MANILA -- The Philippine government on Wednesday vowed to create more jobs for its citizens after the execution of three Filipino drug mules who entered China to escape widespread poverty and unemployment at home.
"Our ultimate goal is to create a situation where people are not pressured to resort to these things, where they can find enough gainful employment in the Philippines," President Benigno Aquino III said hours after the three Filipinos were executed in China through lethal injection.
Filipino drug smuggling convicts Ramon Credo, 42; Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32; and Elizabeth Batain, 38; were executed before noon Wednesday, despite last-minute appeals for clemency and political concessions by the Philippine government.
The three were arrested separately in 2008 carrying packages containing at least four kilograms of heroin. They were convicted and sentenced in 2009.
Aquino said the three drug convicts are "victims of a society that could not provide for them enough gainful employment in their home country."
Thursday, March 31, 2011
News Update Supply disruptions hit Japan firms in Philippines
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - With Japan still recovering from a massive earthquake and trying to prevent a nuclear meltdown, Japanese companies operating in the Philippines are starting to feel the ill effects of the crisis, mostly in terms of delayed export and supply deliveries.
A recent survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organisation's Manila office showed that 46.6 per cent of the 163 respondents recognised the impact of the crisis on their operations. The biggest current impact, the survey showed, had to do with delays in the deliveries of both exported and imported products and components.
Exports from the Philippines to Japan were not getting to their destination on time due to delays at the Narita International Airport. Having been damaged by the quake, Narita airport's cargo centre had been unable to receive cargo deliveries, thus resulting in delivery delays.
Companies surveyed also said they were having some difficulty in getting goods and materials from Japan.
Even non-manufacturing companies, which did not have deliveries to worry about, also complained of the crisis' adverse impact on their business. Firms in the hotel, tourism and transportation industries, in particular, said they were experiencing travel reductions and trip cancellations.
Only 11.5 per cent of the surveyed firms said the crisis had no impact at all on their operations. However, 14.1 per cent of those polled said they have yet to determine the effect of the crisis on their future prospects.
"The fact that a lot of companies felt uncertain about their future prospects indicates the severity of this disaster," the Jetro study stated.
"For the future impact, most answers were related to the difficulty in procurement of goods and materials. An overwhelming number of manufacturing companies commented that due to the delay in production in Japan, the supply of goods and materials will be sluggish. Difficulty in procurement of goods and materials are directly related to reduction in orders and production as shown in many of the survey answers," the study noted.
As a countermeasure, the manufacturing companies polled said they were considering the procurement of alternative products, expansion in local procurement and purchases from overseas manufacturers.
In an interview with reporters Wednesday (March 30), Philippine trade undersecretary Cristino Panlilio said the government was keeping a close watch on the electronics and automotive industries, two key sectors that were expected to be the most badly hit by supply disruptions stemming from the Japan disaster.
He said one option that these companies, particularly those in auto assembly, could consider was the sourcing of local components and parts.
"We're giving them the option to make their spare parts here, to see if local parts manufacturers can be stop-gap producers," he said.
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., the country's biggest auto assembler, said it has yet to assess the impact of the crisis on its operations.
The company assembles the popular Vios and Innova models in its Laguna plant. It also manufactures auto parts through Toyota Auto Parts Inc.
A recent survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organisation's Manila office showed that 46.6 per cent of the 163 respondents recognised the impact of the crisis on their operations. The biggest current impact, the survey showed, had to do with delays in the deliveries of both exported and imported products and components.
Exports from the Philippines to Japan were not getting to their destination on time due to delays at the Narita International Airport. Having been damaged by the quake, Narita airport's cargo centre had been unable to receive cargo deliveries, thus resulting in delivery delays.
Companies surveyed also said they were having some difficulty in getting goods and materials from Japan.
Even non-manufacturing companies, which did not have deliveries to worry about, also complained of the crisis' adverse impact on their business. Firms in the hotel, tourism and transportation industries, in particular, said they were experiencing travel reductions and trip cancellations.
Only 11.5 per cent of the surveyed firms said the crisis had no impact at all on their operations. However, 14.1 per cent of those polled said they have yet to determine the effect of the crisis on their future prospects.
"The fact that a lot of companies felt uncertain about their future prospects indicates the severity of this disaster," the Jetro study stated.
"For the future impact, most answers were related to the difficulty in procurement of goods and materials. An overwhelming number of manufacturing companies commented that due to the delay in production in Japan, the supply of goods and materials will be sluggish. Difficulty in procurement of goods and materials are directly related to reduction in orders and production as shown in many of the survey answers," the study noted.
As a countermeasure, the manufacturing companies polled said they were considering the procurement of alternative products, expansion in local procurement and purchases from overseas manufacturers.
In an interview with reporters Wednesday (March 30), Philippine trade undersecretary Cristino Panlilio said the government was keeping a close watch on the electronics and automotive industries, two key sectors that were expected to be the most badly hit by supply disruptions stemming from the Japan disaster.
He said one option that these companies, particularly those in auto assembly, could consider was the sourcing of local components and parts.
"We're giving them the option to make their spare parts here, to see if local parts manufacturers can be stop-gap producers," he said.
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., the country's biggest auto assembler, said it has yet to assess the impact of the crisis on its operations.
The company assembles the popular Vios and Innova models in its Laguna plant. It also manufactures auto parts through Toyota Auto Parts Inc.
News update Half of Filipinos want hero's burial for Marcos
MANILA, March 30, 2011 (AFP) - Half of the population in the Philippines want to give late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a belated hero's burial, according to survey released Wednesday.
Fifty percent of respondents said Marcos was "worthy to be buried in the heroes' cemetery", according to the respected Social Weather Stations research group, which undertook the nationwide survey.
However 49 percent said Marcos was unworthy of such honours while one percent did not answer, the research group said.
The survey of 1,200 adults, conducted this month, came amid growing pressure by the Marcos family and its allies to have the late president interred in a Manila cemetery normally reserved for military veterans and respected leaders.
Marcos was elected president in 1965 but declared martial law in 1972, ruling with dictatorial powers until a popular revolt toppled him from office and sent him fleeing to US exile in 1986.
He is accused of overturning the country's democratic system, overseeing widespread human rights abuses and looting billions of dollars from state coffers.
Marcos died in exile in 1989 and the government then refused to give in to his family's demand for his internment in the heroes' cemetery.
His family was forced to instead keep his embalmed body on display in a crypt in his hometown.
But Marcos's family and political allies have slowly started to regain political power, and as part of their rise have pushed for the family patriarch to have a hero's burial.
His widow, the flamboyant former first lady Imelda Marcos, was elected to the House of Representatives last year.
In the same elections his son and namesake was elected to the Senate, and many political observers expect he will run for the presidency in 2016 polls.
The current president, Benigno Aquino, has asked his vice president to study whether Marcos should be buried in the heroes' cemetery, saying he cannot look at the issue objectively.
Aquino's father and namesake was murdered by Marcos's troops in 1983 while his mother led the revolution that toppled the dictator. She then served as president for six years.
Fifty percent of respondents said Marcos was "worthy to be buried in the heroes' cemetery", according to the respected Social Weather Stations research group, which undertook the nationwide survey.
However 49 percent said Marcos was unworthy of such honours while one percent did not answer, the research group said.
The survey of 1,200 adults, conducted this month, came amid growing pressure by the Marcos family and its allies to have the late president interred in a Manila cemetery normally reserved for military veterans and respected leaders.
Marcos was elected president in 1965 but declared martial law in 1972, ruling with dictatorial powers until a popular revolt toppled him from office and sent him fleeing to US exile in 1986.
He is accused of overturning the country's democratic system, overseeing widespread human rights abuses and looting billions of dollars from state coffers.
Marcos died in exile in 1989 and the government then refused to give in to his family's demand for his internment in the heroes' cemetery.
His family was forced to instead keep his embalmed body on display in a crypt in his hometown.
But Marcos's family and political allies have slowly started to regain political power, and as part of their rise have pushed for the family patriarch to have a hero's burial.
His widow, the flamboyant former first lady Imelda Marcos, was elected to the House of Representatives last year.
In the same elections his son and namesake was elected to the Senate, and many political observers expect he will run for the presidency in 2016 polls.
The current president, Benigno Aquino, has asked his vice president to study whether Marcos should be buried in the heroes' cemetery, saying he cannot look at the issue objectively.
Aquino's father and namesake was murdered by Marcos's troops in 1983 while his mother led the revolution that toppled the dictator. She then served as president for six years.
News Update Flood management master plan updated
MANILA, Philippines -- The lessons of super typhoon Ondoy, which submerged many areas in Metro Manila almost two years ago, have prompted Public Works officials to update the master plan for flood management in the metropolis.
They are also soliciting the support of other departments and agencies, realizing it cannot do the job alone.
With Ondoy exposing the vulnerability of Metro Manila to sudden and destructive flooding due to climate change, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recognized that the problem of flooding should be a collective effort.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the DPWH is taking the lead role in the Inter-agency Steering Committee that was formed to conduct a risk assessment study for Metro Manila and the surrounding basin area.
The IASC, Singson said, will look into the priority structural and non-structural measures that will provide sustainable flood management up to the designated safety level.
The committee will likewise conduct consultation activities, including meetings, workshops, and seminars among stakeholders.
"This will ensure that their concerns are duly considered into the risk assessment and to agree on the flood risk management," Singson said.
The DPWH is scurrying to improve its flood control projects to prevent a repeat of the devastation of Ondoy, which left Metro Manila crippled and most houses submerged in water due to raging floods.
Flooding was reported in many Luzon provinces with waters in some areas reaching as high as the rooftops of one-storey buildings. It was the worst flooding seen in the capital in some 20 years.
Singson said the IASC is divided into two steering committee levels: The High Level and Technical Level.
Singson designated DPWH Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral to head the IASC Technical Level which will act as oversight committee, providing support and guidance on technical and administrative matters.
On the other hand, the High Level IASC will oversee the preparation of master plan and provide the policy direction.
It is composed of secretaries of DPWH, the Department of Science and Technology, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and other concerned agencies.
They are also soliciting the support of other departments and agencies, realizing it cannot do the job alone.
With Ondoy exposing the vulnerability of Metro Manila to sudden and destructive flooding due to climate change, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recognized that the problem of flooding should be a collective effort.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the DPWH is taking the lead role in the Inter-agency Steering Committee that was formed to conduct a risk assessment study for Metro Manila and the surrounding basin area.
The IASC, Singson said, will look into the priority structural and non-structural measures that will provide sustainable flood management up to the designated safety level.
The committee will likewise conduct consultation activities, including meetings, workshops, and seminars among stakeholders.
"This will ensure that their concerns are duly considered into the risk assessment and to agree on the flood risk management," Singson said.
The DPWH is scurrying to improve its flood control projects to prevent a repeat of the devastation of Ondoy, which left Metro Manila crippled and most houses submerged in water due to raging floods.
Flooding was reported in many Luzon provinces with waters in some areas reaching as high as the rooftops of one-storey buildings. It was the worst flooding seen in the capital in some 20 years.
Singson said the IASC is divided into two steering committee levels: The High Level and Technical Level.
Singson designated DPWH Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral to head the IASC Technical Level which will act as oversight committee, providing support and guidance on technical and administrative matters.
On the other hand, the High Level IASC will oversee the preparation of master plan and provide the policy direction.
It is composed of secretaries of DPWH, the Department of Science and Technology, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and other concerned agencies.
News Update P7-M LBC bike tour launched
MANILA, Philippines - The nation's top cyclists test their limits anew when the inaugural staging of the LBC Ronda Pilipinas, a grueling 20-day competition, begins late September with challenging yet scenic routes serving as background.
At least twelve teams of six cyclists each are expected to vie in the 12-stage tour, which has a total cash prize of P7 million, one of the biggest in years with the individual champion getting P1 million and the team winner also P1million.
Reaching the finish line won't be a walk in the park as the tour, exclusive only for locals, is expected to cover an estimated distance of 1,650 kilometers marked by treacherous terrains, hairpin curves and excruciating mountain climbs.
The tour, sanctioned by the International Cycling Union, starts in Cagayan de Oro and will take the riders to the picturesque landscapes of the western nautical highways, passing through Dumaguete, Iloilo, Aklan, Roxas, Calapan, Batangas, Tarlac, Vigan, Pampanga with the Vigan-Baguio leg considered the as the killer loop.
"Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines and we want to give our athletes a venue to train and develop in the sport in preparation for the international competition," Javier Mantecon, LBC senior vice president for marketing said during Wednesday's press briefing at the National Sports Grill at Greenbelt In Makati City.
The Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao qualifying rounds for the event begin in May.
As part of its preparation for the Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine team will see action in the tournament proper, according to Mayor Bambol Tolention of PhilCycling, which is helping Multi Event Enterprise organize the event for the country's leading remittance and courier company.
An executive race open to non-professional male teams of six riders will also be held.
"I trust that this event will soon be one of the biggest events in Asia," said Malaysian Jammaludin Mahmood, an ex-UCI coordinator for Asia who will oversee the event.
LBC COO Fernando Araneta, appearing alongside LBC CEO Santiago Araneta in the same press conference said they are hoping that the event will be included in the Asian Cycling Confederation calendar in three years time.
Aside from the promotion of the sport, Fernando Araneta said the event is aimed at spreading LBC's Go Green Advocacy which is the company's switch to biodegradable delivery pouches replacing their non-biodegradable plastics. To cut down on emissions, Araneta also said they plan to convert their motorized delivery fleet to electric power and by next year into bicycles.
At least twelve teams of six cyclists each are expected to vie in the 12-stage tour, which has a total cash prize of P7 million, one of the biggest in years with the individual champion getting P1 million and the team winner also P1million.
Reaching the finish line won't be a walk in the park as the tour, exclusive only for locals, is expected to cover an estimated distance of 1,650 kilometers marked by treacherous terrains, hairpin curves and excruciating mountain climbs.
The tour, sanctioned by the International Cycling Union, starts in Cagayan de Oro and will take the riders to the picturesque landscapes of the western nautical highways, passing through Dumaguete, Iloilo, Aklan, Roxas, Calapan, Batangas, Tarlac, Vigan, Pampanga with the Vigan-Baguio leg considered the as the killer loop.
"Cycling is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines and we want to give our athletes a venue to train and develop in the sport in preparation for the international competition," Javier Mantecon, LBC senior vice president for marketing said during Wednesday's press briefing at the National Sports Grill at Greenbelt In Makati City.
The Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao qualifying rounds for the event begin in May.
As part of its preparation for the Southeast Asian Games, the Philippine team will see action in the tournament proper, according to Mayor Bambol Tolention of PhilCycling, which is helping Multi Event Enterprise organize the event for the country's leading remittance and courier company.
An executive race open to non-professional male teams of six riders will also be held.
"I trust that this event will soon be one of the biggest events in Asia," said Malaysian Jammaludin Mahmood, an ex-UCI coordinator for Asia who will oversee the event.
LBC COO Fernando Araneta, appearing alongside LBC CEO Santiago Araneta in the same press conference said they are hoping that the event will be included in the Asian Cycling Confederation calendar in three years time.
Aside from the promotion of the sport, Fernando Araneta said the event is aimed at spreading LBC's Go Green Advocacy which is the company's switch to biodegradable delivery pouches replacing their non-biodegradable plastics. To cut down on emissions, Araneta also said they plan to convert their motorized delivery fleet to electric power and by next year into bicycles.
News Update Gov't ready for Thursday's transport strike
MANILA, Philippines -- The Light and Metro Rail Transits (LRT-MRT) are ready to accommodate commuters who may get stranded by the transport strike called by militant public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators on Thursday.
LRT Authority and MRT Spokesman Hernando Cabrera said LRT Lines 1 and 2, and MRT Line 3 expect peak ridership on Thursday as a number of PUVs join the national day of protest called by militant transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operaytors Nationwide (Piston).
However, other transport groups refused to heed Piston's call.
The Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap) said its members won't join Piston's demonstration as long as the government pursues the plan to give one-month fuel subsidy for PUVs.
Although the provisional fuel subsidy was already discussed in the Cabinet, the President has yet to decide on the proposal to grant legitimate franchise holders a fuel discount of P3 per liter for a month, beginning the second week of April.
Malacañang said the entire fuel subsidy is expected to cost P600 million and that funding for the program could be sourced out from the President's contingency fund, or a windfall from value-added tax (VAT) collections on oil.
Aside from Fejodap, the Association of Concerned Transport Operators, Pasang Masda, and the South Luzon Bus Operators Association are not joining the transport protest.
But Piston said some 500 transport leaders, operators, and drivers will join its transport caravan from Quezon City Memorial Circle to Mendiola, Manila. Organizers said at least 200 jeepneys, buses, express service vans, and taxicabs are expected to join the caravan to demonstrate their grievances against the unabated oil price hikes.
With the planned transport caravan, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) advised motorists to avoid areas around the Quezon City Memorial Circle and take alternative routes.
In its traffic advisory, the MMDA listed alternative routes that motorists may take.
