Maniolas

A Filipino baby at a Gawad Kalinga Village. Philip Brookes WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Xinhua) — Infants who can’t yet speak themselves are able to recognize that people who speak different languages use words differently, according to New Zealand research. A study at the University of Auckland found that infants as young as 13 months understood that people from different linguistic communities used different words to refer to the same object. “This is the first evidence that infants do not indiscriminately generalize words across people,” study co-author Dr Annette Henderson said in a statement. “This early appreciation might help infants by encouraging them to focus on learning the words that will most likely be shared by members of their own linguistic group.” The researchers tested whether infants understood that word meanings (object labels) were not shared by individuals who speak different languages by showing infants from English-speaking families video clips that introduced two actors: one speaking French and the other English. They then monitored how long each infant looked at objects after the objects had been labeled by each actor, as infants looked longer at things they find novel or unexpected. Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: They found the infants applied the rules they had learned of their own language and expected speakers of foreign languages to label objects consistently. “This finding shows that infants appreciate that words are not shared by speakers of different languages, suggesting that infants have a fairly nuanced understanding of the conventional Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—Almost a year after an American warship ran aground on an atoll of the Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea, the US government has yet to pay the fine imposed by the Philippines for the damage to the environment. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Thursday that the fine amounted to P58.3 million, imposed after a determination of the damage caused by the grounding of the USS Guardian on the Tubbataha Reefs, a protected World Heritage Site. “According to Director Lim, nothing has been paid yet,” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said in a text message to the Inquirer, referring to a statement from Theresa Mundita Lim, head of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (formerly the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau). Lim later confirmed the information in a separate text message to the Inquirer. No request A US official, however, said the Philippines had not formally requested settlement of the damage. “The United States has committed to processing any request by the Philippine government for damage expeditiously,” the official who is privy to the matter said on Thursday. “To my knowledge, a request has not yet been made.” Paje said it was up to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to make arrangements with the US government on the payment of the fine. “If it were up to the DENR, of course, we would insist that the penalty be imposed and that they pay in cash, regardless of whether it was the US or China or whoever. But Read More …

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 3:59 pm | Thursday, January 2nd, 2014 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution giving protection to women migrant workers against abusive employers and exploitation. “We are pleased to report that last December 18, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted, by consensus, the Philippine sponsored Resolution no. 68/137 on violence against women migrant workers,” presidential communications operations office secretary Sonny Coloma said in a press conference Thursday. “The resolution calls on all countries to grant women migrant workers in domestic service access to gender-sensitive, transparent mechanisms for bringing complaints against employers including termination of their contract in case of labor and economic exploitation, sexual harassment and sexual abuse and violence,” he said. According to records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), 94,880 female domestic workers were deployed overseas in 2010. This was a significant increase compared to the 69,669 newly hired domestic workers abroad in 2009 and the 47,841 new hires in 2008. In 2007, there were 44,904 female domestic workers hired abroad, 89,819 in 2006, 81,725 in 2005, and 61,873 in 2004. The resolution adopted by the UN was sponsored by the Philippines because it saw the need to protect the thousands of Filipina migrant workers worldwide, Coloma said. “It urges all governments to consider permitting women migrant workers who are victims of violence to apply for residency permits independently of abusive employers or spouses, in accordance with national laws, and to eliminate abusive sponsorship Read More …

KYMCO Philippines recently launched in Mindanao the KTR 125, the latest among the quality but affordable motorcycles that are tailored fit for the bikers in the island. Allan B. Santiago, national sales manager of Kymco Philippines, said a team of researchers from Taiwan and Kymco Philippines came up with the concept of the motorcycle that sought to eradicate the gap between a quality expensive motorcycle and low-cost less quality model. “We want to offer the market with an alternative all-new purpose motorcycle that is value-packed on a more affordable cost,” he said. He said many of the features of the KTR 125 are also found in the more advanced and more expensive brands of motorcycles in the Philippines. “The all-new Kymco motorcycle was conceptualized months ago with the idea of bringing the competition to a new level, by providing a product with more distinct features and a clear advantage that can’t be found in the leading brand,” he said. The latest motorcycle sports a European-inspired design, with a sleek, fluid lines, and a modern head lamp, in what Santiago described as the model that has “more value than its cost.” Other sturdy features of this motorcycle include the perfect square engine, safety reflectors, stylishly-designed tail lamp and full-knuckle guard. He said the full-knuckle guard protects the hands of the bikers, and thus prevent accidents. Santiago said KTR 125 was specially designed for the rough roads, making it perfect for bikers who are always on-the-go to explore the suburbs of Mindanao. Read More …

By Julie M. AurelioPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:37 pm | Friday, December 27th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — A 50-year-old American was found dead early Friday in a Quezon City hotel room, two days after he checked into the establishment, police said. Case investigator Police Officer 2 Alvin Quisumbing said Dominic Joseph Salfi, 50, was discovered lying face down on his bed and his body bore no signs of injury. A three-page handwritten last will and testament was found in the man’s room at the Tune Hotel on Timog Avenue, he added. Quisumbing  said the body was discovered at 12:50 a.m. Friday when hotel employees opened the  room at the insistence of Safli’s girlfriend, who said she wanted to check on him because he had not been answering her calls. Quisumbing said an autopsy was to have been performed on Salfi’s body but the results were not yet ready by Friday afternoon. According to him, hotel employees told investigators the woman asked the hotel’s management to open Salfi’s room as he was not responding to her calls. The American lived in Barangay (village) Almanza in Las Piñas City and  checked into the hotel at around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The woman said she wanted to check on the victim’s condition. Accompanied by two employees, the victim did not respond to calls and knocks at the door. This prompted the employees to open the door with a master key card. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks Read More …