Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Repost From Jerrie M. Abella with Andreo C. Calonzo For GMA News.TV



Mikey chides Trillanes for linking mother to AFP mess

Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo on Friday chided Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for linking his mother, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to allegations of corruption in the highest echelons of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “They are in the process of investigating this issue. Why don’t they just proceed with their investigation and see where it leads to," the younger Arroyo said in a text message. The statement came after Trillanes hinted at the possible involvement of former President Arroyo, now his son’s colleague at the Lower House representing Pampanga’s second district, in allegedly corrupt practices in the AFP. “If he [Trillanes] has suspicions which he could substantiate with concrete evidences, he should air that in the Senate investigation which, lest it be forgotten, is in aid of legislation," Mrs. Arroyo’s eldest son said. The younger Arroyo likewise asked Trillanes not to use the media as his “launching pad" for baseless statements. “I would like to remind the good senator that with great power of parliamentary immunity comes parliamentary courtesy," he said.

This page requires a higher version browser Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, however, said in a separate statement it is a cause of “wonder" how Mrs. Arroyo could not have been aware of the multimillion-peso AFP fund mess. “With all that has been revealed in the Senate and Congress probes in the Gen. Carlos Garcia plea bargain agreement as well as the ‘pabaon’ and ‘pasalubong ‘system in the AFP, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains unscathed," Colmenares said. “[I]t leads one to wonder on how the Commander in Chief could not be aware of hundreds of millions of military funds being malversed by her chiefs of staff and their cohorts," he added.

On Thursday, Trillanes said the Senate inquiry may be expanded to look into the former President’s possible involvement in AFP corruption. (See: Trillanes: AFP corruption probe may include Arroyo)

"Masyadong malaki ho kasi 'yung perang involved... sa MalacaƱang lang nagre-release ng mga ganoong level," Trillanes said. (That amount of money involved is too big, and only MalacaƱang can make that level of release.)

Trillanes said this after claiming that aside from former defense chief Angelo Reyes, other people may be behind retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who allegedly amassed more than P300 million during his stint as AFP comptroller. Reyes shot himself fatally on Tuesday, hours after he was supposed to appear before the Senate following allegations that he received some P50 million as send-off money when he retired as AFP chief.—Jerrie M. Abella with Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMA News

Reposted From Jerrie M. Abella with Andreo C. Calonzo For GMA News.TV

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Repost From Associated Press

'Egypt is Free' chants Tahrir after Mubarak quits

John Moore/Getty Images
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An old Volkswagen car is painted in Egyptian flag  colors during celebrations after President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military AP – An old Volkswagen car is painted in Egyptian flag colors during celebrations after President Hosni Mubarak …

CAIRO – Cries of "Egypt is free" rang out and fireworks lit up the sky as hundreds of thousands danced, wept and prayed in joyful pandemonium Friday after 18 days of peaceful pro-democracy protests forced President Hosni Mubarak to surrender power to the military, ending three decades of authoritarian rule.

Ecstatic protesters in Cairo's Tahrir, or Liberation, Square hoisted soldiers onto their shoulders and families posed for pictures in front of tanks in streets flooded with people streaming out to celebrate. Strangers hugged each other, some fell to kiss the ground, and others stood stunned in disbelief.

Chants of "Hold your heads high, you're Egyptian" roared with each burst of fireworks overhead.

"I'm 21 years old and this is the first time in my life I feel free," an ebullient Abdul-Rahman Ayyash, born eight years after Mubarak came to power, said as he hugged fellow protesters in Tahrir Square.

An astonishing day in which hundreds of thousands marched on Mubarak's palaces in Cairo and Alexandria and besieged state TV was capped by the military effectively carrying out a coup at the pleas of protesters. After Mubarak's fall, the military, which pledged to shepherd reforms for greater democracy, told the nation it would announce the next steps soon. Those could include the dissolving of parliament and creation of a transitional government.

Mubarak's downfall at the hands of the biggest popular uprising in the modern history of the Arab world had stunning implications for the United States and the West, Israel, and the region, unsettling rulers across the Mideast.