From Quezon City Memorial Circle, motorists may turn right to North Avenue, straight to EDSA, take the U-turn slot at SM North, turn right to West Avenue, turn right to Del Monte, left turn to Araneta Avenue, turn right to Ma. Clara Street, straight to Andalucia Street to their destinations.
For East-bound motorists from Recto, they may take Sergio Loyola Street, straight to Matimyas Street, right turn to E. Rodriguez Avenue, left turn to Banawe Street or go straight to Araneta Avenue then straight to EDSA to their destinations.
Should the transport protest paralyze major commuting routes, Cabrera said commuters along Taft Avenue and Avenida in Manila to Caloocan, Aurora Boulevard from Manila to Quezon City and Epifanio delos Santos Avenue may rely on the LRT and MRT.
Cabrera assured the public that there will be enough trips for regular and casual LRT and MRT riders and that overcrowding will be minimized because of the decrease of passengers due to the students' summer break.
Likewise, the Philippine Coast Guard said that it will deploy 6x6 trucks to ferry stranded passengers.
Lieutenant Commander Armando Balilo, Coast Guard public affairs chief and deputy chief of staff for community relations services, said that upon request by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), they will deploy their two 6x6 trucks in various strategic locations in Metro Manila just in case many commuters will be stranded.
LRT Authority and MRT Spokesman Hernando Cabrera said LRT Lines 1 and 2, and MRT Line 3 expect peak ridership on Thursday as a number of PUVs join the national day of protest called by militant transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operaytors Nationwide (Piston).
However, other transport groups refused to heed Piston's call.
The Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap) said its members won't join Piston's demonstration as long as the government pursues the plan to give one-month fuel subsidy for PUVs.
Although the provisional fuel subsidy was already discussed in the Cabinet, the President has yet to decide on the proposal to grant legitimate franchise holders a fuel discount of P3 per liter for a month, beginning the second week of April.
Malacañang said the entire fuel subsidy is expected to cost P600 million and that funding for the program could be sourced out from the President's contingency fund, or a windfall from value-added tax (VAT) collections on oil.
Aside from Fejodap, the Association of Concerned Transport Operators, Pasang Masda, and the South Luzon Bus Operators Association are not joining the transport protest.
But Piston said some 500 transport leaders, operators, and drivers will join its transport caravan from Quezon City Memorial Circle to Mendiola, Manila. Organizers said at least 200 jeepneys, buses, express service vans, and taxicabs are expected to join the caravan to demonstrate their grievances against the unabated oil price hikes.
With the planned transport caravan, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) advised motorists to avoid areas around the Quezon City Memorial Circle and take alternative routes.
In its traffic advisory, the MMDA listed alternative routes that motorists may take.
From Quezon City Memorial Circle, motorists may turn right to North Avenue, straight to EDSA, take the U-turn slot at SM North, turn right to West Avenue, turn right to Del Monte, left turn to Araneta Avenue, turn right to Ma. Clara Street, straight to Andalucia Street to their destinations.
For East-bound motorists from Recto, they may take Sergio Loyola Street, straight to Matimyas Street, right turn to E. Rodriguez Avenue, left turn to Banawe Street or go straight to Araneta Avenue then straight to EDSA to their destinations.
Should the transport protest paralyze major commuting routes, Cabrera said commuters along Taft Avenue and Avenida in Manila to Caloocan, Aurora Boulevard from Manila to Quezon City and Epifanio delos Santos Avenue may rely on the LRT and MRT.
Cabrera assured the public that there will be enough trips for regular and casual LRT and MRT riders and that overcrowding will be minimized because of the decrease of passengers due to the students' summer break.
Likewise, the Philippine Coast Guard said that it will deploy 6x6 trucks to ferry stranded passengers.
Lieutenant Commander Armando Balilo, Coast Guard public affairs chief and deputy chief of staff for community relations services, said that upon request by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), they will deploy their two 6x6 trucks in various strategic locations in Metro Manila just in case many commuters will be stranded.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
News Update P/$ rate closes at P43.46 to $1
MANILA, Philippines - The peso exchange rate closed slightly lower at P43.46 to the US dollar Tuesday at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx) from P43.45 the previous day. The weighted average rate depreciated to P43.529 from P43.388. Total volume amounted to $730.8 million.
7-YEAR T-BONDS FETCH 6.315%
The Bureau of Treasury decided at an auction Tuesday to reissue treasury bonds due January 2018 at a yield of 6.315%, lower than the prevailing yield for seven-year paper in the secondary market due to strong demand.
The bond was originally issued at face value as 10-year debt paper in 2008 at a coupon of 5.875%.
Total tenders reached P18.19 billion, double the P9 billion offered during the bond auction.
In the secondary market for government securities, seven-year bonds were quoted Tuesday at 6.93%.
ECONOMIC TARGETS UNDER REVIEW
Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Tuesday said the government's economic targets for 2011 are under review due to recent developments in Japan and the Middle East that could affect investments, trade and remittance.
Paderanga said he is hopeful the current gross domestic product growth target of 7%-8% for this year will stand after the review.
He said that while the devastation in Japan will likely have a short-term impact on the Philippine economy, the bigger concern is the impact of geopolitical events in the Middle East and North Africa because of its effect on oil prices and the deployment of Filipino workers.
HILTON ENDS CONTRACT WITH CEBU RESORT
Hilton Worldwide, together with owning company Oikonomos International Resources Corporation, has announced in Singapore and Cebu City that the management agreement for the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa will end on Thursday, March 31, 2011. The termination of the management contract is mutually agreed upon and allows both parties to explore new opportunities independently.
INFLATION REMAINS MANAGEABLE - B.S.P.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Tuesday that despite recent acceleration in consumer price increases, inflation is still manageable and isn't likely to spur any dramatic adjustments in monetary policy. ''Any monetary action will be gradual,'' BSP Amando Tetangco told reporters on the sidelines of a business forum in Manila.
7-YEAR T-BONDS FETCH 6.315%
The Bureau of Treasury decided at an auction Tuesday to reissue treasury bonds due January 2018 at a yield of 6.315%, lower than the prevailing yield for seven-year paper in the secondary market due to strong demand.
The bond was originally issued at face value as 10-year debt paper in 2008 at a coupon of 5.875%.
Total tenders reached P18.19 billion, double the P9 billion offered during the bond auction.
In the secondary market for government securities, seven-year bonds were quoted Tuesday at 6.93%.
ECONOMIC TARGETS UNDER REVIEW
Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Tuesday said the government's economic targets for 2011 are under review due to recent developments in Japan and the Middle East that could affect investments, trade and remittance.
Paderanga said he is hopeful the current gross domestic product growth target of 7%-8% for this year will stand after the review.
He said that while the devastation in Japan will likely have a short-term impact on the Philippine economy, the bigger concern is the impact of geopolitical events in the Middle East and North Africa because of its effect on oil prices and the deployment of Filipino workers.
HILTON ENDS CONTRACT WITH CEBU RESORT
Hilton Worldwide, together with owning company Oikonomos International Resources Corporation, has announced in Singapore and Cebu City that the management agreement for the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa will end on Thursday, March 31, 2011. The termination of the management contract is mutually agreed upon and allows both parties to explore new opportunities independently.
INFLATION REMAINS MANAGEABLE - B.S.P.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Tuesday that despite recent acceleration in consumer price increases, inflation is still manageable and isn't likely to spur any dramatic adjustments in monetary policy. ''Any monetary action will be gradual,'' BSP Amando Tetangco told reporters on the sidelines of a business forum in Manila.
News Update Megawide ventures into modular housing
MANILA, Philippines - Megawide Construction Corp., the major contractor for the SM Group property developer SM Development Corp., is investing P709.05 million to mass produce modular housing components/systems to be supplied to housing projects.
The project, which is listed under the current Investment Priorities Plan under the heading ''Manufactured products'' has been approved by the Board of Investments for incentives. Based on Megawide's application, its project will be located in Taytay, Rizal with an annual capacity of 654,750 pieces. It plans to start commercial operation in June this year employing 1,592 people.
The proposed project involves the mass production of modular housing components/systems such as: 1) Exterior and interior pre-cast wall panels with complete doors and windows System; 2) Structural pre-cast beams and columns with complete electrical conduits and plumbing System; and 3) Pre-cast slabs and floor panels with complete floor finishing and ceiling systems. Its facilities will use an assembly line track to move the component or system from one workstation to the next.
Once the fabrication is completed, the housing components/systems are then transported using a pre-cast trailer to the building site where a crane is brought in to set them in place. The placement of the housing components together generally takes several hours or days using the quick-connect assembly technology.
Plant engineers are on site to supervise the construction and ensure that all building codes are adhered to during assembly. Once assembled, modular housing components are essentially indistinguishable from those built on-site.
Megawide has committed to sell at least 70% of its total annual production volume to mass housing projects. It is required to submit documented information to the BoI as proof of its compliance.
As a pre-registration condition, the firm will be required to submit the following: (a) certification from a competent national authority that its technology is new and environment-friendly. Megawide has already filed a request for a certification with the Accreditation of Innovative Technology for Housing (AITECH) Committee and as certification from the Competent National Authority that the firm's products/systems are modular.
At present, Megawide is engaged in general construction business building residential houses and condominiums. Its proposed project involves the production of modular housing components/systems, which is entirely distinct and different from its existing business operation in terms of final product.
Aside from being the major contractor of SMDC, a unit of the SM Group engaged in condominium development, this wholly-owned Filipino firm is primarily engaged in general construction business including the constructing, enlarging, repairing, or engaging in any work upon buildings, houses and condominium, road, plants, bridges, piers, waterworks, railroads & other structures. (BCM)
The project, which is listed under the current Investment Priorities Plan under the heading ''Manufactured products'' has been approved by the Board of Investments for incentives. Based on Megawide's application, its project will be located in Taytay, Rizal with an annual capacity of 654,750 pieces. It plans to start commercial operation in June this year employing 1,592 people.
The proposed project involves the mass production of modular housing components/systems such as: 1) Exterior and interior pre-cast wall panels with complete doors and windows System; 2) Structural pre-cast beams and columns with complete electrical conduits and plumbing System; and 3) Pre-cast slabs and floor panels with complete floor finishing and ceiling systems. Its facilities will use an assembly line track to move the component or system from one workstation to the next.
Once the fabrication is completed, the housing components/systems are then transported using a pre-cast trailer to the building site where a crane is brought in to set them in place. The placement of the housing components together generally takes several hours or days using the quick-connect assembly technology.
Plant engineers are on site to supervise the construction and ensure that all building codes are adhered to during assembly. Once assembled, modular housing components are essentially indistinguishable from those built on-site.
Megawide has committed to sell at least 70% of its total annual production volume to mass housing projects. It is required to submit documented information to the BoI as proof of its compliance.
As a pre-registration condition, the firm will be required to submit the following: (a) certification from a competent national authority that its technology is new and environment-friendly. Megawide has already filed a request for a certification with the Accreditation of Innovative Technology for Housing (AITECH) Committee and as certification from the Competent National Authority that the firm's products/systems are modular.
At present, Megawide is engaged in general construction business building residential houses and condominiums. Its proposed project involves the production of modular housing components/systems, which is entirely distinct and different from its existing business operation in terms of final product.
Aside from being the major contractor of SMDC, a unit of the SM Group engaged in condominium development, this wholly-owned Filipino firm is primarily engaged in general construction business including the constructing, enlarging, repairing, or engaging in any work upon buildings, houses and condominium, road, plants, bridges, piers, waterworks, railroads & other structures. (BCM)
News Update Baguio film festival screenings
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - The on-going conduct of the three-day Baguio film festival has helped in sustaining the local tourism industry with the influx of more people from different parts of Northern Luzon to witness the free showing of 10 independent films of veteran producers.
This was underscored by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan here as he expressed gratitude to the officials and members of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for selecting this mountain resort city as the venue of Sining Pambansa where films produced by independent film makers will be shown to the local residents free in order to attract them to patronize locally produced movies amid the advancement of information and communication technology.
With conduct of a series of film festivals in key cities nationwide, independent film makers are hopeful that the showcasing of low budget but quality films will help uplift the local film industry and regain its vibrance for the benefit of the growth desired by the producers.
Furthermore, the FDCP is confident that the showing of independent films will help educate the public to appreciate films that are carved out not from the usual Hollywood formula which is currently adopted by film producers.
Ten films, most of which already earned international recognition, are now featured in two cinemas located inside a giant mall here in the next three days in order to restore the appreciation of the public to the independent films that could also meet international standards.
The local film makers are now embarking on showing their films nationwide to show the public their quality creations using a pool of talents that are equally creative and talented as their mainstream counterparts.
Moreover, independent films must be aggressively promoted to avoid the current trend now where locally produced films usually become inferior copies of Hollywood films which should not be the case.
This was underscored by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan here as he expressed gratitude to the officials and members of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for selecting this mountain resort city as the venue of Sining Pambansa where films produced by independent film makers will be shown to the local residents free in order to attract them to patronize locally produced movies amid the advancement of information and communication technology.
With conduct of a series of film festivals in key cities nationwide, independent film makers are hopeful that the showcasing of low budget but quality films will help uplift the local film industry and regain its vibrance for the benefit of the growth desired by the producers.
Furthermore, the FDCP is confident that the showing of independent films will help educate the public to appreciate films that are carved out not from the usual Hollywood formula which is currently adopted by film producers.
Ten films, most of which already earned international recognition, are now featured in two cinemas located inside a giant mall here in the next three days in order to restore the appreciation of the public to the independent films that could also meet international standards.
The local film makers are now embarking on showing their films nationwide to show the public their quality creations using a pool of talents that are equally creative and talented as their mainstream counterparts.
Moreover, independent films must be aggressively promoted to avoid the current trend now where locally produced films usually become inferior copies of Hollywood films which should not be the case.
News Update In a Troubled Sea: Reed Bank, Kalayaan, Lumbay, Galit, and Panacot
MANILA, Philippines -- With rising population and increased food and energy needs, attention is again focused on China Sea resources, claimed principally by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and us.
In 1947, Tomas Cloma, Filipino fishing magnate, staked out islands 200-250 miles west of Palawan and called these Freedomland. Cloma's claim was eventually transferred to government and in 1978, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued PD No. 1599 declaring the area part of Philippine territory and constituting seven islets and a reef into Kalayaan, a Palawan municipality.
Some 150 miles west of Zambales is Scarborough Shoal (also called Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag), shallow waters with reefs and rocks where Filipinos have been since time immemorial. We have raised the flag, built a lighthouse, and studied its marine life and topography.
Old maps support territorial claims, including ours over Reed Bank, Kalayaan and Scarborough Shoal.
Ancient Chinese maps include islands they say are the Spratlys. Similarly, the Vietnamese have maps including one dated 1834 that they maintain includes the Spratlys.
The earliest maps of the Philippines were drawn by European explorers. These became more and more accurate as expeditions reached more places. Pigafetta (chronicler of Magellan's 1521 voyage) sketched just a few misshapen and misplaced islands. The 1563 Ramusio-Gastaldi map still did not show Luzon but had the name Filipena. Mercator's Southeast Asia map (1595) included a fairly accurate drawing of the archipelago and a collection of islands in the China Sea labeled Pracel.
Maps entirely of the Philippines began to be drawn in the 1600s. Focus was on the main islands but the Frenchman Sanson de Abbeville included groups of islands west of Palawan in his 1652 Les Isles Philippines.
The earliest most accurate Philippine map was that of Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde, SJ, Carta hydrographica y chorographica de las Islas Filipinas published 1734. It included three groups of islands in the China Sea off Palawan (called Paragua), collectively called Los Bajos de Paragua where Reed Bank and the Kalayaan are. Island groups west of the Zambales and Pangasinan coast were also identified-Lumbay, Panacot and Galit (Tagalog for sorrow, threat and anger, respectively, doubtless so baptized by weary seafarers). The Manila Galleon's Cape Bojeador route went past all three and indeed, west of Galit.
Mapa General. Islas Filipinas, Observatorio de Manila, published in 1900 by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, included Bajo de Masinloc.
The Philippine Baselines Law of 2009 (RA No. 9522) classified both Kalayaan and Bajo de Masinloc under ''Regime of Islands,'' a lesser category in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Article No. 121).
From his detention cell, Senator Antonio F. Trillanes objected. Columnist Ellen Tordesillas quoted him as insisting that Scarborough Shoal was already part of the Philippine baseline and that classifying it under Regime of Islands meant the loss of 15,000 square nautical miles.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the Bill into Law on March 10, 2009, evidently loosening our grip and strengthening a competing foreign claimant's over our ancestors' lumbay, panacot and galit.
Comments are cordially invited, addressed to walalang@mb.com.ph.
In 1947, Tomas Cloma, Filipino fishing magnate, staked out islands 200-250 miles west of Palawan and called these Freedomland. Cloma's claim was eventually transferred to government and in 1978, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued PD No. 1599 declaring the area part of Philippine territory and constituting seven islets and a reef into Kalayaan, a Palawan municipality.
Some 150 miles west of Zambales is Scarborough Shoal (also called Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag), shallow waters with reefs and rocks where Filipinos have been since time immemorial. We have raised the flag, built a lighthouse, and studied its marine life and topography.
