Manila 2013: Models strip for 'Mali' the elephant

Released into the public domain by PETA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Calls for the transfer of Manila Zoo's elephant "Mali" are going stronger with the recent addition of her top-notch 'freedom for Mali' warriors.

Top models and celebrities such as Bianca Valerio, Amanda Griffin Jacob, Geneva Cruz, Daiana Menezes, Sheena Vera Cruz, Julia Sniegowski, Ornusa Cadness, Mia Ayesa and Sanya Smith have joined the calls for Mali's transfer to a more habitable environment.

Mali has been in Manila zoo for decades.

In a photoshoot spearheaded by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia (PETA), the models "took off" their clothes and only held placards calling for Mali's transfer.

This comes as an online petition gains over 60,000 signatures, calling to take Mali out from "solitary confinement at the Manila Zoo, where she is ailing and denied everything that's natural and important to her."

PETA says Mali should stay in "a spacious sanctuary in Thailand, where she would enjoy vast spaces in which to roam, the vital company of other elephants, and top veterinary care."

PETA, known for its provocative ads, said Mali is also "suffering from debilitating foot ailments, the leading cause of death in captive elephants."

The ad was shot by ace photographer Niccolo Cosme and had the voluntary help of several celebrity make-up artists, said PETA.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/-models-strip-for--mali--the-elephant-163049050.html

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Global 2012: Son of Prince Charles' wife raves about Pinoy dishes

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (2R), with her son Tom Parker-Bowles meet students from Greencroft School, winners of the British Food Fortnight Secondary School Competition at Clarence House, on January 27, 2011 in London, England. The students prepared a meal for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and guests as part of the competition prize. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
After eating sisig, kare-kare, adobo and sinigang, the son of the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles, Tom Parker Bowles, raved about Filipino dishes in an article he wrote for a magazine in the United Kingdom.

Bowles, food editor of Esquire magazine, visited Manila recently to have a taste of Philippine cuisine.

He also dined with former first lady Imelda Marcos who, he said, was “clever, funny, and charming.”

In the article titled “Anyone for Filipino?” in Esquire’s Aug. 11, 2011 issue, Parker Bowles talked about dishes he enjoyed in Pampanga and Manila, food ingredients such as sili, bawang, sibuyas, and calamansi, and heirloom recipés.

He also gave recipés of Pampanga’s crunchy sisig and Manila’s adobong manok.

He also found delight in balut, which most, if not all, foreigners dread eating.

“Street food is not a big draw here, certainly when compared to Thailand or Vietnam. But then, there’s balut, the pavement equivalent of Animal Farm, the porno version you saw as a teenager on grainy VHS. It’s a fertilized duck egg, complete with embryo,” he wrote.

And finally, there’s lechon, a great shiny roasted pig, he said.

“It’s the finest piece of pigskin I’ve ever eaten. One of the best things I’ve ever tried, full stop. It’s a celebratory dish, but also a very traditional one, eaten before the Spaniards arrived.”

Parker Bowles also praised Filipino food prepared for him by top chefs such as Claude Tayag, Margarita Fores and Juanita Vazquez.

He also toured Market, Market! in Taguig where one can have a taste of food from various regions of the country.

And in his tours, culinary masters and historians Joel Binamira, Ivan Henares, and Ivan Man Dy guided him.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=709703&publicationSubCategoryId=63

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Manila 2010: 70% of Filipinos live on P42 a day budget

Image via Wikipedia

Manila, Philippines — Seventy percent of Filipinos subsist on a P42 daily budget.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, citing a World Bank study, bared this on Tuesday as he expressed reservations over the proposed P1.645-trillion budget for 2011 which he said is not practical.

“My main concern about the overall budget framework is that it is not responding to the basic, economic, and social problems of our country,” said Angara who formerly headed the Senate’s Finance Committee.

"About 70 percent of our people live on 42 pesos a day, and about 4,000 families are hungry. That’s a very serious problem. It’s not just simply lack of economic growth, but what we have is a jobless growth which widens the income gap even more,” Angara said.