The 82-year-old leader epitomized the complex trade-off the United States was locked into in the Middle East for decades: Support for autocratic leaders in return for stability, a bulwark against Islamic militants, a safeguard of economic interests with the oil-rich Gulf states and peace — or at least an effort at peace — with Israel.

The question for Washington now was whether that same arrangement will hold as the Arab world's most populous state makes a potentially rocky transition to democracy, with no guarantee of the results.

At the White House, President Barack Obama said "Egyptians have inspired us." He noted the important questions that lay ahead, but said, "I'm confident the people of Egypt can find the answers."

The United States at times seemed overwhelmed during the upheaval, fumbling to juggle its advocacy of democracy and the right to protest, its loyalty to longtime ally Mubarak and its fears the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — or more radical groups — could gain a foothold. Mubarak's fall came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran, the prime example of a revolution that turned to Islamic militancy.

In Egypt, persecuted democracy activists frequently denounced the U.S. government for not coming down harder on Mubarak's rights abuses. Washington's mixed messages during the crisis frustrated the young protesters. They argued that while the powerful Brotherhood will have to be allowed to play a future political role, its popularity would be diminished in an open system where other ideologies are freed to outweigh it.

Neighboring Israel watched with the crisis with unease, worried that their 1979 peace treaty could be in danger. It quickly demanded on Friday that post-Mubarak Egypt continue to adhere to it.

Any break seems unlikely in the near term. The military leadership supports the treaty. Anti-Israeli feeling is strong among Egyptians, and a more democratic government may take a tougher line toward Israel in the chronically broken-down peace process. But few call for outright abrogating a treaty that has kept peace after three wars in the past half-century.

From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the west, regimes both pro- and anti-U.S. could not help but worry they could see a similar upheaval. Several of the region's rulers have made pre-emptive gestures of democratic reform to avert their own protest movements.

The lesson many took: If it could happen in only three weeks in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power appeared unshakable, it could happen anywhere. Only a month earlier, Tunisia's president was forced to step down in the face of protests.

"This is the greatest day of my life.", Nobel Peace laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, whose young supporters were among the organizers of the protest movement, told The Associated Press.

"The country has been liberated after decades of repression," he said adding that he expects a "beautiful" transition of power.

Perhaps most surprising was the genesis of the force that overthrew Mubarak.

The protests were started by a small core of secular, liberal youth activists organizing on the Internet who only a few months earlier struggled to gather more than 100 demonstrators at a time. But their work through Facebook and other social network sites over the past few years built greater awareness and bitterness among Egyptians over issues like police abuse and corruption.

"Facebook brought down the regime," said Sally Toma, one of the main protest organizers.

When the online activists called the first major protest, on Jan. 25, they tapped into a public inspired by Tunisia's revolt and thousands turned out, beyond even the organizers' expectations. From there, protests swelled, drawing hundreds of thousands. The Muslim Brotherhood joined in. But far from hijacking the protests as many feared, it often seemed co-opted by the protesters, forced to set aside its hard-line ideology at least for now to adhere to democratic demands.

About 300 people were killed in the course of the turmoil. Police attacked the first protests with water cannons and gunfire and then a force of regime supporters _believed to be paid thugs — assaulted Tahrir trying to dislodge the protesters, only to be beaten back in two days of pitched battles.

Wael Ghonim, a Google Inc. executive who earlier this year secretly created a Facebook page that became a crucial protester organizing forum, said he "went mad" when he heard the news of Mubarak's ouster.

"I expect a bright future. I trust in 80 million Egyptians," Ghonim, who was arrested immediately after the protests began and held for 12 days, told The Associated Press.

Mubarak, a former air force commander came to power after the 1981 assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat by Islamic radicals. Throughout his rule, he showed a near obsession with stability, ensuring control through rigged elections, a constitution his regime wrote, a ruling party that monopolized the levers of state, and a hated police force accused of widespread torture.

He resisted calls for reform even as public bitterness grew over corruption, deteriorating infrastructure and rampant poverty in a country where 40 percent live below or near the poverty line.

