dmorcoso

Seoul mayor suggests subways as traffic fix for Metro Manila

 News
Aug 132013
 
Seoul mayor suggests subways as traffic fix for Metro Manila

By Niña P. CallejaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 9:27 pm | Tuesday, August 13th, 2013 EDSA. File photo MANILA, Philippines — The mayor of Seoul — a human rights activist and lawyer who earned the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2006 — met with Metro Manila officials on Tuesday to foster long-term partnerships in addressing urban development issues. Mayor Park Won Soon received a warm welcome from several Metro Manila mayors and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino at the MMDA headquarters in Makati City, in arrival rites complete with a brass band and MMDA employees waving the South Korean flag. In a two-hour meeting with the mayors, Park offered his government’s help to Metro Manila, inviting Philippine officials to come to Seoul for them to learn in detail how the Philippine capital could handle common problems facing megacities, such as traffic jams and flooding. Among the best practices and projects he cited were Seoul’s modern transport solutions, including a 115-kilometer bus transit system, a 327-kilometer urban railway system, and government efforts to make mass transport not only efficient but also environment friendly. Asked what he could recommend for Metro Manila’s perennial traffic mess, Park proposed an interconnected metro system and the construction of a subway. “The subway is the most efficient (mode of) transportation from the outskirts of Seoul to downtown. I recommend that you have consultations with international traffic experts for the establishment of a metro system,” Park said. “The cost may be very high but it will be Read More …

Recruiters eye to fill 3,000 jobs as Taiwan lifts hiring freeze

 News
Aug 132013
 
Recruiters eye to fill 3,000 jobs as Taiwan lifts hiring freeze

By Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:12 pm | Tuesday, August 13th, 2013 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Local recruitment agencies are looking to deploy some 3,000 workers for electronic factories to Taiwan, nearly a week after the Taiwanese government lifted its hiring freeze on Filipino workers. Angelo Tong, president of Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan, said Taiwan is in need of some 3,000 workers for electronic factories that did not hire workers from other countries and instead patiently waited for Filipinos, their preferred choice of workers, for the highly-skilled positions in their companies. In a statement, Tong admitted that a few companies had to get Vietnamese workers for those positions that needed to be filled since OFWs, whose work contracts were up for extension or renewal, had to return home to wait for developments following tensions the past three months over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman. “With the issue now behind, we are very optimistic that these workers will be recalled by their companies to their previous positions,” he said. Last week, Taiwan lifted a freeze on the hiring of Filipino workers, after the Philippines relayed its apology to the family of the fisherman killed in an encounter with Philippine Coast Guard personnel in disputed waters last May 9. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s office in Manila on Tuesday posted online the guidelines for prospective Filipino job seekers. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office said this applies to work permit applications of blue-collar workers, including first-time applications, substitutes and re-hiring. TECO said Read More …

Militants oppose talks for larger US presence in PH

 News
Aug 132013
 
Militants oppose talks for larger US presence in PH

By Frances MangosingINQURER.net 7:41 pm | Tuesday, August 13th, 2013 A Filipino activist holds a slogan during a rally outside Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. The group is protesting against a proposed increase in U.S. military presence in the Philippines to help the country defend its territorial waters amid a conflict with China in the South China Sea. AP MANILA, Philippines – Militants led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan protested Tuesday the upcoming negotiations for greater access of US troops in the Philippines during a rally staged in front of Camp Aguinaldo. “The biggest lie being peddled now by the Aquino government is the one that says the US will help us in the territorial dispute against China. While there is a need to stand up to China’s aggressive and assertive behavior, the US will not really help us. The US will not go head to head with China nor is it under any obligation to take our side in any territorial dispute. The US has many economic interests in China. The US is merely exploiting the dispute,”  Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Secretary General Renato Reyes said. Talks between the Philippines and United States on the increased rotational presence of American forces in the country will start Wednesday at Department of National Defense headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo. This move is seen as a restraint to China’s expanding military might and its aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). China Read More …