Old maps support territorial claims, including ours over Reed Bank, Kalayaan and Scarborough Shoal.
Ancient Chinese maps include islands they say are the Spratlys. Similarly, the Vietnamese have maps including one dated 1834 that they maintain includes the Spratlys.
The earliest maps of the Philippines were drawn by European explorers. These became more and more accurate as expeditions reached more places. Pigafetta (chronicler of Magellan's 1521 voyage) sketched just a few misshapen and misplaced islands. The 1563 Ramusio-Gastaldi map still did not show Luzon but had the name Filipena. Mercator's Southeast Asia map (1595) included a fairly accurate drawing of the archipelago and a collection of islands in the China Sea labeled Pracel.
Maps entirely of the Philippines began to be drawn in the 1600s. Focus was on the main islands but the Frenchman Sanson de Abbeville included groups of islands west of Palawan in his 1652 Les Isles Philippines.
The earliest most accurate Philippine map was that of Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde, SJ, Carta hydrographica y chorographica de las Islas Filipinas published 1734. It included three groups of islands in the China Sea off Palawan (called Paragua), collectively called Los Bajos de Paragua where Reed Bank and the Kalayaan are. Island groups west of the Zambales and Pangasinan coast were also identified-Lumbay, Panacot and Galit (Tagalog for sorrow, threat and anger, respectively, doubtless so baptized by weary seafarers). The Manila Galleon's Cape Bojeador route went past all three and indeed, west of Galit.
Mapa General. Islas Filipinas, Observatorio de Manila, published in 1900 by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, included Bajo de Masinloc.
The Philippine Baselines Law of 2009 (RA No. 9522) classified both Kalayaan and Bajo de Masinloc under ''Regime of Islands,'' a lesser category in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Article No. 121).
From his detention cell, Senator Antonio F. Trillanes objected. Columnist Ellen Tordesillas quoted him as insisting that Scarborough Shoal was already part of the Philippine baseline and that classifying it under Regime of Islands meant the loss of 15,000 square nautical miles.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the Bill into Law on March 10, 2009, evidently loosening our grip and strengthening a competing foreign claimant's over our ancestors' lumbay, panacot and galit.
Comments are cordially invited, addressed to walalang@mb.com.ph.
News Update Provincial leaders vow to protect Visayan Sea resources
MACTAN, Cebu, Philippines - Governors of provinces surrounding the Visayan Marine Triangle met in Cebu Tuesday for the historic Visayan Sea Summit to discuss various ways in protecting the rich coastal and marine resources in the region.
Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, Arthur Defensor of Iloilo, Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Rizalina Seachon-Leanete of Masbate, along with mayors, other local officials and authorities in charge of guarding the marine resources in the region tackled such subjects and other related matters in said summit held at the Shangri-la Hotel in Mactan.
''We are willing to set aside territorial boundaries that define our islands as we recognize the fact that the Visayan sea separating us could eventually unite us in our collective efforts to protect our rich coastal and marine resources,'' Garcia said in her opening message, even as she stressed that the Summit should be seen as a call to provincial governments in the Visayas to muster all-out support in the campaign against illegal fishing.
Garcia said the effective protection of the Visayan Sea also depends on the cooperation of all local chief executives of the various cities and municipalities situated along the coast in the area.
Former Cebu board member Jose Maria Gastardo, who is the current project officer of the Provincial Anti-illegal Fishing Task Force clarified that the Summit was only limited to the four provinces surrounding the Visayan Seas.
Leanete called on leaders of the Visayan provinces to help Masbate succeed in its fight against illegal fishing and to clear Masbate's waters of pollutants. She acknowledged that some of the illegal fishers in the Visayan Marine Triangle come from Masbate, and vowed to do all she could to eradicate them through the help of other leaders in the Visayas. Masbate is actually a part of Bicol, on the western side of Luzon although a section of its land mass is part of the Visayan Marine Triangle.
For his part, Defensor said Iloilo province is slowly succeeding in quashing illegal fishing and efforts to protect the Visayan Sea and the province is fast realizing its dream of effectively protecting its seas.
''We come here to Cebu not only to dream but to commit, to plan, and to execute because we have realized that before we lose the marine resources of the Visayan Sea, before it gets too late, we must act,'' said Defensor.
Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, Arthur Defensor of Iloilo, Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Rizalina Seachon-Leanete of Masbate, along with mayors, other local officials and authorities in charge of guarding the marine resources in the region tackled such subjects and other related matters in said summit held at the Shangri-la Hotel in Mactan.
''We are willing to set aside territorial boundaries that define our islands as we recognize the fact that the Visayan sea separating us could eventually unite us in our collective efforts to protect our rich coastal and marine resources,'' Garcia said in her opening message, even as she stressed that the Summit should be seen as a call to provincial governments in the Visayas to muster all-out support in the campaign against illegal fishing.
Garcia said the effective protection of the Visayan Sea also depends on the cooperation of all local chief executives of the various cities and municipalities situated along the coast in the area.
Former Cebu board member Jose Maria Gastardo, who is the current project officer of the Provincial Anti-illegal Fishing Task Force clarified that the Summit was only limited to the four provinces surrounding the Visayan Seas.
Leanete called on leaders of the Visayan provinces to help Masbate succeed in its fight against illegal fishing and to clear Masbate's waters of pollutants. She acknowledged that some of the illegal fishers in the Visayan Marine Triangle come from Masbate, and vowed to do all she could to eradicate them through the help of other leaders in the Visayas. Masbate is actually a part of Bicol, on the western side of Luzon although a section of its land mass is part of the Visayan Marine Triangle.
For his part, Defensor said Iloilo province is slowly succeeding in quashing illegal fishing and efforts to protect the Visayan Sea and the province is fast realizing its dream of effectively protecting its seas.
''We come here to Cebu not only to dream but to commit, to plan, and to execute because we have realized that before we lose the marine resources of the Visayan Sea, before it gets too late, we must act,'' said Defensor.
News Update Weekend power outage in Metro Manila, nearby areas not technical snag – NGCP
MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Tuesday said that the power outage that hit some parts of Metro Manila and Luzon over the weekend was not due to a technical problem on its part.
Moreover, the NGCP, which operates the country's national transmission network, said that the ''isolated grid disturbance'' should not be taken as a portent of any major power outage or running brownouts this summer, assuring that it is on top of the situation in swiftly addressing isolated cases of disturbances to the country's transmission network.
According to NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez Alabanza, the tripping of the 500-kilovolt San Jose-San Manuel transmission line last Saturday was caused by a grassfire that started between Towers 196 and 197 of the line in Barangay Sumacab in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
The grassfire that led to the tripping of the transmission line necessitated the shutdown of three of NGCP's four transformer units at the San Jose Substation in Bulacan, which then resulted to brownouts in some parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
''The cause is clearly not a transmission problem or technical constraint on the part of the NGCP but a physical fault which is beyond our control,'' Alabanza said.
''This is an isolated incident that could have been avoided if we can all work together in helping safeguard our transmission lines,'' she added.
Alabanza likened the incident with the transmission lines last Saturday ''to a highway which encountered a roadblock because of an unfortunate traffic accident.''
''The accident happened because of human error even though the highway was smooth and had no potholes to speak of. Just like the highway, our transmission grid has no technical constraints to speak of and remains fully capable of delivering power to its customers,'' Alabanza explained.
Accidents like grassfires, the spokesperson emphasized, are beyond the NGCP's control.
''NGCP President and CEO Henry Sy Jr. is appealing to communities hosting transmission facilities across the country to be more vigilant in guarding and protecting high-voltage transmission lines against grassfires, especially during the summer season,'' she said.
Despite all this, Alabanza assured power consumers that the NGCP is ''on top of the situation and fully prepared for any contingencies.''
Moreover, the NGCP, which operates the country's national transmission network, said that the ''isolated grid disturbance'' should not be taken as a portent of any major power outage or running brownouts this summer, assuring that it is on top of the situation in swiftly addressing isolated cases of disturbances to the country's transmission network.
According to NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez Alabanza, the tripping of the 500-kilovolt San Jose-San Manuel transmission line last Saturday was caused by a grassfire that started between Towers 196 and 197 of the line in Barangay Sumacab in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
The grassfire that led to the tripping of the transmission line necessitated the shutdown of three of NGCP's four transformer units at the San Jose Substation in Bulacan, which then resulted to brownouts in some parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
''The cause is clearly not a transmission problem or technical constraint on the part of the NGCP but a physical fault which is beyond our control,'' Alabanza said.
''This is an isolated incident that could have been avoided if we can all work together in helping safeguard our transmission lines,'' she added.
Alabanza likened the incident with the transmission lines last Saturday ''to a highway which encountered a roadblock because of an unfortunate traffic accident.''
''The accident happened because of human error even though the highway was smooth and had no potholes to speak of. Just like the highway, our transmission grid has no technical constraints to speak of and remains fully capable of delivering power to its customers,'' Alabanza explained.
Accidents like grassfires, the spokesperson emphasized, are beyond the NGCP's control.
''NGCP President and CEO Henry Sy Jr. is appealing to communities hosting transmission facilities across the country to be more vigilant in guarding and protecting high-voltage transmission lines against grassfires, especially during the summer season,'' she said.
Despite all this, Alabanza assured power consumers that the NGCP is ''on top of the situation and fully prepared for any contingencies.''
News Update Two of top Philippine telecom players merge
MANILA, March 29, 2011 (AFP) - Philippine Long Distance Telephone and a key rival announced a 69.2 billion-peso ($1.59 billion) merger on Tuesday amid intense competition and falling profits.
PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said his company would acquire a 51.5 percent stake in Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc., also known as Digitel, in a share swap with principal shareholder JG Summit Holdings.
The deal leaves JG Summit with about 13.7 percent of the bulked-up PLDT. After the deal is closed PLDT will be required to make a tender offer for all remaining shares held by Digitel shareholders.
"For PLDT, this transaction fortifies its position as the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines," Pangilinan said in a joint statement.
James Go, chief executive of JG Summit, the holding firm controlled by Filipino-Chinese industrialist John Gokongwei, said the deal allows the conglomerate to remain in telecommunications.
PLDT, Digitel and Globe Telecom, a joint venture between the Philippines' Ayala Group and Singapore Telecom, dominate the Philippines' fiercely competitive telecommunications sector.
PLDT earlier reported nearly flat calendar 2010 net profits while warning of of slight profit declines in 2011 and 2012 due to intense competition. Digitel and Globe Telecom have yet to report their 2010 net profits.
Digitel and JG Summit asked the Philippine Stock Exchange to suspend trading in their shares Tuesday, while PLDT shares closed unchanged at 2,036 pesos.
PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said his company would acquire a 51.5 percent stake in Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc., also known as Digitel, in a share swap with principal shareholder JG Summit Holdings.
The deal leaves JG Summit with about 13.7 percent of the bulked-up PLDT. After the deal is closed PLDT will be required to make a tender offer for all remaining shares held by Digitel shareholders.
"For PLDT, this transaction fortifies its position as the leading telecommunications company in the Philippines," Pangilinan said in a joint statement.
James Go, chief executive of JG Summit, the holding firm controlled by Filipino-Chinese industrialist John Gokongwei, said the deal allows the conglomerate to remain in telecommunications.
PLDT, Digitel and Globe Telecom, a joint venture between the Philippines' Ayala Group and Singapore Telecom, dominate the Philippines' fiercely competitive telecommunications sector.
PLDT earlier reported nearly flat calendar 2010 net profits while warning of of slight profit declines in 2011 and 2012 due to intense competition. Digitel and Globe Telecom have yet to report their 2010 net profits.
Digitel and JG Summit asked the Philippine Stock Exchange to suspend trading in their shares Tuesday, while PLDT shares closed unchanged at 2,036 pesos.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ? Rat-eating Plant Found In The Philippines
Animals that eat plants are a common sight, but plants eating animals? Well, there is the Venus fly trap. Then there are all those plants in fantasy and science fiction movies. In real life, though, it is rare that we hear about flesh-eating plants.British botanists Alastair Robinson and Stewart McPherson headed over to the Philippine island of Palawan in 2007 to check out a pitcher plant they heard about from some missionaries. They discovered the plant in Mount Victoria, and published the report earlier this year in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society.
The plant has been named Nepenthes attenboroughii, in honor of Sir David, the wildlife broadcaster. To this, Sir David replied:
“I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, ‘Thank you very much’. I’m absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species the largest of its kind. I’m told it can catch rats then eat them with its digestive enzymes. It’s certainly capable of that.”Indeed, the pitcher plant is unique in so many ways. More than catching flies and other small insects, it can devour rats! The botanists describe the plant as “immediately distinguishable from other Nepenthes by its great dimensions and trumpet-shaped lower and upper pitchers.” It is also unique in that it is the only member of its genus that “lives” at such a high elevation.
Can you imagine just how much more there is left to discover in the wild?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
News Update Philippine BPO sector eyes new markets
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Not wanting to rely on the United States for all of its business, the Philippines'business process outsourcing sector is stepping up its push to enter new markets, including untapped clients in the US and potential customers in the United Kingdom and Asia-Pacific.
According to Gillian Joyce Virata, executive director for information and research of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the Asia-Pacific region, in particular, is an area of very huge potential.
"Because of the growth in the Asia-Pacific region, there's now a big demand (for BPO services). We're trying to capitalize on our language capabilities. The biggest demand is for Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, Bahasa and Korean," she said.
She said that because of the country's big population of Filipino-Chinese and native Chinese, it was not very difficult to find Mandarin speakers. Also, the influx of Koreans studying English in the country could also be used to the industry's advantage by tapping them for jobs with Korean language requirements.
For clients requiring Japanese speakers, he said Japanese companies and organizations were conducting their own language training, but mainly to support Filipinos that were already working in Japan.
Maulik Parekh, president of PLDT BPO firm SPi Technologies, said it was about time to spread the Philippines' wings to other locations.
"For the last 10 years, more than 80 percent of BPO revenues have come from the US. Now we have to look at where else to get the revenue," he said. "For India, it has experienced higher growth rates in the Asia-Pacific, particularly Malaysia and Singapore. Australia, New Zealand and the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries are growing at a faster rate as well."
Apart from new geographies, Virata said BPO players were also increasingly turning to non-voice services, which earned far higher yields than voice.
According to Gillian Joyce Virata, executive director for information and research of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the Asia-Pacific region, in particular, is an area of very huge potential.
"Because of the growth in the Asia-Pacific region, there's now a big demand (for BPO services). We're trying to capitalize on our language capabilities. The biggest demand is for Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, Bahasa and Korean," she said.
She said that because of the country's big population of Filipino-Chinese and native Chinese, it was not very difficult to find Mandarin speakers. Also, the influx of Koreans studying English in the country could also be used to the industry's advantage by tapping them for jobs with Korean language requirements.
For clients requiring Japanese speakers, he said Japanese companies and organizations were conducting their own language training, but mainly to support Filipinos that were already working in Japan.
Maulik Parekh, president of PLDT BPO firm SPi Technologies, said it was about time to spread the Philippines' wings to other locations.
"For the last 10 years, more than 80 percent of BPO revenues have come from the US. Now we have to look at where else to get the revenue," he said. "For India, it has experienced higher growth rates in the Asia-Pacific, particularly Malaysia and Singapore. Australia, New Zealand and the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries are growing at a faster rate as well."
Apart from new geographies, Virata said BPO players were also increasingly turning to non-voice services, which earned far higher yields than voice.
Kopi Talk Where to dump nuclear waste
MANILA, Philippines - Let's all grant that the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) cannot be shaken by the strongest earthquake, offshore or right in Central Luzon, that it has fail-safe mechanism and system. Proponents of the BNPP's advantages also said that a tsunami cannot touch the plant's elevation at 18 m or 59 ft. The tsunami that killed thousands in Indonesia, Thailand, etc. was probably less than 18 m high.
Great problems and questions
But let's cite a few accidents that can be called serious and scary:
1. March 28, 1979 - Worst commercial nuclear accident in the US occurred as equipment failures and human mistakes led to a loss of coolant and a partial core meltdown at the Three Mile Island reactor in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
100,000 gallons of radioactive coolants
2. February 11, 1981 - Eight workers were contaminated when 100,000 gallons of radioactive coolant fluid leaked into the containment building of Tennessee Valley Authority's Sequoyah 1 plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
3. April 25, 1981 - Some 100 workers were exposed to radiation during repair of a nuclear plant at Tsuruga, Japan.
4. January 6, 1986 - Cyclinder of nuclear material burst after being improperly heated at a Kerr-McGee plant in Gore, Oklahoma. One worker died; 100 were hospitalized.
Worst accident in history
5. April 26, 1986 - In the worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power, fires/explosions resulting from an unauthorized experiment at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Kiev, USSR (now in Ukraine), left at least 31 dead in the immediate aftermath and spread radioactive material over much of Europe. An estimated 135,000 people were evacuated from the region, some of which was uninhabitable for years. As a result of the radiation released, tens of thousands of excess cancer deaths (as well as increased death defects) were expected.