Throughout the crisis, Mubarak backpedaled with concessions, replacing his government, purging his ruling party and moving to prosecute some of its most unpopular figures. But the moves did nothing to diminish the regime's power — and did not satisfy the steadily swelling protests.

Up to the last hours, Mubarak sought to cling to power, handing some of his authorities to his newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman while keeping his title.

But an explosion of protests Friday rejecting the move appeared to have pushed the military into forcing him out completely.

Hundreds of thousands flooded the main squares of cities around the nation. Soldiers stood by, even threw cookies and biscuits to protesters who massed in front of Mubarak's palaces in Cairo and Alexandria, chanting for him to go. Others blockaded the towering State Television and Radio Building overlooking the Nile River in Cairo, blocking employees from entering.

Ahmed Kassam, an engineer, said he marched with crowds for two hours across Cairo from Tahrir to the Oruba palace. "We were shouting at people standing in their balconies and they came down and joined us. We have thousands behind us," he said. "Today I feel that something is going to change. I feel very, very powerful."

Protesters stormed the main security headquarters in southern Egypt's main city Assiut, and two were killed by police opening fire before the province's governor was forced to flee, escorted to safety by the army.

The ousted Mubarak himself flew to his isolated palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, 250 miles from the turmoil in Cairo.

Suleiman — who appears to have lost his vice president's post as well in the military takeover — appeared grim as he delivered the short announcement on state TV Friday night that Mubarak was stepping down.

"In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic," he said. "He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor."

The question now turned to what happens next. Protesters on Friday had overtly pleaded for the army to oust Mubarak. The country is now ruled by the Armed Forces Supreme Council, consisting of the military's top generals and headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi

After Mubarak's resignation, a military spokesman appeared on state TV and promised the army would not act as a substitute for a government based on the "legitimacy of the people."

He said the military was preparing the next steps needed "to acheive the ambitions of our great nation" and would announce them soon. He praised Mubarak for his contributions to the country. Pointedly, he did not salute his former commander-in-chief. Instead he stood at attention and raised his hand to his cap in a salute to protesters killed in the unrest.

Abdel-Rahman Samir, one of the protest organizers, said the movement would now open negotiations with the military over democratic reforms but vowed protests would continue to ensure change is carried out.

"We still don't have any guarantees yet — if we end the whole situation now, then it's like we haven't done anything," he said. "So we need to keep sitting in Tahrir until we get all our demands."

But, he added, "I feel fantastic. .... I feel like we have worked so hard, we planted a seed for a year and a half and now we are now finally sowing the fruits."

For the moment, concerns over the next step were overwhelmed by the wave of joy and disbelief — and an overwhelming pride that they had waged a peaceful campaign crowned with success.

In Tahrir Square, the crowds of several hundred thousand watched and listed to Suleiman's speech on televisions and on mobile-phone radios. When he finished, they burst into wild cheers, waving flags and chanting "Allahu akbar," or "God is Great" and "the people have brought down the regime."

Spontaneous lines of dancers threaded through the packed mass of people. One man kissed the ground and thanked God while others screamed, "Hosni is gone, Hosni is gone." Around the capital of 18 million, cars honked their horns in celebration.

"I am 42 years old and my children can finally live in free," said Mahmoud Ghandem, who joined the Tahrir protests five days ago from his Nile Delta town of Kafr el-Sheikh.

Outside the Oruba presidential palace, one man sprawled on the grass in shock amid the cheers. Others handed out sweets and waved their hands in V-for-victory signs. The crowd then began to march in a sea of Egyptian flags back to the protest's heart, Tahrir.

Throughout the night, Tahrir Square and the surrounding downtown streets were transformed into a massive party. Thousands streamed in from across the city, jamming bridges over the Nile. Army checkpoints surrounding the square for days melted away as some soldiers threw themselves into the throngs. In the streets, parents took pictures of their children posing with Egyptian flags.

State television, a bastion of unwavering support for Mubarak, had an almost instant change of tone. After disparaging the protesters as foreign-backed troublemakers for days, it began reporting the celebrations as a victory for freedom. Egyptians, one reporter outside Oruba palace proclaimed, "are able to move the waters that have been still for 30 years."