Estrada lauds Taiwan move to lift sanctions vs PH

 News
Aug 132013
 
Estrada lauds Taiwan move to lift sanctions vs PH

By Maila AgerINQUIRER.net 5:35 pm | Tuesday, August 13th, 2013 Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on Tuesday lauded Taiwan’s decision to lift sanctions it earlier imposed against the Philippines, saying this would pave the way for the resumption of bilateral ties on trade, investments, and hiring of overseas Filipino workers. “This resumption of productive relations between the two governments definitely results to mutual benefits. It is especially a very positive development for our OFWs,” Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, said in a statement. The reported lifting of sanctions came after the National Bureau of Investigation recommended the  filing of charges against  Coast Guard personnel  involved in the  fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in an encounter last May 9. The Philippines through Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) chairman Amadeo Perez Jr. also issued an apology to the family of 65-year old fisherman Hung Shih Cheng who was killed during the encounter. Estrada pointed out information showing that Taiwan is among the top destinations of OFWs and is host to some 80,000 to 100,000 Filipino workers. Statistics also showed that the deployment of workers in Taiwan is estimated at 40,000 every year. He then urged Philippine officials, particularly the MECO, to beef up steps aimed at further strengthening and normalizing the two governments’ relations. Tension rose, he noted, during the three months that the issue was being addressed and investigated, and actual incidents of harassment against Filipinos in Taiwan Read More …

PH eyes to purchase 2 light planes for territorial defense support

 News
Aug 012013
 
PH eyes to purchase 2 light planes for territorial defense support

INQURER.net 6:12 pm | Thursday, August 1st, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of National Defense is looking to acquire two brand new light lift fixed wing aircraft worth about P800 million. DND Undersecretary for Bids and Awards Committee Fernando Manalo said the aircraft must be able to “provide organic general support for territorial defense, internal peace and security plan, internal security operations, disaster response and national development.” The funds, which  will be sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act Trust Fund, are worth P814,000,000. The bidding documents can be purchased for P75,000, with a bid opening on August 23 at DND Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for August 9. The bidders must have completed a similar project within the last five years. The winning supplier is required to deliver the aircraft within 548 calendar days from the letter of credit, Manalo said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: AFP modernization , Features , Global Nation Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate:

PH expects to be lifted from US air blacklist

 News
Jul 182013
 
PH expects to be lifted from US air blacklist

Agence France-Presse 7:52 pm | Thursday, July 18th, 2013 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines expects to be removed from a US air safety blacklist this year, opening a lucrative market for its carriers, an aviation regulator said Thursday. John Andrews, deputy director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said he was very confident the upgrade would occur following a similar decision by the European Union last week. “We’re going to make it. (It’s) as simple as that,” Andrews told AFP in an interview. The US Federal Aviation Administration said in 2008 that the Philippines was failing to comply with international safety standards, and banned its airlines from expanding services to the United States. The European Union banned all Philippine carriers from flying to Europe in 2010 for similar reasons. Reforms put in place since then, including a law creating a new aviation regulator, the CAAP, allowed the Philippines to satisfy the concerns of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in February. This led to the EU’s decision last week to allow Philippine Airlines to begin flying into its airspace. The EU said it was reviewing the case of other Filipino carriers. Andrews said he expected US aviation regulators to make similar findings when it carried out an audit before the end of the year. He said Filipino regulators had addressed safety concerns by physically tracking down every aircraft registered in the Philippines and getting their owners to submit documentation. This was to make sure the Read More …

PH sets conditions for continued Golan Heights deployment

 News
Jul 062013
 
PH sets conditions for continued Golan Heights deployment

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:47 pm | Saturday, July 6th, 2013 Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino is willing to extend the deployment of Filipino peacekeepers in the conflict-stricken Golan Heights if the United Nations agrees to certain conditions regarding the safety of the Filipino soldiers, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday. Del Rosario said the President was open to maintaining the country’s troops in the volatile ceasefire zone between Syria and Israel beyond the scheduled troop rotation on August 11 if safety and security conditions improve. At least 340 Filipino peacekeepers are detailed to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) at the ceasefire zone, which has been wracked by a spillover of violence between Syrian government and rebel forces. “We are submitting our conditionalities [to the United Nations] for enhancing safety and security of Philippine peacekeepers in UNDOF,” Del Rosario told the Inquirer. “If these are approved, and the risk exposure does not exceed tolerable limits, the President has agreed for our people to remain beyond August 11 with a reassessment thereafter to be made every six months.” Del Rosario earlier proposed to Aquino the withdrawal of the Philippine contingent, currently UNDOF’s biggest, following  two separate abductions of Filipino “Blue Helmets”—21 in March and four in May— and the wounding of one during heavy fighting among Syrians in June. The Philippines sent an assessment team to the Golan last month to determine if safety and security conditions in the area Read More …

