Palace: PNoy meeting with Customs chief Biazon set

 News
Dec 012013
 
Palace: PNoy meeting with Customs chief Biazon set

Malacanang on Sunday confirmed that President Benigno Aquino III has called embattled Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon to a private meeting, presumably to discuss being implicated in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.  Communications Secretary Heminio Coloma said that the discussions could also include Biazon’s readiness to perform his duties despite the allegations against him.  “Ang sinabi nga po ng Pangulo, mag-uusap po sila ni Commissioner Biazon hinggil sa bagay na ito. Kaya po magkakaroon ng pag-uusap ang ating Pangulo at si Commissioner Biazon. Wari ko po’y tatalakayin ‘yung bagay na ‘yan,” Coloma said. However, when asked if Biazon still has the confidence of the President, Coloma said there have been no indications otherwise. “Wala namang indikasyon to the contrary. Ipinaliwanag ko po na simula pa ‘nung State of the Nation Address nang nagkaroon ng talakayan hinggil diyan sa bagay na ‘yan ay nailinaw naman po na hindi magbabago ang pananaw ng ating Pangulo hinggil sa kakayahan ni Commissioner Biazon na pangunahan ang Bureau of Customs,” he said.  “Sa buong daloy po ng mga pangyayari, simula pa ‘nung SONA noong 2013 hanggang po sa pagre-reorganisa ng Bureau of Customs, ay naipahiwatig naman po ng Pangulo ‘yung kanyang pagkakaroon ng buong pagtitiwala at kumpyansa sa kakayahan ni Commissioner Biazon,” Coloma said. Biazon, Muntinlupa representative from 2001 to 2010 and a party-mate of President Benigno Aquino, was the most surprising name among the 34 individuals comprising the second batch of criminal complaints in the PDAF scam. The cases were filed Friday morning.  Meanwhile, Read More …

Palace gives hint of who is going to head Yolanda rehabilitation effort

 News
Dec 012013
 
Palace gives hint of who is going to head Yolanda rehabilitation effort

Malacañang on Sunday gave a hint of the person it will choose to lead rehabilitation effort in Yolanda-hit areas, even as it stresed the great responsibility that the work entails. “‘Yun pong pangangasiwa sa rehabilitation efforts ay isa pong malaking responsibilidad at malaki po ang sakop nitong responsibilidad na ito. [Pero] wala po tayong pinag-uusapan dito na partikular na indibidwal,” Communications Secretary Hermino Coloma said in an interview aired over state-run DZRB. While maintaining that no particular person was talked about to head the rehabilitation efforts, in the same interview, Coloma did sing praises over the qualifications of former Senator Panfilo Lacson. “Kilala na po siya sa kanyang record ng paglilingkod. Naging director general po siya ng Philippine National Police bago po siya naging senador, at ‘yung kanya namang paglilingkod [as] senador for two terms ay maganda naman po ang kanyang record bilang legislator at public servant,” Coloma said. Coloma said disaster relief was the primary discussions during Friday’s cabinet meeting, where the President and his men also discussed other calamities that befell the country. He said members of the Cabinet are all ready and able to perform their duties, but that the President is studying ways to make relief efforts more efficient. “Nandiyan na rin po ‘yung responsibilidad ng mga kalihim ng Gabinete na nangunguna sa kanilang mga kagawaran. Pero kakaiba rin po ‘yung sitwasyon na marami po tayong kinakaharap na hamon ng pagbabagong-tatag, pagre-rehabilitate, at muling pagsasaayos o reconstruction,” he said. “Kaya ‘yan po siguro ang dapat na Read More …

Women-friendly spaces set up at Yolanda evacuation centers

 News
Dec 012013
 
Women-friendly spaces set up at Yolanda evacuation centers

Women-friendly spaces have been set up at evacuation centers for female survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), especially those who need to breastfeed their children. The DSWD said the women-friendly spaces (WFS) will also let the women survivors get counseling and learn about health and well-being. Initially, the DSWD said five WFS had been set up at the Redemptorist Church, San Fernando Community School, San Jose Elementary School, Rizal Central School, and the Tacloban Convention Center. The DSWD said the WFS also serves as a venue for women to interact and share stories as part of their coping mechanism to overcome their trauma. Social workers trained in stress debriefing are on hand to guide them. The DSWD said the establishment of the WFS is integrated in evacuation camp management, which seeks to respond to the effects of displacement on women and children. WFS strategy focal person Alona Bermejo said this project, where the WFS can be set up in a classroom or even a tent, is co-funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The DSWD said the WFS concept taps service providers in providing psycho-social support for the internally displaced women as well as medical, reproductive health services and basic food and non-food needs. “Beneficiaries of the WFS will become part of the local government unit referral system where they will be accessed to different agencies for livelihood opportunities,” the DSWD said. — LBG, GMA News