Ala Moussa, a 24-year-old from Alexandria who came Friday to join the Cairo protests, took off his glasses to wipe away tears. He had been shot by a rubber bullet during earlier protests in his hometown.

"For 50 years, it was a police state and we adapted ourselves to it," he said. "The question now is, can we take another route. I hope so."

Reposted From Associated Press

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Repost From Maggie Michael of Associated Press


Egypt army takes charge, Mubarak to address nation

Reuters/Yannis Behrakis
The local government headquarters, is set on fire  by protesters, claiming delays on requests for housing in Port Said  Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Labor AP – The local government headquarters, is set on fire by protesters, claiming delays on requests for housing …

CAIRO – Egypt's military announced on national television it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster that all their demands would soon be met. Mubarak planned a speech to the nation Thursday night, raising expectations he would step down or transfer his powers.

Protesters packed in Cairo's central Tahrir Square broke into chants of "We're almost there, we're almost there" and waved V-for-victory signs as more flowed in to join them well after nightfall, bringing their numbers well over 100,000. But euphoria that they were nearing their goal of Mubarak's fall was tempered with worries that a military takeover could scuttle wider demands for true democracy. Many vowed to continue protests.

The developments created confusion over who was calling the shots in Egypt and whether Mubarak and the military were united on the next steps.

The military's moves had some trappings of an outright takeover, perhaps to push Mubarak out for the army to run the country itself in a break with the constitution. But comments by Mubarak's aides and his meetings with the top two figures in his regime — Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq — before his speech suggested he may try to carry out a constitutionally allowed half-measure of handing his powers to Suleiman while keeping his title as president.

That step would likely not satisfy protesters, and it was not clear if the military supports such a move. The United States' CIA director Leon Panetta said Mubarak appeared poised to hand over his powers to Suleiman.

State television said Mubarak will speak to the nation Thursday night from his palace in Cairo. Information Minister Anas el-Fiqqi said he would not resign, state TV reported. Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq insisted Mubarak was still in control, saying "everything is in the hands of President Hosni Mubarak and no decisions have been taken yet."

President Barack Obama said, "We are witnessing history unfold" in Egypt and vowed the United States would continue to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy. But he and the White House gave no indication if they knew what the next steps would be. The U.S. has close ties to the Egyptian military, which Washington give $1.3 billion a year in aid.

The dramatic developments capped 17 days of mass anti-government protests, some drawing a quarter-million people, to demand Mubarak's immediate ouster. What began as an Internet campaign swelled into the stiffest challenge ever to Mubarak's nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule, fueled by widespread frustration over the regime's lock on power, government corruption, rampant poverty and unemployment.

The protests escalated in the past two days with labor strikes and revolts by state employees that added to the chaos. The rapid ramping up of the unrest was overwhelming the regime's efforts, led by Suleiman, to manage the crisis. In a sign of the government's distress, Suleiman warned parts of the military or police could rise up in a coup.

The military's dramatic announcement in the early evening appeared to show that that its supreme council, headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, had taken the reins of leadership.

Footage on state TV showed Tantawi chairing the council with around two dozen top stern-faced army officers seated around a table. Not at the meeting were Mubarak, the military commander in chief, or his vice president Suleiman, a former army general and intelligence chief named to his post after the protests erupted Jan. 25 and has led regime efforts to resolve the crisis.

"All your demands will be met today," Gen. Hassan al-Roueini, military commander for the Cairo area, told thousands of protesters in central Tahrir Square.

The protesters lifted al-Roueini onto their shoulders and carried him around the square, shouting, "the army, the people one hand." Some in the crowd held up their hands in V-for-victory signs, shouting "the people want the end of the regime" and "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," a victory cry used by secular and religious people alike.

Beyond suggestions that Mubarak would go, however, the military did not directly address whether it intends to carry out the protesters' wider demands for full democracy — or if it would demand that protests stop.