“We should concern ourselves not so much with taming our deficit. Instead we should remind ourselves that our goal is to grow our country, and enhance the income and living standards of our people through job creation,” he added.

“It seems as if there is not much of this proposed budget put into agriculture and food. And because food production is underinvested, food prices will rise in the next five years. On the other hand, a 1 percent increase in agriculture production transmits to almost 1.2 percent in farmers’ income, or reduction of farmers’ poverty,” said Angara.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/276015/70-filipinos-live-p42-a-day-budget

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Manila 2010: Crisis erodes confidence in P-Noy

Image by express000 via Flickr

President Benigno Aquino III on Friday received a rude shock from the first hearing of a Malacañang committee investigating the bloody climax of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis at Luneta, forcing him to immediately reassert control of the Philippine National Police.

The hearings also revealed the Aquino administration coming unstuck by frictions between the national crisis management committee and the local crisis committee, the latter taking orders from Manila City officials led by Mayor Alfredo Lim.

At the height of the hostage crisis, confusion arose over blurred jurisdictional issues involving national and local crisis committees.

A sort of “command post” was set up at Emerald Restaurant on Roxas Boulevard, reportedly at the behest of the President, where it was reported he visited and had conferences with Lim and PNP officials directly involved in the rescue operations.

After the standoff in the negotiations with the hostage-taker, Lim moved over to Emerald Restaurant reportedly after he was summoned by Mr. Aquino. Emerald Restaurant is reputed to have “the best siopao in town.”

Presidential Communications Group Secretary Hermino Coloma needlessly issued a statement that although Mr. Aquino had taken full responsibility for the bungling, he would not resign because he has “a clear mandate.”

No one is calling on Mr. Aquino to resign. Nonetheless, the chaos in the administration’s response to the hostage massacre is eroding public confidence in the President’s ability to cope with crises. He is losing his huge political capital of public goodwill.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100906-290723/Crisis-erodes-confidence-in-P-Noy

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Manila 2010: Transcom rules 2nd Call Center Olympics

Image by mlibrarianus via Flickr

MANILA, Philippines – It was indeed a sun flowery and cheery day as call center agents from nine participating companies of the Colympics enjoyed the final wave of face offs, matches and treats as the 2nd Call Center Olympics drew to an end last May 8, 2010.

Transcom finished ahead of the pack to bag the overall championship.

Accenture, meanwhile, ruled the bowling event by grabbing the second and first places, and the overall title.

In basketball, Teleperformance was crowned champion, beating runner-up Integra. Genpact finished grabbed the second runner-up trophy. Renan De Leon was named most valuable player.

Transcom dominated the men’s and women’s volleyball, defeating 24/7 and Genpact, respectively. Michale Ca-ayon was awarded MVP in the men’s division, while Carmille Consulta got the award in the distaff side.

Meanwhile, the 24/7 Dragons also danced, somersaulted and cartwheeled their way to snatching the winning title for the Cheer dance Competition.

Trophies sponsored by OrganoGold and cash prizes were awarded to the winning companies. The Most Valuable Players were also awarded free accommodations in Puerto Galera, care of Coco Beach. Guests and participants also got a taste of cool drinks courtesy of Bacardi, and fun photo sessions brought by Funlipix photobooth.

The 2nd Colympics is made possible by Organo Gold, Bacardi and Coco Beach Island Resort. Other sponsors are Fish and Co., T.G.I. Fridays, Funli Pix Souvenir Photos, Cerealicious, TeleDevelopment, From A to Tee, and Del Monte Fit ‘n Right. Media Sponsors, on the other hand, are www.pinoycallture.com, www.philstar.com, Queue Magazine, Twang Magazine and Red Mountain Creations. The Colympics is also supported and endorsed by AKMA Partylist, the Partylist Voice for BPO and Call Center Agents. In turn, the event advocates Compassion and Responsibility for Animals or CARA, a non-profit, non-government organization that promotes animal welfare.

Colympics is a yearly event organized by the Popcorn Events Production. Interested companies to sponsor and join the 3rd Call Center Olympics may contact the event manager Ms. Arvee Salazar-Cruz at 0927-340-9023.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=580977&publicationSubCategoryId=69

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