The Philippine Islands are pet friendly, however their procedure is a little different.
Your pet must be vaccinated for rabies and other diseases at least 30 days but not more than 12 months from the date of travel. Within 30 days of travel, a USDA (or CFIA) accredited veterinarian must then complete the Philippine Health Certificate for endorsement by the USDA or CFIA if traveling from the United States or Canada. If you are not traveling from either of these countries, the Governing Authority of your country should endorse the forms. A copy of the Rabies Certificate should also be included.
Send or present the Health Certificate for endorsement of Authenticity to any Philippine Consular Office three (3) weeks before shipment. There is a fee per health certificate.
An Import Permit should be secured by application from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
A copy of the import permit should be faxed to the owner/importer.
It should be presented at the airport upon the arrival of the pet. OR Upon arrival at the airport in Manila by presenting the endorsed health certificate to the Quarantine Officer on duty, filing of the required import permit and the payment of the corresponding fee.
Click Here for Pet Passport Forms for the Philippines
Failure to comply with these regulations will mean that your pet may be refused entry and the relevant authority in consultation with an authorized veterinarian can decide to return the pet home, or place the pet in quarantine at the expense of the owner or natural person responsible for pet, or as a last resort, without financial compensation, put the pet down where the return trip home or quarantine cannot be arranged.
All other pets (birds, invertebrates, tropical fish, reptiles, amphibia, mammals such as rodents and rabbits) are not subject to the regulations in respect of the anti-rabies vaccination but may have to meet other requirements as to a limit on the number of animals and a certificate to accompany them in respect of other diseases. Pet owners are strongly advised to seek further information from the relevant authority of their country and/or that of the country of destination.
VETERINARY CERTIFICATE
All countries have a unique veterinary certificates. This form differs from the International Veterinary Certificate issued by veterinarians in the United States. (APHIS 7001)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
News Update China to execute Filipino drug trafficker Dec. 8
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Chinese court has upheld the drug trafficking conviction of a Filipino man and set his execution for Dec. 8 despite appeals for clemency from the Philippine president, officials said Wednesday.
The 35-year-old man, who was not identified, was arrested in September 2008 at Guilin International Airport in southern China while trying to smuggle 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) of heroin into Guangxi province from Malaysia, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Smuggling more than 50 grams of heroin or other drugs is punishable by death in China.
The Philippine government provided all possible help to the condemned man and made "sustained and exhaustive representations with the Chinese government at all levels," including an appeal from President Benigno Aquino III to his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, to try to have the death sentence commuted to life in prison, officials said.
The foreign office expressed "its sadness at this turn of events" and said the convicted man's family has been told of the Chinese court's decision. Arrangements were being made for family members to immediately leave for China to meet with the condemned man.
The plight of Filipino workers overseas is an emotional issue in the Philippines, and ensuring their safety and welfare, often in conflict zones and countries with starkly different cultures, is a cornerstone of Philippine foreign policy. About 10 percent of the country's 94 million people work abroad to escape widespread poverty and unemployment at home.
In March, China executed three Filipino workers who were convicted of smuggling heroin despite last-minute appeals and political concessions by Philippine leaders. The three were arrested in 2008 and convicted and sentenced in 2009.
Aquino sent at least three letters to Hu and deployed his vice president to appeal, prompting China to postpone the executions of the three by a month. The Philippine government said it was able to prove that a drug syndicate had taken advantage of the Filipino workers.
The 35-year-old man, who was not identified, was arrested in September 2008 at Guilin International Airport in southern China while trying to smuggle 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) of heroin into Guangxi province from Malaysia, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Smuggling more than 50 grams of heroin or other drugs is punishable by death in China.
The Philippine government provided all possible help to the condemned man and made "sustained and exhaustive representations with the Chinese government at all levels," including an appeal from President Benigno Aquino III to his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, to try to have the death sentence commuted to life in prison, officials said.
The foreign office expressed "its sadness at this turn of events" and said the convicted man's family has been told of the Chinese court's decision. Arrangements were being made for family members to immediately leave for China to meet with the condemned man.
The plight of Filipino workers overseas is an emotional issue in the Philippines, and ensuring their safety and welfare, often in conflict zones and countries with starkly different cultures, is a cornerstone of Philippine foreign policy. About 10 percent of the country's 94 million people work abroad to escape widespread poverty and unemployment at home.
In March, China executed three Filipino workers who were convicted of smuggling heroin despite last-minute appeals and political concessions by Philippine leaders. The three were arrested in 2008 and convicted and sentenced in 2009.
Aquino sent at least three letters to Hu and deployed his vice president to appeal, prompting China to postpone the executions of the three by a month. The Philippine government said it was able to prove that a drug syndicate had taken advantage of the Filipino workers.
News Update people behind 'world's best airport' to help rehabilitate NAIA
A team of consultants from the suppposedly best airport in the world arrived in Manila Monday to conduct an initial inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, an official said.
The consultants from Singapore's Changi Airport will help rehabilitate NAIA, which is tagged the world’s worst airport, so it could have globally accepted standards.
The visiting Changi team is a mix of technical managers in airport passenger and cargo flow systems, terminal design, electromechanical engineering, architecture, and commercial revenue research.
“We recognize Changi Airport’s international reputation as the number one airport in the world. This gives us confidence that cooperating with them will reap positive results, particularly in line with our goal of delivering an efficient, distinctively Filipino, and customer-friendly airport for all travelers who will use NAIA Terminal 1 in the near future,” said Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas in a statement.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier approved a P1.1-billion budget for NAIA Terminal 1's (T1) rehabilitation plan, which includes structural and aesthetical improvements for the country’s gateway.
“We welcome this opportunity to help the Philippine government, specifically the MIAA, to maximize its current potential in terms of serving its current and future customers better,” said Jose Pantangco, senior vice president of Changi Airports International.
The Changi Airport team will inspect and analyze T1’s key facilities and areas, and study passenger flows in order to suggest technical assistance on functional design and systems improvement. DOTC will get a full report of the team’s findings in early January.
“Our experience at Changi Airport, and in other advisory projects elsewhere in Asia, Russia, and Europe is that the size of an airport is not a limitation to achieve smooth and efficient operations,” Pantangco said.
He further revealed that Singapore’s Changi Airport pulls in 70 million passengers per annum with its expanded terminal and runway capacities. Changi is also consistently voted as the number one airport in the world.
“This is just the initial step we are undertaking to identify key areas at T1 that urgently need rehabilitation from an international point of view,” Roxas said.
Roxas added that the government is aiming for "function and utility."
"We assure the public that we are doing all we can to provide them safe, affordable, reliable and comfortable travel facilities.”
The Singaporean airport chief agreed noted that "if service levels are improved, and people get a lot more comfortable when they go through an airport, they tend to stay a bit longer, shop more, thus enhance the airport’s revenue-generating capacity, and generally say nice things about the airport when they get home.”
The consultants from Singapore's Changi Airport will help rehabilitate NAIA, which is tagged the world’s worst airport, so it could have globally accepted standards.
The visiting Changi team is a mix of technical managers in airport passenger and cargo flow systems, terminal design, electromechanical engineering, architecture, and commercial revenue research.
“We recognize Changi Airport’s international reputation as the number one airport in the world. This gives us confidence that cooperating with them will reap positive results, particularly in line with our goal of delivering an efficient, distinctively Filipino, and customer-friendly airport for all travelers who will use NAIA Terminal 1 in the near future,” said Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas in a statement.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier approved a P1.1-billion budget for NAIA Terminal 1's (T1) rehabilitation plan, which includes structural and aesthetical improvements for the country’s gateway.
“We welcome this opportunity to help the Philippine government, specifically the MIAA, to maximize its current potential in terms of serving its current and future customers better,” said Jose Pantangco, senior vice president of Changi Airports International.
The Changi Airport team will inspect and analyze T1’s key facilities and areas, and study passenger flows in order to suggest technical assistance on functional design and systems improvement. DOTC will get a full report of the team’s findings in early January.
“Our experience at Changi Airport, and in other advisory projects elsewhere in Asia, Russia, and Europe is that the size of an airport is not a limitation to achieve smooth and efficient operations,” Pantangco said.
He further revealed that Singapore’s Changi Airport pulls in 70 million passengers per annum with its expanded terminal and runway capacities. Changi is also consistently voted as the number one airport in the world.
“This is just the initial step we are undertaking to identify key areas at T1 that urgently need rehabilitation from an international point of view,” Roxas said.
Roxas added that the government is aiming for "function and utility."
"We assure the public that we are doing all we can to provide them safe, affordable, reliable and comfortable travel facilities.”
The Singaporean airport chief agreed noted that "if service levels are improved, and people get a lot more comfortable when they go through an airport, they tend to stay a bit longer, shop more, thus enhance the airport’s revenue-generating capacity, and generally say nice things about the airport when they get home.”
News Update Earthquake rocks north Philippines; no damages
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An official says an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 shook the capital and parts of the northern Philippines. There are no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief Renato Solidum says movement in the Manila Trench off the country's western coast set off the earthquake Wednesday but it occurred deep under the ocean floor and did not cause any destruction.
Solidum says the quake was felt in metropolitan Manila and in the nearby provinces of Zambales, Bulacan, Pangasinan and in the mountain resort city of Baguio.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. A 7.7-magnitude quake killed nearly 2,000 people in Luzon in 1990.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief Renato Solidum says movement in the Manila Trench off the country's western coast set off the earthquake Wednesday but it occurred deep under the ocean floor and did not cause any destruction.
Solidum says the quake was felt in metropolitan Manila and in the nearby provinces of Zambales, Bulacan, Pangasinan and in the mountain resort city of Baguio.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. A 7.7-magnitude quake killed nearly 2,000 people in Luzon in 1990.
Kopi Talk The Great Filipino Plebeian and other heroes
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - What do we know of Filipino hero Andres Bonifacio, whose 148th birthdate we commemorate today? Ask any school pupil the question, and the answer would probably be a puzzled look or a sheepish grin.
Such ignorance doesn't come with young age. Turn to their parents and ask them the same question, and they are most likely to be as clueless as their children, able to tick off only a bare-bones outline of the hero's life: born in Manila (Tondo, specifically), of humble stock (hence the trademark look of crimson kerchief, camisa chino and rolled trousers), founded the Katipunan that ignited a national revolt that led to the country's liberation from Spanish rule, was killed by fellow Katipuneros¿Emilio Aguinaldo's cohorts¿in Cavite, now occupies his own imposing monument in Caloocan (though quite a number who pass by the Guillermo Tolentino sculpture every day probably have no idea that it's Bonifacio up there, familiar as they are only with the landmark's generic moniker: "Monumento").
Those who traverse Manila's streets could point out another likeness of him in the plaza that now bears his name, in the more recent Eduardo Castrillo monument commissioned by Mayor Alfredo Lim that historian Ambeth Ocampo has described as "a multi-colored komiks version of the hero of Manila beside City Hall."
It is perhaps the greater tragedy of Bonifacio's life, infinitely more unkind than his betrayal and untimely death at the hands of fellow Filipinos while in the midst of the freedom struggle he had helped instigate, that not many more of his countrymen these days are conversant with the details of his brief but indispensable existence, beyond the sketchy caricature they have been fed in high school history class.
Rizal's, understandably, is familiar to nearly everyone, as is Aguinaldo's, to some extent, the country's first president having outlived the Revolution to die of old age and leave behind enough records and historical fingerprints that have helped define his side of the story. Bonifacio, on the other hand¿are students even taught that he was a part-time actor in moro-moro plays? That he had a previous wife who died of leprosy before he married Gregoria de Jesus?
That, while he wasn't upper-class by any means, his father held a position of some importance as teniente mayor in Tondo, and that Bonifacio himself, while formally unschooled (he completed only the equivalent of grade four), steeped himself in European literature and crowned his attempt at self-education and social betterment by becoming a member of the Freemasons, some of whose secret rituals would inspire the goings-on inside the Katipunan?
These are far from petty trivialities, considering how little we know of the heroes in whose supposed honor we hold holidays of remembrance and commemoration. Whatever odds and ends of their lives that are filtered to us through the haze of history allow their granite likenesses to assume more human dimensions, allowing us in turn to make clearer, more helpful sense of their heroism and example¿to draw inspiration from the greatness they have forged out of everyday lives and concerns and anxieties that were, in so many ways, not quite unlike our own.
Still, the one day in the year dedicated to the Great Plebeian is not only a time to lament the paucity of popular knowledge and appreciation of certainly the country's most consequential hero next to Rizal (note that even that hierarchy remains the subject of fierce discussion). More constructively, it is an opportunity to pay tribute to the country's men and women who hail from the mold of Bonifacio¿the working classes, of underprivileged to middle-class stock who, without the benefit of economic wealth, political clout or social standing, strive to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, finding dignity and self-worth in jobs the educated and privileged would have neither the inclination nor the skill for.
The garbage man who collects the city's trash every day, the traffic cop steadfast in his post despite sun, rain and the vituperation of motorists, the maids and nannies that allow those able to hire them the freedom to construct blazing careers at work, the morticians lending respect and dignity to fallen loved ones, the gasoline boys and waitresses and fishwives and construction workers¿those whose backbreaking work makes others' lives gentler and easier, and, of course, the multitudes of blue-collar overseas Filipino workers toiling in foreign ships and deserts and wintry cities all over the world¿they are all heirs to Andres Bonifacio. His day is theirs, too.
Such ignorance doesn't come with young age. Turn to their parents and ask them the same question, and they are most likely to be as clueless as their children, able to tick off only a bare-bones outline of the hero's life: born in Manila (Tondo, specifically), of humble stock (hence the trademark look of crimson kerchief, camisa chino and rolled trousers), founded the Katipunan that ignited a national revolt that led to the country's liberation from Spanish rule, was killed by fellow Katipuneros¿Emilio Aguinaldo's cohorts¿in Cavite, now occupies his own imposing monument in Caloocan (though quite a number who pass by the Guillermo Tolentino sculpture every day probably have no idea that it's Bonifacio up there, familiar as they are only with the landmark's generic moniker: "Monumento").
Those who traverse Manila's streets could point out another likeness of him in the plaza that now bears his name, in the more recent Eduardo Castrillo monument commissioned by Mayor Alfredo Lim that historian Ambeth Ocampo has described as "a multi-colored komiks version of the hero of Manila beside City Hall."
It is perhaps the greater tragedy of Bonifacio's life, infinitely more unkind than his betrayal and untimely death at the hands of fellow Filipinos while in the midst of the freedom struggle he had helped instigate, that not many more of his countrymen these days are conversant with the details of his brief but indispensable existence, beyond the sketchy caricature they have been fed in high school history class.
Rizal's, understandably, is familiar to nearly everyone, as is Aguinaldo's, to some extent, the country's first president having outlived the Revolution to die of old age and leave behind enough records and historical fingerprints that have helped define his side of the story. Bonifacio, on the other hand¿are students even taught that he was a part-time actor in moro-moro plays? That he had a previous wife who died of leprosy before he married Gregoria de Jesus?
That, while he wasn't upper-class by any means, his father held a position of some importance as teniente mayor in Tondo, and that Bonifacio himself, while formally unschooled (he completed only the equivalent of grade four), steeped himself in European literature and crowned his attempt at self-education and social betterment by becoming a member of the Freemasons, some of whose secret rituals would inspire the goings-on inside the Katipunan?
These are far from petty trivialities, considering how little we know of the heroes in whose supposed honor we hold holidays of remembrance and commemoration. Whatever odds and ends of their lives that are filtered to us through the haze of history allow their granite likenesses to assume more human dimensions, allowing us in turn to make clearer, more helpful sense of their heroism and example¿to draw inspiration from the greatness they have forged out of everyday lives and concerns and anxieties that were, in so many ways, not quite unlike our own.
Still, the one day in the year dedicated to the Great Plebeian is not only a time to lament the paucity of popular knowledge and appreciation of certainly the country's most consequential hero next to Rizal (note that even that hierarchy remains the subject of fierce discussion). More constructively, it is an opportunity to pay tribute to the country's men and women who hail from the mold of Bonifacio¿the working classes, of underprivileged to middle-class stock who, without the benefit of economic wealth, political clout or social standing, strive to lift themselves up by their bootstraps, finding dignity and self-worth in jobs the educated and privileged would have neither the inclination nor the skill for.
The garbage man who collects the city's trash every day, the traffic cop steadfast in his post despite sun, rain and the vituperation of motorists, the maids and nannies that allow those able to hire them the freedom to construct blazing careers at work, the morticians lending respect and dignity to fallen loved ones, the gasoline boys and waitresses and fishwives and construction workers¿those whose backbreaking work makes others' lives gentler and easier, and, of course, the multitudes of blue-collar overseas Filipino workers toiling in foreign ships and deserts and wintry cities all over the world¿they are all heirs to Andres Bonifacio. His day is theirs, too.