Protesters in the square began chanting, "civilian not military," a signal they do not want military rule, and many vowed not to end their demonstrations. At one entrance to Tahrir, thousands who turned out after the military announcement lined up to join in.

"If he steps down, that's positive, but that doesn't mean our demands have been met," said one protester, 27-year-old Kareem Nedhat. "Handing power to the army is acceptable for a transitional period, but there are still demands that still need to be met. We need to stay in the square." He said protests should continue until the army lifts emergency laws, dissolves parliament.

Another, Sheikh al-Sayed Abu Abdul-Rahman, warned, "This will amount to a coup. They want to turn it from a revolution into a coup. We want a civilian state with no discrimination and no military."

In the military's announcement on state TV, the council's spokesman read a statement announcing the military's "support of the legitimate demands of the people."

He said the council was in permanent session to explore "what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people." That suggested Tantawi and his generals were now in charge of the country.

The statement was labeled "Communique No. 1," language that also suggests a military coup.

Protests on Thursday increasingly spiraled out of the control. Labor strikes erupted around the country in the past two days, showing that the Tahrir protests had tapped into the deep well of anger over economic woes, including inflation, unemployment, corruption, low wages and wide disparities between rich and poor.

In the past two days, state employees revolted against their directors, and strikes erupted in a wide breadth of sectors — postal workers, electricity staff and service technicians at the Suez Canal, in factories manufacturing textiles, steel and beverages and hospitals. Riots broke out in several cities far from Cairo. Protesters angry over bread and housing shortages or low wages burned the offices of a governor and several police headquarters while police stood aside.

Professionals and workers began joining the crowds of anti-Mubarak protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square. On Thursday, hundreds of lawyers in black robes broke through a police cordon and marched on one of Mubarak's palaces — the first time protesters had done so. The president was not in Abdeen Palace, several blocks from Tahrir. The lawyers pushed through a line of police, who did nothing to stop them.

Tens of thousands were massed in Tahrir itself, joined in the morning by striking doctors who marched in their white lab coats from a state hospital to the square and lawyers who broke with their pro-government union to join in.

"Now we're united in one goal. The sun of the people has risen and it will not set again," one of the lawyers, Said Bakri, said before the series of military announcements.

Youth activists organizing the protests planned to up the pressure on the streets even further, calling for an expanded rally on Friday, hoping to repeat a showing earlier this week that drew about a quarter-million people. Friday's protest was to be expanded, with six separate rallies planned around Cairo, all to eventually march on Tahrir, said Khaled Abdel-Hamid, speaking for a coalition of groups behind the protests.

A bus strike launched Thursday snarled traffic in Cairo, a city of 18 million where many of its impoverished residents rely on public transport. Few buses were seen on the streets, which were jammed and slow moving because of the extra reliance on cars.

Around 800 public transport workers blocked a main Cairo thoroughfare with a protest, demanding salary increases, and they said at least 3,000 of their co-workers were rallying in other parts of the city.

If demands are not met, "we will join Tahrir and camp there," said one bus driver, Mustafa Mohammed, who said he has been working since 1997 and only earns 550 Egyptian pounds a month, about $93. "We are immersed in debt," he said.

In the face of a revolt by journalists over anti-protest propoganda in state media, the pro-government head of the journalists' union, Makram Mohammed Ahmed, said he was going on indefinite leave. The state prosecutor summoned him over lawsuits filed by journalists accusing him of "negligence" in defending journalists' rights.

Employees demonstrated outside the Environment Ministry in a southern Cairo suburb. Some 1500 workers held a strike at the Media City, a center for television and movie production in a satellite city in the desert outside the capital.

Reposted From Maggie Michael of Associated Press

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A Repost From Thea Alberto of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Former defense secretary dies of gunshot wound

By Thea Alberto – February 8th, 2011
NPPA Images

By Thea Alberto
Yahoo! Southeast Asia

(UPDATE 7 ) Former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who has been embroiled in a recent military scandal, has passed away due to a single gunshot wound to his chest in an apparent suicide, reports said.

In a press conference aired lived over QTV Channel 11, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Reyes was declared dead on arrival at the Quirino Medical Center.

DzMM radio said Reyes was declared dead around 8:30 a.m.

News reports said Reyes shot himself at the Loyola Memorial Park, in front of his mother’s tomb. A book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal” by Donald Trump was found near Reyes, reports indicated.

Reyes was later rushed to the hospital with no blood pressure and no vital signs, said Ona.

Doctors tried to revive Reyes for some 45 minutes but failed.

Hindi na maibalik ang heart rate. May gunshot wound sa left [side of the] heart, external wound sa likod,” Ona said.

Reyes appeared to have committed suicide, amid the Congress probe on supposed massive corruption in the military.

Reyes is supposed to testify in Tuesday’s House of Representatives committee hearing.

Whistleblower Heidi Mendoza condoled with the Reyes family and expressed during the committee hearing she is saddened by the news.

Mabigat po ang aking kalooban ngayon na ganito ang mangyayari,” said Mendoza.

In an unusual twist of fate, Reyes died on President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s 51st birthday.

Reyes was former Secretary of Energy at the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

It was reported that Arroyo arrived at the Quirino hospital.

A representative from the Reyes’ family has asked for privacy and asked the media covering the event to leave.

Reyes is survived by wife Teresita and sons, Pablo, Angelito, Marc, Carlo, and Judd.

The Department of National Defense has conveyed sympathies to Reyes’s family.

“The news on the tragic death of former DND Secretary Angelo Reyes comes as a shock to the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Phillippines,” DnD said in a statement posted on the Official Gazette.

Reposted From Thea Alberto of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Monday, February 7, 2011

A Repost From PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal)




Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao excited to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House this month

Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao excited to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House this month
Slideshow: Showbiz Photos

Kinumpirma ni Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao na natanggap na nila ni Jinkee ang imbitasyon sa White House na makipagkita kay US President Barack Obama at First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Oo, may invitation kami mula sa White House at ngayong February na yan," nakangiting sagot ni Manny sa tanong ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) nuong Sabado, February 5, during the 10th birthday party of Pacman's eldest, Jemuel, at the Palms Country Club in Alabang.

"Siyempre, excited tayo dahil matagal ko nang pangarap na makaharap at makausap si US President Obama. Isa ito sa hindi ko malilimutan na parte ng buhay ko dahil malaki ang paghanga ko sa kanya," dagdag pa niya.

Si Manny nga ang magiging kauna-unahang Filipino boxer na makakapasok sa White House sa Washington DC. Hindi nga basta-basta nang-iimbita ang White House ng mga celebrities at kapag nakatanggap ka ng invitation, ibig sabihin ay isa kang importanteng tao sa mundo.

"Nakakataba ng puso ang pagkilala nila sa atin. Kahit saan naman ako magpunta, dala-dala ko ang bansa natin. Pinagmamalaki ko ang pagiging Pinoy natin at hanggang sa White House ay dala natin ito," sabi ni Pacman.

Excited rin ang asawa niyang si Jinkee. Hindi siya makapaniwala na makakarating na siya roon at makikilala niya ang presidente ng United States of America.

"Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko or masasabi ko kapag nandoon na kami. Baka matulala na lang ako kapag nasa harapan namin sila," tawa pa niya. "Bahala na kung ano ang mangyari. Basta huwag lang akong kabahan."

May mga pinagpipilian na nga raw na isusuot si Jinkee sa pagpunta nila ni Manny sa White House. Gusto raw niya ay simple pero elegante ang dating.

"May napili na ako before. Pero may mga tinitingnan pa ako na iba pang mga damit. Siyempre, ayoko namang mapahiya si Manny sa akin. Kailangan presentable ako bilang misis niya.

"For sure, maganda ang suot ni First Lady Michelle Obama. Sana magandahan siya sa mapipili kong isusuot ko."

10TH BIRTHDAY. Masayang idinaos ang 10th birthday party ng anak ni Manny at Jinkee Pacquiao na si Emmanuel Jr. or Jemuel na ginanap sa Grand Ballroom ng Palms Country Club sa Filinvest Alabang nuong February 5.

