will be held Sunday night at the same venue.   A statement from 1D management ascribed Malik's failure to join the concerts to "stress," though it wasn't specified whether he was suffering from any ailment.   What seems to be more apparent is that Malik---...

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