Tennis star as baby
One family that left the region for good were the parents of tennis star Maria Sharapova who recalled the scary experience to sports writers last week.
6. September 30, 1999 - Japan's worst nuclear accident ever occurred at a uranium-reprocessing utility in Tokaimura, northeast of Tokyo.
Plutonium/cancer
Similar accidents occurred at a plutonium production reactor in Liverpool, England, on October 7, 1957, released radioactive materials, later blamed for 39 cancer deaths.
On January 3, 1961, a reactor explosion at a federal installation near Idaho Falls, killed three workers, but radiation was contained.
Near Detroit, Michigan, October 5, 1966, a cooling system malfunction caused a partial core meltdown at the Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor; radiation contained.
Experiment in danger
On January 21, 1969, Coolant malfunction from an experimental underground reactor at Lucens Vad, Switzerland, released radiation into a cavern, which was then sealed.
On March 22, 1975. Fire at the Brown's Ferry reactor in Decatur, Alabama, caused dangerous lowering of cooling water levels.
Need for complete discussion
BNPP supporters in Congress were directing our attention to strong earthquake and high tsunami, two natural disasters the plant can easily (or reportedly) overcome with a shrug of their shoulders.
The accidents cited above are real and must be addressed by proponents if BNPP is revived to meet some usefulness.
Of greater danger: Nuclear waste
Of equal or greater danger is where to ''throw or hide'' or safely keep nuclear waste - not near the sea facing the western seaboard of the Philippines nor anywhere in Central Luzon and up north after Baguio and near the Ilocos region. Their probable answer: Over our dead body.
The problem with nuclear waste is that it is radioactive and can remain that way for years - in some cases, thousands of years. Early methods of disposal included dumping the waste at sea and suspending them in a liquid or in cement and injecting the radioactive combination into wells. Among the signatories of a 1976 international convention banning ocean dumping is the US. Deep-well injection was stopped in 1984.
Consortiums
Current plans in the US call for consortiums of states to develop sites for storage of wastes. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to search for suitable sites for storage of high-level wastes from nuclear power plants and for very long-lived radioactive materials.
Fierce opposition
The difficulty of resolving nuclear waste disposal issues is illustrated by the saga of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, which was approved by Congress in 2002 as the nation's first long-term geologic repository for spent nuclear waste and high-level radioactive waste. Yucca Mountain could begin accepting waste in 2025, with closure and decommissioning to begin in 2125 (100 years after).
In the meantime, the site (about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas) has been the subject of fierce opposition not only in Nevada, but also in states along proposed transportation routes of wastes.
Nuclear wastes in Luzon?
Would any province in Luzon consent to be the site of nuclear waste? Over our dead body seems to be the answer. Dumping the wastes at sea is both prohibited by the international convention and habagat southwest monsoon that blows toward the northeast between June and October. (Comments are welcome at roming@pefianco.com).
Great problems and questions
But let's cite a few accidents that can be called serious and scary:
1. March 28, 1979 - Worst commercial nuclear accident in the US occurred as equipment failures and human mistakes led to a loss of coolant and a partial core meltdown at the Three Mile Island reactor in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
100,000 gallons of radioactive coolants
2. February 11, 1981 - Eight workers were contaminated when 100,000 gallons of radioactive coolant fluid leaked into the containment building of Tennessee Valley Authority's Sequoyah 1 plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
3. April 25, 1981 - Some 100 workers were exposed to radiation during repair of a nuclear plant at Tsuruga, Japan.
4. January 6, 1986 - Cyclinder of nuclear material burst after being improperly heated at a Kerr-McGee plant in Gore, Oklahoma. One worker died; 100 were hospitalized.
Worst accident in history
5. April 26, 1986 - In the worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power, fires/explosions resulting from an unauthorized experiment at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Kiev, USSR (now in Ukraine), left at least 31 dead in the immediate aftermath and spread radioactive material over much of Europe. An estimated 135,000 people were evacuated from the region, some of which was uninhabitable for years. As a result of the radiation released, tens of thousands of excess cancer deaths (as well as increased death defects) were expected.
Tennis star as baby
One family that left the region for good were the parents of tennis star Maria Sharapova who recalled the scary experience to sports writers last week.
6. September 30, 1999 - Japan's worst nuclear accident ever occurred at a uranium-reprocessing utility in Tokaimura, northeast of Tokyo.
Plutonium/cancer
Similar accidents occurred at a plutonium production reactor in Liverpool, England, on October 7, 1957, released radioactive materials, later blamed for 39 cancer deaths.
On January 3, 1961, a reactor explosion at a federal installation near Idaho Falls, killed three workers, but radiation was contained.
Near Detroit, Michigan, October 5, 1966, a cooling system malfunction caused a partial core meltdown at the Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor; radiation contained.
Experiment in danger
On January 21, 1969, Coolant malfunction from an experimental underground reactor at Lucens Vad, Switzerland, released radiation into a cavern, which was then sealed.
On March 22, 1975. Fire at the Brown's Ferry reactor in Decatur, Alabama, caused dangerous lowering of cooling water levels.
Need for complete discussion
BNPP supporters in Congress were directing our attention to strong earthquake and high tsunami, two natural disasters the plant can easily (or reportedly) overcome with a shrug of their shoulders.
The accidents cited above are real and must be addressed by proponents if BNPP is revived to meet some usefulness.
Of greater danger: Nuclear waste
Of equal or greater danger is where to ''throw or hide'' or safely keep nuclear waste - not near the sea facing the western seaboard of the Philippines nor anywhere in Central Luzon and up north after Baguio and near the Ilocos region. Their probable answer: Over our dead body.
The problem with nuclear waste is that it is radioactive and can remain that way for years - in some cases, thousands of years. Early methods of disposal included dumping the waste at sea and suspending them in a liquid or in cement and injecting the radioactive combination into wells. Among the signatories of a 1976 international convention banning ocean dumping is the US. Deep-well injection was stopped in 1984.
Consortiums
Current plans in the US call for consortiums of states to develop sites for storage of wastes. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to search for suitable sites for storage of high-level wastes from nuclear power plants and for very long-lived radioactive materials.
Fierce opposition
The difficulty of resolving nuclear waste disposal issues is illustrated by the saga of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, which was approved by Congress in 2002 as the nation's first long-term geologic repository for spent nuclear waste and high-level radioactive waste. Yucca Mountain could begin accepting waste in 2025, with closure and decommissioning to begin in 2125 (100 years after).
In the meantime, the site (about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas) has been the subject of fierce opposition not only in Nevada, but also in states along proposed transportation routes of wastes.
Nuclear wastes in Luzon?
Would any province in Luzon consent to be the site of nuclear waste? Over our dead body seems to be the answer. Dumping the wastes at sea is both prohibited by the international convention and habagat southwest monsoon that blows toward the northeast between June and October. (Comments are welcome at roming@pefianco.com).
News Update Doomed Filipinos meet families for the last time
MANILA, Philippines - Three Filipinos scheduled to be executed Wednesday, March 30, 2011, after they were sentenced to death for drug trafficking will have the chance to meet their respective families for the last time on the day of their execution.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the families of Sally Ordinario Villanueva and Ramon Credo arrived in Beijing Sunday while the relatives of Elizabeth Batain are expected to be there Tuesday.
Reports said Villanueva's relatives carried with them a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao, which they hope to personally deliver, appealing for clemency in behalf of the three Filipinos.
DFA Spokesman Ed Malaya said that based on the advice they received, the sentence will be carried out early Wednesday.
''If China will announce a lastminute change of heart, it will likely do so through our embassy in Beijing. That is the speediest way,'' Malaya said in a radio interview.
Credo and Villanueva will be executed in Xiamen. On the other hand, Batain's execution will be carried out in Shenzhen.
The Supreme People's Court of China affirmed the death sentences of the three Filipinos last February 11 for drug trafficking. The executions were originally scheduled last Feb. 20 and 21, but it was put on hold following Vice President Jejomar Binay's humanitarian mission to Beijing.
Chinese Embassy Spokesman Ethan Sun told the Manila Bulletin earlier that discussions are already undergoing for the remains of Credo, Villanueva, and Batain to be brought home after the death sentences have been carried out.
''The release of the remains of (the executed) foreign nationals is usually doable,'' Sun said. ''I think that the detailed arrangements would be consulted among the Philippine diplomatic missions and the related Chinese authorities.''
Based on the Criminal Procedure Law of China Article 212, the judicial officer directing the execution shall verify the identity of the criminal, ask him if he has any last words or letters, and then deliver him to the executioner for the execution of the death sentence.
Execution of the death sentences shall be announced but shall not be held in public. After a death sentence is executed, the People's Court that caused the death sentence to be executed shall notify the family members of the criminal.
After the carrying out of the sentence, the next of kin have two options for the disposition of the remains of the individual - the cremation of the remains, and its return or repatriation to the habitual place of residence, particularly if a foreign national.
If the criminal is a foreign national, the shipment may take weeks after the carrying out of the sentence.
In some areas of China, there is no specific execution ground.
A scout team chooses a place in advance to serve as the execution ground.
In such case, the execution ground normally will have three perimeters: the innermost 50 meters is the responsibility of the execution team; the 200 meter radius from the center is the responsibility of the People's Armed Police; and the 2-kilometer alert line is the responsibility of the local police.
The public is generally not allowed to view the execution.
Meanwhile, a high ranking DFA official downplayed the claims made by Jason, the brother of Villanueva, that he was advised by another DFA official for him to penetrate the drug syndicate ring in the hopes of proving the innocence of his sister.
''No one in his right mind, much less an official of the DFA, would give such an advice,'' the DFA source told Manila Bulletin.
Slim chance
Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay reckoned that the affidavit executed by Sally naming her recruiter as the source of the drugs she carried to China shows that she was merely used by a drug syndicate and therefore does not deserve the death penalty.
''We hope and pray that her affidavit would be considered. We do not condone drug trafficking, but in Sally's case, her recruiter clearly took advantage of her trusting nature,'' Binay said Monday.
The Vice President noted that under Chinese law, the severest form of penalty is given to leaders of drug syndicates, and allows leniency for those in lower positions.
''This is the basis for our appeal to China. These drug syndicates took advantage of the economic difficulties of our kababayan (countrymen),'' added Binay, who is the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) concerns.
In an affidavit from Xiamen, Villanueva, 32, said one Mapet Cortez alias ''Tita Cacayan,'' whom she originally met in Macau, befriended her and offered her a job of carrying mobile phones from China to be sold in the Philippines. Jobless at that time and trusting her friend, Villanueva accepted the offer and processed her documents with a travel agency.
On December 22, 2008, Cortez called Villanueva telling the latter that her flight to China was ready. Villanueva was to fly to Xiamen from Manila via China Southern Airlines flight CZ378 after two days.
Cortez provided Villanueva with a seemingly empty silver-grey suitcase that the latter used for her travel. Cortez gave her $500 pocket money and the name and phone number of the person she needed to contact in China. Cortez also told her that she would earn P25,000 monthly if she would be able to get in touch with the said contact person.
Upon arrival in Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Villanueva was arrested by Chinese Customs agents after they discovered two bags of white powder weighing 4,110 stuffed inside the silver-grey suitcase from Cortez.
Prayer vigil
The Catholic Church will hold a prayer vigil Tuesday for the three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) set for execution in China.
The prayer vigil, which will start with a mass at 6 p.m. at the Nuestra Senora de Guia Parish Shrine in Ermita, Manila, will be spearheaded by Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Archdiocese of Manila's Ministry for Migrants.
After the mass, there will be a recitation of the rosary until 8 p.m.
Over the weekend, Jesus is Lord (JIL) leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva also called on all Christian churches to pray for the granting of clemency to the three Filipinos. (With reports from Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Ellson A. Quismorio)
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the families of Sally Ordinario Villanueva and Ramon Credo arrived in Beijing Sunday while the relatives of Elizabeth Batain are expected to be there Tuesday.
Reports said Villanueva's relatives carried with them a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao, which they hope to personally deliver, appealing for clemency in behalf of the three Filipinos.
DFA Spokesman Ed Malaya said that based on the advice they received, the sentence will be carried out early Wednesday.
''If China will announce a lastminute change of heart, it will likely do so through our embassy in Beijing. That is the speediest way,'' Malaya said in a radio interview.
Credo and Villanueva will be executed in Xiamen. On the other hand, Batain's execution will be carried out in Shenzhen.
The Supreme People's Court of China affirmed the death sentences of the three Filipinos last February 11 for drug trafficking. The executions were originally scheduled last Feb. 20 and 21, but it was put on hold following Vice President Jejomar Binay's humanitarian mission to Beijing.
Chinese Embassy Spokesman Ethan Sun told the Manila Bulletin earlier that discussions are already undergoing for the remains of Credo, Villanueva, and Batain to be brought home after the death sentences have been carried out.
''The release of the remains of (the executed) foreign nationals is usually doable,'' Sun said. ''I think that the detailed arrangements would be consulted among the Philippine diplomatic missions and the related Chinese authorities.''
Based on the Criminal Procedure Law of China Article 212, the judicial officer directing the execution shall verify the identity of the criminal, ask him if he has any last words or letters, and then deliver him to the executioner for the execution of the death sentence.
Execution of the death sentences shall be announced but shall not be held in public. After a death sentence is executed, the People's Court that caused the death sentence to be executed shall notify the family members of the criminal.
After the carrying out of the sentence, the next of kin have two options for the disposition of the remains of the individual - the cremation of the remains, and its return or repatriation to the habitual place of residence, particularly if a foreign national.
If the criminal is a foreign national, the shipment may take weeks after the carrying out of the sentence.
In some areas of China, there is no specific execution ground.
A scout team chooses a place in advance to serve as the execution ground.
In such case, the execution ground normally will have three perimeters: the innermost 50 meters is the responsibility of the execution team; the 200 meter radius from the center is the responsibility of the People's Armed Police; and the 2-kilometer alert line is the responsibility of the local police.
The public is generally not allowed to view the execution.
Meanwhile, a high ranking DFA official downplayed the claims made by Jason, the brother of Villanueva, that he was advised by another DFA official for him to penetrate the drug syndicate ring in the hopes of proving the innocence of his sister.
''No one in his right mind, much less an official of the DFA, would give such an advice,'' the DFA source told Manila Bulletin.
Slim chance
Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay reckoned that the affidavit executed by Sally naming her recruiter as the source of the drugs she carried to China shows that she was merely used by a drug syndicate and therefore does not deserve the death penalty.
''We hope and pray that her affidavit would be considered. We do not condone drug trafficking, but in Sally's case, her recruiter clearly took advantage of her trusting nature,'' Binay said Monday.
The Vice President noted that under Chinese law, the severest form of penalty is given to leaders of drug syndicates, and allows leniency for those in lower positions.
''This is the basis for our appeal to China. These drug syndicates took advantage of the economic difficulties of our kababayan (countrymen),'' added Binay, who is the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) concerns.
In an affidavit from Xiamen, Villanueva, 32, said one Mapet Cortez alias ''Tita Cacayan,'' whom she originally met in Macau, befriended her and offered her a job of carrying mobile phones from China to be sold in the Philippines. Jobless at that time and trusting her friend, Villanueva accepted the offer and processed her documents with a travel agency.
On December 22, 2008, Cortez called Villanueva telling the latter that her flight to China was ready. Villanueva was to fly to Xiamen from Manila via China Southern Airlines flight CZ378 after two days.
Cortez provided Villanueva with a seemingly empty silver-grey suitcase that the latter used for her travel. Cortez gave her $500 pocket money and the name and phone number of the person she needed to contact in China. Cortez also told her that she would earn P25,000 monthly if she would be able to get in touch with the said contact person.
Upon arrival in Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Villanueva was arrested by Chinese Customs agents after they discovered two bags of white powder weighing 4,110 stuffed inside the silver-grey suitcase from Cortez.
Prayer vigil
The Catholic Church will hold a prayer vigil Tuesday for the three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) set for execution in China.
The prayer vigil, which will start with a mass at 6 p.m. at the Nuestra Senora de Guia Parish Shrine in Ermita, Manila, will be spearheaded by Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Archdiocese of Manila's Ministry for Migrants.
After the mass, there will be a recitation of the rosary until 8 p.m.
Over the weekend, Jesus is Lord (JIL) leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva also called on all Christian churches to pray for the granting of clemency to the three Filipinos. (With reports from Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Ellson A. Quismorio)
News Update Maid carrying NSman’s backpack sparks debate
29/03/2011
Are our Singapore boys too soft?
Facebook
The photos, which were taken off Facebook, show a young man dressed in army fatigues messaging on his mobile phone, while his maid walked behind him carrying his field pack.
The maid appeared to be carrying the newer version of the field pack, which is larger and has more compartments compared to previous versions.
The poster also said that the photo was taken near Tanah Merah MRT.
The photos were also shared on online forums such as hardwarezone.com.sg, sparking debate on whether today's youth are too pampered.
Most were critical of the soldier, calling him 'spoilt' and 'overly pampered'. Some even felt that he was tarnishing the image of Singapore and its Armed Forces.'