Wrestle Mania nga ang theme ng birthday party ni Jemuel at karamihan sa kanyang mga bisita ay mga classmates at kaibigan niya sa kanyang pinapasukang school na Brent International School.

Hindi nga siyempre nawala ang mga sikat na magulang ni Jemuel na sila Manny at Jinkee. Present din ang mga kapatid niyang sila Michael, Princess at Queenie Pacquiao.

Hindi nga raw tumanggap ng anumang appointment si Pacman para mag-enjoy siya sa birthday party ng kanyang anak. Hindi nga kaila sa lahat na busy ito sa kanyang trabaho bilang congressman, pero para raw sa kanyang pamilya ay maglalaan siya ng oras.

"Basta pagdating sa family ko, sila ang uunahin ko," ngiti pa ni Pacman.

"Nag-promise ako kay Jemuel na hindi ako magiging busy sa birthday party niya. Gusto kong makasama ang mga kaibigan niya at ang mga magulang nila sa importanteng araw ng kapanganakan niya."

Wish nga ni Manny na lumaki na mabait, magalang, at may takot sa Diyos ang kanyang mga anak.

"Wish ko rin na maging maganda silang example sa ibang kabataan ngayon. Habang bata, tinuturuan na namin sila ng mga magagandang asal. Gusto namin na maging paki-pakinabang sila sa bansa natin balang-araw."

Si Jinkee naman ay hindi inaasa sa ibang tao ang paghanda ng birthday party ni Jemuel. Tumulong din siya sa pag-asikaso nito.

"Tuwing sasapit naman ang birthday ng mga bata, hindi puwedeng hindi ako tumulong. Hindi kumpleto kung hindi ako kikilos para maging maayos ang party nila," sabi ni Jinkee.

WRESTLE MANIA THEME. Si Jemuel nga raw ang pumili ng Wrestle Mania theme para sa party niya.

"Tinanong namin siya kung ano ang gusto niyang klaseng party? Gusto raw niya ay yung wrestling. Paborito niya kasi ang mga wrestling stars. Kaya okey lang, birthday naman niya," kwento ng kanyang ina.

"Pero sinabi ko kay Jemuel na okey lang na paborito niya, huwag lang siyang maging wrestler! Parang mas mahirap iyon kesa sa boxing, 'di ba? Dasal ko na huwag siyang maging wrestler!"

Inamin ni Jinkee na minsan ay naiiyak siya dahil ang bibilis daw lumaki ng kanilang mga anak ni Manny. Kelan lang daw ay mga babies lang sila, pero ngayon ay malapit nang magbinata.

"Nagugulat nga ako, ang bilis nilang lumaki. In five years, mga binata na sila at panliligaw na ang gagawin nila. Huwag pa naman sana dahil para sa akin, mga babies pa rin sila.

"Pero ang maganda ay yung nakikita ko silang lumalaki. Parati naman akong kasama ng mga bata kaya alam ko ang mga gusto nila at mga kinikilos nila," ani Jinkee.

"Tulad nga ngayon, nasasama na sila sa mga biyahe namin ni Manny. Nitong nakaraang Pasko at New Year, out of the country kami. Kasama namin ang mga bata kaya mas enjoy. Unlike noon na nami-miss namin sila."

Wish nga ni Jinkee na huwag daw munang makaisip si Jemuel na manligaw or magkaroon ng crush sa mga classmates niyang babae.

"Naku huwag muna. Gusto ko yung naglalaro lang siya. Yung wala pa siyang alam sa mga crush-crush. Tama na ang ganito na puro laruan muna."

Reposted From PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

A Repost From PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal)


Toni Gonzaga joins Kapamilya noontime show; she will be seen on TV every day

Toni Gonzaga joins Kapamilya noontime show; she will be seen on TV every day
Slideshow: Showbiz Photos

May bagong noontime show ang ABS-CBN, ang Happy, Yipee, Yehey!

Sina John Estrada, Randy Santiago, Sam Milby, Mariel Rodriguez, Melai Contiveros at Toni Gonzaga ang magiging hosts dito.