US Church to play active role in Yolanda victims’ recovery phase

 News
Dec 012013
 
US Church to play active role in Yolanda victims’ recovery phase

After committing $20 million in aid for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the humanitarian arm of the United States’ Catholic Church is gearing up to help restore the livelihood of many of the survivors. The Philippine embassy in Washington on Sunday said Catholic Relief Services is now planning for the recovery phase along with its partners. Philippine ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. was quoted in a news release of the embassy as saying the recovery phase will include “restoring livelihoods for almost 500,000 people in Palo, Ormoc [in Leyte] and Basey [in Samar] by restarting cultivation of staple crops, vegetable crops and poultry and providing cash for work for people to clear up their neighborhoods.” Earlier, the embassy said the CRS had committed more than $20 million in emergency aid. For now, the Embassy said CRS is working with Caritas Philippines, the Philippine government and other humanitarian organizations in assisting affected communities. “We feel not just the prayers of the Church in the United States but also the concrete help that it continues to provide for our people. And we are extremely grateful,” Cuisia said. He added that while the road to recovery will be long, “with sustained prayers, I know that our people will overcome these trials and continue to see the work of our good Lord even in these most difficult of times.” Cuisia commended the CRS for being among the first relief organizations to respond to Yolanda. He said CRS distributed thousands of temporary shelters for victims Read More …

Palace assailed over comment on journalist killings

 News
Nov 302013
 
Palace assailed over comment on journalist killings

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma. Photo from http://pcoo.gov.ph MANILA, Philippines—The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday assailed Malacañang for downplaying the killing of journalists in the Philippines, noting that yet another broadcast journalist was shot dead on Friday in Bukidnon. Barely a week after Palace spokesperson Herminio Coloma dismissed the summary execution of journalists in the country as “not so serious” and insinuated that the body count had been bloated, motorcycle-riding gunmen in Valencia City killed broadcaster Joas Dignos of dxGT radio. Dignos, 48, known for his critical comments against local officials on his weekday show ‘Bombardier,’ died from gunshot wounds in the head. The killing worsened the country’s record as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, press and human rights groups the group said on Saturday. HRW said 24 journalists had been killed since President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010 and promised to mitigate the murders. HRW Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine accused the Aquino administration of insulting the victims and downplaying the problem, citing the remarks of Coloma. Inflated count Coloma said the number of journalists and media workers killed during the first three years of President Aquino’s administration from 2010 to 2013 had been inflated because “a driver of a network, employees of fly-by-night newspapers and a blocktimer selling skin whiteners” were included in the count. The numbers had not been validated to include only the killings of bona fide media practitioners, he said. The problem was “not so Read More …

Don’t forget the soap

 News
Nov 302013
 
Don’t forget the soap

By Marie Claire Lim MoorePhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:07 am | Sunday, December 1st, 2013 THE BOOK will be launched on Dec. 6 at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City. Proceeds of the book launch will go to the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Shortly after I started working for Citi, I began traveling frequently. This meant early mornings, long flights, time differences and jet lag, but it also meant fancy corporate dinners, 5-star hotels, airport lounges and business class.  I knew I was starting to get used to all the perks when I stopped taking the extra soap and shampoo bottles from my hotel room. It had become second nature for me to do a morning sweep of the bathroom toiletries before leaving each day to ensure my supply was replenished when the room was made. By the time check out day came, I was about ready to start my own mini mart. When I got home I’d put them aside in a shopping bag and before I knew it they’d be packed away in a balikbayan box that our family would send back to the Philippines. During my assignment in Brazil, I lived in the Marriott Executive Apartments so I hit the jackpot in soap and shampoo bottles. After the first few weeks, however, I couldn’t be bothered to save the soap and shampoo anymore.  Then my family came to visit for Christmas. I was happy and excited to show them Sao Paulo— where I lived, where I worked and what Read More …

