MORE PHOTOS - 4TH STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS OF HIS EXCELLENCY BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

President Benigno S. Aquino III is shown with House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. and Senate President Franklin Drilon,delivering his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the Joint Session of the 16th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday (July 22, 2013). The SONA delivered by the President is a yearly tradition wherein the Chief Executive reports on the status of the country, unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year, and may also propose to Congress certain legislative measures. (Photo by: Rey Baniquet / Malacanang Photo Bureau).

SONA 2013 of Pres. Aquino Full Transcipt (Tagalog)

The SONA 2013 full text or the complete transcipt will be available here once we get a copy from our reliable sources. President Aquino is currently delivering his State of the Nation Address before the opening of the 16th Congress.

The President’s fourth SONA is the opening salvo of the joint session at the opening of the regular session of the 16th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa Complex, in Quezon City.

President PNoy is expected to report the status of the Philippines, he will reveal the government’s agenda for 2014, and the propose legislative measures to the Senate and House of Representatives. The President delivers his SONA 2013 in the Philippines national language, Filipino.

Here’s the Full Transcript of the President’s Fourth SONA:

State of the Nation Address

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

To the Congress of the Philippines

[Delivered at th

e Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 22, 2013]

Marami pong salamat. Maupo ho tayong lahat.

Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; Senate President Franklin M. Drilon; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; mga kagalang-galang na kagawad ng kalipunang diplomatiko; mga miyembro ng Senado at Kamara de Representante; mga opisyal ng lokal na pamahalaan; mga miyembro ng Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan; at sa aking mga Boss, ang mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Isang , magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. [applause]

Ito po ang aking ikaapat na SONA; dalawa na lamang ang natitira. Halos apat na taon na nga po ang lumipas nang una akong nilapitan ng ilang kampo upang hikayating tumakbo sa pagkapangulo. Ang sabi nila: Alam naming hindi masosolusyonan sa isang tulog, sa isang taon, o kahit pa sa anim na taong termino ng isang Presidente ang lahat ng problema ng bansa. Pero simulan mo lang, at tiyak, kasama mo kaming mag-aaruga nito.

Noon pa man, mulat po ako sa tindi ng mga problemang aking kakaharapin. Mula sa pagiging kandidato, o Presidente na, o kahit ba matapos nang makababa sa puwesto, hindi biro ang peligrong kakambal ng trabahong ito. Malawakang transpormasyon ng lipunan ang aking hangarin, at mulat akong marami akong kailangang banggain para matupad ito. Pero hindi po ako pinalaki ng aking mga magulang para tumiklop lamang sa mga hamon. Hindi ko mahaharap ang aking sarili kung tinanggihan ko ang pagkakataong bawasan ang pagdurusang hindi naman dapat dinaraanan ng Pilipino. [applause]

Tumugon nga po tayo sa panawagan, at ang mga kasama natin noong una, nadagdagan pa. Sa paniniwala ko nga po, kung tama ang aking ginagawa, lalo pang dadami ang ating magiging kasangga. Nito ngang nakaraang Mayo, tinanong ko kayo, “Boss, tama ba ang direksyon natin?” Ang tugon ninyo: “Tama, at pabilisin pa natin ang transpormasyon ng lipunan.” Humiling ako ng mga kakamping makikisagwan sa iisang direksyon, at ibinigay ninyo ito. Ang totoo nga po, hindi lang mayorya, hindi lang siyam sa labindalawa, kundi siyam sa sampung pinakamataas na puwesto na senador ay mga taong inilapit ko sa inyo. [applause] Sa aking pakiwari, malinaw po ang mensahe nitong huling halalan: tama, ituloy natin, damihan pa natin ang 8,581 na sitiong napailawan; dagdagan pa natin ang 28,398 na pamilyang dati’y informal settler, ngunit ngayon ay mayroon na o magkakaroon na ng disenteng tirahan; palaguin pa natin ang di bababa sa 40 bilyong piso kada taong dagdag ng perang napupunta sa edukasyon, kalusugan, serbisyong panlipunan, at marami pang iba, dahil sa tama at mas masugid na pagkolekta ng buwis; dama namin ang marami pang ibang patunay na talagang nagbabago ang lipunan. Lalo nga po akong nabuhayan sa ipinarating ninyong mensahe; malinaw po talagang hindi ako nag-iisa sa pagpasan ng mga responsibilidad. [applause] Paano ba naman pong hindi lalakas ang aking loob, kung pati ang mga tulad ni Ginoong Niño Aguirre ay nakikihubog sa ating kinabukasan? Isipin po ninyo, hindi na nga makalakad dahil sa kapansanan, pilit pa rin niyang inakyat ang presintong nasa ikaapat na palapag ng gusali, para lang makaboto at makiambag sa tunay na pagbabago ng lipunan. Salamat, Ginoong Aguirre. [applause]