Mapapanood na si Toni sa telebisyon every day. Mula Lunes hanggang Sabado kasi ang ere ng HYY. At every Sunday naman ay may ASAP Rocks siya.

Hindi kaya mahihirapan si Toni dahil sobrang mapapagod na siya sa araw-araw na pagtatrabraho?

"Ganoon talaga, araw-araw. Pero aayusin pa namin yung schedule. Gagawing mas maayos para tama lang lahat,"sabi ni Toni.

Nakausap ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) ang actress and TV host kahapon, February 5, sa dry run ng Happy, Yipee, Yehey! na ginanap sa studio 4 ng ABS-CBN.

Sa February 12, Sabado ang initial telecast ng HYY. Makakatapat nito ang longest-running show na Eat Bulaga! Handa na ba si Toni sa tapatan o labanan sa ratings?

GIVE AUDIENCE AN OPTION. "Kasi sabi ko nga, hindi mo naman puwedeng kalabanin ang isang institusyon e. Thirty five years na ang Eat Bulaga! Walang puwedeng lumaban doon. Ang puwede lang sigurong gawin ng bago naming show ay magbigay ng alternative sa audience," ang sagot ni Toni.

"Kasi kung ang goal namin makipag-compete, walang mangyayari. Siguro ang sa amin na lang ahh... makapagbigay kami ng alternative na magpapasaya rin sa kanila at ahh... makapag-inspire, mamigay din ng pera."

Ano ang naging reaction ni Toni nang malaman niyang makakasama at makakatrabaho niya muli si Mariel na nakasamaan niya ng loob?

"Di ba okey na kami last year pa? Hindi lang kami talaga nagkakaharap nang totoo.

"Sinabi ko naman, pag may mga ganitong proyekto, pag may mga magagandang dumarating na bagay, ang hirap-hirap namang palampasin dahil lang paiiralin ko yung emosyon ko or yung pride ko," aniya.

"Ako naman nasa sitwasyon na parang damn if you do, damn if you don't, e. Kahit anong i-explain ko, kahit anong sabihin ko... may judgement na sa aming dalawa.

"May mind set sila na hindi namin mababago. Kahit sabihin namin okey na, iisipin pa rin nila, nagkabati, nagplastikan, so hayaan na, ibigay mo na lang sa kanila yun.

"Basta ang importante sa akin kung ano man yung sinabi ko, yun ang totoo, tapos na, bahala na silang magdagdag ng istorya," saad ni Toni.

NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT FRIENDSHIP. Sa tingin ba niya ay mababalik ang nawalang friendship nila?

"Tingin ko naman, walang perpektong pagkakaibigan. Lahat ng pagkakaibigan dumaraan sa rough road. E wala naman yun sa pagiging perpekto ng ano... ng isang friendship o ng relationship.

"Nasa ano yon e... sa kung paanong paraan kayo magsisimula uli, kung paano ninyo bubuuin ulit, kung ano man ang nagkaroon noon," sagot ni Toni.

"And ano siguro ahh... kasi dito sa trabahong ito hindi puwedeng personalin lahat, e. Kasi kung personal ka, hindi ka puwedeng mag-showbiz. Kailangan lahat kaya mong harapin.

"And kami naman ni Mariel, malalim na naman yung pinagsamahan namin. Kung ano man meron nung nakaraan, hayaan na natin. Last year yun. 2011 na, kalimutan na natin yun."

Totoo bang inabot ng apat na oras ang pag-uusap nila ni Mariel bago sila tuluyang nagkaayos?

"Oo," pag-amin ni Toni.

Ayaw na niyang iditalye pa ang naganap na pag-uusap nila ni Mariel na kaibigan niya for eight years.

"Yung mga detalye na nangyari doon sa apat na sulok ng kuwarto na yun, sa amin na lang yun. Kung anuman ang mga nangyari, kung ano man ang mga nasabi, kung anuman ang mga nilalaman ng puso namin ng mga panahon na yun, e sa amin na lang yun," aniya.

Reposted From PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal)

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