News Update US nationals warned about poor conditions in Philippine prisons
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Americans in the Philippines have been advised to keep their noses clean because the US government will not be able to help them if they are sentenced to prison.
"Be prepared to face the realities of what are by American standards inadequate facilities, poor food and deficient sanitation in prisons," warned the US Embassy in Manila.
American nationals who happen to be "in detention after arrest or are already serving a prison term upon conviction" in the country "should provide the embassy with the names of family or friends for financial assistance to enable you to buy dietary supplements and basic necessities like soap and toothpaste," the embassy said in an "Emergency Services" advisory posted on its website.
According to the mission, "the consul can help you arrange for remittances to be sent so as to ensure that the money reaches you intact."
The embassy also warned that "because of the incidence of violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act of the Philippines, it is necessary that Americans facing drug charges understand that stiff penalties are meted out to offenders."
"It is not correct to assume¿as many do¿that the worst punishment an American can receive for such a violation is deportation. Offenders are generally arrested by operatives of the Philippine National Police (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and until granted bail-which is not allowed in all cases-they remain in the custody and generally are confined in the rehabilitation center at Camp Bicutan in Taguig (City). In some drug cases where the amount found is more than 40 grams bail may not be available," it said.
The embassy noted that "under the amended Dangerous Drugs Act, the penalty for the use or possession of 750 grams or more of marijuana is reclusion perpetua (20-40 years) to death. The possession or use of prohibited drugs in the amount of 40 grams or more, such as opium, heroin, cocaine or hallucinogens, carries a penalty of reclusion perpetua to death plus immediate deportation after completion of the sentence."
"As of now, there is a moratorium of undefined length on executions," the embassy noted.
It reminded US nationals that while in the Philippines, they are "subject to Philippine laws and regulations which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not provide the same protections available in the US."
"Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the US for similar offenses. Persons violating the law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, fined, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs in the Philippines are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines," it said.
The mission also said the US government "cannot arrange for an American citizen to be released from jail or prison."
"US citizenship does not entitle anyone to special privileges in the Philippine legal system. The US embassy does not have the authority to intervene in the Philippine justice system and cannot act as a legal representative or provide legal advice to US citizens," it said.
But the embassy made the assurance that the US Department of State is "committed to ensuring fair and humane treatment for American citizens imprisoned overseas."
"We assist incarcerated citizens and their families within the limits of our authority in accordance with international, US and Philippine laws. We monitor conditions in foreign prisons and protest allegations of abuse against American prisoners. We work with prison officials to seek treatment consistent with internationally recognized standards of human rights and due process."
"An embassy duty officer is always available for emergency assistance. The embassy's American Citizen Services Section is available to assist in all matters relating to the arrest of an American citizen," it said.
"Be prepared to face the realities of what are by American standards inadequate facilities, poor food and deficient sanitation in prisons," warned the US Embassy in Manila.
American nationals who happen to be "in detention after arrest or are already serving a prison term upon conviction" in the country "should provide the embassy with the names of family or friends for financial assistance to enable you to buy dietary supplements and basic necessities like soap and toothpaste," the embassy said in an "Emergency Services" advisory posted on its website.
According to the mission, "the consul can help you arrange for remittances to be sent so as to ensure that the money reaches you intact."
The embassy also warned that "because of the incidence of violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act of the Philippines, it is necessary that Americans facing drug charges understand that stiff penalties are meted out to offenders."
"It is not correct to assume¿as many do¿that the worst punishment an American can receive for such a violation is deportation. Offenders are generally arrested by operatives of the Philippine National Police (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and until granted bail-which is not allowed in all cases-they remain in the custody and generally are confined in the rehabilitation center at Camp Bicutan in Taguig (City). In some drug cases where the amount found is more than 40 grams bail may not be available," it said.
The embassy noted that "under the amended Dangerous Drugs Act, the penalty for the use or possession of 750 grams or more of marijuana is reclusion perpetua (20-40 years) to death. The possession or use of prohibited drugs in the amount of 40 grams or more, such as opium, heroin, cocaine or hallucinogens, carries a penalty of reclusion perpetua to death plus immediate deportation after completion of the sentence."
"As of now, there is a moratorium of undefined length on executions," the embassy noted.
It reminded US nationals that while in the Philippines, they are "subject to Philippine laws and regulations which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not provide the same protections available in the US."
"Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the US for similar offenses. Persons violating the law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, fined, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs in the Philippines are strict and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines," it said.
The mission also said the US government "cannot arrange for an American citizen to be released from jail or prison."
"US citizenship does not entitle anyone to special privileges in the Philippine legal system. The US embassy does not have the authority to intervene in the Philippine justice system and cannot act as a legal representative or provide legal advice to US citizens," it said.
But the embassy made the assurance that the US Department of State is "committed to ensuring fair and humane treatment for American citizens imprisoned overseas."
"We assist incarcerated citizens and their families within the limits of our authority in accordance with international, US and Philippine laws. We monitor conditions in foreign prisons and protest allegations of abuse against American prisoners. We work with prison officials to seek treatment consistent with internationally recognized standards of human rights and due process."
"An embassy duty officer is always available for emergency assistance. The embassy's American Citizen Services Section is available to assist in all matters relating to the arrest of an American citizen," it said.
News Update Gov't confident of attaining growth target - Domingo
MANILA, Philippines - Despite the slow third quarter growth, government is confident that it can attain a full year 3.5 percent to four percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth, an economic manager said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s SME (Small Medium Sized Enterprise) Summit at Eton, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said he is confident that the worse is over in terms of GDP growth.
In fact, Domingo stressed that the fourth quarter will be relatively better. “It (fourth quarter GDP) will be slightly better than the third quarter,”Domingo said. Thus, he said he is maintaining his earlier forecast of 3.5 percent to four percent growth in GDP.
However, Domingo did not give any projection on the inflation. Instead, Domingo assured the public that prices of goods especially the noche Buena products wont rise this holiday season. He said he has already received the commitment of the manufacturers and the grocery owners. In spite of this assurance, Domingo enjoined the public to do their Christmas shopping early because there may be some smaller stores that will increase their prices when the holiday is nearer due to supply and demand situation.
Earlier this week, Domingo has already told bakers to hold off any planned price increases in loaf bread and pan de sal until after the holiday season.
The Philippine Baking Group (Philbaking) has said that they will likely increase the price of loaf bread by P1 and pan de sal by P0.50 per 10 piece pack as price of their inputs like milk continue to go up.
“We agreed that there will be no increases this holiday season,” Domingo said in Filipino. As such, Domingo directed Undersecretary for Consumer Welfare Zenaida C. Maglaya to talk to the bakers regarding the planned increase. - By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s SME (Small Medium Sized Enterprise) Summit at Eton, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said he is confident that the worse is over in terms of GDP growth.
In fact, Domingo stressed that the fourth quarter will be relatively better. “It (fourth quarter GDP) will be slightly better than the third quarter,”Domingo said. Thus, he said he is maintaining his earlier forecast of 3.5 percent to four percent growth in GDP.
However, Domingo did not give any projection on the inflation. Instead, Domingo assured the public that prices of goods especially the noche Buena products wont rise this holiday season. He said he has already received the commitment of the manufacturers and the grocery owners. In spite of this assurance, Domingo enjoined the public to do their Christmas shopping early because there may be some smaller stores that will increase their prices when the holiday is nearer due to supply and demand situation.
Earlier this week, Domingo has already told bakers to hold off any planned price increases in loaf bread and pan de sal until after the holiday season.
The Philippine Baking Group (Philbaking) has said that they will likely increase the price of loaf bread by P1 and pan de sal by P0.50 per 10 piece pack as price of their inputs like milk continue to go up.
“We agreed that there will be no increases this holiday season,” Domingo said in Filipino. As such, Domingo directed Undersecretary for Consumer Welfare Zenaida C. Maglaya to talk to the bakers regarding the planned increase. - By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (
News Update SolGen asks SC en banc to hear UP Technohub case
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court en banc to hear a case – now pending before the SC’s Second Division – involving the University of the Philippines (UP)-Ayala Land Technohub, along Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City. The case involves the erroneous issuance in favor of a private individual of a transfer certificate of title (TCT) over the land upon which stands the UP-North Science and Technology Park, popularly known as UP-Ayala Land Technohub. The land registered under the name of UP and the state university’s indefeasible title to the property has been upheld several times by the Supreme Court itself. The high court’s Second Division had earlier denied the OSG’s motion for referral to the Supreme Court en banc, or to the whole 15-justice court instead of simply a division composed of only five justices. This has led to the OSG filing a motion for reconsideration on Tuesday. The OSG had argued in its earlier motion dated August 3, 2011 — for referral to the Supreme Court en banc — the case is of “paramount importance to the country” and “merits the attention of all fifteen sitting justices of the Supreme Court, considering that the case involves a large tract of government land reserved for none other than the national university and represents substantial business investments from various private partners including the Ayala Land, Inc.” The case stems from a 1997 petition for reconstitution of TCT over the land which was filed by a Segundina Rosario (now deceased) at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 101. Rosario had claimed that her TCT was among those burned in a fire in 1988, and for this reason she sought a reconstitution or reconstruction of her alleged lost certificate. Despite the fact that the land she had claimed overlaps land covered by TCT Nos. 192689 and 192687 issued in the name of UP — and despite her use of documentary evidence the OSG says is “fraudulent” — the RTC ruled in Rosario’s favor. The Court of Appeals later affirmed the trial court's decision. The Supreme Court’s own internal rules provide that the court en banc shall act on cases where a doctrine previously laid down by the SC could possibly be modified or reversed, or on cases where the subject matter has a huge financial impact on businesses or a community. The OSG maintains that the case involving the science and technology park meets both of these criteria. Zuellgate Corporation, which has substituted Segundina Rosario in the case, opposed the OSG’s previous motion for referral. The UP Ayala Land Technohub is a 37.5-hectare technology park inside the UP Diliman campus under a 25-year lease, and is one of two technology parks inside the university managed by the Ayala Group. It was patterned after well-known and successful technology parks abroad, such as the Tsukuba Science City at University of Tsukuba, the Singapore Science Park at the National University of Singapore, and the Haidan Science Park at the University of Beijing, as well as Silicon Valley at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and Route 128 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. — MRT/VS,
News Update Economists downgrade PHL output forecast on 'lethargic' Q3 GDP
Economists were quick to scale down their Philippine economic forecasts following what the National Statistical Coordination Board said was a “lethargic” growth of 3.2 percent in the third quarter output. Nomura Global Economics contributing economist Euben Paracuelles said in the company’s “Asia Economic Alert” — released late Monday — it is unlikely that government’s Disbursement Acceleration Plan will be enough to achieve full year growth within the target range of 4.5 to 5.5 percent. “Growth in the first three quarters was only 3.6 percent, which implies that Q4 growth needs to more than double to 7 percent year-on-year, just to achieve the low end of that forecast,” Paracuelles said. Global Source Partners on Tuesday dropped eight-tenths of a percent from its 4.3 percent projection. In its market brief, “Philippines Stuck in Lower Gear,” the New York-based think tank said with “the gloomy global outlook and weak local drivers, fourth quarter performance will likely be no better which leads us to cut our growth forecast from 4.3 percent to 3.5 percent this year and from 4.8 percent to 4.5 percent the next.” 'Lethargic growth' The NSCB said on Monday the 3.6 percent of nine-month growth is "quite a distance even from the lower end of the whole year target of 4.5 percent." Exporters suffered a 16-percent decline in earnings while the construction sector shrunk by 7.2 percent in the third quarter (Q3) compared to the July-to-September period of 2010, according to the NSCB. These industries' woes resulted in a -0.2 percent decline in the output of the industry sector, which accounted for 31.34 percent or about one-third of gross domestic product in Q3, NSCB data showed. "The so-called death spiral of debt that hounds our trading partners, the uninvigorating, albeit already expanded government spending, and the decline in fishing due to unfavorable weather and the high cost of fuel contributed to this relatively lethargic growth," NSCB secretary-general Romulo Virola said. "On the demand side, consumer spending bolstered growth but construction continued to suffer from the much delayed implementation of the Public-Private Partnership program while export of goods really got hit by the global crisis, posting a double-digit decline for the first time since the second quarter of 2009," the NSCB said. Construction managed to pump a third quarter output of P446.3 billion due to "the uninvigorating, albeit already expanded government spending" of the Aquino administration. Exporters' earnings fell to P550.89 billion in July to September this year versus P656.86 billion in Q3 of 2010. "The Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishery sector declined hugely by 3.9 percent," the NSCB said, "as climate disturbances wrought havoc to the sector." Services sector saves economy Services sector firms and entrepreneurs "saved the domestic economy from posting an even lower growth" by registering a 5.3 percent growth rate at a Q3 output of P825.63 billion, according to the NSCB, noting that services was responsible for 58 percent of the third quarter output. NSCB said, "the robust growth of the services sector by 1.2 percent during the third quarter 2011, bailed out the economy from the nosedive of the agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing sector." "The boost to the sector was led by real estate, renting and business activities, other services and public administration and defense. All subsectors have posted positive growths for the last two quarters," the NSCB noted. The gross domestic product, which measures the total output of the local economy, reached P1.4 trillion in the third quarter and 69 percent of it came from consumer spending while government spending accounted for only 9.8 percent. NEDA chief hopeful still Socioeconomic planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Jr. in a statement issued Monday afternoon, remains optimistic despite the "lethargic growth" as observed by the NSCB. "Notwithstanding the third quarter’s moderate growth, there are indications of more favorable prospects for the fourth quarter of 2011. These include the following: anticipated higher demand on account of the Yuletide and harvest seasons; a more stable macroeconomy; a broadly steady consumer sentiment; the continued inflows of remittances from Filipinos overseas," Paderanga said. "Public construction and government consumption and services are likely to pick-up in the coming quarters due to quick releases and faster utilization of the P72-billion Disbursement Acceleration Program," the director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority said. — With Earl Victor Rosero/VS/KG,
News Update SuperFerry resumes operations, decries MARINA suspension order
SuperFerry resumed operations following a 36-hour suspension of its vessel operations by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). Regulator Marina ordered SuperFerry vessels grounded for a safety audit starting Nov. 18 after one of its ships collided with a fishing boat off Sarangani province on Nov. 16, leaving one dead and 6 others injured. During the audit, MARINA found SuperFerry “to be fully compliant with national and international safety management systems,” according to a statement Tuesday by Super Ferry operator Negros Navigation-Aboitiz Transport System (NN-ATS). Sulficio O. Tagud, Jr., CEO of NN-ATS, said the suspension of their entire fleet was uncalled for, especially after the results of the MARINA Audit were made public. “At the most, only one vessel should have been slapped with suspension,” Tagud said. The suspension affected the company’s public image, he said, noting that “though we are relieved that MARINA has lifted the suspension order, NN-ATS expresses its extreme displeasure over the lack of due process accorded by the regulatory body. Such [an] arbitrary move unduly alarmed a vast number of cargo shippers and passengers in our ports of operation." In a telephone interview, Lito Salvio, NN-ATS assistant vice president for ship management, told GMA News Online that the company did its own investigation of the accident. “I myself investigated the matter.” “At 1 o’clock in the morning we were already past the alleged area,” when and where the Nov. 16 accident supposedly happened," Salvio explained. “Our officers had nothing to report,” Salvio added. He noted that NN-ATS was “displeased about the way MARINA handled it. It was arbitrary, but we will cooperate.” The suspension caused the shipping company to incur considerable losses from ticket refunds and undelivered cargoes, the company said in the statement. Tagud called for an improvement in the regulator’s handling of such incidents, saying that "MARINA is expected to administer clear written policies and other formal guidelines for the shipping and cargo industry and not resort to hasty negative actions against any of its supervised companies.” “In addition, part of its mandate is to foster the development of the industry and encourage investment rather than foist negative impressions among would be investors," he added. — VS/KG
News Update Army captures 2 NPA camps in Samar
MANILA, Philippines - Army troops captured on Monday two camps of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northern Samar after separate clashes with the communist rebels.
Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion, said the seized rebel camps were located at the boundary of Catarman, Bobon and Lope de Vega towns.
Vestuir said his troops had received reports from civilians about armed men in an area between Barangays San Julian and San Pascual of Catarman town.
“Early morning, the troops proceeded to the said area and caught the enemy by surprise. Firefight ensued for about an hour that forced the enemy to withdraw towards different directions,” he said.
After the clash, the troops overran the camp, which has 20 bunkers that could accommodate about 30 rebels.
Soldiers also recovered 460 rounds of ammunition for a machine gun link, one sack of rice, kitchen utensils, cooking paraphernalia, personal belongings and a bag of documents.
“The government troops suffered no casualty while on the enemy side, there are undetermined number of wounded as troops found traces of blood in the former enemy position,” Vestuir said.
He said government troops overran and seized another encampment after another encounter at around 12:30 p.m. of the same day.
The captured camp has 30 bunkers that can accommodate about 60 insurgents. - By Alexis Romero
Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion, said the seized rebel camps were located at the boundary of Catarman, Bobon and Lope de Vega towns.
Vestuir said his troops had received reports from civilians about armed men in an area between Barangays San Julian and San Pascual of Catarman town.
“Early morning, the troops proceeded to the said area and caught the enemy by surprise. Firefight ensued for about an hour that forced the enemy to withdraw towards different directions,” he said.
After the clash, the troops overran the camp, which has 20 bunkers that could accommodate about 30 rebels.
Soldiers also recovered 460 rounds of ammunition for a machine gun link, one sack of rice, kitchen utensils, cooking paraphernalia, personal belongings and a bag of documents.
“The government troops suffered no casualty while on the enemy side, there are undetermined number of wounded as troops found traces of blood in the former enemy position,” Vestuir said.
He said government troops overran and seized another encampment after another encounter at around 12:30 p.m. of the same day.
The captured camp has 30 bunkers that can accommodate about 60 insurgents. - By Alexis Romero
News Update Manila RTC orders arrest of 7 cops in ‘torture video’
The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 1 has found “probable cause” that seven policemen, including one police official, are guilty of torturing a suspect right inside a police station – as shown in a video of the crime itself that was uploaded to the Internet August last year – and ordered warrants for their arrest to be issued. Manila RTC Judge Tita Bughao Alisuag has ordered the arrest of Senior Insp. Joselito Binayug, the alleged torturer in the video; Senior Police Officer 3 Joaquin de Guzman, SPO1 Rodolfo Ong Jr., SPO1 Dante Bautista, PO1 Nonito Binayug, PO1 Rex Binayug, and other John Does; as well as their station commander Supt. Rogelio Rosales Jr. Lawyer Rommel Bagares, one of the counsels of the widow of the alleged torture victim identified in the video as Darius Evangelista, has provided GMA News Online on Tuesday with a copy of the RTC’s order promulgated last Nov. 3. Evangelista has been missing since March 5 last year after being arrested by Manila policemen. A shocking footage of his ordeal came out August that year, prompting authorities, including the Commission on Human Rights, to conduct an investigation. The video of his ordeal on the video-sharing site YouTube in August 2010, showing Evangelista writhing in pain as Binayug tugged on his penis with the use of a string. [See: DOJ recommends charges for ‘torture cop,’ others] ‘Body of the crime’ Judge Alisuag also dismissed the motion to quash the criminal information filed against policemen. The motion to quash filed by respondents Rodolfo Ong and Rex Binayug, who argued that the court had lacked jurisdiction and that there was no “corpus delicti” of the person to constitute the crime of torture. Corpus delicti is the legal concept of “body of the crime” which does not necessarily refer to the body of the victim but rather the different elements comprising the crime itself. But the RTC pointed out that “A reading of Republict Act 9745 (Anti-Torture Act of 2009) would reveal that the corpus delicti is the torture itself resulting in the death.” The Department of Justice had recommended the filing of a criminal case against Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug, the policeman accused of torturing a suspected thief in August last year, and some of his colleagues at the Manila Police District. Binayug was dismissed from the service last Jan. 14 after a task force formed to investigate allegations of torture confirmed he was the policeman in the torture video. He has appealed his dismissal, but also faces an administrative case at the National Police Commission aside from the criminal case with the Manila RTC. VERA Files has, however, revealed that Binayug currently teaches as a part-time instructor at the privately run Philippine College of Criminology-Manila Law College (PCCR-MLC), where he has been teaching Crime Detection Investigation since last June. — RSJ
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
DID YOU KNOW THAT ? AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONTROL AND ELIMINATION OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL RABIES, Philippine
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9482
May 25, 2007
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONTROL AND ELIMINATION OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL RABIES, PRESCRIBING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Rabies Act of 2007".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people. Towards this end, a system for the control, prevention of the spread, and eventual eradication of human and animal Rabies shall be provided and the need for responsible pet ownership established.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall mean:
(a) Bitten refers to an act by which a Dog seizes, cuts or grips with its teeth so that the skin of a person has been wounded, pierced or scratched.
(b) Concerned Officials refers to barangay officials, health workers, police officers or government veterinarians.
(c) Direct Supervision refers to range supervision where physical presence of the veterinarian within the barangay is necessary.
(d) Dog refers to a common quadruped domestic animal belonging to the order carnivora (male or female), scientifically known as canis familiaris.
(e) Euthanasia refers to the process of painless death to Dogs and other animals.
(f) Impound refers to seize and hold in the custody of the law.
(g) Owner refers to any person keeping, harboring or having charge, care or control of a Dog including his/her representative.
(h) Pound refers to a public enclosure for stray animals.
(i) Public Place refers to any place open to the public like parks, malls, markets, streets, etc.
(i) Rabies refers to a highly fatal disease caused by a lyssa virus, transmitted mainly through the bite of an infected animal and is characterized by muscle paralysis, hydrophobia and aerophobia, and other neurological manifestations.
(k) Rabies transmission refers to the transmission or passage of the Rabies virus through a bite by an infected animal, or through contamination with virus-laden saliva on breaks in the skin and of mucous membranes such as the eyes, the lips, the mouth, or the genital organs.
(l) Rabies Vaccination/Immunoprophylaxis of Humans refers to the inoculation of humans, with modern day rabies vaccines or Rabies immunoglobulin, by a trained doctor or nurse under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner.
(m) Rabies Vaccination of Dogs refers to the inoculation of a Dog with a Rabies vaccine by a licensed government or private veterinarian or trained individual under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The services of the said trained individual shall be limited only to Rabies Vaccination Injection in Dogs and only during government mass vaccination campaigns.
(n) Post-exposure Treatment (P.E.T) refers to an anti-Rabies treatment administered after an exposure to Rabies, which include local wound care, Rabies vaccine, with or without anti-Rabies immunizing agent.
(o) Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (P.E.P.) refers to Rabies vaccination administered before an exposure to Rabies to those who are at high risk of getting Rabies.
(p) Stray Dog refers to any Dog leaving its Owners place or premise and no longer under the effective control of the Owner.
(q) Veterinary or Human Barbiturates refer to drugs that depress the function of the central nervous system.
May 25, 2007
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONTROL AND ELIMINATION OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL RABIES, PRESCRIBING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Rabies Act of 2007".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people. Towards this end, a system for the control, prevention of the spread, and eventual eradication of human and animal Rabies shall be provided and the need for responsible pet ownership established.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall mean:
(a) Bitten refers to an act by which a Dog seizes, cuts or grips with its teeth so that the skin of a person has been wounded, pierced or scratched.
(b) Concerned Officials refers to barangay officials, health workers, police officers or government veterinarians.
(c) Direct Supervision refers to range supervision where physical presence of the veterinarian within the barangay is necessary.
(d) Dog refers to a common quadruped domestic animal belonging to the order carnivora (male or female), scientifically known as canis familiaris.
(e) Euthanasia refers to the process of painless death to Dogs and other animals.
(f) Impound refers to seize and hold in the custody of the law.
(g) Owner refers to any person keeping, harboring or having charge, care or control of a Dog including his/her representative.
(h) Pound refers to a public enclosure for stray animals.
(i) Public Place refers to any place open to the public like parks, malls, markets, streets, etc.
(i) Rabies refers to a highly fatal disease caused by a lyssa virus, transmitted mainly through the bite of an infected animal and is characterized by muscle paralysis, hydrophobia and aerophobia, and other neurological manifestations.
(k) Rabies transmission refers to the transmission or passage of the Rabies virus through a bite by an infected animal, or through contamination with virus-laden saliva on breaks in the skin and of mucous membranes such as the eyes, the lips, the mouth, or the genital organs.
(l) Rabies Vaccination/Immunoprophylaxis of Humans refers to the inoculation of humans, with modern day rabies vaccines or Rabies immunoglobulin, by a trained doctor or nurse under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner.
(m) Rabies Vaccination of Dogs refers to the inoculation of a Dog with a Rabies vaccine by a licensed government or private veterinarian or trained individual under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The services of the said trained individual shall be limited only to Rabies Vaccination Injection in Dogs and only during government mass vaccination campaigns.
(n) Post-exposure Treatment (P.E.T) refers to an anti-Rabies treatment administered after an exposure to Rabies, which include local wound care, Rabies vaccine, with or without anti-Rabies immunizing agent.
(o) Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (P.E.P.) refers to Rabies vaccination administered before an exposure to Rabies to those who are at high risk of getting Rabies.
(p) Stray Dog refers to any Dog leaving its Owners place or premise and no longer under the effective control of the Owner.
(q) Veterinary or Human Barbiturates refer to drugs that depress the function of the central nervous system.
News Update Rookie Iloilo cop mauled, killed while serving arrest warrant
A rookie policeman was mauled and subsequently shot dead when he tried to serve an arrest warrant in Iloilo City on Monday, reports reaching Camp Crame in Quezon City said. PO1 Angelo Catiponan, 31, was serving the arrest warrant for Jeffrey Cason, who has a frustrated homicide case, when the suspect and three companions attacked him. The suspects were reportedly drunk, according to Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., quoting the report. Three of the suspects — Cason, his relative Wilfredo Cason, and Jerry Bordon — were arrested, Cruz said. The fourth suspect, Gabot Jacusalem, is currently the subject of manhunt operations. “Jeffrey Cason and Wilfredo Cason also forcibly took the service firearm of the PO1 Catiponan and shot him several times,” said Cruz. Catiponan, who was assigned to the Station 3 of the Iloilo City Police, died at a hospital, Cruz added. — KBK
News Update US senators may tackle Filipino citizenship case
Los Angeles (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin has decided to present the story of undocumented Filipino Jose "JB" Librojo in the US Senate to push for the passage of the Dream Act, a bill that seeks to create a path to citizenship for undocumented people in the United States.
The office of Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate and the bill's longtime champion, has requested Librojo to document his plight, which the senator will cite as an example of why the act needs to get passed, said Librojo's lawyer, Arnedo Valera.
Durbin plans to present the Filipino's case before fellow senators as soon as Librojo, a dental assistant, completes his documentation, Valera said.
Valera described his 32-year-old client as a Dream Act-eligible candidate who came to the United States lawfully as a child and had lived in the country for 16 years.
The Dream Act is a legislative proposal that would provide conditional permanent residency to undocumented immigrants of good moral character who arrived in America as minors, graduated from US high schools and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment.
After Librojo received a deportation order from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than a month ago, thousands of supporters launched online petitions and an e-mail campaign appealing for help for him.
Word about the case reached lawmakers, including Senator Durbin, who interceded for Librojo.
Last-minute reprieve
Complying with the deportation order, Librojo prepared to board a Manila-bound plane at San Francisco International Airport on November 8, but was told by the ICE that he did not have to leave.
On November 18, Librojo received a call from Craig Meyer, San Francisco field director for the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, saying
his deportation order has been suspended for one year.
"He was given 365 days to exhaust all legal remedies," said Valera, who is now working to get Librojo an employment-based immigrant visa, which will allow him to adjust his status and become a permanent resident or green card holder.
Another route for Librojo is through his wife Anna de Gorostiza's H1B, or working visa for professionals, said Valera, who is working on the case in partnership with the Washington-based Migrant Heritage Commission.
Fighting on
Durbin, whose mother migrated to the United States from Lithuania as a toddler, has been pushing for the passage of the Dream Act for the past 10 years.
The bill has been mired in the national debate over how to deal with America's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants¿one million of whom are Filipinos.
A native of Laguna, Librojo was 15 years old when he and his family moved to San Francisco, California, in 1995 after they were given political asylum. In 2005, he and his family received deportation orders after their visas were not renewed.
Librojo's parents left the United States voluntarily in 2006, while his sister moved to Canada.
Librojo stayed on.
Saying Librojo was a victim of a broken immigration system, several community groups, including the Alumni Association of Alpha Phi Omega-Mu Zeta and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon), as well as petitioners on change.org, have launched a campaign to stop his deportation.
They argued that the deportation order was not consistent with the new Obama administration policy to avoid deporting illegal immigrants who were not criminals.
'Everyone's victory'
Librojo has never committed a crime and has filed his income tax return regularly as a full-time registered dental assistant and dental lab X-ray technician.
Librojo attended Westmoor High School in Daly City, California, and obtained a BS degree in biology from San Francisco State University. He is a member of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity.
"It's not just my victory but everyone's victory," Librojo said about the one-year suspension of his deportation. "I'd like to thank everyone who stood by me from Day One and up to the last minute."
The office of Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate and the bill's longtime champion, has requested Librojo to document his plight, which the senator will cite as an example of why the act needs to get passed, said Librojo's lawyer, Arnedo Valera.
Durbin plans to present the Filipino's case before fellow senators as soon as Librojo, a dental assistant, completes his documentation, Valera said.
Valera described his 32-year-old client as a Dream Act-eligible candidate who came to the United States lawfully as a child and had lived in the country for 16 years.
The Dream Act is a legislative proposal that would provide conditional permanent residency to undocumented immigrants of good moral character who arrived in America as minors, graduated from US high schools and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment.
After Librojo received a deportation order from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than a month ago, thousands of supporters launched online petitions and an e-mail campaign appealing for help for him.
Word about the case reached lawmakers, including Senator Durbin, who interceded for Librojo.
Last-minute reprieve
Complying with the deportation order, Librojo prepared to board a Manila-bound plane at San Francisco International Airport on November 8, but was told by the ICE that he did not have to leave.
On November 18, Librojo received a call from Craig Meyer, San Francisco field director for the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, saying
his deportation order has been suspended for one year.
"He was given 365 days to exhaust all legal remedies," said Valera, who is now working to get Librojo an employment-based immigrant visa, which will allow him to adjust his status and become a permanent resident or green card holder.
Another route for Librojo is through his wife Anna de Gorostiza's H1B, or working visa for professionals, said Valera, who is working on the case in partnership with the Washington-based Migrant Heritage Commission.
Fighting on
Durbin, whose mother migrated to the United States from Lithuania as a toddler, has been pushing for the passage of the Dream Act for the past 10 years.
The bill has been mired in the national debate over how to deal with America's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants¿one million of whom are Filipinos.
A native of Laguna, Librojo was 15 years old when he and his family moved to San Francisco, California, in 1995 after they were given political asylum. In 2005, he and his family received deportation orders after their visas were not renewed.
Librojo's parents left the United States voluntarily in 2006, while his sister moved to Canada.
Librojo stayed on.
Saying Librojo was a victim of a broken immigration system, several community groups, including the Alumni Association of Alpha Phi Omega-Mu Zeta and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon), as well as petitioners on change.org, have launched a campaign to stop his deportation.
They argued that the deportation order was not consistent with the new Obama administration policy to avoid deporting illegal immigrants who were not criminals.
'Everyone's victory'
Librojo has never committed a crime and has filed his income tax return regularly as a full-time registered dental assistant and dental lab X-ray technician.
Librojo attended Westmoor High School in Daly City, California, and obtained a BS degree in biology from San Francisco State University. He is a member of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity.
"It's not just my victory but everyone's victory," Librojo said about the one-year suspension of his deportation. "I'd like to thank everyone who stood by me from Day One and up to the last minute."
News Update Comelec wants Gloria Arroyo detained in govt facility
Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is facing an electoral sabotage case, should be detained in a government facility and not in a private hospital or her residence, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes said Monday.
“Ang preference namin is Southern Police District kasi within the jurisdiction of the [Pasay Regional Trial Court]," said Brillantes.
“Hindi kami papayag na private hospital, hindi kami papayag residence."
Still, the Comelec chief said will have a final say on where the Arroyo should be detained. She is accused of allegedly ordering authorities to cheat results of the 2007 midterm elections. Mrs. Arroyo's camp filed two motions asking the Pasay City Regional Trial Court to place her under hospital and house arrest.
Brillantes said they will block any move to have Mrs. Arroyo placed under house arrest if ever she is discharged from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City where she is being treated for her bone mineral disorder and hypoparathyroidism.
“We will oppose it as soon as we receive the copy of the motion," Brillantes said, although he admitted that they have yet to see the petition filed by the Arroyo camp.
“Kaya nga hindi pa kami nagko-comment kasi hindi pa namin alam kung ano yung laman ng kanyang [petition]. Hindi ko alam ‘yung ibig sabihin ng house arrest. House arrest ba dun sa bahay nya?" the Comelec chief said.
Brillantes said they would only agree to a house arrest provided it will be under “government house arrest."
“Kung sabihin niya na government house arrest baka sakali pwede pa, which means it’s a government house where she will be detained," he said. “Ang government house sa interpretation namin would be detention facility of government."
According to one of Mrs. Arroyo's counsels, Laurence Arroyo, they are asking for respect for the former President.
“We are not asking that she be given preferential treatment but just to give her the respect due her because of the office that she held," he said in an interview at the Comelec head office in Manila after furnishing the poll body a copy of the petitions.