PHL to buy 15 ground radars for more accurate geohazard mapping

 News
Nov 302013
 
PHL to buy 15 ground radars for more accurate geohazard mapping

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau expects to buy 15 ground-penetrating radars next year to help map areas prone to flooding and landslides. The purchase is included in the agency’s proposed budget for 2014 and the new radars will be used to produce a 1:10,000 geohazard map by next year, bureau dorector Leo Jasareno said. The new maps are expected to replace the current 1:50,000 goehazard maps distributed to local governments.  The MGB only has one functioning ground-penetrating radar and has had to hire private surveyors to help with the mapping. Mapping across 1,034 cities and municipalities should be completed by the end of the year, leaving 600 more cities and towns to map in 2014. The mapping of geohazard areas in 1,034 cities and municipalities are seen to be completed by by the end of the year while detailing for 600 cities and municipalities are expected to be completed by next year.  The portable radars, which cost around P6 million each and will help engineers see underground, are part of the P400-million mapping project. The bureau will also map coastal areas prone to erosion to define no-build zones. “If people are conscious about geohazard, fatalities in times of natural disasters would be greatly reduced,” Jasareno said. The MGB will also conduct a hydrological assessment project to find aquifers, or underground sources of water. — JDS, GMA News

Government raises post-Yolanda reconstruction cost to P40.9B 

 News
Nov 302013
 
Government raises post-Yolanda reconstruction cost to P40.9B 

The national government on Saturday raised the projected budget for the rehabilitation of areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda to P40.9 billion.  According to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras” Saturday evening, the Presidential Communications Operations Office announced the increase in the rehabilitation fund from P38.8 billion after the costs of rebuilding local government buildings and facilities were factored in.    The P40.9 billion rehabilitation fund will be allocated as follows:  67 percent for construction of public infrastructure, including roads, bridges and other facilities 12 percent for livelihood projects 11 percent for local facilities 9 percent for social services, including health services and education The government has identified 171 municipalities in 14 provinces as first-priority areas for reconstruction. The first-priority areas were within 50 kilometers of the eye of the typhoon when it hit, the report said.  The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the typhoon caused P30.6 billion in damage. The typhoon left at least 5,602 dead, and 26,136 injured. Another 1,759 have yet to be accounted for. On Thursday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the P38.8 billion in government funds that has been “approved in principle” by President Benigno Aquino III will be used to bankroll “critical and immediate interventions” that also include housing assistance for displaced typhoon survivors. President Aquino reportedly threshed out the details of the long-term rehabilitation plan for the typhoon-stricken areas in a meeting Friday with Task Force Yolanda Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News

Some LPG retailers have increased prices ahead of schedule

 News
Nov 302013
 
Some LPG retailers have increased prices ahead of schedule

LPG prices to go up December. Workers arrange empty Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanks at a refilling warehouse in Quezon City on Thursday, November 28. LPG prices are expected to go up by P10 per kilo— more than P100 per 11kg tank—starting December due to high winter demand for LPG in other countries. Asti Flores Some retailers of liquified petroleum gas have reportedly raised prices a day before an expected price hike that will increase the average price of an 11-kilogram tank by P143. According to a report by GMA News reporter Micaela Papa aired on “24 Oras” Saturday evening, some retailers are now selling 11-kg. tanks of LPG for around P870 against prevailing prices of approximately P720 to P760 per tank. LPG retailer Grace Tabo said in the report that LPG refiller Republic Gas Corp. (Regasco) has already raised their prices. “Hindi naman nasusunod yung effective December 1 (ang increase). One week ago, nagtaas na sila. Halos araw-araw,” she said. Regasco owner Arnel Ty, who sits at the House of Representative for the LPG Marketers’ Association party-list, said the higher prices may have been caused by an artificial shortage. He said retailers got less than the usual number of LPG tanks because refillers did not get enough LPG from retailers. “Sa amin, tinaasan kami ng mas maaga, pero di naman namin ito maipasa ng ganoon kabilis. Kaya, normally po, ang mga dealer, nakikita nila na nagkakagipitan na sa produkto, nagtataas na po sila ng (presyo ng) kanilang mga produkto,” Read More …

LTFRB to start processing applications for Xmas special permits

 News
Nov 302013
 
LTFRB to start processing applications for Xmas special permits

Starting Monday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will open the door to applications by public utility vehicle operators for special permits plying popular routes during the Christmas season. LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez on Saturday said his office expects to accept and process applications from Dec. 2 to 9. “Kahit another probinsya ito from Metro Manila, para makabyahe sa probinsya na nangangailangan (The permits will allow public utility vehicles to ply routes from Metro Manila to provinces where there may not be enough PUVs),” he said in an interview on dzBB radio. The special permits allow PUVs to ply routes outside the areas specified by their franchises, but for a limited time. Filipinos are expected to flock to their home provinces in the second half of December, to spend the holidays with their families. Ginez said they will check the applicants to see if their units are roadworthy, and take added steps to ensure passengers’ safety. “Maaga kami magbibigay ng special permit (We want to give the special permits early),” he added. — LBG, GMA News

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