Maniolas

The world can learn from the turnaround of the Philippines’ disaster awareness as shown by its experiences with super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013 and Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) in 2014, a US surgeon who took part in the response to both disasters, said. Michael Karch, a surgeon with Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lakes, California, said learning lessons from Yolanda and applying them during Ruby may have saved the lives of some 1.7 million Filipinos. “The preemptive actions of the Philippine government, military, medical, and civilian sectors should serve as valuable lessons for the rest of the world as we collectively begin to embrace mass casualty education and preparedness on an individual, national, and international platform,” Karch said in a blog post. Yolanda, which tore through the Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013, left more than 6,300 dead. In contrast, Ruby – which, like Yolanda, packed powerful winds and posed a major threat – resulted in 18 deaths. The lower casualty count was in part due to massive evacuations in areas Ruby was projected to hit. Karch said Yolanda’s destruction had been described as the “Night of 1,000 Knives,” due to the flying debris that “wreaked injury and death on the Filipino population.” In contrast, he said, Ruby could be dubbed the “Night of a Million and a Half Flames” referring to 1.7 million plus people who survived the typhoon. “Widespread public health and civil defense measures that had been established in the interim between Haiyan and Hagupit were initiated in the Read More …

popular . Fil-Am vet gets Purple Heart after 70 years Thai ex-premier Yingluck impeached, faces criminal charges Mercado’s claim that Binay got kickbacks from BSP-Alphaland deal ‘pure hearsay’ Prince Andrew denies claims he had sex with underage girl More cops complain on Facebook about unpaid allowances BIR files tax evasion case vs alleged Binay dummy Antonio Tiu Fiba to inspect PH venues for 2019 World Cup bid SC junks disqualification case vs Mayor Estrada by 11-3 vote videos Kristel Mae Padasas given highest police honor Sandigan acquits Joey Marquez in graft rap Binay used Boy Scout land deal to fund 2010 poll campaign—Mercado Pag-IBIG exec denies Binay muscled way to get contract for security agency San Miguel Coach Leo Austria answers questions after the Beermen won PBA Philippine Cup 2015 A UNIT of port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has raised $300 million from the issuance of senior perpetual capital bonds, a hybrid equity instrument, according to a stock exchange filing on Friday.The complex transaction, through ICTSI subsidiary Royal Capital B.V. and mainly offered to investors in Asia, was aimed at managing ICTSI’s liabilities.Specifically, it would extend the call option on ICTSI’s perpetual bonds while allowing the company to tap further savings on its obligations, ICTSI vice president and treasurer Rafael Consing Jr. said in an interview Friday.The new offer was priced at a yield of 6.375 percent on Thursday night, ICTSI said. It was linked to a recently concluded tender offer for $350 million subordinated guaranteed perpetual Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Local banks tightened their credit rules for household borrowers in the fourth quarter, according to a survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).  “The DI (diffusion index) approach… indicated a net tightening of overall credit standards for household loans owing largely to perceived stricter financial system regulations,” according to the latest Senior Loan Officers Survey.  “In particular, banks’ responses indicated reduced credit line sizes for auto loans and wider loan margins for personal and salary loans,” the BSP said. Household loans pertain to finance auto loans, credit card loans, personal or salary loans, and housing loans. A diffusion index of 14.3 percent was recorded for the fourth quarter, higher than the 9.5 percent in the third quarter, the BSP survey showed. This is the fifth consecutive quarter the index showed a net tightening for credit standards for household loans. The diffusion index approach measures the proportion of banks that tightened credit standards versus those that eased them. A positive index means more banks tightened their standards, while a negative one shows there were that loosened them. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Most of the respondent banks foresee maintaining their credit standards over the next quarter,” the BSP said.  “However, some banks expect overall credit standards to tighten slightly due to expectations of continued strict financial system regulations and banks’ reduced tolerance for risk, among others,” the central bank added. On the other hand, banks maintained their credit standards for enterprises in the Read More …

By Hannah De Castro-Abinuman Fil-Am Director Ryan Moore with Manny Pacquiao Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Liam Neeson and directed by Ryan Moore and Academy Award winner, Leon Gast (When We Were Kings), “Manny” – a feature length documentary film about the “People’s Champ,” will be released in theaters and On Demand starting Jan. 23, 2015.  Highlighting Pacquiao’s journey from a struggling and starving teenager who engaged in the world of boxing to provide for his family, to becoming the world-renowned boxing icon that he is today, the film takes its viewers behind the scenes into the life of Manny Pacquiao. The film includes interviews featuring Hollywood celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Jeremy Piven and Jimmy Kimmel, boxer Oscar De La Hoya and other notable personalities. It also features original music by composer and music producer Lauren Balfe, who is known for his work in Inception, The Dark Knight, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Producer and Director, Ryan Moore said that he has always wanted to capture something real on camera. And with 5 years in the making of “Manny”, he was able to obtain footages that show the different facets of Manny Pacquiao’s life. In fact, the film even includes never-before-seen home footages. Ryan Moore, who is Filipino-American, hopes that after watching his film, Filipinos will be reminded of their roots, as Pacquiao’s life is depicted not only in the aspect of being a fighter in the ring, but in essence, it’s more about him being a true fighter in Read More …

THE LOCAL stock market index will likely chart new highs, breaching the 8,000 mark this year on ample liquidity and benign macroeconomic fundamentals especially with falling oil prices, stock experts said yesterday. Sun Life of Canada sees the Philippine Stock Exchange index hitting at least 7,800 to as high as 8,000 this year, supported by expectations of higher earnings alongside a surge in liquidity from cash-awash investors, while funds flow out of Europe and Japan where central banks are pump-priming the economy. COL Financial, on the other hand, upgraded its PSEi forecast for 2015 to 8,300, from 7,800, as the country’s leading online stock brokerage factored in a lower-than-expected interest rates. “The resulting drop in interest rates makes stocks more attractive compared to other liquid investments despite the PSEi’s relatively expensive valuation from a historical perspective,” COL head of research April Lee-Tan said in a briefing Thursday. Lee-Tan also cited the effect of the drop in oil prices on consumer spending, while the country would start to reap demographic dividends this year as more young people reach productive age. At the same time, she said, there are expectations that reforms to address shortcomings in the country would endure beyond the current administration. COL also expects corporate earnings to grow by 16 percent this year compared to only 6 percent last year. Michael Gerard Enriquez, chief investment officer at Sun Life of Canada Philippines, said in a separate briefing Thursday that the Philippines was poised for a “rerating”—a change in valuations Read More …