Brillantes said the commission will block any move to have Mrs. Arroyo placed under house or hospital arrest if ever she is discharged from St. Luke’s where she is being treated for bone mineral disorder and hypoparathyroidism.
“We will oppose it as soon as we receive the copy of the motion," Brillantes said.
A reasonable request
The request for house arrest is a reasonable one, according to the motion
“President Arroyo is no ordinary citizen. The Lady of Justice may be blind in weighing the evidence but she cannot close her eyes to the fact the person before her is no ordinary person… Thus, while her term has ended, her stature as a former president has not diminished and her long public service cannot be disregarded," part of the petition read.
The lawyer said they asked the court to allow Mrs. Arroyo to stay at her residence in La Vista, Quezon City.
Earlier Monday, Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay Regional Trial Court, inspected Mrs. Arroyo’s detention cell at the SPD headquarters — an airconditioned lounge converted into a makeshift detention area for the former President who is now a legislator representing Pampanga’s Second District.
A team from the Pasay City RTC also inspected three government hospitals in Metro Manila where Mrs. Arroyo is likely to be transferred.
‘Accepted detention measure’
Meanwhile, one of Mrs. Arroyo’s allies at the House of Representatives, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, said that house arrest is an “accepted" measure to secure the safety of an accused and prevent his or her escape.
“House and hospital arrests are accepted detention measures in lieu of prison confinement, particularly during the pre-trial and pre-conviction phases of criminal prosecution," he said in a statement.
He cited foreign leaders and personalities, such as Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, Chile’s Augusto Pinochet and even Galileo Galilei, who were once placed under house arrest.
Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo should be placed under house arrest since the constitutionality of the Department of Justice-Comelec panel, whose findings were used as basis for the electoral sabotage case, is still being questioned before the Supreme Court. — KBK/VS
“Ang preference namin is Southern Police District kasi within the jurisdiction of the [Pasay Regional Trial Court]," said Brillantes.
“Hindi kami papayag na private hospital, hindi kami papayag residence."
Still, the Comelec chief said will have a final say on where the Arroyo should be detained. She is accused of allegedly ordering authorities to cheat results of the 2007 midterm elections. Mrs. Arroyo's camp filed two motions asking the Pasay City Regional Trial Court to place her under hospital and house arrest.
Brillantes said they will block any move to have Mrs. Arroyo placed under house arrest if ever she is discharged from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City where she is being treated for her bone mineral disorder and hypoparathyroidism.
“We will oppose it as soon as we receive the copy of the motion," Brillantes said, although he admitted that they have yet to see the petition filed by the Arroyo camp.
“Kaya nga hindi pa kami nagko-comment kasi hindi pa namin alam kung ano yung laman ng kanyang [petition]. Hindi ko alam ‘yung ibig sabihin ng house arrest. House arrest ba dun sa bahay nya?" the Comelec chief said.
Brillantes said they would only agree to a house arrest provided it will be under “government house arrest."
“Kung sabihin niya na government house arrest baka sakali pwede pa, which means it’s a government house where she will be detained," he said. “Ang government house sa interpretation namin would be detention facility of government."
According to one of Mrs. Arroyo's counsels, Laurence Arroyo, they are asking for respect for the former President.
“We are not asking that she be given preferential treatment but just to give her the respect due her because of the office that she held," he said in an interview at the Comelec head office in Manila after furnishing the poll body a copy of the petitions.
Brillantes said the commission will block any move to have Mrs. Arroyo placed under house or hospital arrest if ever she is discharged from St. Luke’s where she is being treated for bone mineral disorder and hypoparathyroidism.
“We will oppose it as soon as we receive the copy of the motion," Brillantes said.
A reasonable request
The request for house arrest is a reasonable one, according to the motion
“President Arroyo is no ordinary citizen. The Lady of Justice may be blind in weighing the evidence but she cannot close her eyes to the fact the person before her is no ordinary person… Thus, while her term has ended, her stature as a former president has not diminished and her long public service cannot be disregarded," part of the petition read.
The lawyer said they asked the court to allow Mrs. Arroyo to stay at her residence in La Vista, Quezon City.
Earlier Monday, Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pasay Regional Trial Court, inspected Mrs. Arroyo’s detention cell at the SPD headquarters — an airconditioned lounge converted into a makeshift detention area for the former President who is now a legislator representing Pampanga’s Second District.
A team from the Pasay City RTC also inspected three government hospitals in Metro Manila where Mrs. Arroyo is likely to be transferred.
‘Accepted detention measure’
Meanwhile, one of Mrs. Arroyo’s allies at the House of Representatives, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, said that house arrest is an “accepted" measure to secure the safety of an accused and prevent his or her escape.
“House and hospital arrests are accepted detention measures in lieu of prison confinement, particularly during the pre-trial and pre-conviction phases of criminal prosecution," he said in a statement.
He cited foreign leaders and personalities, such as Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, Chile’s Augusto Pinochet and even Galileo Galilei, who were once placed under house arrest.
Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo should be placed under house arrest since the constitutionality of the Department of Justice-Comelec panel, whose findings were used as basis for the electoral sabotage case, is still being questioned before the Supreme Court. — KBK/VS
News Update From Tata to Fr.Tito (Last part)
MANILA, Philippines - Vim Nadera: What is your five- or 10-year Development/Master Plan?
Fr. Carmelo Caluag: It is simply going back to our founding vision-the mission and identity -and applying it to the present context of our country. The rest will follow since we have solid ground where we are starting the movement for renewal and reform. This is what I have been emphasizing in the recent round of conversations for the planning process: it is renewal first before reform or the changes. I think people get too focused on the change right away and this causes anxiety for some and too many expectations for others.
The development or master plan is about going back to the founding vision and discerning how it is to be fine tuned to the changing context. There is a master plan now crafted less than ten years ago, I think eight or so years back. I looked at it and even this plan needs a lot of contextualizing after almost a decade. Much has happened in the field of education and arts and more so in technology. This last area, technology, has made changes in our context across various fields move at a rapid pace. For this alone we need to revisit a master plan again; maybe plan for the next decade, but have periodic re-visits built into the plan.
The process for planning is also a possible time for "soul searching" for the different stakeholders of PHSA in terms of how much we are living out the values that com e from our founding vision and mission.
VN: Is there a need to review PHSA's vision and mission? Why?
CC: Let me put the statement in a proper context. We are reviewing not so much the vision and mission, but their fit, so to speak, in and with the changing context. For example, ABS-CBN had the founding inspiration to always be "in the service of the Filipino." It is "eternal," but a few years back it needed to be updated with "in the service of the Filipino worldwide." For the Jesuits, the iconic term "men/women-for- others" was updated almost two decades ago with "men/women-with-and-for-others." These examples show how the context in which we live out an organization's vision and mission can change. Thus an updating of or improvement on the fit is necessary.
I will even say that to periodically review the vision and mission of any organization, not just PHSA, is necessary for several reasons. One, on a more long-term period, do they still serve a purpose? Perhaps the mission had been accomplished and the vision attained; or maybe there is an irrelevance issue. Two, context always changes. Three, it is process we can use to for self-evaluation in terms of how we are living out in the day to day the core values of the organization that flow form the vision and mission.
VN: How can PHSA be relevant to the aspirations of the Filipino people and nation?
CC: Arts and culture, as my history teacher in college put it, are the windows to the soul of a people. Part of our challenge as people is to rediscover and nurture our soul as a people. PHSA has a role to play here. I hope we can create a network of arts high schools all over the country.
Let me share a story about my accepting the work in PHSA. In 2005, I had a guest from Gonzaga University, Dr. Sandi Wilson. I took her to the Intramuros tour of Mr. Carlos Celdran. The tour ended in the San Augustine crypt. Mr. Celdran was talking about the destruction of Manila during liberation. He mentioned that when Intramuros was destroyed we lost 90% of our cultural heritage and artifacts (something I validated later with an art historian) and we lost our spiritual center. The phrase that "haunted" me was what came next after this, "and we have not recovered since."
PHSA can play role in this recovery, to rediscover our soul as a people and find a way to create spiritual centers to nurture this soul.
Creating regional high schools can help making PHSA more relevant by becoming a source of recovery and the movement to rediscover our soul and to nurture it. It can also bring the possible tool to fulfil the dream-to be an artist-closer to young people in the provinces when they have regional high schools.
VN:How were your meetings with the Department of Education officials and other stakeholders?
CC: DepEd is very supportive. I need to meet more alumni and more parents. We also need to improve the communication and the process in the school itself with regard to planning.
DepEd has been very dynamic the past two years. Their movement towards a K to 12 curriculum supports the efforts we are making. Very specific to PHSA, they have been encouraging us and giving us a lot of leeway to help develop a specialized, arts in our case, for the K to 12 program.
VN: What lesson did you learn from your Singapore and US trips?
CC: Both trips helped me see what we can do better. Singapore showed me how we can have better facilities for an arts high school. The US trip showed me how we can improve our boarding school program.
Singapore also showed me what our competitive edge is as a people-our creativity. This I think we can harness and create an entire industry that can give employment and a profession to our people. If we can develop a creativity industry, this can potentially be a major emerging industry if we pace side-by-side with the K to 12 development.
VN: Will you recommend the transfer of PHSA?
CC: Not closure, not transfer. I view it as expansion to be more relevant. Makiling can-and should remain-as the center of public school arts education. At the same time, we must also review its (the campus') use if the regional high schools will happen-and think they will with or without PHSA. In fact, they already are opening regional high schools for the arts independent of PHSA.
If I may, I end with this. In the effort to plan and develop PHSA, I think we must make a conscious effort to distinguish between the program of the school and the campus. I sense we tend to lump the two together.
The program of PHSA is the core and the campus, though very important, is second layer, so to speak. As best as we can, Makiling must remain a home to our student-artists, but at the same time, as we expand into regional high schools and increase enrolment of students benefitting from a PHSA program, PHSA as a home to all of these students will thus result in change in terms of how we will use the campus.
Fr. Carmelo Caluag: It is simply going back to our founding vision-the mission and identity -and applying it to the present context of our country. The rest will follow since we have solid ground where we are starting the movement for renewal and reform. This is what I have been emphasizing in the recent round of conversations for the planning process: it is renewal first before reform or the changes. I think people get too focused on the change right away and this causes anxiety for some and too many expectations for others.
The development or master plan is about going back to the founding vision and discerning how it is to be fine tuned to the changing context. There is a master plan now crafted less than ten years ago, I think eight or so years back. I looked at it and even this plan needs a lot of contextualizing after almost a decade. Much has happened in the field of education and arts and more so in technology. This last area, technology, has made changes in our context across various fields move at a rapid pace. For this alone we need to revisit a master plan again; maybe plan for the next decade, but have periodic re-visits built into the plan.
The process for planning is also a possible time for "soul searching" for the different stakeholders of PHSA in terms of how much we are living out the values that com e from our founding vision and mission.
VN: Is there a need to review PHSA's vision and mission? Why?
CC: Let me put the statement in a proper context. We are reviewing not so much the vision and mission, but their fit, so to speak, in and with the changing context. For example, ABS-CBN had the founding inspiration to always be "in the service of the Filipino." It is "eternal," but a few years back it needed to be updated with "in the service of the Filipino worldwide." For the Jesuits, the iconic term "men/women-for- others" was updated almost two decades ago with "men/women-with-and-for-others." These examples show how the context in which we live out an organization's vision and mission can change. Thus an updating of or improvement on the fit is necessary.
I will even say that to periodically review the vision and mission of any organization, not just PHSA, is necessary for several reasons. One, on a more long-term period, do they still serve a purpose? Perhaps the mission had been accomplished and the vision attained; or maybe there is an irrelevance issue. Two, context always changes. Three, it is process we can use to for self-evaluation in terms of how we are living out in the day to day the core values of the organization that flow form the vision and mission.
VN: How can PHSA be relevant to the aspirations of the Filipino people and nation?
CC: Arts and culture, as my history teacher in college put it, are the windows to the soul of a people. Part of our challenge as people is to rediscover and nurture our soul as a people. PHSA has a role to play here. I hope we can create a network of arts high schools all over the country.
Let me share a story about my accepting the work in PHSA. In 2005, I had a guest from Gonzaga University, Dr. Sandi Wilson. I took her to the Intramuros tour of Mr. Carlos Celdran. The tour ended in the San Augustine crypt. Mr. Celdran was talking about the destruction of Manila during liberation. He mentioned that when Intramuros was destroyed we lost 90% of our cultural heritage and artifacts (something I validated later with an art historian) and we lost our spiritual center. The phrase that "haunted" me was what came next after this, "and we have not recovered since."
PHSA can play role in this recovery, to rediscover our soul as a people and find a way to create spiritual centers to nurture this soul.
Creating regional high schools can help making PHSA more relevant by becoming a source of recovery and the movement to rediscover our soul and to nurture it. It can also bring the possible tool to fulfil the dream-to be an artist-closer to young people in the provinces when they have regional high schools.
VN:How were your meetings with the Department of Education officials and other stakeholders?
CC: DepEd is very supportive. I need to meet more alumni and more parents. We also need to improve the communication and the process in the school itself with regard to planning.
DepEd has been very dynamic the past two years. Their movement towards a K to 12 curriculum supports the efforts we are making. Very specific to PHSA, they have been encouraging us and giving us a lot of leeway to help develop a specialized, arts in our case, for the K to 12 program.
VN: What lesson did you learn from your Singapore and US trips?
CC: Both trips helped me see what we can do better. Singapore showed me how we can have better facilities for an arts high school. The US trip showed me how we can improve our boarding school program.
Singapore also showed me what our competitive edge is as a people-our creativity. This I think we can harness and create an entire industry that can give employment and a profession to our people. If we can develop a creativity industry, this can potentially be a major emerging industry if we pace side-by-side with the K to 12 development.
VN: Will you recommend the transfer of PHSA?
CC: Not closure, not transfer. I view it as expansion to be more relevant. Makiling can-and should remain-as the center of public school arts education. At the same time, we must also review its (the campus') use if the regional high schools will happen-and think they will with or without PHSA. In fact, they already are opening regional high schools for the arts independent of PHSA.
If I may, I end with this. In the effort to plan and develop PHSA, I think we must make a conscious effort to distinguish between the program of the school and the campus. I sense we tend to lump the two together.
The program of PHSA is the core and the campus, though very important, is second layer, so to speak. As best as we can, Makiling must remain a home to our student-artists, but at the same time, as we expand into regional high schools and increase enrolment of students benefitting from a PHSA program, PHSA as a home to all of these students will thus result in change in terms of how we will use the campus.
News Update Mitra given 5 days to comment on petition for his recall as Palawan governor
Palawan Gov. Ibrahim Mitra has five days to reply to the comment of Kilusang Love Malampaya (KLM), the group petitioning for his recall, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decided in a special en banc session held Monday.
The Comelec has given Mitra’s lawyers five days to submit a memorandum so that the poll body can decide on whether to hold recall elections to remove him from the post he was elected to.
The Comelec has already found the petition for recall sufficient in form and substance, but Mitra filed a motion for reconsideration.
The KLM, led by its president Caesar R. Ventura, filed the petition to recall Mitra last Sept. 15 for “loss of trust and confidence” alleging that the governor had committed “gross violation of pertinent provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” and even “incompetence, anti-environment policies and other related gross inexcusable negligence/ dereliction of duty, intellectual dishonesty and emotional immaturity.”
The KLM has scored Mitra for “keeping silent on the murder of respected journalist, anti-corruption crusader and environmentalist Dr. Gerry V. Ortega,” claiming that Mitra had even resorted to “defending the accused mastermind and his political ally, former Governor Joel Reyes.”
Ventura’s group also lamented that the incumbent governor had not pursued “an investigation of the misuse of some P2.1 billion in Malampaya funds, P500 million of which went to his district.”
“Governor Bahram continues to remain silent on the alleged misuse of Malampaya funds even after receiving a copy of the COA report detailing the plunder of said funds,” they added.
The KLM also alleged that Mitra had done “nothing to reduce poverty in Palawan despite the billions in resources available for livelihood programs” and “nothing to address health care needs of Palaweños despite available resources.”
The group also blamed Mitra for failing to address the “lack of safe-water among Palaweños despite the availability of funds to harness available clean water from rivers and natural springs.”
The KLM submitted over 158,000 signatures for Mitra’s recall. Only 45,000 signatures are required to start recall elections against the governor.
In October last year, the Supreme Court dismissed with finality a previous recall petition filed against Mitra. — MRT/VS
The Comelec has given Mitra’s lawyers five days to submit a memorandum so that the poll body can decide on whether to hold recall elections to remove him from the post he was elected to.
The Comelec has already found the petition for recall sufficient in form and substance, but Mitra filed a motion for reconsideration.
The KLM, led by its president Caesar R. Ventura, filed the petition to recall Mitra last Sept. 15 for “loss of trust and confidence” alleging that the governor had committed “gross violation of pertinent provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” and even “incompetence, anti-environment policies and other related gross inexcusable negligence/ dereliction of duty, intellectual dishonesty and emotional immaturity.”
The KLM has scored Mitra for “keeping silent on the murder of respected journalist, anti-corruption crusader and environmentalist Dr. Gerry V. Ortega,” claiming that Mitra had even resorted to “defending the accused mastermind and his political ally, former Governor Joel Reyes.”
Ventura’s group also lamented that the incumbent governor had not pursued “an investigation of the misuse of some P2.1 billion in Malampaya funds, P500 million of which went to his district.”
“Governor Bahram continues to remain silent on the alleged misuse of Malampaya funds even after receiving a copy of the COA report detailing the plunder of said funds,” they added.
The KLM also alleged that Mitra had done “nothing to reduce poverty in Palawan despite the billions in resources available for livelihood programs” and “nothing to address health care needs of Palaweños despite available resources.”
The group also blamed Mitra for failing to address the “lack of safe-water among Palaweños despite the availability of funds to harness available clean water from rivers and natural springs.”
The KLM submitted over 158,000 signatures for Mitra’s recall. Only 45,000 signatures are required to start recall elections against the governor.
In October last year, the Supreme Court dismissed with finality a previous recall petition filed against Mitra. — MRT/VS
News Update Congress expected to ratify 2012 budget Tuesday
The Senate and the House of Representatives are expected to ratify the proposed P1.8-trillion budget for next year on Tuesday to facilitate its early signing into law, a House leader said Monday.
“Both heads of delegation of the budget bicameral conference committee are confident that there will be signing tomorrow morning and the ratification in the afternoon,” Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, House appropriations panel chair, said in a text message.
Abaya met with Senator Franklin Drilon, chairperson of the Senate finance committee, to settle differences between the versions of the 2012 budget presented by each chamber of Congress.
Abaya, however, said that the bicameral conference committee has not yet determined whether or not to grant the unconditional return of allocations for unfilled posts in fiscally autonomous agencies contained in the controversial miscellaneous personnel benefit fund (MPBF).
“We’re still working on it. There will surely be a middle ground decision,” he said.
The MPBF is a special purpose fund introduced by the executive into the proposed 2012 budget, supposedly to ensure transparency in the handling of government money.
The fund impounds P23.4 billion of government allocations for vacant posts, which can only be released once the positions are filled.
The Supreme Court opposes the MPBF, which supposedly violates the fiscal autonomy of the judiciary and other constitutional offices enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.
The House agreed to restore P4.9-billion from the MPBF to fiscally autonomous agencies, provided that they will be banned from using the funds from purposes other than personnel benefits. The Senate, however, chose to return the funds without this special provision.
Both Abaya and Drilon have earlier committed to passing the 2012 budget on or before December 15. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK
“Both heads of delegation of the budget bicameral conference committee are confident that there will be signing tomorrow morning and the ratification in the afternoon,” Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, House appropriations panel chair, said in a text message.
Abaya met with Senator Franklin Drilon, chairperson of the Senate finance committee, to settle differences between the versions of the 2012 budget presented by each chamber of Congress.
Abaya, however, said that the bicameral conference committee has not yet determined whether or not to grant the unconditional return of allocations for unfilled posts in fiscally autonomous agencies contained in the controversial miscellaneous personnel benefit fund (MPBF).
“We’re still working on it. There will surely be a middle ground decision,” he said.
The MPBF is a special purpose fund introduced by the executive into the proposed 2012 budget, supposedly to ensure transparency in the handling of government money.
The fund impounds P23.4 billion of government allocations for vacant posts, which can only be released once the positions are filled.
The Supreme Court opposes the MPBF, which supposedly violates the fiscal autonomy of the judiciary and other constitutional offices enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.
The House agreed to restore P4.9-billion from the MPBF to fiscally autonomous agencies, provided that they will be banned from using the funds from purposes other than personnel benefits. The Senate, however, chose to return the funds without this special provision.
Both Abaya and Drilon have earlier committed to passing the 2012 budget on or before December 15. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK
News Update Nestle Phils. to buy more coffee from PHL farmers
Davao City — Nestle Phils. intends buy more coffee berries from the Philippines and less from foreign sources, a company official said Monday. The company now buys 75 percent of its coffee from abroad, but it wants to reverse the trend by 2020. "Currently, we're sourcing 25 percent of our raw coffee requirement for soluble coffee manufacturing locally and we're trying to compensate the shortfall by importing coffee beans. We are going to reverse that set-up by 2020," senior vice president for corporate affairs Edith de Leon told reporters in a press briefing at the 2nd Philippine Coffee Investors Forum here. Nestle Phils. will establish more buying stations nationwide with 11 additional sites already identified in Mindanao. The company is the biggest producer of soluble coffee under the Nescafe brand, and biggest buyer of raw coffee beans from at least 30,000 coffee farmers nationwide. As part of its contract growing arrangement, Nestle Phils. buys Robusta cuttings and seedlings for its contract growers. "We're hoping to close to year with as much as 2.1 million seedlings. We are counting on coffee investors to plant more coffee and directly sell their production to us. We buy at a premium price as long the farmer's output meet our standards," said De Leon. Its coffee program is an initiative of the Departments of Agriculture, Environment, and Agrarian Reform. The Environment and Natural Resources Department has identified up to 1.5 million hectares of upland areas for planting Arabica coffee, and the Agrarian Reform Department wants to transform 11,000 hectares of lands handed out to Agrarian reform beneficiaries into coffee farms. Nestle Phils. said it is now open to buy Arabica beans for its Nescafe Gold Label, after the brand was given a new Robusta-Arabica blend. Philippine coffee output slipped 2 percent in 2010, but the year-to-date trend already showed a minus 7-percent shortfall, according to the Agriculture Department. More private sector participation can help raise coffee production by 5 percent next year, said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. "We have put to motion better intervention measures to increase coffee production. We noticed that there is an increase in the participation of the private sector," he added. The Agriculture Department is allotting up to P163 million for planting materials, post harvest assistance and capacity building programs to help farmers improve their yields starting next year. The Philippines imports 30,000 to 35,000 metric tons (MT) of coffee to fill the gap left by the continuous dip in yearly output. Its coffee requirement is 64,000 MT valued at P5 billion, and Nestle supplies about 80 percent of annual need. — VS
News Update We're not humiliating GMA - Palace
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang clarified yesterday that it is not trying to humiliate former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when the government moved to put her in jail, saying this was something she has to undergo as an accused in a criminal case.
“We are not humiliating former President Arroyo. This is the process that she has to undergo now, like every accused who faces certain cases in our system,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte stressed.
Valte maintained that it is not for the executive department to say whether the Pampanga congresswoman should spend time in jail or be accorded either hospital or house arrest, since the decision rests with the judiciary.
“It is not for us to meddle with the decision of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court. It’s up to the Court of Appeals, and eventually with the Supreme Court (to decide what is best for GMA),” she said.
She also clarified that the detention facility being prepared by the Southern Police District and the hospitals “on standby” are only “contingency measures” being undertaken by the government in case the Pasay court does not grant the request of Arroyo for house arrest.
“As to our preference, we would not comment because President Aquino does not want that he be accused of being biased or he is trying to pin down anybody,” Valte explained.
What backlash?
Malacañang likewise brushed aside fears that the country may suffer an international backlash and possibly turn off potential investors, if and when the ex-president is jailed along with ordinary criminals.
“We cannot see why there should be a backlash if we are just fulfilling the promise of the President that we will have accountability for the misdeeds in the past,” Valte said.
On Sunday, Senators Gregorio Honasan and Miriam Defensor-Santiago said the government could send the wrong signal to the global community, particularly foreign investors, if the Aquino administration insists on holding Arroyo in a police detention facility.
Both lawmakers urged Malacañang to place the former president instead under house arrest.
Santiago said subjecting Arroyo to humiliation by keeping her in a police facility would also result in damage to democracy and institutions.
But Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan disagreed with their colleagues, arguing, among others, that nobody is to be blamed for Arroyo’s predicament other than herself.
“If there’s somebody to be blamed for placing her in a humiliating position it is GMA herself because first, who faked the ballots? Who faked the illness? That’s why she’s in a very humiliating position now. To put the blame on the executive, to put the blame on the court, to put the blame on anybody else, does not jibe with the truth,” Lacson said.
He said Arroyo’s camp should not blame the executive branch because it’s the court that will decide where the former chief executive will be detained.
“The one who will determine whether she will be placed on hospital arrest or detention facility or house arrest is the court, the executive (branch) has nothing to do with it… it seems that the premise of our two colleagues is wrong,” Lacson said at the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel media forum.
Pangilinan, who was also a guest at the media forum, backed Lacson’s statement.
“What kind of justice system does the Philippines have if it allows a person under investigation to escape and I think it will be a bigger backlash if she escapes and does not come back,” Pangilinan said in Filipino.
“In Taiwan, they detained a former president, there is also an official who committed suicide. In this country (Taiwan) even the high ranking officials are held accountable for their misdeeds, so I don’t see the backlash in terms of how we are handling the case, in terms of how we are making the former president accountable,” he said.
At the House, Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Sherwin Tugna said Honasan and Santiago’s warning was uncalled for and wrongly directed at President Aquino.
“Let the law be, let the court be. The law clearly states that once a person is charged, he or she is to be kept under custody of law enforcement authorities, unless the right to bail is available to her or him. In the case of Arroyo, who is facing electoral sabotage charges, that right is not available,” he said.
Tugna said the decision on where to place Arroyo under arrest lies with Pasay RTC Judge Jesus Mupas and not with the President.
He ridiculed the senators’ warning of a backlash from the international community.
“What international backlash? There is not even a local backlash. On the contrary, there is wide support among Filipinos for the Aquino administration’s quest for justice and accountability,” he said.
“A government pursuing corruption and other charges against a former president should be supported not only by Filipinos but by the international community,” he added.
Militant party-list lawmakers, on the other hand, said moving Arroyo to a government facility “will in no way earn the country the ire of the world.
“On the contrary, the detention of a president charged with a serious, non-bailable offense will be regarded highly by the international community as the fulfillment of justice and equality before the law,” they said. – Helen Flores, Jess Diaz - By Delon Porcalla
“We are not humiliating former President Arroyo. This is the process that she has to undergo now, like every accused who faces certain cases in our system,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte stressed.
Valte maintained that it is not for the executive department to say whether the Pampanga congresswoman should spend time in jail or be accorded either hospital or house arrest, since the decision rests with the judiciary.
“It is not for us to meddle with the decision of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court. It’s up to the Court of Appeals, and eventually with the Supreme Court (to decide what is best for GMA),” she said.
She also clarified that the detention facility being prepared by the Southern Police District and the hospitals “on standby” are only “contingency measures” being undertaken by the government in case the Pasay court does not grant the request of Arroyo for house arrest.
“As to our preference, we would not comment because President Aquino does not want that he be accused of being biased or he is trying to pin down anybody,” Valte explained.
What backlash?
Malacañang likewise brushed aside fears that the country may suffer an international backlash and possibly turn off potential investors, if and when the ex-president is jailed along with ordinary criminals.
“We cannot see why there should be a backlash if we are just fulfilling the promise of the President that we will have accountability for the misdeeds in the past,” Valte said.
On Sunday, Senators Gregorio Honasan and Miriam Defensor-Santiago said the government could send the wrong signal to the global community, particularly foreign investors, if the Aquino administration insists on holding Arroyo in a police detention facility.
Both lawmakers urged Malacañang to place the former president instead under house arrest.
Santiago said subjecting Arroyo to humiliation by keeping her in a police facility would also result in damage to democracy and institutions.
But Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Pangilinan disagreed with their colleagues, arguing, among others, that nobody is to be blamed for Arroyo’s predicament other than herself.
“If there’s somebody to be blamed for placing her in a humiliating position it is GMA herself because first, who faked the ballots? Who faked the illness? That’s why she’s in a very humiliating position now. To put the blame on the executive, to put the blame on the court, to put the blame on anybody else, does not jibe with the truth,” Lacson said.
He said Arroyo’s camp should not blame the executive branch because it’s the court that will decide where the former chief executive will be detained.
“The one who will determine whether she will be placed on hospital arrest or detention facility or house arrest is the court, the executive (branch) has nothing to do with it… it seems that the premise of our two colleagues is wrong,” Lacson said at the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel media forum.
Pangilinan, who was also a guest at the media forum, backed Lacson’s statement.
“What kind of justice system does the Philippines have if it allows a person under investigation to escape and I think it will be a bigger backlash if she escapes and does not come back,” Pangilinan said in Filipino.
“In Taiwan, they detained a former president, there is also an official who committed suicide. In this country (Taiwan) even the high ranking officials are held accountable for their misdeeds, so I don’t see the backlash in terms of how we are handling the case, in terms of how we are making the former president accountable,” he said.
At the House, Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Sherwin Tugna said Honasan and Santiago’s warning was uncalled for and wrongly directed at President Aquino.
“Let the law be, let the court be. The law clearly states that once a person is charged, he or she is to be kept under custody of law enforcement authorities, unless the right to bail is available to her or him. In the case of Arroyo, who is facing electoral sabotage charges, that right is not available,” he said.
Tugna said the decision on where to place Arroyo under arrest lies with Pasay RTC Judge Jesus Mupas and not with the President.
He ridiculed the senators’ warning of a backlash from the international community.
“What international backlash? There is not even a local backlash. On the contrary, there is wide support among Filipinos for the Aquino administration’s quest for justice and accountability,” he said.
“A government pursuing corruption and other charges against a former president should be supported not only by Filipinos but by the international community,” he added.
Militant party-list lawmakers, on the other hand, said moving Arroyo to a government facility “will in no way earn the country the ire of the world.
“On the contrary, the detention of a president charged with a serious, non-bailable offense will be regarded highly by the international community as the fulfillment of justice and equality before the law,” they said. – Helen Flores, Jess Diaz - By Delon Porcalla
Monday, November 28, 2011
News Update Agri Dept. says P300-M ACEF money up for release next week
DAVAO CITY — The Department of Agriculture on Monday said it expects some P300 million from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund next week after the moratorium on ACEF loan programs was lifted. The P300 million is part of the P1.9-billion remaining ACEF, and will be used to modernize the Philippine meat-processing sector. "We have already informed the Budget Department and I believe that the national government may soon release the funds next week," Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters Monday at the sidelines of the Second Philippine Coffee Investors Forum held at the Marco Polo Hotel here. According to the Agriculture Department, the money will be used to build cutting floors in Quezon, Batangas, Mindoro, and Bulacan for the postharvest requirements of abattoirs in the country, and establish several cold chain facilities in major fishports. Alcala said 60 percent of what’s left of the funds will be allotted for grants, 30 percent for loans and 10 percent for scholarships. There is a need to refocus the ACEF fund distribution to ensure that the target beneficiaries get the assistance they need to be competitive on both domestic and global fronts, the Agriculture chief said. The forum was sponsored by Nestle Philippines, the country's single biggest coffee buyer and considered the biggest coffee beverage producer in the Philippines. The ACEF, created by Republic Act 8178, is funded by duties on agriculture products under the minimum access volume mechanism, which the Philippine committed to the World Trade Organization under the Uruguay Round Final Act. The mechanism allows imported products to enter the country at lower than duties as long as the minimum volume is met. — VS
News Update UN to invest $375.7M for PHL development
The United Nations and the Philippine government on Monday launched the UN Development Assistance Framework or UNDAF under which $375.7 million will be allotted to help national and local agencies strengthen their capacities to deliver social services. “This is a statement of commitment by the UN to align the Organization’s development initiatives with the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016, which is the national government’s blueprint for inclusive growth,” the US said in a statement citing UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock. The UNDAF serves as a framework for the UN Country Team (UNCT) in the Philippines in its strategic responses to the development priorities of the country, the UN said. “… [T]he UNDAF 2012-2018 is partnership-based, and will be implemented in accordance with the UN philosophy of ‘Delivering As One,” Badcock. 'Cost-effective impact' This means all 25 UN agencies operating in the Philippines will converge “their respective programs when possible to have a greater, more cost-effective impact,” the UN said. Under the seven-year UNDAF program, which starts next year, $147.2 million in development assistance will be used to strengthen capacities of national and local agencies to deliver quality social services for the poor. Also, $46.5 million will be used to generate employment through sustained and “green” growth. For governance, the UNDAF is giving $67.2 million and $114.8 million to “strengthen national and local resilience to climate change, threats, and disasters.” To fund the development aid package, the US said it will source $79 million from regular UN sources and the rest from other sources. Badcock and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director-General Cayetano Paderanga Jr. signed the 2012-2018 UNDAF on July 21, 2011. — VS
News Update Yes, Arroyo may still file bail--Santiago
Former president, now Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can still be granted bail despite facing a non-bailable electoral sabotage case, according to Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.
Santiago, a former regional trial court (RTC) judge, said that even if the charge is punishable by reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment, bail is still a matter of discretion on the part of the judge.
“The grant or denial of an application for bail is dependent on whether the evidence of guilt is strong, which the lower court should determine in a hearing called for the purpose,” she said, citing the 1999 case of People v. Cabral.
The senator added that a hearing is mandatory to determine the guilt before bail can be granted to an accused charged with capital offense.
In Arroyo’s case, the Pasay RTC, where the electoral sabotage case is to be heard, is required to hold a bail hearing as a matter of due process.
“After a bail hearing, the judge should spell out at least a resume of the evidence on which its order granting or denying bail is based. Otherwise, the order is defective and voidable,” Santiago said, quoting the 1991 case of Carpio v. Maglalang.
In theory, the function of a bail, which is usually a sum of money in exchange for the release of an arrested person, is to ensure the appearance of the defendant at the time set for trial.
Santiago, a former law professor, said that the Rules of Court allows the trial judge to question what form a bail could take.
Santiago, a former regional trial court (RTC) judge, said that even if the charge is punishable by reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment, bail is still a matter of discretion on the part of the judge.
“The grant or denial of an application for bail is dependent on whether the evidence of guilt is strong, which the lower court should determine in a hearing called for the purpose,” she said, citing the 1999 case of People v. Cabral.
The senator added that a hearing is mandatory to determine the guilt before bail can be granted to an accused charged with capital offense.
In Arroyo’s case, the Pasay RTC, where the electoral sabotage case is to be heard, is required to hold a bail hearing as a matter of due process.
“After a bail hearing, the judge should spell out at least a resume of the evidence on which its order granting or denying bail is based. Otherwise, the order is defective and voidable,” Santiago said, quoting the 1991 case of Carpio v. Maglalang.
In theory, the function of a bail, which is usually a sum of money in exchange for the release of an arrested person, is to ensure the appearance of the defendant at the time set for trial.
Santiago, a former law professor, said that the Rules of Court allows the trial judge to question what form a bail could take.
News Update Trader slain in Makati heist
MANILA, Philippines - A diesel supplier of a bus company was robbed and shot dead in Makati City Saturday night, police said.
Rafael Reyes, 42, was in his Toyota Altis (XBH-329) along Gil Puyat Avenue at the corner of Dian street when two men on a motorcycle fired a shotgun at his car twice.
In a phone interview with The STAR, Superintendent Jaime Santos, officer-in-charge of the city police, quoted a police report saying a motorcycle “suddenly appeared” on the right of Reyes’s car at about 11:45 p.m.
The robbers looted Reyes’ car, taking a black bag containing money, a laptop, and another plastic bag, before fleeing on the motorcycle.
Santos said he does not know the amount of money taken from Reyes, nor which company the victim worked for. The victim’s family has also yet to come forward “maybe because it’s a Sunday,” he said.
Hours after the crime, two employees of a bus liner approached the police to report one of their bus washers as the alleged “tipster” of the robbers, Santos said.
The two bus employees, however, did not elaborate how they came up with the information, he added.
According to another report, Reyes – a native of Mati, Davao – had just come from the Jam Liner bus terminal in Pasay and was on his way to Makati when two men on a motorcycle followed him then shot at him.
Reyes reportedly turned left on Bautista street, but went back to Gil Puyat Avenue when he found the road blocked. His attackers cornered him when he drove back. Though wounded, he still tried to drive and hit a Mitsubishi Pajero just before he died. - By Aie Balagtas See
Rafael Reyes, 42, was in his Toyota Altis (XBH-329) along Gil Puyat Avenue at the corner of Dian street when two men on a motorcycle fired a shotgun at his car twice.
In a phone interview with The STAR, Superintendent Jaime Santos, officer-in-charge of the city police, quoted a police report saying a motorcycle “suddenly appeared” on the right of Reyes’s car at about 11:45 p.m.
The robbers looted Reyes’ car, taking a black bag containing money, a laptop, and another plastic bag, before fleeing on the motorcycle.
Santos said he does not know the amount of money taken from Reyes, nor which company the victim worked for. The victim’s family has also yet to come forward “maybe because it’s a Sunday,” he said.
Hours after the crime, two employees of a bus liner approached the police to report one of their bus washers as the alleged “tipster” of the robbers, Santos said.
The two bus employees, however, did not elaborate how they came up with the information, he added.
According to another report, Reyes – a native of Mati, Davao – had just come from the Jam Liner bus terminal in Pasay and was on his way to Makati when two men on a motorcycle followed him then shot at him.
Reyes reportedly turned left on Bautista street, but went back to Gil Puyat Avenue when he found the road blocked. His attackers cornered him when he drove back. Though wounded, he still tried to drive and hit a Mitsubishi Pajero just before he died. - By Aie Balagtas See
News Update 3 minors molest 10-year-old girl
AT LEAST three minors were accused of molesting a 10-year-old girl in Barangay Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City.
In a radio interview, the grandfather of the victim said the three minors are aged 13, 12, and 11 who are their neighbors.
Based on the account of the victim, she said it was the 13-year-old who first raped her last November 5.
She said the suspect threatened her and told her not to tell anybody about the incident.
The victim said the two other minors took turns in molesting her a few days after.
“My granddaughter was threatened by the minors. She was really in trauma. But fortunately, she gained courage to tell us what happened,” the victim’s grandfather said.
He said they would file charges against the three minors although he is aware of a law that exempts minors from criminal liabilities.
Police authorities in Agora, Lapasan said, however, that the parents did not report the incident as of Thursday.
The mother of the 13-year-old suspect admitted, though, that she is aware of the crime committed by her son.
She said personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development already investigated the incident. (ALR)
In a radio interview, the grandfather of the victim said the three minors are aged 13, 12, and 11 who are their neighbors.
Based on the account of the victim, she said it was the 13-year-old who first raped her last November 5.
She said the suspect threatened her and told her not to tell anybody about the incident.
The victim said the two other minors took turns in molesting her a few days after.
“My granddaughter was threatened by the minors. She was really in trauma. But fortunately, she gained courage to tell us what happened,” the victim’s grandfather said.
He said they would file charges against the three minors although he is aware of a law that exempts minors from criminal liabilities.
Police authorities in Agora, Lapasan said, however, that the parents did not report the incident as of Thursday.
The mother of the 13-year-old suspect admitted, though, that she is aware of the crime committed by her son.
She said personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development already investigated the incident. (ALR)
News Update Skeletal remains unearthed in Maguindanao 'killing field'
Skeletal remains of people believed to be victims of summary executions were unearthed from a property allegedly owned by the Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao province, a GMA News report said Sunday.
Senior Superintendent Albert Terro, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in General Santos City, said the skeletons, which were excavated from a piece of land in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town, likely belong to five persons whom former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. allegedly ordered to be killed during his incumbency.
“Ito po ay mga victims ng summary execution na allegedly dito inilibing,” he said in the report aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras” on Sunday.
The report quoted the police as saying that a former aide of Ampatuan Sr. admitted to burying the victims at the site in 2005 and 2008.
Terro, however, said that forensics experts will still have to determine if the bones indeed belong to the victims of summary executions.
Ampatuan Sr. is currently detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City while being tried by a Quezon City court for multiple murder charges in relation to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
He and his two sons, Andal Jr. and Zaldy, allegedly masterminded the killing of 57 people, including several members of the media, on Nov. 23, 2009. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK
Senior Superintendent Albert Terro, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in General Santos City, said the skeletons, which were excavated from a piece of land in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town, likely belong to five persons whom former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. allegedly ordered to be killed during his incumbency.
“Ito po ay mga victims ng summary execution na allegedly dito inilibing,” he said in the report aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras” on Sunday.
The report quoted the police as saying that a former aide of Ampatuan Sr. admitted to burying the victims at the site in 2005 and 2008.
Terro, however, said that forensics experts will still have to determine if the bones indeed belong to the victims of summary executions.
Ampatuan Sr. is currently detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City while being tried by a Quezon City court for multiple murder charges in relation to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.
He and his two sons, Andal Jr. and Zaldy, allegedly masterminded the killing of 57 people, including several members of the media, on Nov. 23, 2009. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK
News Update All smiles for the Mutya race
Last Friday, Funfare came out with the “likely to win” list among the candidates for the 2011 Miss Earth to be chosen on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the UP Theater.
A day before that, on Dec. 2, the 43rd Mutya ng Pilipinas will be crowned at The Arena in San Juan City. Theme of this year’s search is “Beauty Tourism Adventure.”
Of the 30 hopefuls, seven were picked from overseas Filipino communities, 17 from regional screening and six from the Manila screening. They were presented to the press last Nov. 23.
Based on “fearless forecast,” here’s the Top 10:
• Diana Sunshine Rademann (Puerto Princesa City)
• Maria Isabelle Itchon (Santiago City)
• Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (Isabela)
• Vickie Marie Milagrosa Rushton (Bacolod City)
• Benjielyn Rose Ongluico (Surigao)
• Bea Santiago (Canada)
The seven candidates representing the overseas Filipino communities of Belgium, Norway, Southern California (USA), Northern California (USA), Southwest USA, Germany and Canada
• Cathrin Kloters (Germany)
• Roxanne Corluy (Belgium)
• Annie Lea Fingcale (Manila)
• Caren Braun (Kalibo)
But Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib have their own picks, 12 of them (in chronological order):
• Bernadette Lou Faundo (No. 2), 21, from Zamboanga.
• Diana Sunshine Rademann (No. 4), 21, from Puerto Princesa City.
• Vickie Marie S. Rushton (No. 6), 19, from Bacolod City.
• Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (No. 10), 22, from Isabela.
• Kristina Marie Jose (No. 12), 24, from Tondo, Manila.
• Abbygale M. Monderin (No. 15), 18, from Caloocan City.
• Caren R. Braun (No. 17), 18, from Aklan.
• Gabrielle Erika O. Tilokani (No. 19), 20, from Mandaluyong City.
• Annie Lea C. Fingcale (No. 20), 24, from Manila.
• Felicia Baron (No. 24), 18, from Southwest, USA.
• Maria G. Bergersen (No. 25), 24, from Norway.
• Bea Rose Santiago (No. 26), 21, from Canada.
Three major Mutya titles are at stake: Mutya ng Pilipinas International, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism and Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Community.
Reigning queens Barbie Salvador and Carla Lizardo will crown their successors at the event to be aired as a TV special by ABS-CBN next Sunday, Dec. 11, from 9 to 11 p.m.
The “beauty experts” pointed it out that the pageant has produced four Miss Asia-Pacific winners (Carines Zaragoza, 1982; Bong Dimayacyac, 1983; Lorna Legaspi, 1989; and Michelle Aldana, 1993).
It has also launched several showbiz stars, among them: Baby Delgado, Rio Diaz (deceased), Bong Dimayacyac, Alice Crisostomo and her daughter Mutya Laxa, Azenith Briones, Marilou Bendigo, Aurora Sevilla, Tetchie Agbayani, Daisy Reyes, Michelle Aldana, Marilou Sadiwa, Rosemarie de Vera, Emma Yuhico and Maricel Morales.
* * *
Here are the 30 Mutya beauties vying for three titles at grand finals on Dec. 2
From left: America Atega (Cagayan de Oro), Reynalyn de Mesa (Caloocan), Bea Santiago (Canada), Felicia Baron (Southwest, USA), Camille Javier (Bulacan), Annie Lea Fingcale (Manila), Cathrin Kloters (Germany), Jhuneva Marie Go (Tacloban), Pauline August Fernandez (Davao), Kristina Marie Jose (Tondo, Manila), Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (Isabela), Megan Cannova (South California), Vickie Marie Rushton (Bacolod), Diana Sunshine Rademan (Puerto Princesa), Bernadette Lou Faundo (Zamboanga), Mary May Yasol (Parañaque), Benjielyn Rose Ongluico (Surigao), Celina Nardo (Iloilo), Natalie Grace Roberts (Western Visayas), Nina Melizza Ronda (Albay), Charice Marie Sisperez (Pasig), Maria Isabelle Itchon (Santiago), Abbygale Monderin (Caloocan), Caren Braun (Kalibo), Gabrielle Tilokani (Mandaluyong), Eula Dorothy Mercado (Cebu), Roxanne Corluy (Belgium), Maria Bergersen (Norway), Jojilyn Sauquillo (Laguna) and Tifani Alexandra Grimes (Northern California).
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit http://www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on http://www.twitter/therealrickylo.) - FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
A day before that, on Dec. 2, the 43rd Mutya ng Pilipinas will be crowned at The Arena in San Juan City. Theme of this year’s search is “Beauty Tourism Adventure.”
Of the 30 hopefuls, seven were picked from overseas Filipino communities, 17 from regional screening and six from the Manila screening. They were presented to the press last Nov. 23.
Based on “fearless forecast,” here’s the Top 10:
• Diana Sunshine Rademann (Puerto Princesa City)
• Maria Isabelle Itchon (Santiago City)
• Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (Isabela)
• Vickie Marie Milagrosa Rushton (Bacolod City)
• Benjielyn Rose Ongluico (Surigao)
• Bea Santiago (Canada)
The seven candidates representing the overseas Filipino communities of Belgium, Norway, Southern California (USA), Northern California (USA), Southwest USA, Germany and Canada
• Cathrin Kloters (Germany)
• Roxanne Corluy (Belgium)
• Annie Lea Fingcale (Manila)
• Caren Braun (Kalibo)
But Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib have their own picks, 12 of them (in chronological order):
• Bernadette Lou Faundo (No. 2), 21, from Zamboanga.
• Diana Sunshine Rademann (No. 4), 21, from Puerto Princesa City.
• Vickie Marie S. Rushton (No. 6), 19, from Bacolod City.
• Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (No. 10), 22, from Isabela.
• Kristina Marie Jose (No. 12), 24, from Tondo, Manila.
• Abbygale M. Monderin (No. 15), 18, from Caloocan City.
• Caren R. Braun (No. 17), 18, from Aklan.
• Gabrielle Erika O. Tilokani (No. 19), 20, from Mandaluyong City.
• Annie Lea C. Fingcale (No. 20), 24, from Manila.
• Felicia Baron (No. 24), 18, from Southwest, USA.
• Maria G. Bergersen (No. 25), 24, from Norway.
• Bea Rose Santiago (No. 26), 21, from Canada.
Three major Mutya titles are at stake: Mutya ng Pilipinas International, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism and Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Community.
Reigning queens Barbie Salvador and Carla Lizardo will crown their successors at the event to be aired as a TV special by ABS-CBN next Sunday, Dec. 11, from 9 to 11 p.m.
The “beauty experts” pointed it out that the pageant has produced four Miss Asia-Pacific winners (Carines Zaragoza, 1982; Bong Dimayacyac, 1983; Lorna Legaspi, 1989; and Michelle Aldana, 1993).
It has also launched several showbiz stars, among them: Baby Delgado, Rio Diaz (deceased), Bong Dimayacyac, Alice Crisostomo and her daughter Mutya Laxa, Azenith Briones, Marilou Bendigo, Aurora Sevilla, Tetchie Agbayani, Daisy Reyes, Michelle Aldana, Marilou Sadiwa, Rosemarie de Vera, Emma Yuhico and Maricel Morales.
* * *
Here are the 30 Mutya beauties vying for three titles at grand finals on Dec. 2
From left: America Atega (Cagayan de Oro), Reynalyn de Mesa (Caloocan), Bea Santiago (Canada), Felicia Baron (Southwest, USA), Camille Javier (Bulacan), Annie Lea Fingcale (Manila), Cathrin Kloters (Germany), Jhuneva Marie Go (Tacloban), Pauline August Fernandez (Davao), Kristina Marie Jose (Tondo, Manila), Jaymie Lou Pagulayan (Isabela), Megan Cannova (South California), Vickie Marie Rushton (Bacolod), Diana Sunshine Rademan (Puerto Princesa), Bernadette Lou Faundo (Zamboanga), Mary May Yasol (Parañaque), Benjielyn Rose Ongluico (Surigao), Celina Nardo (Iloilo), Natalie Grace Roberts (Western Visayas), Nina Melizza Ronda (Albay), Charice Marie Sisperez (Pasig), Maria Isabelle Itchon (Santiago), Abbygale Monderin (Caloocan), Caren Braun (Kalibo), Gabrielle Tilokani (Mandaluyong), Eula Dorothy Mercado (Cebu), Roxanne Corluy (Belgium), Maria Bergersen (Norway), Jojilyn Sauquillo (Laguna) and Tifani Alexandra Grimes (Northern California).
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit http://www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on http://www.twitter/therealrickylo.) - FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
News Update 'Due process must be observed in GMA case'
MANILA, Philippines - Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Gregorio Honasan appealed for sobriety yesterday among those involved in the case of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and urged them to observe due process instead.