Unruly passenger on Qantas flight sent back to Australia

 News
Jul 062013
 
Unruly passenger on Qantas flight sent back to Australia

By Jerome AningPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:41 pm | Saturday, July 6th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Because of his alleged unruly behavior on a Qantas Airlines flight to Manila, an Australian man was sent back to Sydney immediately after arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday evening, the police said Saturday. Mamudu Kamara, 33, was detained by air marshals of the Australian Federal Police  aboard flight QF-019 after he allegedly tried to force his way into the cockpit two-and-a-half hours into the eight-hour flight from Sydney. An AFP agent detailed at the Australian Embassy in Manila notified the NAIA-based Philippine National Police’s Aviation Security Group about the incident. Upon the plane’s arrival at NAIA Terminal 1 at 7 p.m., the handcuffed Kamara was escorted by the four air marshals who had arrested him to the NAIA immigration office for document and then to the PNP-ASG clinic for a medical checkup. He was sent back to Sydney on the Qantas flight’s return trip about an hour later. Chief Inspector Felindo Navarro of the ASG, who responded to the embassy’s advisory, said Kamara became abusive to cabin crew members after finding out that his mini-television screen was not working. When the crew would not fix the monitor, Kamara became angry and then rushed toward to cockpit and tried to open the cockpit door, apparently to personally complain to the pilot. Kamara was then restrained by the air marshals with assistance from the crew. The pilot made the decision to continue the flight to Manila. Read More …

Stay indoors, Filipinos in Egypt urged

 News
Jul 042013
 
Stay indoors, Filipinos in Egypt urged

INQUIRER.net 6:13 pm | Thursday, July 4th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised crisis alert level 1 in Egypt amid ongoing political and civil unrest in the country. “Our priority is the safety of the nearly 6,000 Filipinos in Egypt. Upon the recommendation of our embassy in Cairo, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs has raised crisis alert level 1 over Egypt,” DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez announced in a televised press conference Thursday. “Under this alert level, Filipinos are advised to stay indoors, avoid places where protests are being held and take all necessary precautions,” he said. The Egyptian military ousted president Mohammed Morsi after four days of mass demonstrations by millions of anti-Morsi protesters. “[Our] embassy has intensified its monitoring of the political and security situation in that country and has assigned duty officers to man the embassy and its communication lines 24/7,” Hernandez said. “Our citizens should likewise be on standby for any advisories that the embassy might issue regarding developments on the peace and order situation in the country,” he said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Egypt , Features , Global Nation , Middle East unrest Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Read More …

Del Rosario invites Chinese foreign minister to Manila

 News
Jul 042013
 
Del Rosario invites Chinese foreign minister to Manila

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:03 pm | Thursday, July 4th, 2013 Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has invited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Manila for “consultations” as the Philippines wished to defuse tensions over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a brief interview Thursday, Del Rosario told reporters that Wang said “he will consider” the invitation. The two top diplomats  had a “testy exchange” over the dispute at the close of the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations ministers’ meeting in Brunei, where the regional maritime question became a centerpiece issue. “What might be of interest is I invited the (Chinese) foreign minister to come and visit Manila so that we can have a full and constructive discussion on all issues,” Del Rosario said. “I indicated to him that perhaps it’s time for him to do this because I have been to Beijing three times since I became foreign minister and all throughout that time, we have had no visits from the Chinese foreign minister,” he added. Del Rosario did not deny what  happened behind closed doors during Sunday’s tense meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, where he reportedly rebuffed Wang’s speech in which the Chinese official enumerated complaints against the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea. “I don’t think I should be discussing that but I did not deny what has been reported. As I said, there’s probably no need to add to it,” Del Rosario Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries