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Oct 232015
Oct 232015
Philippine Daily Inquirer October 24th, 2015 01:04 AM Haze from Indonesian forest fires has spread to the southern Philippines, disrupting air traffic and prompting warnings for residents to wear face masks, authorities said on Friday. Mindanao is more than 1,200 kilometers from the nearest fires but the haze has become a worsening problem over the past week, aviation authorities said. Two domestic flights have been canceled and dozens delayed at 10 airports on Mindanao since Oct. 16, affecting thousands of passengers, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesperson Eric Apolonio said. Apolonio said, on some occasions, pilots could not see the airstrip as they were coming into land. “If you cannot see the runway, it is very dangerous. You cannot always depend on instruments,” he told AFP. Dense haze hung like a cloud of dust over Davao, Mindanao’s largest city with 1.5 million people, on Friday afternoon, plunging it under an early twilight. Its airport, one of those affected according to Apolonio, handles 48 flights a day. With visibility down to 1.2 kilometers at some times during the day, aircraft are forced to circle and wait above the runways for up to an hour, according to Apolonio. Pilots can normally see up to 10 kilometers, he added. Apolonio said the flight delays were also disrupting the busy Manila airport, with some Mindanao-bound flights being held back. Because the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is operating at its full capacity of 40 landings and takeoffs per hour, any delay involving Mindanao flights Read More …
Oct 212015
Wok-seared “shaking” beef with onions, green and red bell peppers on a bed of long beans and asparagus. Ingredients: Marinade: 1 tsp. Soy Sauce 2 tsp. Cornstarch Salt and pepper to taste 1 lb. Sirloin beef, cut into 1-inch cubes Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 2 tbsp. Cooking oil 2 cloves Garlic, minced 1/2 Red onion, cut into 1-inch squares 1 Green onion, cut into 1-inch lengths 1 Red jalapeno (or any red large chili), sliced 1/2 Green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares 1/2 Red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares 1 tbsp. Fish sauce 1 tbsp. Hoisin sauce 1 tbsp. Chili sauce 1 tbsp. Water 2 tsp. Rice vinegar 2 tsp. Soy sauce 2 tbsp. Rice wine 1 tbsp Unsalted butter 1 bunch Watercress, washed and trimmed Procedure: 1.Combine marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2.Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add beef; cook until a brown crust forms on the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove beef and set aside. 3. Add garlic, red onion and green onion and cook until fragrant. Add sliced red chili, green and red bell peppers; stir-fry for 1 minute. Return beef. 4. Add fish sauce, hoisin sauce, water, rice vinegar and soy sauce; stir to evenly coat beef. 5. Add rice wine and flambé beef. Add butter; mix until butter melts and is evenly distributed. 6. To serve, arrange watercress on a platter and place hot beef on top.
Oct 202015
MANILA, Philippines – Amid reports of Arab investors eyeing Philippine brands for master franchises, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is gearing up 11 of the country’s top food, fashion and personal care brands for the Middle East and North African markets. The brands are fully compliant with international standards of quality, and ready to be exhibited at the 8th Dubai International Brand Licensing Fair on Nov. 3 and 4, according to a press statement issued by the DTI’s export promotions arm Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) recently. CITEM executive director Rosvi C. Gaetos said the brands were specifically targeted at the fair’s over 4,000 trade buyers and visitors from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), having an aggregate consumer population of 357.3 million and regional gross domestic product of $1.523 trillion as of last year. Gaetos also cited MENA’s $30-billion franchise economy and flourishing retail industry as the main draw for the Philippines’ participation in the fair slated at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. “We are joining the fair to open an alternative market for Philippine brands and companies, establish their global presence and build a strong image for Philippine manufacturers and SMEs in offering top-quality, reliable, and valuable products,” Gaetos said as she described the event as a “first-class business platform for partnerships and updates on brand licensing and merchandising programs and deals.” This development comes amid reports of Middle Eastern investors eyeing Philippine brands for national or master franchises in Read More …
Oct 202015
The Levorg’s front end features Subaru’s unique hexagon grille and hawk eye headlights. It has two varieties: the 1.6GT and the sportier 1.6GT-S. Blockbuster movies usually have that perfect mix of elements to appeal to wide audiences, such as the right combination of romance, action, drama or comedy. If Subaru was a movie company, its popular hits in the Philippines (i.e., the Forester and XV, both crossover SUVs) seem to reflect a successful connection with the adventurous or sporty audience. Subaru’s newest addition to its line-up is as interestingly complex as the audience it seeks to relate with—adventurous yet practical, family-oriented yet sporty, stylish yet capable. As with a movie, the prospect of a car that can blend these diverse qualities excited me, enough to make me travel to Taipei for its regional premier. Last October 14, Motor Image (the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the Southeast Asian region) launched the Subaru “Levorg” in Nangang Exhibition Hall at Taipei, Taiwan. Glenn Tan, Executive Director of Tan Chong International Ltd., personally unveiled the Levorg. The unique name “Levorg” is a combination of the words ‘Legacy,’ ‘Revolution’ and ‘Touring,’ which sums up what this car is about. It’s a brand new model that combines the performance and practicality of a tourer with the stylish design and feel of a sports car. It’s also designed to be a luxurious and spacious car capable of long-distance driving. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 While the Philippine market has been very Read More …
Oct 192015
