Maniolas

MANILA, Philippines – Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan remains confident the Philippine economy will grow faster in the October to December period than in the previous quarter. “Based on the available information, it (fourth quarter) is expectedly better than the third quarter,” he said in a yearend press briefing yesterday. In the third quarter this year, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.3 percent, the slowest pace in nearly three years. On the average, the economy grew 5.8 percent in the first nine months of the year. But to be able to achieve the lower end of the government’s target of 6.5 percent, the fourth quarter must expand by 8.2 percent. “For the first three quarters of this year, the economy grew at an average of 5.8 percent. While this falls below our target of at least 6.5 percent, the Philippine economy remains among the brightest spots in the region,” Balisacan said, also the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). He said export performance in 2014 has been notable, especially for high-value products, and this bodes well for the economy as a whole. The growing household consumption indicates greater consumer confidence, which could boost growth. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In the first eight months of the year, growth of the industry sector has outpaced that of the services sector dating back since the second half of 2012. “This is consistent with our strategy to promote the resurgence of industry Read More …

Passengers alight from an EZ-10 driverless electric shuttle developed by the Ligier Group. The first fleet of its vehicles will operate by 2015 at the Michelin International Centre for Research of Ladoux. Photo by KAP MACEDA AGUILA CHENGDU, China – “Civilized countries are not ones where the poor have cars, but are ones where the rich take the public transit,” said Guillermo Peñalosa, commissioner of parks, sport, and recreation for the City of Bogota in Colombia. Yes, think about it. Speaking at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum’s so-called TEDCity 2.0 Salon, the Colombian public official asked attendees to reconsider the way mobility is thought of in a context of development. TED is a “non-profit devoted to spreading ideas… beginning in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment, and design converged.” Started in 1998, the Bibendum, so named as a nod to the French tire maker’s famous mascot, has been drawn up as an annual event to explore the avenues towards sustainable mobility. The 12th edition held here in China’s fourth most populous city, sought clear goals to “(set) ambitions C02 reduction objectives worldwide, (create) ultra-low emissions zones in cities, (deploy) door-to-door transport solutions, (reinvent) last-mile delivery logistics, and (promote) public and private investment.” Indeed, mobility is what drives economic growth, and yet transportation can also spawn a host of problems that society can ignore at its peril. Peñalosa rued that 1.2 million lives are lost every year in traffic accidents. Of these, 270,000 are killed walking in sidewalks or on the Read More …

CONTAINER YARDS at the two Manila ports are now only slightly more crowded than the ideal level of 80% utilization, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said on Monday, even amid the influx of shipments in the run-up to Christmas.

IT’S THE most wonderful time of the year, with people worldwide gearing up for Christmas by dispensing gifts. The spirit of the season truly crosses all boundaries of culture, economic background or social status, and business people are definitely not immune to the wave of giving as they sign hefty checks to the objects of their generosity.

MORE HOUSEHOLDS that receive remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) allocated portions of the inflows into savings and investments this quarter, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) released on Friday.