“Let us follow the process. We should respect the Supreme Court and the president, our former president,” said Santiago who called on all concerned persons in government.
Santiago said those in power today should always put in mind that they will not be in power forever.
“Now, do they want others to do to them what they are doing now (to a former president)? Let us not put someone in shame. If they want, they can file charges and present evidence,” Santiago added.
Honasan said the process of the courts as well as the SC should be respected.
He said he does not want any more conflict arising from the perceived clash between the executive and the judiciary.
Honasan added that the issue at hand is the timing of the executive actions and the rulings of the Supreme Court.
He said even the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s further hearings on the election fraud issue may also add to the confusion, and that he does not want anybody to be placed under trial by publicity.
Honasan said the public might get confused by the different outcomes from the courts and the Senate hearings as well as those from the justice department.
“If we will entertain that, even our judicial system up to the highest court will be politicized. Ayokong isipin yan dahil hihina ang ating demokrasya,” Honasan said over radio dzBB. (That would weaken our democracy).
EU monitoring case
Santiago warned the Aquino administration that efforts that tend to humiliate Mrs. Arroyo might get the attention of the international community, especially the European Union.
Santiago said the administration should be very careful in persecuting the former president.
She the international community observes the trial of former presidents who are slapped with charges shortly after their terms.
“That’s why we are very, very careful that the government will not say at the very start, that we are already bent on convicting her or finding her guilty. We should be fair. At the very start, although she can be detained, she still enjoys presumption of innocence,” Santiago said.
“Kaya sabi ng European body, hindi bali kung ano kasalanan nibista ninyo pero huwag ninyo ipahiya masyado. Humiliation will result in a damaged democracy,” said Santiago, who is a candidate for a post at the International Criminal Court. (Okay to charge them but not humiliate them).
Amid talks whether Mrs. Arroyo should be allowed house arrest or hospital arrest, Santiago said there is still a need for prosecutors to establish that the case filed against the former chief executive is strong.
“First of all, there has to be a showing that the evidence of guilt is strong. Before the hearing is set against Mrs. Arroyo, there is what you call a bail hearing. This is a hearing where the evidence against her will be weighed and determined if they are strong,” Santiago said.
“If the evidence are weak, there is a need to bolster evidence. If she can post bail, she is free. If she is not allowed to post bail, then we can start talking where she should be detained,” Santiago added.
Santiago said that the judge has the final say on where Mrs. Arroyo should be detained if she is not allowed to post bail.
Honasan allayed speculations that recent developments may affect the morale of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
He said it is unnecessary for President Aquino, as commander-in-chief, to even call for a loyalty check among the uniformed personnel.
“It’s totally unwarranted… we should deal with other issues that are more important for our nation,” Honasan said.
Pasay RTC officials to inspect SPD
The officials of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court handling the electoral sabotage case against Mrs. Arroyo will inspect today the supposed detention cell of the former president at the Southern Police District (SPD) in Taguig.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had filed a motion seeking Arroyo’s immediate transfer to a local jail, preferably at the facility of the SPD, after her doctors testified that she is now fit to leave hospital.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima last Saturday said Arroyo’s lawyers have not presented enough evidence to support her bid for house arrest.
“This is for the court’s consumption. Kailangan makita kung okay ba itong detention facility, considering na dating president kailangan medyo may konting kaluwagan (It must be ascertained that the detention facility is okay; considering that she is a former president, we must observe leniency),” said Sheriff Rodelio Buenviaje of Pasay Regional Trial Court 112 about the inspection.
Buenviaje said there’s still no exact time for the inspection to be conducted by Judge Jesus Mupas and his court staff at the SPD head quarters in Fort Bonifacio.
Aside from the detention room, the court will also inspect the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City.
Last Friday, the Comelec’s lead prosecutor Maria Juana Valesa moved for Arroyo’s transfer to SPD after one of her three doctors attested
that she is “medically fit” to leave the hospital.
Dr. Mario Ver told Mupas that Arroyo is now recovering and could be treated as an outpatient. Her full recovery is expected after several weeks, he added.
The orthopedic surgeon testified three days after he was quoted by Arroyo’s spokesman Raul Lambino as saying that another problem in Arroyo’s lower spine has been found.
In an earlier interview, SPD spokesman Chief Inspector Jenny Tecson said the detention room had been prepared. Police had given assurance that Arroyo will be treated with “outmost respect and dignity” befitting a former president.
Arroyo’s possible detention room is a 4-meter by 10-meter air-conditioned room located on the ground floor of the SDP main building.
The room, painted blue and white, was furnished with a wooden bed with a foam mattress, a desk, and a bamboo sala set. It is also located near a bathroom.
A plywood divider will be installed to separate her bed from the receiving area.
The room offers a good view of the SPD grandstand surrounded by trees but occasionally, the sound of gunfire may be heard from a nearby firing range. With Aie Balagtas See - By Christina Mendez
“Let us follow the process. We should respect the Supreme Court and the president, our former president,” said Santiago who called on all concerned persons in government.
Santiago said those in power today should always put in mind that they will not be in power forever.
“Now, do they want others to do to them what they are doing now (to a former president)? Let us not put someone in shame. If they want, they can file charges and present evidence,” Santiago added.
Honasan said the process of the courts as well as the SC should be respected.
He said he does not want any more conflict arising from the perceived clash between the executive and the judiciary.
Honasan added that the issue at hand is the timing of the executive actions and the rulings of the Supreme Court.
He said even the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s further hearings on the election fraud issue may also add to the confusion, and that he does not want anybody to be placed under trial by publicity.
Honasan said the public might get confused by the different outcomes from the courts and the Senate hearings as well as those from the justice department.
“If we will entertain that, even our judicial system up to the highest court will be politicized. Ayokong isipin yan dahil hihina ang ating demokrasya,” Honasan said over radio dzBB. (That would weaken our democracy).
EU monitoring case
Santiago warned the Aquino administration that efforts that tend to humiliate Mrs. Arroyo might get the attention of the international community, especially the European Union.
Santiago said the administration should be very careful in persecuting the former president.
She the international community observes the trial of former presidents who are slapped with charges shortly after their terms.
“That’s why we are very, very careful that the government will not say at the very start, that we are already bent on convicting her or finding her guilty. We should be fair. At the very start, although she can be detained, she still enjoys presumption of innocence,” Santiago said.
“Kaya sabi ng European body, hindi bali kung ano kasalanan nibista ninyo pero huwag ninyo ipahiya masyado. Humiliation will result in a damaged democracy,” said Santiago, who is a candidate for a post at the International Criminal Court. (Okay to charge them but not humiliate them).
Amid talks whether Mrs. Arroyo should be allowed house arrest or hospital arrest, Santiago said there is still a need for prosecutors to establish that the case filed against the former chief executive is strong.
“First of all, there has to be a showing that the evidence of guilt is strong. Before the hearing is set against Mrs. Arroyo, there is what you call a bail hearing. This is a hearing where the evidence against her will be weighed and determined if they are strong,” Santiago said.
“If the evidence are weak, there is a need to bolster evidence. If she can post bail, she is free. If she is not allowed to post bail, then we can start talking where she should be detained,” Santiago added.
Santiago said that the judge has the final say on where Mrs. Arroyo should be detained if she is not allowed to post bail.
Honasan allayed speculations that recent developments may affect the morale of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
He said it is unnecessary for President Aquino, as commander-in-chief, to even call for a loyalty check among the uniformed personnel.
“It’s totally unwarranted… we should deal with other issues that are more important for our nation,” Honasan said.
Pasay RTC officials to inspect SPD
The officials of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court handling the electoral sabotage case against Mrs. Arroyo will inspect today the supposed detention cell of the former president at the Southern Police District (SPD) in Taguig.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had filed a motion seeking Arroyo’s immediate transfer to a local jail, preferably at the facility of the SPD, after her doctors testified that she is now fit to leave hospital.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima last Saturday said Arroyo’s lawyers have not presented enough evidence to support her bid for house arrest.
“This is for the court’s consumption. Kailangan makita kung okay ba itong detention facility, considering na dating president kailangan medyo may konting kaluwagan (It must be ascertained that the detention facility is okay; considering that she is a former president, we must observe leniency),” said Sheriff Rodelio Buenviaje of Pasay Regional Trial Court 112 about the inspection.
Buenviaje said there’s still no exact time for the inspection to be conducted by Judge Jesus Mupas and his court staff at the SPD head quarters in Fort Bonifacio.
Aside from the detention room, the court will also inspect the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City.
Last Friday, the Comelec’s lead prosecutor Maria Juana Valesa moved for Arroyo’s transfer to SPD after one of her three doctors attested
that she is “medically fit” to leave the hospital.
Dr. Mario Ver told Mupas that Arroyo is now recovering and could be treated as an outpatient. Her full recovery is expected after several weeks, he added.
The orthopedic surgeon testified three days after he was quoted by Arroyo’s spokesman Raul Lambino as saying that another problem in Arroyo’s lower spine has been found.
In an earlier interview, SPD spokesman Chief Inspector Jenny Tecson said the detention room had been prepared. Police had given assurance that Arroyo will be treated with “outmost respect and dignity” befitting a former president.
Arroyo’s possible detention room is a 4-meter by 10-meter air-conditioned room located on the ground floor of the SDP main building.
The room, painted blue and white, was furnished with a wooden bed with a foam mattress, a desk, and a bamboo sala set. It is also located near a bathroom.
A plywood divider will be installed to separate her bed from the receiving area.
The room offers a good view of the SPD grandstand surrounded by trees but occasionally, the sound of gunfire may be heard from a nearby firing range. With Aie Balagtas See - By Christina Mendez
News Update Travellers International allots $1.1 billion for Bayshore project
MANILA, Philippines - Travellers International Hotel Group is investing at least $1.1 billion in the 31-hectare Resorts World Bayshore in Entertainment City Manila, its second integrated tourism estate which is three times the size of Resorts World Manila.
Travellers International, a joint venture between property tycoon Andrew Tan’s listed investment holding firm Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) and Genting Hong Kong Ltd., will start construction of Resorts World Bayshore by the end of the year, which is envisioned as a themed development and expected to create over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
AGI president Kingson Sian said the group is planning to build two or three hotels for the Bayshore hotel project, which will have at least 2,800 rooms.
Sian said the company is rolling out four more hotel facilities within the 10-hectare Resorts World Manila over the next five years to add to the existing three – Maxims Tower, Marriott Hotel and Remington Hotel.
Launched in August 2009, Resorts World Manila is currently hosts the largest casino in the Philippines. The new hotels will boost the group’s room inventory in Resorts World Manila to 2,800 rooms by 2016 when tourist arrivals are expected to hit 6.5 million.
Resorts World Manila, which is eyeing at least five million visitors this year from two million in 2010, is gearing up to launch 24x7 shopping, Sian said. The retail outlets at Resorts World Manila currently close at 12 midnight while the cinemas are already open 24 hours.
Sian noted that Marriott has the highest occupancy among five-star hotels in the metropolis. - By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
Travellers International, a joint venture between property tycoon Andrew Tan’s listed investment holding firm Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) and Genting Hong Kong Ltd., will start construction of Resorts World Bayshore by the end of the year, which is envisioned as a themed development and expected to create over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
AGI president Kingson Sian said the group is planning to build two or three hotels for the Bayshore hotel project, which will have at least 2,800 rooms.
Sian said the company is rolling out four more hotel facilities within the 10-hectare Resorts World Manila over the next five years to add to the existing three – Maxims Tower, Marriott Hotel and Remington Hotel.
Launched in August 2009, Resorts World Manila is currently hosts the largest casino in the Philippines. The new hotels will boost the group’s room inventory in Resorts World Manila to 2,800 rooms by 2016 when tourist arrivals are expected to hit 6.5 million.
Resorts World Manila, which is eyeing at least five million visitors this year from two million in 2010, is gearing up to launch 24x7 shopping, Sian said. The retail outlets at Resorts World Manila currently close at 12 midnight while the cinemas are already open 24 hours.
Sian noted that Marriott has the highest occupancy among five-star hotels in the metropolis. - By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
News Update Kidnappers free 2 other Korean captives
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Kidnappers freed unharmed their two remaining Korean captives on Saturday following negotiations in Salvador town in Lanao del Norte, authorities said yesterday.
The release of the two kidnap victims – Wu Seok-Bung and Kim Nam-Du – in Barangay Calimudan, Salvador town came two days after the third captive, Choi Inn-So, was freed also in the same area.
Lt. Col. Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, said Wu and Kim were released at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday to the local negotiators.
The fate of two Filipino companions of the three Koreans was still uncertain. The military, however, suspects that they were cohorts of the kidnappers led by one Anwar Bilao.
A third Filipino guide, Junnie Ongie, was killed.
Prior to the release, Cabangbang said the negotiators met with government forces led by Brig. Gen. Roland Amarille, commander of Task Force Makalintad, at the Salvador municipal hall to plan a possible rescue operation if the negotiations would fail.
The negotiators, accompanied by military officials, went to Barangay Calimudan where government troops have established a command post. The negotiators were then left to work out the safe release of the two remaining captives.
“The negotiators returned to the barangay hall with the two freed Korean nationals almost an hour (after) the negotiations,” Cabangbang said.
The three Korean nationals were seized last Oct. 30 while visiting a mining site in Lanao del Norte.
Cabangbang said the two freed captives were reunited with their companion who underwent an ulcer operation in Iligan City.
Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said no ransom was paid for the release of the two Koreans.
“Initially, there was a ransom demand but I’m sure no ransom was given,” Lucero told radio station dzBB.
Lucero said plain pressure from authorities and their family members prodded the kidnappers to free their captives. – With Lino de la Cruz, Alexis Romero - By Roel Pareño
The release of the two kidnap victims – Wu Seok-Bung and Kim Nam-Du – in Barangay Calimudan, Salvador town came two days after the third captive, Choi Inn-So, was freed also in the same area.
Lt. Col. Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, said Wu and Kim were released at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday to the local negotiators.
The fate of two Filipino companions of the three Koreans was still uncertain. The military, however, suspects that they were cohorts of the kidnappers led by one Anwar Bilao.
A third Filipino guide, Junnie Ongie, was killed.
Prior to the release, Cabangbang said the negotiators met with government forces led by Brig. Gen. Roland Amarille, commander of Task Force Makalintad, at the Salvador municipal hall to plan a possible rescue operation if the negotiations would fail.
The negotiators, accompanied by military officials, went to Barangay Calimudan where government troops have established a command post. The negotiators were then left to work out the safe release of the two remaining captives.
“The negotiators returned to the barangay hall with the two freed Korean nationals almost an hour (after) the negotiations,” Cabangbang said.
The three Korean nationals were seized last Oct. 30 while visiting a mining site in Lanao del Norte.
Cabangbang said the two freed captives were reunited with their companion who underwent an ulcer operation in Iligan City.
Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said no ransom was paid for the release of the two Koreans.
“Initially, there was a ransom demand but I’m sure no ransom was given,” Lucero told radio station dzBB.
Lucero said plain pressure from authorities and their family members prodded the kidnappers to free their captives. – With Lino de la Cruz, Alexis Romero - By Roel Pareño
News Update NetSuite 'cloud' gets bigger in Phl
MANILA, Philippines - What do clouds have to do with those red roses you received today or with the burgers and fries you had at the cafeteria for lunch?
In today’s technology-centered world the answer could be, a lot.
Cloud computing, the performance and delivery of provisioned computing services based on Internet protocols, is now hitting its stride as more companies, big and small, find good business sense in doing it.
Islandrose.net, the e-commerce site of the Philippine Cut Flower Corp., is a good example of how far cloud computing has eased into our daily lives. Island Rose is using the cloud solutions from NetSuite, the San Mateo, California-based company that’s storming the cloud, so to speak, with its integrated online business applications for customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning and Web commerce.
“Flowers are perishable so we need real-time data on our inventories to help us decide how best to sell them as quickly as possible,” said Dustin Andaya, chief marketing officer at Island Rose. “Doing things in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets just don’t work for us anymore. NetSuite allows us to see everything in our farm and in our current inventories in real-time. I can do promotions just for a day or within an hour based on the data I see.”
As for the “cloud-flavored” burgers and fries, there’s a chance they will be served at the cafeteria of the Mapua Institute of Technology. Mapua has already adopted NetSuite as a key component of its accounting degree curricula.
The opportunities to implement NetSuite solutions in other school operations, including the cafeteria business, don’t seem far-fetched if you ask John Alabastro of Pan Pacific Computer Center Inc., a solution provider of NetSuite in the Philippines.
“Can you imagine each cafeteria food having a barcode and (the data) will go up to the NetSuite cloud? I think the cafeteria people would like that,” said Alabastro.
Pan Pacific is managing the implementation of NetSuite in Mapua and in the other subsidiaries of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) which put up the Mapua-Yuchengco School of Business Management. Pan Pacific is a company under the House of Investments, which is part of the YGC conglomerate.
According to Alabastro, 11 YGC subsidiaries have adopted NetSuite OneWorld PH to replace three instances of Microsoft Dynamics GP, hundreds of spreadsheets and numerous manual processes. The move is part of YGC’s total ERP overhauling to meet with new regulatory tax laws.
Alabastro said going with NetSuite ensures them that the subsidiaries would have their systems running and immediately compliant with the new government tax requirements.
NetSuite benefits
Zach Nelson, NetSuite CEO, said Island Rose and YGC prove how companies of different sizes can both enjoy the benefits of cloud computing using NetSuite.
“On one hand, it’s hard to run a small business because it doesn’t have the resources of a big company. On the other hand, big companies want the agility of the small companies,” Nelson told the press during his trip to Manila last week.
“Every business today should be a cloud business... It’s just a matter of retooling their systems with the cloud in mind,” he added.
At present, NetSuite has over 10,000 companies and subsidiaries running its software. Nelson said it translates to about two million unique users.
NetSuite in the Philippines is fast expanding both in terms of client base and operations. The four-year-old local office now has nearly 500 employees. NetSuite’s Philippine operations include software architecture and integration, finance and back office support, professional services, client management and technical support.
“We originally came here in Manila because it can provide us great accounting skills. All our global support operations are now done here. We have since added professional services, marketing and sales functions to what we do here,” said Nelson.
By 2012, NetSuite Philippines expects to hire 200 more people, making it the biggest software company employer in the country, bigger even than the local offices of Microsoft and Oracle, Nelson said.
10-year edge
Would NetSuite also become the biggest cloud computing provider here and around the world? All Nelson is saying is that his company will always have that 10-year edge in terms of product development against the other companies that are just now trying to do something in the cloud.
Asked if he had seen or heard of the HP CloudSystem offering which spans new data center strategy, operations and technology consulting services, and a financing program to help companies migrate their IT operations to the cloud, Nelson looked amused and said, “Oh, they have?”
He then said that he believes the leaders of the client-server computing era won’t make it (well) into the age of cloud computing. In fact, Nelson said, “Client-server companies hijacked the technology innovation.”
Having said that, he surmised that cloud computing will be “the last great computing architecture.”
“What could top it? There would be new versions of how it would be done but the underlying architecture, I believe, would essentially be the same,” he said.
On that note, there seems to be enough time for the Bureau of Internal Revenue to get into the NetSuite cloud. Nelson said the BIR has one of the most complex tax systems he has seen and would be happy to see the government deploy NetSuite cloud solutions to dramatically improve its operations in real-time. - By Alma Buelva
In today’s technology-centered world the answer could be, a lot.
Cloud computing, the performance and delivery of provisioned computing services based on Internet protocols, is now hitting its stride as more companies, big and small, find good business sense in doing it.
Islandrose.net, the e-commerce site of the Philippine Cut Flower Corp., is a good example of how far cloud computing has eased into our daily lives. Island Rose is using the cloud solutions from NetSuite, the San Mateo, California-based company that’s storming the cloud, so to speak, with its integrated online business applications for customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning and Web commerce.
“Flowers are perishable so we need real-time data on our inventories to help us decide how best to sell them as quickly as possible,” said Dustin Andaya, chief marketing officer at Island Rose. “Doing things in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets just don’t work for us anymore. NetSuite allows us to see everything in our farm and in our current inventories in real-time. I can do promotions just for a day or within an hour based on the data I see.”
As for the “cloud-flavored” burgers and fries, there’s a chance they will be served at the cafeteria of the Mapua Institute of Technology. Mapua has already adopted NetSuite as a key component of its accounting degree curricula.
The opportunities to implement NetSuite solutions in other school operations, including the cafeteria business, don’t seem far-fetched if you ask John Alabastro of Pan Pacific Computer Center Inc., a solution provider of NetSuite in the Philippines.
“Can you imagine each cafeteria food having a barcode and (the data) will go up to the NetSuite cloud? I think the cafeteria people would like that,” said Alabastro.
Pan Pacific is managing the implementation of NetSuite in Mapua and in the other subsidiaries of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) which put up the Mapua-Yuchengco School of Business Management. Pan Pacific is a company under the House of Investments, which is part of the YGC conglomerate.
According to Alabastro, 11 YGC subsidiaries have adopted NetSuite OneWorld PH to replace three instances of Microsoft Dynamics GP, hundreds of spreadsheets and numerous manual processes. The move is part of YGC’s total ERP overhauling to meet with new regulatory tax laws.
Alabastro said going with NetSuite ensures them that the subsidiaries would have their systems running and immediately compliant with the new government tax requirements.
NetSuite benefits
Zach Nelson, NetSuite CEO, said Island Rose and YGC prove how companies of different sizes can both enjoy the benefits of cloud computing using NetSuite.
“On one hand, it’s hard to run a small business because it doesn’t have the resources of a big company. On the other hand, big companies want the agility of the small companies,” Nelson told the press during his trip to Manila last week.
“Every business today should be a cloud business... It’s just a matter of retooling their systems with the cloud in mind,” he added.
At present, NetSuite has over 10,000 companies and subsidiaries running its software. Nelson said it translates to about two million unique users.
NetSuite in the Philippines is fast expanding both in terms of client base and operations. The four-year-old local office now has nearly 500 employees. NetSuite’s Philippine operations include software architecture and integration, finance and back office support, professional services, client management and technical support.
“We originally came here in Manila because it can provide us great accounting skills. All our global support operations are now done here. We have since added professional services, marketing and sales functions to what we do here,” said Nelson.
By 2012, NetSuite Philippines expects to hire 200 more people, making it the biggest software company employer in the country, bigger even than the local offices of Microsoft and Oracle, Nelson said.
10-year edge
Would NetSuite also become the biggest cloud computing provider here and around the world? All Nelson is saying is that his company will always have that 10-year edge in terms of product development against the other companies that are just now trying to do something in the cloud.
Asked if he had seen or heard of the HP CloudSystem offering which spans new data center strategy, operations and technology consulting services, and a financing program to help companies migrate their IT operations to the cloud, Nelson looked amused and said, “Oh, they have?”
He then said that he believes the leaders of the client-server computing era won’t make it (well) into the age of cloud computing. In fact, Nelson said, “Client-server companies hijacked the technology innovation.”
Having said that, he surmised that cloud computing will be “the last great computing architecture.”
“What could top it? There would be new versions of how it would be done but the underlying architecture, I believe, would essentially be the same,” he said.
On that note, there seems to be enough time for the Bureau of Internal Revenue to get into the NetSuite cloud. Nelson said the BIR has one of the most complex tax systems he has seen and would be happy to see the government deploy NetSuite cloud solutions to dramatically improve its operations in real-time. - By Alma Buelva
News Update Third-world issues challenge ad industry
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - For four days in November this year, the movers and shakers of the country's advertising industry descended on the once-bucolic province of Camarines Sur (CamSur) for a non-stop bacchanalia that is called the Philippine Advertising Congress.
This year's industry gathering had a special mission handed to it by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. At the induction of its current officers over lunch in presidential office earlier this year, Aquino seized the occasion to give them a strange assignment on how to encourage the news media to report more positive news and less negative news - by putting their advertising pesos (in the billions) where the positive news mouth is.
The ad industry has not responded. But there are more pressing issues the industry cannot, should not, ignore. Here's one:
Two epidemics are currently raging in poor countries - hunger and malnutrition and a more pernicious one, obesity, afflicting 42 million children under the age of five, 35 million of whom live in third-world countries like the Philippines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for action to end the epidemic of child obesity by reducing marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.
WHO says children worldwide are exposed to marketing of foods high in fat, sugar or salt. And this increases the potential of younger generations developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during their lives.
Poor diet epidemic
WHO officials cite poor diet as one of the four common causes of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic lung diseases, leading to more than nine million premature deaths.
Coordinator of the WHO surveillance and prevention program, Dr. Tim Armstrong, says obesity is a growing problem among children in the poorer countries.
NCDs now are the leading cause of death among adults in Samoa, and this is likely to get worse with alarming obesity among children.
WHO blames television advertising largely for the marketing of unhealthy foods. It says there is evidence advertisements influence children's food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns.
At the May 2010 World Health Assembly, member states endorsed a new set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.
WHO says governments must lead this process through legislation restricting harmful marketing practices directed toward children.
UN debate
NCDs will be the focus of global health policy discussions this year, leading to a debate of heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Dr. Armstrong, who heads the WHO efforts on promoting healthy diet and physical education, told a news conference in January that while advertising junk food and drinks can encourage children to consume these, advertising can also promote a healthy diet, Reuters reported.
This led the WHO assembly last May to call on the UN health agency to draw up the marketing recommendations.
The WHO's 193 member states told it to work with the private sector as well as governments and civil society.
The recommendations aim to tackle both the frequency of advertising and its "power" for instance the use of cartoons that appeal to children.
Multinational compliance
WHO officials consulted leading companies in the sector - Coca-Cola, Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, McDonald's, Mars, Nestle, Pepsico, Unilever and the World Federation of Advertisers.
The companies agreed to draw up a code of conduct and committed not to market unhealthy products to children under the age of 12, Armstrong said.
In some markets, companies were living up to this pledge.
"There are other markets where perhaps companies are not adopting the same policies in terms of not advertising their products to children," he said.
Armstrong declined to name the companies or markets concerned but said the WHO had a sense that companies were not fulfilling their commitment in poor countries in the way that they appeared to be in developed markets.
The different results underlined the importance of governments monitoring the implementation of any agreements reached with the industry.
Like tobacco, liquor
"The concept is that governments must lead this process," he said. It was up to governments to choose the best approach.
Some might prefer to legislate a ban on advertising, others could agree independently monitored self-regulation with industry, he said.
Norway's director-general of health, Dr. Bjorn-Inge Larsen, said governments had a range of options and these recommendations were a first step.
Pressure on the companies to curb advertising and ultimately production of the products would grow in the same way as efforts to limit the consumption of tobacco and alcohol had done, he said.
Battling hidden hunger
Senator Edgardo J. Angara, a former president of the University of the Philippines and chair of the committee on education, says vegetables may be the answer to the hidden hunger that afflicts our severely malnourished children, who suffer stunted physical growth and, worse, irreversible brain damage.
It starts with what our children eat or, better yet, what they don't eat. He writes: "Scores of children are afflicted by a deficiency that could be resolved easily if more people paid attention.
"Approximately two billion people in the world suffer from hidden hunger, a dietary deficiency of essential micronutrients that could irreversibly affect physical and cognitive development.
Though food supplies are available, children from many developing countries continue to suffer from a lack of essential nutrients....
"The solution is so obvious: we need to make our children eat healthier food, especially fruits and vegetables. However, weaning children off junk food is a major challenge for any parent. Unhealthy eating is a major challenge for children in their growing years, when both physical and mental development (is) most critical...."
In the United States, a mother - with the support of an advocacy group like Angara's - has filed a class-action suit against a fast food chain, for its Happy Meal promotion which invites children to collect a new toy every so often.
The mother alleged, among other things, that the marketing promotion curtailed her right to be a good parent and to lead her child to a healthy nutritional adulthood.
Her lawyers questioned marketing promotions that target children. A fast food spokesperson said the promotion did not impair the consumer's right to choose. Columnists weighed in to advice mothers to "Just say No!" to the pester power of their children, even as companies seek to manipulate their impressionably young minds.
The legal arguments can go either way. In earlier cases involving the use by food manufacturers of potentially harmful trans-fats, a standard cooking ingredient in fast food kitchens, the companies settled out of court.
The government of New York has banned the use of trans-fats in all restaurants.
Former US President Bill Clinton is a celebrated example of how unhealthy eating habits can lead to heart problems caused by food hand-carried by White House intern Monica Lewinsky inside the Oval Office during the lunch break. Clinton underwent multiple heart bypass surgery after leaving office and now appears to be in the pink of health - older, perhaps, but wiser.
This year's industry gathering had a special mission handed to it by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. At the induction of its current officers over lunch in presidential office earlier this year, Aquino seized the occasion to give them a strange assignment on how to encourage the news media to report more positive news and less negative news - by putting their advertising pesos (in the billions) where the positive news mouth is.
The ad industry has not responded. But there are more pressing issues the industry cannot, should not, ignore. Here's one:
Two epidemics are currently raging in poor countries - hunger and malnutrition and a more pernicious one, obesity, afflicting 42 million children under the age of five, 35 million of whom live in third-world countries like the Philippines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for action to end the epidemic of child obesity by reducing marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.
WHO says children worldwide are exposed to marketing of foods high in fat, sugar or salt. And this increases the potential of younger generations developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during their lives.
Poor diet epidemic
WHO officials cite poor diet as one of the four common causes of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic lung diseases, leading to more than nine million premature deaths.
Coordinator of the WHO surveillance and prevention program, Dr. Tim Armstrong, says obesity is a growing problem among children in the poorer countries.
NCDs now are the leading cause of death among adults in Samoa, and this is likely to get worse with alarming obesity among children.
WHO blames television advertising largely for the marketing of unhealthy foods. It says there is evidence advertisements influence children's food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns.
At the May 2010 World Health Assembly, member states endorsed a new set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.
WHO says governments must lead this process through legislation restricting harmful marketing practices directed toward children.
UN debate
NCDs will be the focus of global health policy discussions this year, leading to a debate of heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Dr. Armstrong, who heads the WHO efforts on promoting healthy diet and physical education, told a news conference in January that while advertising junk food and drinks can encourage children to consume these, advertising can also promote a healthy diet, Reuters reported.
This led the WHO assembly last May to call on the UN health agency to draw up the marketing recommendations.
The WHO's 193 member states told it to work with the private sector as well as governments and civil society.
The recommendations aim to tackle both the frequency of advertising and its "power" for instance the use of cartoons that appeal to children.
Multinational compliance
WHO officials consulted leading companies in the sector - Coca-Cola, Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, McDonald's, Mars, Nestle, Pepsico, Unilever and the World Federation of Advertisers.
The companies agreed to draw up a code of conduct and committed not to market unhealthy products to children under the age of 12, Armstrong said.
In some markets, companies were living up to this pledge.
"There are other markets where perhaps companies are not adopting the same policies in terms of not advertising their products to children," he said.
Armstrong declined to name the companies or markets concerned but said the WHO had a sense that companies were not fulfilling their commitment in poor countries in the way that they appeared to be in developed markets.
The different results underlined the importance of governments monitoring the implementation of any agreements reached with the industry.
Like tobacco, liquor
"The concept is that governments must lead this process," he said. It was up to governments to choose the best approach.
Some might prefer to legislate a ban on advertising, others could agree independently monitored self-regulation with industry, he said.
Norway's director-general of health, Dr. Bjorn-Inge Larsen, said governments had a range of options and these recommendations were a first step.
Pressure on the companies to curb advertising and ultimately production of the products would grow in the same way as efforts to limit the consumption of tobacco and alcohol had done, he said.
Battling hidden hunger
Senator Edgardo J. Angara, a former president of the University of the Philippines and chair of the committee on education, says vegetables may be the answer to the hidden hunger that afflicts our severely malnourished children, who suffer stunted physical growth and, worse, irreversible brain damage.
It starts with what our children eat or, better yet, what they don't eat. He writes: "Scores of children are afflicted by a deficiency that could be resolved easily if more people paid attention.
"Approximately two billion people in the world suffer from hidden hunger, a dietary deficiency of essential micronutrients that could irreversibly affect physical and cognitive development.
Though food supplies are available, children from many developing countries continue to suffer from a lack of essential nutrients....
"The solution is so obvious: we need to make our children eat healthier food, especially fruits and vegetables. However, weaning children off junk food is a major challenge for any parent. Unhealthy eating is a major challenge for children in their growing years, when both physical and mental development (is) most critical...."
In the United States, a mother - with the support of an advocacy group like Angara's - has filed a class-action suit against a fast food chain, for its Happy Meal promotion which invites children to collect a new toy every so often.
The mother alleged, among other things, that the marketing promotion curtailed her right to be a good parent and to lead her child to a healthy nutritional adulthood.
Her lawyers questioned marketing promotions that target children. A fast food spokesperson said the promotion did not impair the consumer's right to choose. Columnists weighed in to advice mothers to "Just say No!" to the pester power of their children, even as companies seek to manipulate their impressionably young minds.
The legal arguments can go either way. In earlier cases involving the use by food manufacturers of potentially harmful trans-fats, a standard cooking ingredient in fast food kitchens, the companies settled out of court.
The government of New York has banned the use of trans-fats in all restaurants.
Former US President Bill Clinton is a celebrated example of how unhealthy eating habits can lead to heart problems caused by food hand-carried by White House intern Monica Lewinsky inside the Oval Office during the lunch break. Clinton underwent multiple heart bypass surgery after leaving office and now appears to be in the pink of health - older, perhaps, but wiser.
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