Hindi nga po nauubos ang mga Pilipinong handang makiambag, na siyang ugat ng pagbabagong tinatamasa natin ngayon. Ang stratehiya: Sagarin ang oportunidad para sa lahat, lalo na para sa mga mas nangangailangan. Hindi natin pakay maghintay ng trickle down; hindi puwedeng baka sakali o tsamba lang silang daratnan ng mga biyaya ng kaunlaran. Ito pong tinatawag nating inclusive growth—itong malawakang kaunlaran—ang mismong prinsipyong bukal ng bawat inisyatiba, bawat kilos, bawat desisyon ng inyong gobyerno. Ang maiiwan na lamang ay ang ayaw sumama, dahil hindi sinamantala ang pagkakataon.

Gardenia Bakeries BREAD MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Gardenia Bakeries Philippines, the country’s top breadmaker will nearly double total production capacity to four million loaves in one month after opening its new 600-million facility in Biñan, Laguna,

Company president and general manager Simplicio Umali Jr. said the company would also pursue its long-delayed expansion in Cebu in the second half of 2010.

He said the proposed Cebu factory would cater to the requirements of the Visayas and Mindanao markets.

The new state-of-the-art bread manufacturing plant in Laguna is capable of making 6,000 loaves of bread per hour, or nearly 150,000 a day, almost doubling its production capability.

“We now have a total capacity of 14,000 loaves per hour or four million loaves of bread in one month. We will be able to serve the entire Luzon and Metro Manila areas. At present, only the neighboring provinces and main cities are reached by our supply,” said Umali.

He said the company also wanted to expand to the provinces because of a huge market in those areas.

Gardenia has a 60-percent share of the market in Metro Manila for bread, and over 70 percent for loaves.

“Using the latest and high- technology equipment to make the breads practically untouched by human hands, we are now more than capable to continue providing safe and best quality products that many Filipinos can enjoy any time of the day,” he added. 

World champion Nonito Donaire

Nonito Donaire was born in Talibon, Bohol, Philippines, to Filipino parents, Nonito Sr. and Imelda Donaire. He is the third among four siblings: Glenn, Rochelle Donaire-Nasalga and Ermie. Back then, there was no electricity in Bohol. He grew up in General Santos City, South Cotabato, where he lived until age six and went to the same school as boxing icon eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. His father, a second year high school dropout, was in the Philippine Army for eight years and fought as an amateur before trying his luck alone in the US in 1990. In 1993, at the age of eleven, he had joined his father in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California and they lived in San Leandro in the Bay Area, later moving to San Mateo.

In childhood, Donaire was a frail, asthmatic and wimpy kid who got bullied in school and frequently came home crying. He was picked on for three years, until a little after he migrated to San Leandro. At home, he felt no attention was paid to him, as a middle child. He wanted to be recognized by his parents, especially his father. As soon as his brother started boxing, ten year old Nonito craved the respect and recognition his brother received, and started it. His father took him to a boxing gym at age eleven to get him off the streets. In his first amateur bout as a child, he beat his opponent with straight punches, all the while thinking that "I’m going to kill him before he kills me." However, he had little confidence until he earned five professional knockout victories.

During their younger years, Donaire and his older brother Glenn would spar, with the younger brother losing the majority of their bouts. As a kid, Donaire watched videos of his hero Alexis Argüello, using them to learn how to throw his powerful left hook. While in San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo, California the brothers won an assortment of regional and district amateur boxing championships. His cousin, Richard Donaire, is also a professional boxer.

Donaire is married to Rachel Marcial, a Filipino-American USA National Collegiate and Military Taekwondo Champion. They were married on August 8, 2008 in a private ceremony in Carmel, California, with all their close relatives. Subsequently, they had a church wedding in the Philippines on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11). Donaire's wife is a pivotal member of his team, with her father acting as his chief security. His parents-in-law, Gerry and Rebecca Marcial, are the leading members of his support group.

During his early career, he had hated boxing. Due to excessive pressure, he had not only never enjoyed boxing, but had even dreaded it every day. Nevertheless, he did stick with it because he did not want to disappoint his father. Currently, he always fights for such people who support him and believe in him, and finally for himself, so he loves and enjoys boxing.

On July 4, 2013, his pregnant wife saved a child from drowning and got injured in the process. She was brought to a hospital and the unborn baby in her womb was unharmed.

