Maniolas

popular Pangasinan execs axed over black sand Viber goes public North Korean websites back online after shutdown Liberal Party eyes Roxas-Poe tandem Slain Lucena cop hailed as hero 2 kidnap-slay suspects found guilty Gay cure scam: Beijing court orders apology Azkals to get $300,000 Fifa aid next year videos Simbang Gabi at the Gesu ( Day 9 – Dec. 23, 2014 ) Baldwin wants Olympics stint, Fiba Asia gold for Gilas ‘Parade of Stars’ opens 40th Metro Manila Film Festival Homebody: Boots Anson-Roa New coach says Gilas program in ‘good shape’ Department of Foreign Affairs building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday that its DFA Aseana office on Macapagal Boulevard and all mall-based DFA satellite offices in Metro Manila will be closed starting Wednesday until Dec. 28 and from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4. There will be no passport processing, releasing and other related services during those dates. It said people with passport-related queries may send their e-mails to passportconcerns@dfa.gov.ph. Tags: Department of Foreign Affairs DFA DFA Aseana Office Macapagal Boulevard Metro Manila Related Stories: Australia investigates ‘paedophile’ father in Thai baby scandal Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Bangladesh ferry owner faces charges in sinking Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Transportation and Communications drew two offers for its first transportation hub public private partnership (PPP) deal to be located in southern Metro Manila even as most of the potential bidders snubbed the P2.5-billion project. Transportation department spokesperson Michael Sagcal said the two companies that submitted offers for the Integrated Transport System-Southwest PPP were MWM Terminals, led by Megawide Construction Corp., and Gotianun-led Filinvest Land Inc. The two were among 16 companies, including conglomerates San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp. and Megaworld Corp., that acquired bid documents but did not submit any offers on the Dec. 22 deadline. The project, which was rolled out in December 2013 but has suffered several delays, is being implemented using a single-stage process. This means qualification, technical and financial proposals are submitted at one time and will be evaluated within the next two months. A dual-stage structure means these are submitted and evaluated separately. “Although we would have preferred to have more groups participating in the bid, we are nevertheless satisfied to have two established and reputable companies competing for the project,” Sagcal said. For Megawide, the PPP deal, which is the first of three ITS projects in the pipeline, would allow the company mainly to expand its construction portfolio and diversify its business, according to Megawide chief marketing officer Louie Ferrer. The ITS was meant to create intermodal hubs where provincial buses would disembark passengers to transfer to other in-city modes of transport such as elevated railways, city buses and UV Read More …

MANILA, Philippines–Japanese firms operating in the Philippines are bullish of their prospects for next year as more than half of those recently polled by the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) have expressed their intention to further expand their businesses in the country. The latest survey of Jetro also showed that about 71 percent of the respondents expect to post a “surplus in their operating profits” in the Philippines this year. This was based on Jetro’s 2014 Survey on Business Conditions of Japanese-Affiliated Firms in Asia and Oceania, which was conducted between October and November this year. It covered 4,767 Japanese-affiliated firms operating in 20 countries and regions in Asia and Oceania, including the Philippines. In a statement, Jetro noted that the number of Japanese-affiliated firms in China that were planning to expand dropped below 50 percent for the first time since the survey began in 1998. In contrast, about 60 percent of the Japanese firms operating in the Asean said they would expand over the next one to two years. In countries like Cambodia, India and Bangladesh, there was expression of interest to expand business, marking a high response rate more than 70 percent. “The proportion in the Asean exceeded that of China in 2012, and since then, the difference has widened to 13.8 points. In the Philippines, the rate has risen to 58.7 percent since 2009. High response rates were seen in emerging countries such as Cambodia (79.5 percent), India (78.2 percent) and Bangladesh (71.1 percent). Survey results further Read More …