Romy Sia at Healthy Options, Glorietta 2: “In the first 10 years of Healthy Options, we were able to create awareness of natural health. It’s all about eating healthy, living well, being fit.” He may wear many hats but businessman Romy Sia is, first and foremost, a good, devoted dad who wants only the best for his children. How it broke his heart when, many years ago, he found out that his son Sean, then a toddler, was allergic to corn. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him and his wife Janet who now have to gingerly sift through every single label of the products they buy in the supermarket to make sure their precious son does not ingest corn or anything with corn as a hidden ingredient. He wanted to help his son (and parents of children with allergies) by keeping him away from products that could harm his health. He looked around and realized there was hardly any health store in Metro Manila back then. So he put up Healthy Options, which is what its name suggests. Fast-forward to 2015: Twenty years later, Romy now runs 25 store branches — and counting — of Healthy Options located nationwide, and it is now the country’s leading all-natural health store. And Sean is now a smart young man in his early 20s. Yes, everything you see in the supermarket, you will probably find at Healthy Options — only healthier options. Starting out with healthy snackfoods like Read More …
Oct 182015
It’s “all systems go” for this year’s edition of the annual Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT) conference, which will be held in Manila later this week, from Thursday on to the weekend. As a member of the APWT Board and one of APWT 2015’s convenors, I’m particularly thrilled for the Philippines to be hosting this event, which is the literary equivalent of the APEC, the SEA Games, and let’s throw in The Amazing Race, which it could be a bit of for our foreign guests. It’s not a competition, of course, and we won’t be signing any treaties or squabbling over territory. In fact, the way we’ve set things up, it’ll be a politician-free zone, which isn’t to say that politics will be off the menu. With topics ranging from “Sex and Sensitivities” and “Criminal Intent” to “Love in the Time of Dissonance” and “Why Publishers Prefer Outsiders,” there’ll be fireworks aplenty in the panel discussions we’ve put together for the three-day conference, which will be held at the Institute of Physics in UP Diliman on Thursday and Friday, before moving to De La Salle University and the University of Sto. Tomas on Saturday. I’ll be one of four keynote speakers for the conference, and will speak on the conference theme, “Against the Grain,” at UP on Thursday morning, to introduce the Philippines and our culture and literature to the audience, especially our visitors. I’ll be followed the next day by Romesh Gunesekera, the UK-based, Sri Lanka-born Booker Prize Read More …
Oct 172015
Liberal Party chairman President Benigno S. Aquino III attends the “Daang Matuwid: To Be Continued…” of the ruling Liberal Party at the Corazon C. Aquino Kalayaan Hall of the Club Filipino in San Juan City on Monday (October 05, 2015). Also in photo are LP Presidential Candidate former DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas II and LP Vice Presidential Candidate Camarines Sur 3rd District Representative Maria Leonor Robredo.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Vice-presidential candidate Leni Robredo said Thursday that she is content being Mar Roxas’ running mate in the 2016 elections, even if she was not the first choice. Robredo said she is honored that she was even considered by the Liberal Party (LP) as its vice presidential bet despite her initial reluctance to run. “It’s still a privilege and honor to be considered for this post. All those who have been considered have been preparing for a national post for a very long time. Ako lang yata ‘yung walang ganoong preparation,” the Camarines Sur representative said. “I always believe in fate, that everything will fall into place eventually if it is meant to be. It doesn’t really matter if I was the second choice or the last choice. ‘Yung pakiramdam na we have obligations bigger than ourselves, hindi mo na maiisip kung pang-ilang choice ka.” The LP initially considered presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos as Roxas’ running mate before finally pursuing Robredo. Robredo also admitted that she would have to double her efforts to boost her Read More …
Oct 152015
Chinkee Tan I have a lot of memories of my recent trip to Ireland: the beautiful weather, the historical sites that date back to 1400s, the magnificent sceneries and landscapes. But the most unforgettable moment was when I met a new friend there who had recently lost a loved one. This friend had a very difficult time moving on, and asked, “What else is my purpose in life without my loved one?” In other words, “What am I living for?” This person had felt that all the work and sacrifice is now for nothing. I honestly do not have an answer to that. But one thing I learned in life is that, “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON” whether it be good or bad things. We may never know the ultimate reason why some things do happen while others don’t happen, but we just need to be hopeful that our life will work out for good, and have faith that God has allowed this to happen for a reason. We just need to TRUST that GOD is SOVEREIGN. When I say sovereign it means that the Lord has control over everything. He knows what He is doing. We just need to trust Him, that His plan is good and perfect for us. This brings me to my second point that good things or bad things may happen in our life, but it is meant for good. “Chinkee, are you saying that I should be happy that I lost someone I loved Read More …
Oct 112015
Senator Gringo Honasan pays his final respect to Senator Flavier. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Senator Gringo Honasan has yet to agree to United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) offer for him to be Vice President Jejomar Binay’s running mate in the 2016 elections, party president and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said Friday. “He has not come back to me yet. I cannot speak for Senator Greg and I don’t want to speculate,” Tiangco said. The UNA official said this in response to a question whether their party has received confirmation from Honasan to be Binay’s vice presidential candidate. During the launching of UNA in vote-rich Cebu, Binay announced his tandem with Honasan. “Lalong lumalakas, lalong tumatapang, UNA na, Bingo pa,” he said, using the monicker for their tandem, a play of “Binay” and “Gringo.” A tarpaulin was also placed in the stage indicating Honasan’s vice-presidential run, but the senator was a no-show at the event. Tiangco said the party wasn’t expecting Honasan’s attendance in the UNA event anyway. “In the first place, he never committed to show up in Cebu, so I don’t know why they were expecting him there,” he said. Malacañang, for its part, reserved its comment on the “Bingo” tandem until the official announcement of Binay’s running mate. So far, Binay will be in a four-way presidential race against administration standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, independent candidate Senator Grace Poe, and party-list Rep. Roy Señeres. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago are also said Read More …