A netizen said that it was important for the soldier to carry his own backpack, as the aim of an army stint is toughen up an individual by turning him from a boy to a man.
However there were also some who felt that the soldier should have been given the benefit of the doubt, saying that he might have had an injury and needed help with the backpack.
Another commenter also said that as the photographer had posted the photo without context publicly, he had caused an overly strong and undue public backlash.
An SAF spokesperson said that the SAF "takes a serious view of the conduct of its servicemen in public" and will investigate this matter, taking appropriate action if needed.
Monday, March 28, 2011
News Update Taiwan swiftly hires 1,000 Filipinos
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - After mending its fractured ties with the Philippines, Taiwan has quickly allowed in more than 1,000 Filipinos to work at electronic and other manufacturing firms that have seen demand double in the last two weeks, according to a Filipino recruitment consultant.
Taiwan's economic cooperation office has also speeded up processing of the 6,000 pending work visas of Filipinos that were shelved after a misunderstanding erupted between the two governments, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said.
"After waiting for more than a month to take up their jobs, over 1,000 new workers have flown to the island nation since March 18 after new restrictions were lifted by (Taiwan authorities)," he said.
Taiwan imposed restrictions on work visas for Filipinos after the Philippines deported 14 suspected Taiwanese criminals to China, instead of their island nation, in February.
Taiwan also demanded the Philippines apologize for the deportation but Manila refused.
Taiwan agreed to lift the restrictions following a second reconciliatory visit two weeks ago by former Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, the personal emissary and chief troubleshooter of President Benigno Aquino III.
Taiwanese factories are in urgent need of workers to meet the sudden spike in demand for electronic parts for laptops, mobile phones and other gadgets, said Jackson Gan, president of Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan (Pilmat).
The huge demand was triggered by the destruction following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan on March 11.
Major Japanese chip-producing factories were forced to shut down some plants following the twin disasters that also caused damage to nuclear power plants in Fukushima.
Taiwan's economic cooperation office has also speeded up processing of the 6,000 pending work visas of Filipinos that were shelved after a misunderstanding erupted between the two governments, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said.
"After waiting for more than a month to take up their jobs, over 1,000 new workers have flown to the island nation since March 18 after new restrictions were lifted by (Taiwan authorities)," he said.
Taiwan imposed restrictions on work visas for Filipinos after the Philippines deported 14 suspected Taiwanese criminals to China, instead of their island nation, in February.
Taiwan also demanded the Philippines apologize for the deportation but Manila refused.
Taiwan agreed to lift the restrictions following a second reconciliatory visit two weeks ago by former Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, the personal emissary and chief troubleshooter of President Benigno Aquino III.
Taiwanese factories are in urgent need of workers to meet the sudden spike in demand for electronic parts for laptops, mobile phones and other gadgets, said Jackson Gan, president of Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan (Pilmat).
The huge demand was triggered by the destruction following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan on March 11.
Major Japanese chip-producing factories were forced to shut down some plants following the twin disasters that also caused damage to nuclear power plants in Fukushima.
News Update AirAsia picks Clark Airport as hub in Philippines
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - AirAsia Inc., the Philippine affiliate of Malaysia's AirAsia Group, has chosen Clark in Pampanga as its hub in the country, the company said in a statement.
The airline, which was launched in December 2010, will be basing its operations at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport when it starts operating international flights from the airport in the fourth quarter.
Clark beat Subic International Airport at the former US naval base in Subic, Zambales, which was also bidding for the right to host the budget carrier's local operations.
Last year, AirAsia Berhad chairman Tony Fernandes said that "cost" would be the primary consideration in the airline's choice of its Philippine hub.
"Our choice of Clark underlines the airline's commitment to developing transportation and tourism hubs outside Manila," AirAsia Inc. chief executive Marianne B. Hontiveros said. "This is part of our plan to contribute to the development of the country as a whole."
"AirAsia Inc. is excited to start contributing to the economy of Clark and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to Filipinos," she added.
Clark is located north of Manila and is accessible to 23 million people from the National Capital Region and Central and Northern Luzon.
It is also where the airline's sister company, Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, has been flying to and from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu since 2005.
"We plan to make Clark the hub for flights to popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan," Hontiveros said. "Travel will become much easier and more affordable for tourists and overseas Filipino workers."
Hontiveros, Antonio O. Cojuangco Jr. and Michael L. Romero own 60 per cent of AirAsia Inc. in equal partnership. The remaining 40 per cent is owned by AirAsia Berhad.
Clark will become the 13th hub of the AirAsia Group in the region, which currently includes AirAsia, Inc., AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia. The group's 12 current hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang in Malaysia; Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan and Bali in Indonesia.
The airline, which was launched in December 2010, will be basing its operations at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport when it starts operating international flights from the airport in the fourth quarter.
Clark beat Subic International Airport at the former US naval base in Subic, Zambales, which was also bidding for the right to host the budget carrier's local operations.
Last year, AirAsia Berhad chairman Tony Fernandes said that "cost" would be the primary consideration in the airline's choice of its Philippine hub.
"Our choice of Clark underlines the airline's commitment to developing transportation and tourism hubs outside Manila," AirAsia Inc. chief executive Marianne B. Hontiveros said. "This is part of our plan to contribute to the development of the country as a whole."
"AirAsia Inc. is excited to start contributing to the economy of Clark and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to Filipinos," she added.
Clark is located north of Manila and is accessible to 23 million people from the National Capital Region and Central and Northern Luzon.
It is also where the airline's sister company, Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, has been flying to and from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu since 2005.
"We plan to make Clark the hub for flights to popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan," Hontiveros said. "Travel will become much easier and more affordable for tourists and overseas Filipino workers."
Hontiveros, Antonio O. Cojuangco Jr. and Michael L. Romero own 60 per cent of AirAsia Inc. in equal partnership. The remaining 40 per cent is owned by AirAsia Berhad.
Clark will become the 13th hub of the AirAsia Group in the region, which currently includes AirAsia, Inc., AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia. The group's 12 current hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang in Malaysia; Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan and Bali in Indonesia.
News Update DepEd acts to curb corruption in gov't projects
MANILA, Philippines - To minimize corruption and improve effectiveness in the delivery of government services by strengthening project monitoring and evaluation systems of government projects, particularly in school building program (SBP), the Department of Education (DepEd), together with other stakeholders, forged a partnership with the Government Watch (G-Watch) of the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG).
According to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, DepEd, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), and Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) will institutionalize Bayanihang Eskwela (BayEsk) being spearheaded by G-Watch of ASoG through a memorandum of agreement. BayEsk is a recognized community-based public-private monitoring of school building projects.
"As we address the essential learning resources in the education system, we should always uphold our integrity as an organization," said Luistro. "We should set good examples to the people and to other government agencies, specifically in terms of the utilization of public funds," he added.
Luistro stressed that department should observe transparency and accountability all the more because the DepEd has the biggest budget allocation from the national budget and it is the largest bureaucracy in Philippine government.
The DepEd chief issued DepEd Order No. 21, series 2011 to set the guidelines on the institutionalization of BayEsk as a community-based public-private monitoring of projects under the CY 2011 Regular School Building Program (RSBP) and in areas experiencing acute classroom shortage.
"BayEsk is a way for civil society organizations (CSOs) to help the government reduce corruption and raise the quality of governance in the country," Luistro noted.
The first and second rounds of BayEsk enabled the testing of tools that allowed certain communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to participate in the monitoring of school-building projects. "The third run aims to institutionalize the gains of BayEsk by providing a mechanism for civil society participation in the monitoring of the implementation of projects under the regular SBP and the areas experiencing acute classroom shortage," he added.
According to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, DepEd, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), and Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) will institutionalize Bayanihang Eskwela (BayEsk) being spearheaded by G-Watch of ASoG through a memorandum of agreement. BayEsk is a recognized community-based public-private monitoring of school building projects.
"As we address the essential learning resources in the education system, we should always uphold our integrity as an organization," said Luistro. "We should set good examples to the people and to other government agencies, specifically in terms of the utilization of public funds," he added.
Luistro stressed that department should observe transparency and accountability all the more because the DepEd has the biggest budget allocation from the national budget and it is the largest bureaucracy in Philippine government.
The DepEd chief issued DepEd Order No. 21, series 2011 to set the guidelines on the institutionalization of BayEsk as a community-based public-private monitoring of projects under the CY 2011 Regular School Building Program (RSBP) and in areas experiencing acute classroom shortage.
"BayEsk is a way for civil society organizations (CSOs) to help the government reduce corruption and raise the quality of governance in the country," Luistro noted.
The first and second rounds of BayEsk enabled the testing of tools that allowed certain communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to participate in the monitoring of school-building projects. "The third run aims to institutionalize the gains of BayEsk by providing a mechanism for civil society participation in the monitoring of the implementation of projects under the regular SBP and the areas experiencing acute classroom shortage," he added.
News Update Batangas Port delivers competitive services to Calabarzon producers
MANILA, Philippines -- Business locators in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, collectively known as Calabarzon, now have access to more competitive port services via the Batangas Container Terminal, a modern port facility operated by publicly-listed Asian Terminals Inc.
The breakthrough was made possible through the collaboration of port stakeholders - aligned with government's Private-Public-Partnership thrust - who are advancing the Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) as an alternative gateway for cargoes destined for South Luzon.
Among its most active advocates is the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) led by Director General Atty. Lilia de Lima who has vigorously promoted the Batangas Port citing its ability to provide more convenient, efficient and cost-effective shipping services for importers and exporters.
In a recent dialogue with economic zone locators, Atty. Lilia de Lima along with Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Atty. Juan Sta. Ana emphasized that all the elements required by shippers are now in place at the BCT. These include the various port and ancillary service fees which are competitive with the Port of Manila, the fully-automated Bureau of Customs transactions and other value-added incentives provided by the port authorities.
Since January, Regional Container Lines (RCL) has established a regular weekly call at the BCT for its RSQ service (Singapore-Manila SH-Batangas-Qingdao-Xinggang-Pusan-Singapore). As a common feeder, RCL is in a strategic position to link-up inbound and outbound shipment to transshipment destinations for services of main line operators. Given the port's potentials, more international shipping lines have expressed interest in calling the BCT.
The Batangas Port has recently become a more viable option because it can be reached easier by clients in the Calabarzon. Through the BCT, importers and exporters can increase truck turn-around time and increase
The breakthrough was made possible through the collaboration of port stakeholders - aligned with government's Private-Public-Partnership thrust - who are advancing the Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) as an alternative gateway for cargoes destined for South Luzon.
Among its most active advocates is the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) led by Director General Atty. Lilia de Lima who has vigorously promoted the Batangas Port citing its ability to provide more convenient, efficient and cost-effective shipping services for importers and exporters.
In a recent dialogue with economic zone locators, Atty. Lilia de Lima along with Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Atty. Juan Sta. Ana emphasized that all the elements required by shippers are now in place at the BCT. These include the various port and ancillary service fees which are competitive with the Port of Manila, the fully-automated Bureau of Customs transactions and other value-added incentives provided by the port authorities.
Since January, Regional Container Lines (RCL) has established a regular weekly call at the BCT for its RSQ service (Singapore-Manila SH-Batangas-Qingdao-Xinggang-Pusan-Singapore). As a common feeder, RCL is in a strategic position to link-up inbound and outbound shipment to transshipment destinations for services of main line operators. Given the port's potentials, more international shipping lines have expressed interest in calling the BCT.
The Batangas Port has recently become a more viable option because it can be reached easier by clients in the Calabarzon. Through the BCT, importers and exporters can increase truck turn-around time and increase
News Update Philippine senator says he fled from injustice
MANILA - A PHILIPPINE senator who fled double murder charges more than a year ago has faced the public for the first time since his return, saying he was forced to flee from injustice.
Sen Panfilo Lacson arrived in the Philippines on Saturday from Hong Kong after a court voided the arrest warrant against him.
He was charged with the killings of high-profile publicist Salvador 'Bubby' Dacer and his driver in 2000.
Lacson told a news conference Monday that he became a fugitive after the government of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his political enemy, allowed prosecutors to set aside rules of evidence to jail him for a crime he did not commit.
He said he spent 13 months moving around abroad but refused to say where. -- AP
Sen Panfilo Lacson arrived in the Philippines on Saturday from Hong Kong after a court voided the arrest warrant against him.
He was charged with the killings of high-profile publicist Salvador 'Bubby' Dacer and his driver in 2000.
Lacson told a news conference Monday that he became a fugitive after the government of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his political enemy, allowed prosecutors to set aside rules of evidence to jail him for a crime he did not commit.
He said he spent 13 months moving around abroad but refused to say where. -- AP
News Update Philippines steps up presence in South China Sea
MANILA - THE Philippines has increased air and naval patrols and plans to upgrade an airstrip on an island it occupies in the South China Sea to strengthen its claim on the disputed area, the military chief said on Monday.
General Eduardo Oban said the army had about 8 billion pesos (S$233 million) for a capability upgrade programme, 'so we can really safeguard our interest, particularly in the area'.
The funds will be used to buy faster boats, long-range maritime aircraft, surveillance and communications equipment and repair of facilities in the Spratly Islands, he said.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan each claim all or parts of the Spratlys, an area believed to be sitting on rich deposits of oil, natural gas and minerals. The disputed territory is also a rich fishing ground.
The Philippines stepped up patrols on its western maritime borders after an incident on March 2 in which Manila says two Chinese boats threatened to ram a survey ship conducting seismic tests. The Philippines insists the Reed Bank, where the incident happened, is in its territory. China reaffirmed its claim of sovereignty over all of the Spratlys and its adjacent waters.
Oban said the Philippines would repair barracks and the airfield on one of the nine islands its occupies, allowing Hercules C-130 planes to land for resupply missions. -- REUTERS
General Eduardo Oban said the army had about 8 billion pesos (S$233 million) for a capability upgrade programme, 'so we can really safeguard our interest, particularly in the area'.
The funds will be used to buy faster boats, long-range maritime aircraft, surveillance and communications equipment and repair of facilities in the Spratly Islands, he said.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan each claim all or parts of the Spratlys, an area believed to be sitting on rich deposits of oil, natural gas and minerals. The disputed territory is also a rich fishing ground.
The Philippines stepped up patrols on its western maritime borders after an incident on March 2 in which Manila says two Chinese boats threatened to ram a survey ship conducting seismic tests. The Philippines insists the Reed Bank, where the incident happened, is in its territory. China reaffirmed its claim of sovereignty over all of the Spratlys and its adjacent waters.
Oban said the Philippines would repair barracks and the airfield on one of the nine islands its occupies, allowing Hercules C-130 planes to land for resupply missions. -- REUTERS
Friday, March 25, 2011
News Update NFA Ifugao launches I-Rice
LAGAWE, Ifugao - In an effort to address the hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiency, a leading nutritional disorder in the world, the National Food Authority (NFA) here launched recently the I-Rice or Iron Fortified Rice for the benefit of improving the health condition of beneficiaries of the program which is geared towards addressing the current deficiencies in the country's rice.
NFA Assistant Regional Director Mario Gonzales said that I-Rice is a mixture of white milled rice and IMix or iron rice premix processed through fortification. (Dexter See)
NFA Assistant Regional Director Mario Gonzales said that I-Rice is a mixture of white milled rice and IMix or iron rice premix processed through fortification. (Dexter See)
News Update Pangasinan reviews taxes
LINGAYEN -The Sangguniang Panlalawigan will reconsider amendments of the provincial ordinance increasing real property taxes because of many complaints.
Earlier, SP member Ranjit R. Shahani said that he is receiving many complaints about the abrupt increase in real property tax from farmers and landowners.
"They claimed that the increase was from 300 to 500 percent," Shahani added. Meanwhile Shahani believed that the tax increase was reasonable because the last adjustment was made about nine years ago yet. (Liezle Basa Inigo )
Earlier, SP member Ranjit R. Shahani said that he is receiving many complaints about the abrupt increase in real property tax from farmers and landowners.
"They claimed that the increase was from 300 to 500 percent," Shahani added. Meanwhile Shahani believed that the tax increase was reasonable because the last adjustment was made about nine years ago yet. (Liezle Basa Inigo )
News Update Cavite provincial pharmacy opens
The Cavite government has formed committees that will oversee the operation of "Botika ng Lalawigan" (Provincial Pharmacy) that is set to reopen near the Capitol in Trece Martires City.
The "Botika" is expected to sell much-cheaper medicines for the sickly and elderly residents of the province with the creation of the Drug Consignment and Management Committee (DCMC) and its four sub-committees and the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). (Anthony Giron)
The "Botika" is expected to sell much-cheaper medicines for the sickly and elderly residents of the province with the creation of the Drug Consignment and Management Committee (DCMC) and its four sub-committees and the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). (Anthony Giron)
News Update Benefits from Balikatan
CAMP AQUNIO, Tarlac City - Some barangays in the provinces of Tarlac and Zambales will be benefiting from the humanitarian assistance projects spearheaded by both United States military and Armed Forces of the Philippine joint Balikatan 2011 projects.
Lieutenant Colonel Rosendo Armas, spokesperson of AFP Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) said that the Army, Air Force and Navy engineering units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and United States military are currently constructing two-classroom school buildings for three Zambales schools namely Babancal Elementary School in Candelaria, Pundakit Elementary School in San Antonio and Angel C. Manglicmot Elementary School also in San Antonio as well as for two Tarlac schools namely Lubigan Elementary School in San Jose and Pedro L. Quines Elementary School in Mayantoc. (Franco G. Regala)
Lieutenant Colonel Rosendo Armas, spokesperson of AFP Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) said that the Army, Air Force and Navy engineering units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and United States military are currently constructing two-classroom school buildings for three Zambales schools namely Babancal Elementary School in Candelaria, Pundakit Elementary School in San Antonio and Angel C. Manglicmot Elementary School also in San Antonio as well as for two Tarlac schools namely Lubigan Elementary School in San Jose and Pedro L. Quines Elementary School in Mayantoc. (Franco G. Regala)
News Update Solar power gas stations
CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines - A leading independent player is set to pioneer new innovation in the petrol industry as Flying V plans to establish solar-powered gasoline stations.
This was announced by Ramiro Villavicencio, project proponent director of the Flying V solar-powered gas station, said the pilot stations will be put-up in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga and Subic Bay Freepor Zone in Zambales by mid second quarter this year.
"Nearly everything we do in our modern society requires energy that is generated by burning fossil fuels which contributes to the carbon foot print which effectively harms our environment," Villavicencio said. (Franco G. Regala)
This was announced by Ramiro Villavicencio, project proponent director of the Flying V solar-powered gas station, said the pilot stations will be put-up in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga and Subic Bay Freepor Zone in Zambales by mid second quarter this year.
"Nearly everything we do in our modern society requires energy that is generated by burning fossil fuels which contributes to the carbon foot print which effectively harms our environment," Villavicencio said. (Franco G. Regala)
News Update Laguna town council okays Bt eggplant trial at UPLB
MANILA, Philippines - The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Bay, Laguna, has approved a resolution authorizing the field trial of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB).
By a unanimous vote, the SB said the conduct of the trial is necessary to determine the benefits that farmers would derive from the tests and noted that the research being undertaken at UPLB is not synonymous to the mass propagation of the genetically modified (GM) vegetable.
Opposition to the field trial was withdrawn following a presentation by UPLB experts that the research by the UPLB-Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) was necessary to provide the performance of the vegetable under crop and find out if it does not pose any risk to humans and the environment.
Vice Mayor Soriano G. Escueta said all eight councilors, including the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LMB) and the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SK Federation) approved the resolution.
Those who voted to allow the field trial of Bt eggplant were: Councilors Emerson M. Ilagan; Mario M. Ilagan; Leonardo C. Malagno; Alejandro M. Junsay; Maria R. de Leon; Isidro M. Tolentino; Arthur S. Panopio, LMB president, and; Kier Melvin F. Ebron, SK Federation president.
Junsay said the SB was convinced that the field test was covered by strict biosafety rules and closely monitored in compliance with government standards for agricultural biotechnology products.
Escueta said municipal agriculturist Alexander G. Darvin also endorsed the field trial and added the rules covering biosafety and the commercialization of biotech crops took 10 years to craft and each crop has to pass through seven years of testing before it could be endorsed for commercialization.
He added that a clear benefit to farmers and consumers is that Bt eggplant does not need to be subjected to treatment with pesticide since the vegetable itself develops its own defenses against fruit and shoot borers (FSB) that ruin crops.
The approval of the field trial of Bt eggplant within the UPLB campus by the Bay SB douses cold water on the attempt of Greenpeace to prevent all seven sites in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to continue the tests.
Greenpeace members also uprooted two Bt eggplants at the Bay field trial site in a morning raid, with the anti-GMO activists garbed in overalls claiming that what they did was to "decontaminate" the site.
By a unanimous vote, the SB said the conduct of the trial is necessary to determine the benefits that farmers would derive from the tests and noted that the research being undertaken at UPLB is not synonymous to the mass propagation of the genetically modified (GM) vegetable.
Opposition to the field trial was withdrawn following a presentation by UPLB experts that the research by the UPLB-Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) was necessary to provide the performance of the vegetable under crop and find out if it does not pose any risk to humans and the environment.
Vice Mayor Soriano G. Escueta said all eight councilors, including the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LMB) and the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SK Federation) approved the resolution.
Those who voted to allow the field trial of Bt eggplant were: Councilors Emerson M. Ilagan; Mario M. Ilagan; Leonardo C. Malagno; Alejandro M. Junsay; Maria R. de Leon; Isidro M. Tolentino; Arthur S. Panopio, LMB president, and; Kier Melvin F. Ebron, SK Federation president.
Junsay said the SB was convinced that the field test was covered by strict biosafety rules and closely monitored in compliance with government standards for agricultural biotechnology products.
Escueta said municipal agriculturist Alexander G. Darvin also endorsed the field trial and added the rules covering biosafety and the commercialization of biotech crops took 10 years to craft and each crop has to pass through seven years of testing before it could be endorsed for commercialization.
He added that a clear benefit to farmers and consumers is that Bt eggplant does not need to be subjected to treatment with pesticide since the vegetable itself develops its own defenses against fruit and shoot borers (FSB) that ruin crops.
The approval of the field trial of Bt eggplant within the UPLB campus by the Bay SB douses cold water on the attempt of Greenpeace to prevent all seven sites in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to continue the tests.
Greenpeace members also uprooted two Bt eggplants at the Bay field trial site in a morning raid, with the anti-GMO activists garbed in overalls claiming that what they did was to "decontaminate" the site.
News Update Councilor warns dirty bus terminals
MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City councilor filed a proposed resolution urging the city health department to strictly enforce the provisions of the sanitary code of the Philippines in business establishments in the city, particularly bus terminals.
Councilor Marvin Rillo of the city's fourth district said he issued the proposal after receiving complaints that errant establishments both private and public only comply with the sanitary code of the Philippines during the time of inspections and renewal of permits putting the public's health at great risk.
The complaint said that some bus terminals in the city have poorly maintained and filthy comfort rooms primarily due to normal wear and tear and lack of adequate supply of running water.
Rillo called on the public to report non-complying bus terminals and other establishments that violate the sanitary code of the Philippines vowing that immediate actions will be taken against them. (Chito A. Chavez)
Councilor Marvin Rillo of the city's fourth district said he issued the proposal after receiving complaints that errant establishments both private and public only comply with the sanitary code of the Philippines during the time of inspections and renewal of permits putting the public's health at great risk.
The complaint said that some bus terminals in the city have poorly maintained and filthy comfort rooms primarily due to normal wear and tear and lack of adequate supply of running water.
Rillo called on the public to report non-complying bus terminals and other establishments that violate the sanitary code of the Philippines vowing that immediate actions will be taken against them. (Chito A. Chavez)
News update Land mine blast kills 2 soldiers in Philippines
DAVAO (Philippines) - A LAND mine explosion has killed two soldiers in the southern Philippines. It is the latest attack blamed on communist rebels despite the recent resumption of peace talks.
Regional army spokesman Lt Col Lyndon Paniza says on Wednesday's blast also wounded two soldiers in Santa Cruz town in Davao del Sur province. He said on Thursday the soldiers were conducting an outreach program.
The government and negotiators from the New People's Army last month resumed long-stalled peace talks brokered by Norway. The talks aim to resolve one of Asia's longest-running Marxist rebellions by 2012.
But there's no truce yet, so the rebels have kept up attacks and troops have continued with offensives. -- AP
Regional army spokesman Lt Col Lyndon Paniza says on Wednesday's blast also wounded two soldiers in Santa Cruz town in Davao del Sur province. He said on Thursday the soldiers were conducting an outreach program.
The government and negotiators from the New People's Army last month resumed long-stalled peace talks brokered by Norway. The talks aim to resolve one of Asia's longest-running Marxist rebellions by 2012.
But there's no truce yet, so the rebels have kept up attacks and troops have continued with offensives. -- AP
News Update Radio host killed in Philippine capital
MANILA - A FEMALE radio host was shot dead in the Philippine capital on Thursday, the second murder of a journalist in the country this year, police said.
Manila radio station DZME named the victim as 44-year-old married mother-of-three Marlina Flores Sumera, who it said hosted a public service show and was on her way to work when killed.
'The broadcaster's relatives believe a land dispute was the motive behind the crime,' the station said on its website but did not elaborate.
The station said Sumera's radio show focused on helping poor members of society, and did not deal in the kind of political commentary that has frequently got other journalists in the Philippines killed.
National police spokesman chief superintendent Agrimero Cruz said at least one gunman attacked Sumera on a street of a Manila suburb, but gave few other details.
No arrests have been made and the motive for the attack is under investigation, Mr Cruz added. -- AFP
Manila radio station DZME named the victim as 44-year-old married mother-of-three Marlina Flores Sumera, who it said hosted a public service show and was on her way to work when killed.
'The broadcaster's relatives believe a land dispute was the motive behind the crime,' the station said on its website but did not elaborate.
The station said Sumera's radio show focused on helping poor members of society, and did not deal in the kind of political commentary that has frequently got other journalists in the Philippines killed.
National police spokesman chief superintendent Agrimero Cruz said at least one gunman attacked Sumera on a street of a Manila suburb, but gave few other details.
No arrests have been made and the motive for the attack is under investigation, Mr Cruz added. -- AFP
News Update Sarah-Gerald movie earns P15M on first day
MANILA, Philippines – Viva Films and Star Cinema’s “Catch Me… I’m In Love,” the first big screen team-up of Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson, earned P15 million in ticket sales on its first showing day.
This was confirmed by Star Cinema Booking and Distribution on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the red carpet was rolled out for the grand premiere of the romantic-comedy film.
Hundreds of people trooped to SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City to witness the much anticipated team-up of the two hottest stars.
The movie opened in more than 100 theaters nationwide on Wednesday. –Report from Ginger Conejero, ABS-CBN News
This was confirmed by Star Cinema Booking and Distribution on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the red carpet was rolled out for the grand premiere of the romantic-comedy film.
Hundreds of people trooped to SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City to witness the much anticipated team-up of the two hottest stars.
The movie opened in more than 100 theaters nationwide on Wednesday. –Report from Ginger Conejero, ABS-CBN News
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
DID YOU KNOW THAT ?The Philippine Sea Turtle or Pawikan
The Philippine Sea Turtle – Also called here as Pawikan this marine creature patrols the open sea and when hungry will stalk on small fishes, crustaceans and jellyfishes. It is saddening to know that some of these dies of suffocation by eating plastic or balloons (the busted ones that find its way in the sea or ocean), that are mistaken as a yummy jellyfish.
The Philippines is home to four of the only six sea turtles species in the world. The Green Sea Turtle is the most common species, that can grow to a length of one and a half meters, and can weigh up to 185 kgs. The largest sea turtle in the country is the Leatherback, which can weigh up to more than 2 meters in length.
News Update SAN JUAN, La Union,DAGUPAN CITY ,CITY OF SAN FERNANDO,RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL
SAN JUAN, La Union, Philippines - Representatives from the regional line agencies and private sector involved in the promotion of nutrition joined the recently successful launch of the Iron Fortified Rice (I - Rice) at the Public Market in San Fernando City, La Union, it was reported here Monday.
National Food Authority (NFA) Region I Director Danilo I. Pastrana told Monday that the i-rice program was simultaneously launched nationwide last March 15, 2011 aimed to help lessen if not totally eliminate malnutrition in the country, specifically iron-deficiency anemia.
According to Pastrana, the i-rice program is being implemented in compliance to Republic Act (RA) 8976 or the Food Fortification Law. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
Dagupan bangus festival
DAGUPAN CITY - The Bangus Festival 2011 kicks off Saturday with the presentation of the photo gallery at SM Rosales that features the previous events of the Bangus Festival.
The month long celebration of Bangus Festival this year will formally open on April 8 with a mass and motorcade.
Bangus Festival 2011 Co-Chairman Maximo Alexis M. Tan said that a gallery of special moments captured by lens men from the Federation of Pangasinan Photographers will be placed at SM's event center.(Liezle Basa Inigo )
Pampanga P.N.P. gets 25 bikes
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Pampanga Governor Lilia G. Pineda on Monday personally led the turnover of at least 25-new PNP motorcycle patrol to Pampanga Provincials Police Office (PPPO) which is in line to curves criminality in the province.
The activities was held at Pampanga police headquarters at Capitol Compound in the city, the lady governor also personally take a ride on her donated bike police patrol assisted by Chief Supt. Alan LM. Purisima Central Luzon Police Director and Senior Supt. Edgardo Tinio, Pampanga provincial police director. (Franco G. Regala)
Coast Guard rescues 9
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - Operatives from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had successfully rescued the nine fishermen who were stranded along the shorelines in Pangasinan after their fishing boat was stranded at sea.
PCG's Chief Petty Officer Conrado Cabrera identified the rescued fishermen as Rogel Tubaan, 39; Dominador Bransila Jr., 35; Elmo Fernandez, 39; Robert Oliveros, 37; Raymart Ramsey, 20; Romel Alsa, 18; Roland Serafin, 17; Faustino Yatac, 30, and Joel Aresdago, 24, all fishermen residing in Barangay Balingasay, Bolinao, Pangasinan. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
Hot lumber seized in Rizal
RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL - Police and environment officials in the province seized some 844 board feet of cut Philippine Mahogany and arrested one person during a recent operation in this town.
Supt. Rommel Estolano, chief of police here said Gerson Rojo, 38, driver of Besta Van where the timber was found is in police custody and has been charged with violation of Presidential Decree 705 (Revised Forestry Code) along with Romeo Francisco and Arlene Zata.
Aside from the charges for allegedly violating the Forestry Code, Francisco and Zata, have been slapped with obstruction of justice, unjust vexation and serious disobedience on agents of person in authority. (Nel B. Andrade)
National Food Authority (NFA) Region I Director Danilo I. Pastrana told Monday that the i-rice program was simultaneously launched nationwide last March 15, 2011 aimed to help lessen if not totally eliminate malnutrition in the country, specifically iron-deficiency anemia.
According to Pastrana, the i-rice program is being implemented in compliance to Republic Act (RA) 8976 or the Food Fortification Law. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
Dagupan bangus festival
DAGUPAN CITY - The Bangus Festival 2011 kicks off Saturday with the presentation of the photo gallery at SM Rosales that features the previous events of the Bangus Festival.
The month long celebration of Bangus Festival this year will formally open on April 8 with a mass and motorcade.
Bangus Festival 2011 Co-Chairman Maximo Alexis M. Tan said that a gallery of special moments captured by lens men from the Federation of Pangasinan Photographers will be placed at SM's event center.(Liezle Basa Inigo )
Pampanga P.N.P. gets 25 bikes
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO - Pampanga Governor Lilia G. Pineda on Monday personally led the turnover of at least 25-new PNP motorcycle patrol to Pampanga Provincials Police Office (PPPO) which is in line to curves criminality in the province.
The activities was held at Pampanga police headquarters at Capitol Compound in the city, the lady governor also personally take a ride on her donated bike police patrol assisted by Chief Supt. Alan LM. Purisima Central Luzon Police Director and Senior Supt. Edgardo Tinio, Pampanga provincial police director. (Franco G. Regala)
Coast Guard rescues 9
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - Operatives from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had successfully rescued the nine fishermen who were stranded along the shorelines in Pangasinan after their fishing boat was stranded at sea.
PCG's Chief Petty Officer Conrado Cabrera identified the rescued fishermen as Rogel Tubaan, 39; Dominador Bransila Jr., 35; Elmo Fernandez, 39; Robert Oliveros, 37; Raymart Ramsey, 20; Romel Alsa, 18; Roland Serafin, 17; Faustino Yatac, 30, and Joel Aresdago, 24, all fishermen residing in Barangay Balingasay, Bolinao, Pangasinan. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
Hot lumber seized in Rizal
RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL - Police and environment officials in the province seized some 844 board feet of cut Philippine Mahogany and arrested one person during a recent operation in this town.
Supt. Rommel Estolano, chief of police here said Gerson Rojo, 38, driver of Besta Van where the timber was found is in police custody and has been charged with violation of Presidential Decree 705 (Revised Forestry Code) along with Romeo Francisco and Arlene Zata.
Aside from the charges for allegedly violating the Forestry Code, Francisco and Zata, have been slapped with obstruction of justice, unjust vexation and serious disobedience on agents of person in authority. (Nel B. Andrade)
News Update Fire strikes Heart Evangelista's house in Cavite
A fire hit actress Heart Evangelista's house in Carmona, Cavite on Saturday afternoon, reports 24 Oras. Her mother Cecile Ongpauco told 24 Oras that they suspect the fire originated from their neighbor who supposedly burns bamboo. Ongpauco said they have asked their neighbor to refrain from doing so and have also complained to barangay officials to no avail.
According to 24 Oras, Evangelista was at the airport when the fire struck. Her boyfriend, model-actor Daniel Matsunaga, went to her house after the incident but declined to comment to the media.
Evangelista Tweeted yesterday, "my father has the biggest heart...he saved all 12 dogs instead of getting his things...we may not have it all but together we have it all:)"
According to 24 Oras, Evangelista was at the airport when the fire struck. Her boyfriend, model-actor Daniel Matsunaga, went to her house after the incident but declined to comment to the media.
Evangelista Tweeted yesterday, "my father has the biggest heart...he saved all 12 dogs instead of getting his things...we may not have it all but together we have it all:)"
News Update Making Filipinos disaster-ready
MANILA, Philippines - A country like Japan was prepared for the worst, but today its capability to deal with calamity is being tested by a three-pronged disaster in its midst: a magnitude 9 earthquake, a tsunami that followed, and threats of a radiation leak from a nuclear plant in Fukushima.
When the post-disaster efforts are over, the full impact of the disaster assessed and addressed, and the residual threats of damaged reactors are resolved, Japan will have to revisit its disaster preparedness efforts and how it can be better-prepared for disasters.
It’s a lesson countries like the Philippines can learn, even as it had its own share of tragedies wrought by nature, and lessons and solutions on how to manage disasters before and when they strike.
In the wake of recent calamities that have struck the Philippines, and now its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific like New Zealand and Japan, and in the face of uncertain risks from unpredictable circumstances, there is nothing better than working towards being disaster-ready.
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman and Senator Richard Gordon believes that the Philippines should improve its capability to deal with disasters.
"Increasing capability means better chances of survival," Gordon said on ANC's Dateline Philippines on Sunday.
Gordon said the Philippines has gone a long way with disaster mitigation efforts, thanks to laws like Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Act of 2010.
The law assesses disaster vulnerable areas, proper zoning to help reduce risks to life and property, as well as improve the public's response.
"We're still in our early days but the law is a big difference."
"The new law emphasizes not reaction alone. Now you don't spend on just relief."
Gordon, who co-authored the bill, said whereas funds used to just go to relief, now they're being spent for disaster preparedness efforts, allowing local governments to tap 70% of calamity fund for training, providing equipment and communications so they can better manage disaster situations and reduce the vulnerability of their communities.
Army of volunteers "We encourage volunteers. Every person can be a volunteer, so you can support its activities, learn to survive and help alleviate human suffering."
"We're trying to create a nationwide army of volunteers in every baranggay."
Gordon is referring to his flagship program "Red Cross 143," which refers to one leader plus 43 active responders in every baranggay who will be armed with whistles and are familiar with whom to call, and initiate an evacuation or conduct a rescue when necessary.
"143 seeks to get into all the baranggays , so you have overnight 1.8 million disaster-savvy first responders," Gordon said.
"If every baranggay can help by cellphone operations, Red Cross 143 can give instructions or find out what's happening so they can prepare."
Gordon said the PRC also hopes to improve disaster preparedness efforts, by making the country's technical staff ready in case the worst comes.
"We're dealing with hospitals to know which patients to bring in which hospitals, which are overloaded, tents to bring patients, along with surgical capability."
"We're now working on plans to make sure we can trace people in hospitals and connect them with their families, help hospitals in case they're overwhelmed with volunteer nurses from the Red Cross. Our first responders tell them the condition of the patients. We are upgrading the emergency management technicians we have, so doctors are aware of what needs to be administered."
In a country like the Philippines that is often stricken by disasters, Gordon said survival depends on developing a culture of safety and knowing how to deal with emergencies.
Drills not enough Schools have adopted disaster-preparedness into its curriculum, but Gordon stressed that knowing how to deal with disasters should be part of everyday life.
"Drills will not be enough... The best disaster plan is to prepare for it: predict the hazards, plan for it, prepare for it, and practice it so you can cope and mitigate the situation and stay alive."
Gordon said the job involves finding out the danger whether it be near a fault line or by the mountainside, or a volcano facing an imminent eruption.
"Every household should have a CPR first aider who's trained. Train your maid, eldest son, call the fire department."
The PRC said being aware of one’s location and vulnerability to disaster is key.
Rodino Cruz, Chapter Service Representative for Safety Services Philippine Red Cross-Quezon City Chapter said, before a disaster people should assess the structural plan of the house and building to be familiar with exits and where to walk or stay.
During a quake, people should stand still or find a sturdy place to hide, and should stay away from falling debris. After the quake, they should go out of the building and inspect the house for gas leaks and faulty wiring to prevent fires. 72-hour survival kit The organization is also promoting a 72-hour survival kit that can spell the difference when disaster strikes. "Pinopromote namin back to basics. No need to buy expensive disaster kits," said Cruz.
Necessary items include essential provisions like water – about 3.5 liters or a gallon per person per day – food, a whistle, flashlight and extra batteries, and a first aid kit with necessary medicine, antiseptic, scissors bandages. Rice, easy to open canned goods, noodles and a transistor radio are also good to have.
In case of floods, a water filter, chlorine to help purify and remove microorganisms from the water, plus items that can be converted into a floating device.
He added that it also helps to have emergency cash and important documents like passports and hospital records within reach.
Knowing who to call and where to go and being armed with the necessary information are essential to survival. Philippine Red Cross hotlines: PRC-NHQ: 527-0000 PRC-QC: 920-3672 web: www.redcross.org.ph
When the post-disaster efforts are over, the full impact of the disaster assessed and addressed, and the residual threats of damaged reactors are resolved, Japan will have to revisit its disaster preparedness efforts and how it can be better-prepared for disasters.
It’s a lesson countries like the Philippines can learn, even as it had its own share of tragedies wrought by nature, and lessons and solutions on how to manage disasters before and when they strike.
In the wake of recent calamities that have struck the Philippines, and now its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific like New Zealand and Japan, and in the face of uncertain risks from unpredictable circumstances, there is nothing better than working towards being disaster-ready.
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman and Senator Richard Gordon believes that the Philippines should improve its capability to deal with disasters.
"Increasing capability means better chances of survival," Gordon said on ANC's Dateline Philippines on Sunday.
Gordon said the Philippines has gone a long way with disaster mitigation efforts, thanks to laws like Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Act of 2010.
The law assesses disaster vulnerable areas, proper zoning to help reduce risks to life and property, as well as improve the public's response.
"We're still in our early days but the law is a big difference."
"The new law emphasizes not reaction alone. Now you don't spend on just relief."
Gordon, who co-authored the bill, said whereas funds used to just go to relief, now they're being spent for disaster preparedness efforts, allowing local governments to tap 70% of calamity fund for training, providing equipment and communications so they can better manage disaster situations and reduce the vulnerability of their communities.
Army of volunteers "We encourage volunteers. Every person can be a volunteer, so you can support its activities, learn to survive and help alleviate human suffering."
"We're trying to create a nationwide army of volunteers in every baranggay."
Gordon is referring to his flagship program "Red Cross 143," which refers to one leader plus 43 active responders in every baranggay who will be armed with whistles and are familiar with whom to call, and initiate an evacuation or conduct a rescue when necessary.
"143 seeks to get into all the baranggays , so you have overnight 1.8 million disaster-savvy first responders," Gordon said.
"If every baranggay can help by cellphone operations, Red Cross 143 can give instructions or find out what's happening so they can prepare."
Gordon said the PRC also hopes to improve disaster preparedness efforts, by making the country's technical staff ready in case the worst comes.
"We're dealing with hospitals to know which patients to bring in which hospitals, which are overloaded, tents to bring patients, along with surgical capability."
"We're now working on plans to make sure we can trace people in hospitals and connect them with their families, help hospitals in case they're overwhelmed with volunteer nurses from the Red Cross. Our first responders tell them the condition of the patients. We are upgrading the emergency management technicians we have, so doctors are aware of what needs to be administered."
In a country like the Philippines that is often stricken by disasters, Gordon said survival depends on developing a culture of safety and knowing how to deal with emergencies.
Drills not enough Schools have adopted disaster-preparedness into its curriculum, but Gordon stressed that knowing how to deal with disasters should be part of everyday life.
"Drills will not be enough... The best disaster plan is to prepare for it: predict the hazards, plan for it, prepare for it, and practice it so you can cope and mitigate the situation and stay alive."
Gordon said the job involves finding out the danger whether it be near a fault line or by the mountainside, or a volcano facing an imminent eruption.
"Every household should have a CPR first aider who's trained. Train your maid, eldest son, call the fire department."
The PRC said being aware of one’s location and vulnerability to disaster is key.
Rodino Cruz, Chapter Service Representative for Safety Services Philippine Red Cross-Quezon City Chapter said, before a disaster people should assess the structural plan of the house and building to be familiar with exits and where to walk or stay.
During a quake, people should stand still or find a sturdy place to hide, and should stay away from falling debris. After the quake, they should go out of the building and inspect the house for gas leaks and faulty wiring to prevent fires. 72-hour survival kit The organization is also promoting a 72-hour survival kit that can spell the difference when disaster strikes. "Pinopromote namin back to basics. No need to buy expensive disaster kits," said Cruz.
Necessary items include essential provisions like water – about 3.5 liters or a gallon per person per day – food, a whistle, flashlight and extra batteries, and a first aid kit with necessary medicine, antiseptic, scissors bandages. Rice, easy to open canned goods, noodles and a transistor radio are also good to have.
In case of floods, a water filter, chlorine to help purify and remove microorganisms from the water, plus items that can be converted into a floating device.
He added that it also helps to have emergency cash and important documents like passports and hospital records within reach.
Knowing who to call and where to go and being armed with the necessary information are essential to survival. Philippine Red Cross hotlines: PRC-NHQ: 527-0000 PRC-QC: 920-3672 web: www.redcross.org.ph
News Update Japanese transferring production to ecozones
MANILA, Philippines - Some Japanese electronics and semiconductor companies in Japan, whose operations were affected by the quake and tsunami disasters, are temporarily transferring some of their production capacities to their Philippine subsidiaries located in the local economic zones.
Elmer San Pascual, group manager of Promotion and Public Relations of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said, this belies reports of possible retrenchments of workers by Japanese companies following the Japan disaster.
"There is no retrenchment at all. In fact, they are temporarily transferring some of their production to the Philippines until such time that the situation in Japan has normalized and stabilized," San Pascual said.
According to San Pascual, these companies have informed PEZA director-general Lilia B. de Lima of their plans. At least three big Japanese electronics and semiconductor firms have already transferred here or actually doing some of the production of their parent firms.
San Pascual, however, said that these additional capacities may not necessarily hire additional people but they may if they decide to make the temporary transfer permanent.
These are companies with operations in the northern portion and are worried about power supply following the crisis on their nuclear power plants. They are still undergoing rotating brownouts, San Pascual said.
Their local units have also capacities as they are just operating between 85 to 90 percent of capacity.
There are 618 Japanese firms out of the 2,272 PEZA-registered enterprises and the bulk of that is electronics, semiconductors, autoparts, shipbuilding and machinery. These firms directly exports to their markets in the US, Japan and Latin America, among other markets. "This means we are going to have higher exports this year," San Pascual said.
Of the $40-billion PEZA exports in 2010, the semiconductor and electronics exports accounted for 59.45 percent or $24.1 billion.
In terms of employment, this sector alone contributes 221,531 employment or 30% of the 735,672 total PEZA employment in 2010. (BCM)
Elmer San Pascual, group manager of Promotion and Public Relations of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said, this belies reports of possible retrenchments of workers by Japanese companies following the Japan disaster.
"There is no retrenchment at all. In fact, they are temporarily transferring some of their production to the Philippines until such time that the situation in Japan has normalized and stabilized," San Pascual said.
According to San Pascual, these companies have informed PEZA director-general Lilia B. de Lima of their plans. At least three big Japanese electronics and semiconductor firms have already transferred here or actually doing some of the production of their parent firms.
San Pascual, however, said that these additional capacities may not necessarily hire additional people but they may if they decide to make the temporary transfer permanent.
These are companies with operations in the northern portion and are worried about power supply following the crisis on their nuclear power plants. They are still undergoing rotating brownouts, San Pascual said.
Their local units have also capacities as they are just operating between 85 to 90 percent of capacity.
There are 618 Japanese firms out of the 2,272 PEZA-registered enterprises and the bulk of that is electronics, semiconductors, autoparts, shipbuilding and machinery. These firms directly exports to their markets in the US, Japan and Latin America, among other markets. "This means we are going to have higher exports this year," San Pascual said.
Of the $40-billion PEZA exports in 2010, the semiconductor and electronics exports accounted for 59.45 percent or $24.1 billion.
In terms of employment, this sector alone contributes 221,531 employment or 30% of the 735,672 total PEZA employment in 2010. (BCM)
News Update Fin'l institution to manage P2-B ACEF fund
MANILA, Philippines - The government is considering to transfer the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund's (ACEF) P2-billion balance to a competent financial institution that can efficiently manage it for valid small farmers' benefit.
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on ACEF has come up with a set of recommendations on how to efficiently release ACEF funds, and transferring it to an expert financing entity, such as a government financial institution (GFI) as Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), is one of several options raised.
In a presentation before the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries (COCAFM), Senen Bacani, TWG member and a former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary, said the TWG has chosen rather to give the COCAFM several options on what to do with ACEF rather than give a definite recommendation.
The TWG suggested as an option that government may well choose to remove ACEF under DA's management since DA does not have a core competency on it. Besides, under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), loan funds previously under DA should be turned over to the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
If DA will continue to run the fund in another option, then ACEF guidelines may be changed such as imposing interest on borrowers and requiring a collateral.
However, since the fund is very small compared to the need of small farmers for which ACEF was created, Bacani, also banana exporter La Frutera chairman, said government may just focus loan release to a few targeted industries.
"I think you need to resolve the issue of equity and competitiveness. These must be mixed. You will pour a bigger amount of money for marginalized farmers and fisherfolks for them to really become competitive. Since it's a small amount compared to what the sector needs, focus on a few things and do them well," Bacani said.
He suggested that part of the fund may also be used for those that need a smaller amount to get some boosting. Perhaps this may involve food-producing small and medium enterprises (SME) that may perhaps be nearly capable of exporting. While originally designed for small farmers, ACEF was released to some companies already capable of obtaining commercial bank loans. It so far released P10 billion over 10 years. It still has a balance of P2 billion and expects to receive an additional P8 billion over the next four years until its mandate expires in 2015.
Francis N. Pangilinan, COCAFM chairman, said government may also seriously consider transforming ACEF simply into a grant fund as suggested by other COCAFM members. Perhaps making it a seed fund for microfinancing is another move. "I think the inclination so far is to veer away from lending and focus on grants. The other option is to go through the formal banking institution, but with a bias for microfinance. So microfinance is one other opportunity that we should look into," Pangilinan said in an interview.
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on ACEF has come up with a set of recommendations on how to efficiently release ACEF funds, and transferring it to an expert financing entity, such as a government financial institution (GFI) as Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), is one of several options raised.
In a presentation before the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries (COCAFM), Senen Bacani, TWG member and a former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary, said the TWG has chosen rather to give the COCAFM several options on what to do with ACEF rather than give a definite recommendation.
The TWG suggested as an option that government may well choose to remove ACEF under DA's management since DA does not have a core competency on it. Besides, under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), loan funds previously under DA should be turned over to the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
If DA will continue to run the fund in another option, then ACEF guidelines may be changed such as imposing interest on borrowers and requiring a collateral.
However, since the fund is very small compared to the need of small farmers for which ACEF was created, Bacani, also banana exporter La Frutera chairman, said government may just focus loan release to a few targeted industries.
"I think you need to resolve the issue of equity and competitiveness. These must be mixed. You will pour a bigger amount of money for marginalized farmers and fisherfolks for them to really become competitive. Since it's a small amount compared to what the sector needs, focus on a few things and do them well," Bacani said.
He suggested that part of the fund may also be used for those that need a smaller amount to get some boosting. Perhaps this may involve food-producing small and medium enterprises (SME) that may perhaps be nearly capable of exporting. While originally designed for small farmers, ACEF was released to some companies already capable of obtaining commercial bank loans. It so far released P10 billion over 10 years. It still has a balance of P2 billion and expects to receive an additional P8 billion over the next four years until its mandate expires in 2015.
Francis N. Pangilinan, COCAFM chairman, said government may also seriously consider transforming ACEF simply into a grant fund as suggested by other COCAFM members. Perhaps making it a seed fund for microfinancing is another move. "I think the inclination so far is to veer away from lending and focus on grants. The other option is to go through the formal banking institution, but with a bias for microfinance. So microfinance is one other opportunity that we should look into," Pangilinan said in an interview.
News Update Fin'l institution to manage P2-B ACEF fund
MANILA, Philippines - The government is considering to transfer the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund's (ACEF) P2-billion balance to a competent financial institution that can efficiently manage it for valid small farmers' benefit.
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on ACEF has come up with a set of recommendations on how to efficiently release ACEF funds, and transferring it to an expert financing entity, such as a government financial institution (GFI) as Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), is one of several options raised.
In a presentation before the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries (COCAFM), Senen Bacani, TWG member and a former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary, said the TWG has chosen rather to give the COCAFM several options on what to do with ACEF rather than give a definite recommendation.
The TWG suggested as an option that government may well choose to remove ACEF under DA's management since DA does not have a core competency on it. Besides, under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), loan funds previously under DA should be turned over to the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
If DA will continue to run the fund in another option, then ACEF guidelines may be changed such as imposing interest on borrowers and requiring a collateral.
However, since the fund is very small compared to the need of small farmers for which ACEF was created, Bacani, also banana exporter La Frutera chairman, said government may just focus loan release to a few targeted industries.
"I think you need to resolve the issue of equity and competitiveness. These must be mixed. You will pour a bigger amount of money for marginalized farmers and fisherfolks for them to really become competitive. Since it's a small amount compared to what the sector needs, focus on a few things and do them well," Bacani said.
He suggested that part of the fund may also be used for those that need a smaller amount to get some boosting. Perhaps this may involve food-producing small and medium enterprises (SME) that may perhaps be nearly capable of exporting. While originally designed for small farmers, ACEF was released to some companies already capable of obtaining commercial bank loans. It so far released P10 billion over 10 years. It still has a balance of P2 billion and expects to receive an additional P8 billion over the next four years until its mandate expires in 2015.
Francis N. Pangilinan, COCAFM chairman, said government may also seriously consider transforming ACEF simply into a grant fund as suggested by other COCAFM members. Perhaps making it a seed fund for microfinancing is another move. "I think the inclination so far is to veer away from lending and focus on grants. The other option is to go through the formal banking institution, but with a bias for microfinance. So microfinance is one other opportunity that we should look into," Pangilinan said in an interview.
A Technical Working Group (TWG) on ACEF has come up with a set of recommendations on how to efficiently release ACEF funds, and transferring it to an expert financing entity, such as a government financial institution (GFI) as Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), is one of several options raised.
In a presentation before the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries (COCAFM), Senen Bacani, TWG member and a former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary, said the TWG has chosen rather to give the COCAFM several options on what to do with ACEF rather than give a definite recommendation.
The TWG suggested as an option that government may well choose to remove ACEF under DA's management since DA does not have a core competency on it. Besides, under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), loan funds previously under DA should be turned over to the Agro-Industry Modernization Credit and Financing Program (AMCFP).
If DA will continue to run the fund in another option, then ACEF guidelines may be changed such as imposing interest on borrowers and requiring a collateral.
However, since the fund is very small compared to the need of small farmers for which ACEF was created, Bacani, also banana exporter La Frutera chairman, said government may just focus loan release to a few targeted industries.
"I think you need to resolve the issue of equity and competitiveness. These must be mixed. You will pour a bigger amount of money for marginalized farmers and fisherfolks for them to really become competitive. Since it's a small amount compared to what the sector needs, focus on a few things and do them well," Bacani said.
He suggested that part of the fund may also be used for those that need a smaller amount to get some boosting. Perhaps this may involve food-producing small and medium enterprises (SME) that may perhaps be nearly capable of exporting. While originally designed for small farmers, ACEF was released to some companies already capable of obtaining commercial bank loans. It so far released P10 billion over 10 years. It still has a balance of P2 billion and expects to receive an additional P8 billion over the next four years until its mandate expires in 2015.
Francis N. Pangilinan, COCAFM chairman, said government may also seriously consider transforming ACEF simply into a grant fund as suggested by other COCAFM members. Perhaps making it a seed fund for microfinancing is another move. "I think the inclination so far is to veer away from lending and focus on grants. The other option is to go through the formal banking institution, but with a bias for microfinance. So microfinance is one other opportunity that we should look into," Pangilinan said in an interview.
News Update SkyCable earmarks P1.5 billion for capital expenditures in 2010
MANILA, Philippines - For 2011, ABS-CBN Corp. subsidiary, SkyCable, has allocated P1.5-billion capital expenditure (capex) for its Cable Television (CATV) business.
Half of the amount will be for the roll-out of its digital TV service nationwide and half, for boosting its broadband subscriber growth, announced SkyCable marketing head Rodrigo Montinola the other day.
As of last year, Sky Cable has half a million subscribers, mostly in Metro Manila. At least 85 percent of cable users in Metro Manila are already using digibox, which is essential in viewing digital TV programs. The CATV firm intends to increase that from to 90-95 percent by the end of 2011.
The company is also intent on increasing its broadband subscriber numbers. "We had flat growth from 2006 to 2009. We started growing again only last year, where we had 35,000 subscribers," he pointed out. "Our target is to grow our broadband subscribers significantly by about 70,000 by the end of this year."
The SkyCable executive made the announcement during the launch of DigiBox iRecord, a personal video recorder (PVR) set - top box capable of simultaneously recording two TV programs while the subscriber watches a third.
The box has a 320-gig hard drive that can store up to 145 hours of standard definition video or 85 hours of high-definition (HD) video equivalent to over 70 movie titles, over 100 episodes of one-hour TV shows, or over 80 documentaries of National Geographic HD. Special features include slow-motion and frame-by-frame playback of recorded shows.
Elsewhere in the world, TV viewers are already favouring PVRs. "We see the trend in countries like the US where millions of households use TiVo. In Asia, the PVR versions are Singapore's StarHub and Malaysia's Astro. The Philippines should not be left behind," he noted.
Skycable projects their new service would haul in at least 3,000 users in the first year of rollout. They are targeting medium-heavy TV users, busy working people who can't always catch up on the schedules of free TV or cable.
Existing SkyCable subscribers in Metro Manila can get the DigiBox iRecord for a refundable deposit of P4,999 plus P399 service fee of using the Digibox iRecord on top of their monthly CATV fee.
The payment allows subscribers 3 months' access to FoxCrime HD, Star Movies HD and NatGeo HD and the option to upgrade their old DigiBox to the iRecord.
Half of the amount will be for the roll-out of its digital TV service nationwide and half, for boosting its broadband subscriber growth, announced SkyCable marketing head Rodrigo Montinola the other day.
As of last year, Sky Cable has half a million subscribers, mostly in Metro Manila. At least 85 percent of cable users in Metro Manila are already using digibox, which is essential in viewing digital TV programs. The CATV firm intends to increase that from to 90-95 percent by the end of 2011.
The company is also intent on increasing its broadband subscriber numbers. "We had flat growth from 2006 to 2009. We started growing again only last year, where we had 35,000 subscribers," he pointed out. "Our target is to grow our broadband subscribers significantly by about 70,000 by the end of this year."
The SkyCable executive made the announcement during the launch of DigiBox iRecord, a personal video recorder (PVR) set - top box capable of simultaneously recording two TV programs while the subscriber watches a third.
The box has a 320-gig hard drive that can store up to 145 hours of standard definition video or 85 hours of high-definition (HD) video equivalent to over 70 movie titles, over 100 episodes of one-hour TV shows, or over 80 documentaries of National Geographic HD. Special features include slow-motion and frame-by-frame playback of recorded shows.
Elsewhere in the world, TV viewers are already favouring PVRs. "We see the trend in countries like the US where millions of households use TiVo. In Asia, the PVR versions are Singapore's StarHub and Malaysia's Astro. The Philippines should not be left behind," he noted.
Skycable projects their new service would haul in at least 3,000 users in the first year of rollout. They are targeting medium-heavy TV users, busy working people who can't always catch up on the schedules of free TV or cable.
Existing SkyCable subscribers in Metro Manila can get the DigiBox iRecord for a refundable deposit of P4,999 plus P399 service fee of using the Digibox iRecord on top of their monthly CATV fee.
The payment allows subscribers 3 months' access to FoxCrime HD, Star Movies HD and NatGeo HD and the option to upgrade their old DigiBox to the iRecord.
News Update More local banks pushing for smart banking
MANILA, Philippines - Over the last 18 months, banks all over the world are doubling their investments in technology - a healthy sign of recovery, says IBM Philippines' Country Manager for Financial Services sector, Leo Capinpin, during the recent (March 18-21, 2011) Bankers Institute of the Philippines' (BAIPHIL) 26th National Convention in Tagaytay City.
Banking is now IBM's largest client segment outside of government. IBM has been serving banks since it was formed in 1911.
"A smarter bank anticipates client needs and delivers innovative products faster and more consistently than the competition. It has full visibility, in real-time, of its risk position and responds quickly to changes in market conditions," he told the over 200 BAIPHIL convention participants.
Technology is indeed important to the banking industry, confirmed BAIPHIL First vice-president Agnes Brillantes-Santos. "It improves the way banks deliver their services to the clients, promotes efficiency from within and provides cost-efficient solutions."
Hence, BAIPHIL made Technology a major part of their biennial convention. The event brought together members from Metro Manila and provinces and featured general and technical sessions on best practices. The event also showcased booths with interactive presentations led by IBM and IBM Business Partners. Other service providers and information technology, software solutions/applications and telecommunication suppliers attended.
A decade ago, IBM began building a broad portfolio of software products designed specifically for banks. To make its technology platform more robust, IBM has formed technology and marketing partnerships with thousands of independent software vendors as well as many niche hardware vendors focused on aspects as varied as end user devices, networks, and trading systems.
In addition, within IBM research, thousands of engineers and scientists are developing technologies, methodologies, and math algorithms that can be used to make banking systems more efficient, agile, and intelligent.
Mathematicians have experience in creating specialized Monte Carlo simulations running on high-performance computing systems that analyze risk. Furthermore, IBM is investing $100 million just on research to enable new mobile services for businesses and consumers. A recent pilot program, called 'BlueStar,' will make it easier for banks to deploy new consumer banking services on smart phones.
Banking is now IBM's largest client segment outside of government. IBM has been serving banks since it was formed in 1911.
"A smarter bank anticipates client needs and delivers innovative products faster and more consistently than the competition. It has full visibility, in real-time, of its risk position and responds quickly to changes in market conditions," he told the over 200 BAIPHIL convention participants.
Technology is indeed important to the banking industry, confirmed BAIPHIL First vice-president Agnes Brillantes-Santos. "It improves the way banks deliver their services to the clients, promotes efficiency from within and provides cost-efficient solutions."
Hence, BAIPHIL made Technology a major part of their biennial convention. The event brought together members from Metro Manila and provinces and featured general and technical sessions on best practices. The event also showcased booths with interactive presentations led by IBM and IBM Business Partners. Other service providers and information technology, software solutions/applications and telecommunication suppliers attended.
A decade ago, IBM began building a broad portfolio of software products designed specifically for banks. To make its technology platform more robust, IBM has formed technology and marketing partnerships with thousands of independent software vendors as well as many niche hardware vendors focused on aspects as varied as end user devices, networks, and trading systems.
In addition, within IBM research, thousands of engineers and scientists are developing technologies, methodologies, and math algorithms that can be used to make banking systems more efficient, agile, and intelligent.
Mathematicians have experience in creating specialized Monte Carlo simulations running on high-performance computing systems that analyze risk. Furthermore, IBM is investing $100 million just on research to enable new mobile services for businesses and consumers. A recent pilot program, called 'BlueStar,' will make it easier for banks to deploy new consumer banking services on smart phones.
News Update Local shares close higher
MANILA, Philippines - Local shares closed higher Tuesday, spurred by gains on Wall Street Monday and investor interest in select second-line stocks. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) PSEi rose 9.83 points or 0.3% higher to 3,854.14 in heavy volume. Advancers beat decliners 90 to 45, led by Digital Telecommunications, up 11% at P1.57 after reporting strong 2010 earnings; Alliance Global Group, up 1.6% at P11.68, and Energy Development, up 0.2% at P6.24. Nisha Alicer, a trader with DA Market Securities, says that while investor sentiment is improving, "we're still looking at the possible effects of the disaster in Japan on us." (Dow Jones)
News Update GMA International enters Central Florida
MANILA, Philippines - GMA International announced that its two cable channels are now available to Filipino viewers in Central Florida counties Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia.
The firm said Bright House Networks had launched international channels GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life TV last March 10.
Bright House Networks is the sixth largest owner and operator of cable systems in the U.S. and the second largest in Florida with technologically advanced systems located in five states including Florida, Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, and California.
GMA Pinoy TV is the flagship international channel of GMA Network which features top-rating news and public affairs shows and entertainment programs from the Kapuso Network.
On the other hand, GMA Life TV is the network's second international channel which brings to spotlight the Filipino's colorful culture through a dynamic mix of television genres - news, entertainment, and lifestyle features.
"We are excited that we now have the chance to reach out to Filipino-American viewers in Central Florida via Bright House Networks. We are honored to share with them our highly innovative and top-rating Kapuso programs through GMA Pinoy and GMA Life TV," said GMA International vice president and operations head Joseph T. Francia.
He added that "we look forward to a successful partnership with Bright House Networks in serving the Filipino-American community in this part of the US."
For his part, Bright House Networks Executive Vice President of Cable Operations Kevin Hyman said that "Bright House Networks is pleased to offer GMA Networks' programming to our customers. Their award-winning news and public affairs offerings are extremely popular with our Filipino viewers."
Bright House Networks serves more than 2.4 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data, and voice services.
GMA Pinoy TV is fast becoming the preferred channel of Filipinos in the United States. Its projected worldwide subscriber base as of the end of 2010 totals 274,000 or 1.8 million viewers.
GMA Life TV, in turn, has about 125,000 subscribers or about 800,000 viewers worldwide.
GMA New Media Inc. (GMA NMI), a subsidiary of GMA Network, has joined forces with Top Gear Philippines and BMW for the interactive launch of the new BMW X3.
Through the wonders of Augmented Reality (AR), readers can explore the versatility of the BMW X3 in 3D as featured in Top Gear Philippines' March 2011 issue.
The two-page spread includes a marker that would trigger the AR experience on the microsite www.bmw.com.ph/X3ar and enable readers to take the vehicle for a drive.
Augmented reality provides a view of real-world elements that are enhanced by digital information, such as text, images, and videos. GMA NMI, a multimedia technology solutions company, is taking the lead in advancing the use of AR technologies in the Philippines.
"AR is not just a better way of seeing the brand. Its main objective is to allow the consumer to experience the product without the actual product being there," GMA NMI Senior Vice President Dingdong Caharian explained.
BMW is excited with the creative possibilities of AR in its marketing initiatives and its local distributor has commissioned GMA NMI to produce a series of advertising campaigns using AR and 3D technology.
"In the course of the worldwide 3D hype, we at BMW are always on the look-out for the latest technology; hence, we decided to incorporate Augmented Reality in the new BMW X3 Launch campaign," said Asian Carmakers Corporation President Maricar C. Parco. (JAL)
The firm said Bright House Networks had launched international channels GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life TV last March 10.
Bright House Networks is the sixth largest owner and operator of cable systems in the U.S. and the second largest in Florida with technologically advanced systems located in five states including Florida, Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, and California.
GMA Pinoy TV is the flagship international channel of GMA Network which features top-rating news and public affairs shows and entertainment programs from the Kapuso Network.
On the other hand, GMA Life TV is the network's second international channel which brings to spotlight the Filipino's colorful culture through a dynamic mix of television genres - news, entertainment, and lifestyle features.
"We are excited that we now have the chance to reach out to Filipino-American viewers in Central Florida via Bright House Networks. We are honored to share with them our highly innovative and top-rating Kapuso programs through GMA Pinoy and GMA Life TV," said GMA International vice president and operations head Joseph T. Francia.
He added that "we look forward to a successful partnership with Bright House Networks in serving the Filipino-American community in this part of the US."
For his part, Bright House Networks Executive Vice President of Cable Operations Kevin Hyman said that "Bright House Networks is pleased to offer GMA Networks' programming to our customers. Their award-winning news and public affairs offerings are extremely popular with our Filipino viewers."
Bright House Networks serves more than 2.4 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data, and voice services.
GMA Pinoy TV is fast becoming the preferred channel of Filipinos in the United States. Its projected worldwide subscriber base as of the end of 2010 totals 274,000 or 1.8 million viewers.
GMA Life TV, in turn, has about 125,000 subscribers or about 800,000 viewers worldwide.
GMA New Media Inc. (GMA NMI), a subsidiary of GMA Network, has joined forces with Top Gear Philippines and BMW for the interactive launch of the new BMW X3.
Through the wonders of Augmented Reality (AR), readers can explore the versatility of the BMW X3 in 3D as featured in Top Gear Philippines' March 2011 issue.
The two-page spread includes a marker that would trigger the AR experience on the microsite www.bmw.com.ph/X3ar and enable readers to take the vehicle for a drive.
Augmented reality provides a view of real-world elements that are enhanced by digital information, such as text, images, and videos. GMA NMI, a multimedia technology solutions company, is taking the lead in advancing the use of AR technologies in the Philippines.
"AR is not just a better way of seeing the brand. Its main objective is to allow the consumer to experience the product without the actual product being there," GMA NMI Senior Vice President Dingdong Caharian explained.
BMW is excited with the creative possibilities of AR in its marketing initiatives and its local distributor has commissioned GMA NMI to produce a series of advertising campaigns using AR and 3D technology.
"In the course of the worldwide 3D hype, we at BMW are always on the look-out for the latest technology; hence, we decided to incorporate Augmented Reality in the new BMW X3 Launch campaign," said Asian Carmakers Corporation President Maricar C. Parco. (JAL)
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