Nicole Scherzinger : Half Filipina

Scherzinger was born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente in Honolulu, Hawaii, into a staunchly Roman Catholic family. Her father, Alfonso Valiente, is of Filipino descent, and her mother, Rosemary Elikolani, is of half-Hawaiian and half-Russian descent. Her mother was eighteen at the time of Scherzinger's birth and lived in an inner city neighborhood. Scherzinger's parents separated when she was still a baby. When she was six years old, her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, with her sister, Keala, and her German American stepfather, Gary Scherzinger. She took her stepfather's surname after he adopted her. She first attended Bowen Elementary, and later attended Meyzeek Middle School as an adolescent. Scherzinger states that, growing up, her family did not have a lot of money, and she thanks her mother for all the support she gave her to become what she is today. Scherzinger began performing in Louisville, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School, and performing with Actors Theatre of Louisville. As a teenager, Scherzinger was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest.

When Hawaiian-born Nicole Scherzinger was growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, she received a Christmas gift at the age of six that would change the course of her life: a tiny purple boombox and a cassette of Whitney Houston’s chart-topping 1985 self-titled debut album. “My parents had no money, but they got me this player and Whitney’s album, which had ‘Greatest Love of All’ on it,” Scherzinger recalls. “That was it for me. From that moment on I wanted to sing. Her voice was so powerful; every note she sang just felt like the truth.”

Ever since, Scherzinger has been chasing that truth in everything she does, funneling her relentless drive and deep desire to connect with people through performance into a multi-faceted career that has enabled her to sing (she lead the multi-platinum pop group The Pussycat Dolls to 10 million in album sales and numerous sold-out global tours), dance (she took home the mirror ball trophy as the tenth season winner of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars), and act (How I Met Your Mother, the Neil Patrick Harris-directed production of the Tony-Award winning musical Rent at the Hollywood Bowl, and a cameo in the upcoming feature film Men in Black III). Scherzinger’s smart critiques during her two seasons as a judge on NBC’s a cappella competition The Sing-Off, as well as her guest judge appearances on the British version of Simon Cowell’s televised talent show The X Factor so impressed Cowell that he tapped Scherzinger to serve as a judge on the American version of The X Factor, which launches on Fox this fall and is already one of the most-talked about new shows of the year.

Torque Mobile Phones and Tablets Offers the Best of Technology at Impressive Pricing

The proud Filipino product sets its own trend in the mobile business making it’s mark to be one of the best this coming year.

Pinoy brand TORQUE, aims to level up the mobile phone landscape for Filipino users with its new Torque MEDIA Technology. With this technology applied across its entire product line-up including entry-level models, every Juan can now enjoy “MUSIC-ALL-U-CAN, MOVIES-ALL-U-CAN” features at its finest for as low as P688 only.

Torque Mobile Phones and Tablets has just announced the release of several new mobile phone and tablet models during its grand launch held at the Le Pavilion in Manila.

The company which has an all Filipino team of engineers and designers initially made concepts for the phone and tablet design with the help of foreign consultants but are now specialized themselves to become independent of the succeeding concept and design requirements after an extensive working relationship with the said foreign consultants.

Customers can also rest assured that there are several existing service centers located nationwide to service their phones in case there would be technical problems or would require servicing or maintenance.

President /CEO Christopher Uycos

The CEO of Torque himself, Christopher Uyco, was the one who proudly discussed infront of the media and blogger groups their new products which are scheduled to be released sometime at the end of the year and some at the beginning of next year.

“We recognize that in today’s day and age, Filipinos use their gadgets not just for communication but for entertainment,” says Christopher Uyco, president and CEO of Torque Philippines.

“We make sure that each Torque phone or tablet goes beyond offering affordable and convenient communication — we want to make movies, music and entertainment more accessible to more Filipinos with budget-friendly prices,” Uyco added.

BENCH Clothing and Apparels

Bench (usually branded as “Bench.” with a full stop) is a British clothing brand that is sold worldwide, including in Europe, Canada, and Australia. The company was founded in Manchester, Britain, and specialises in streetwear.

The brand started in 1989 as a t-shirt brand, with designs influenced by BMX biking and skateboarding. Over the years, the brand expanded into other clothing garments.

The brand’s Manchester roots can be seen in the montage of the Manchester skyline which is used as a design on both their messenger bags and price tags.

Bench designs and markets its own products. While their t-shirts are their most popular product, Bench also manufactures jeans, jackets, hats, hooded tops, watches and jewellery. A common feature of Bench clothing is the conspicuous incorporation of the brand name – many t-shirts and jackets feature the word ‘Bench’ written in highly visible letters either across the chest or across the back of the collar.

Bench expanded into women’s wear in 1998. The range of jackets and tops had the same urban clothing style as the menswear.

In 2009 Bench became the official shirt sponsors of Morecambe Football Club. For the 09/10 season the Bench logo will feature on the front of the club’s final year at Christie Park commemorative home and away shirts.