Intensified tax drive pits BIR vs. doctors

 News
Apr 042013
 
Intensified tax drive pits BIR vs. doctors

As an obstetrician in a local hospital in Pangasinan who would sometimes conduct free checkups on pregnant women, Dr. Amelie (not her real name) is not in favor of the government’s policy requiring doctors to issue receipts. “Hindi lahat ng patients ko nakakapagbayad ng consultations,” she told GMA News Online by phone. “So paano maa-assign ‘yun ng bayad sa gobyerno?” She added she issues receipt only when the patient asks for it. “Minsan nagbibigay ako pag humihingi sila ng resibo. Pero pag hindi sila humihingi, hindi na ako nagbibigay.” The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is requiring doctors to issue receipts during consultations as part of government efforts to ensure that professionals pay their respective professional income tax. Well-paying profession Since doctors are known to be a well-paying profession where official receipts are not given to patients, taxes are assumed to be vastly underpaid. According to the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), a doctor’s professional income tax could be as much as P200,000 every year. Nelson Aspe, deputy commissioner for operations of the BIR, said they decided to go after doctors after they noticed that doctors have the lowest income tax filed among other professionals. “Nung nire-evaluate namin ang mga tax filers, sila (doctors) ang mga pinakamababa,” he said without mentioning figures, citing confidentiality. Aspe insisted that issuing receipts is “obligatory” even among businesses and professionals. “The basic statement is that anybody earning… magi-issue ng receipts in their services or sales of goods,” he said. “[But] over the years, mababa ang Read More …

US to deploy F/A-18 warplanes for military drills with PHL

 News
Apr 042013
 
US to deploy F/A-18 warplanes for military drills with PHL

Washington will deploy this week a dozen F/A-18 fighters to the Philippines, the first time it has sent so many of the aircraft there, to take part in annual military drills with a close security ally amid rising tension in the Asia-Pacific region. The presence of the warplanes is not connected to tensions on the Korean peninsula, a Philippine army spokesman said. “These exercises were planned more than a year ago, well ahead of what is now happening in the region,” Major Emmanuel Garcia said. The United States plans to send a missile defense system to protect Pacific island Guam, where it has a large military base, after North Korea threatened to launch nuclear attacks on the North American mainland over disagreements on its atomic programme. The bilateral military activities will begin on Friday with 8,000 American and Filipino troops staging mock battles and simulating disaster responses, army spokesman Garcia said. The war games are being held to test the two allies’ defense plans based on the Mutual Defence Treaty, an important link in Washington’s chain of security alliances in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. has similar military arrangements with South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Australia. “There will be table top exercises on how the militaries of the two countries would respond to a destructive typhoon as well as in the event of a major ship collision on the high seas,” Garcia said, adding the combat aspect would showcase the capability of the U.S. Navy’s multi-role fighters. The Philippines lost Read More …

PH to probe ‘secret’ Marcos offshore trust

 News
Apr 042013
 
PH to probe ‘secret’ Marcos offshore trust

Agence France-Presse 5:15 pm | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Imee Marcos. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government said Thursday it planned to investigate an allegation that the eldest daughter of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was the beneficiary of a secret offshore trust. A report published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) alleged Imee Marcos, 57, now a provincial governor, had failed to declare the British Virgin Islands trust as legally required. Andres Bautista, head of a presidential body tasked to recover the billions of dollars the Marcos family stole from government coffers during the patriarch’s 20-year rule, told AFP his office would look into the allegations. “We are duty bound to investigate and, depending upon informed preliminary findings, decide whether to pursue the matter,” Bautista said. A popular uprising topped Marcos in 1986, and he died in US exile three years later. His famously extravagant wife, Imelda, has always denied she and her husband were corrupt. The Presidential Commission on Good Government, which Bautista heads, has recovered $4 billion in assets that the Marcos illegally acquired, including from Swiss bank accounts and US properties. But Bautista told AFP in January that, with Imee, Imelda and Ferdinand Jr. having re-established political influence in the Philippines, the commission was considering giving up on the chase for the billions more believed to be hidden. “It’s been 26 years and people you are after are back in power. At some point, you just have to say, ‘We’ve done our best’, and Read More …

Comelec releases list of party-list nominees

 News
Apr 042013
 
Comelec releases list of party-list nominees

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has released the official list of the nominees of party-list groups, political parties, sectoral organizations and coalitions that will participate in the May 13 elections. The list is posted on the poll body’s website. There are 136 groups on the list, but only 123 will be part of the May 13 elections as the others have been earlier disqualified by the Comelec. Some of the party-list groups also have two sets of nominees due to warring factions within the organization. The Comelec will decide on who will represent the party-list after it wins in the elections. Among those with two sets of nominees were Ako Bicol, Adhikaing Tinataguyod ng Kooperativa, Anak Mindanao, Abakada Guro, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption, Coalition of Association of Senior Citizens in the Philippines Inc, and Trade Union Congress Party. In November last year, the poll body disqualified 12 party-lists whose nominees supposedly do not represent the sector they are claiming to represent. The Comelec has also disqualified seven party-lists that have sitting representatives in the 15th Congress — Ang Galing Pinoy, whose representative is Mikey Arroyo, son of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy; regional group Ako Bicol; APEC and 1-CARE, which claim to represent electricity consumers; and Aangat Tayo, representing urban poor, women, elderly and youth; and Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala, which represents penal institutions and prisoners. These groups, however, was able to get a status quo ante order from the Supreme Court. Section Read More …

NBI intensifies manhunt ops vs Rasuman co-accused

 News
Apr 042013
 
NBI intensifies manhunt ops vs Rasuman co-accused

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is stepping up its efforts to locate Cagayon de Oro investment scam ringleader Jachob Rasuman’s co-accused, some of whom are reportedly in Metro Manila. The intensified operations came following the arrest of Rasuman’s wife, Princess Tomawis Rasuman, in Quezon City Wednesday night. “I directed NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas to intensify the manhunt for the other co-acuused of Coco Rasuman kasi wala pa sila. Hindi pa sila nahuhuli,” De Lima told reporters. “Ang balita namin, mukhang dito lang sila (sa Metro Manila) kaya pinapa-intensify ko na iyong manhunt para makuha sila para kumpleto na sila,” said De Lima, insisting that all of the suspects should get arraigned soon. In a counter-affidavit he submitted to the special panel of prosecutors last March, Rasuman asked the DOJ to dismiss the case against him as he denied that he duped supposed investor-complainants, who he said he has never even met before. Rasuman’s camp insisted that syndicated estafa charges should never have been filed, adding that if ever there was a crime, “it’s simple estafa.” Rasuman’s camp also belied accusations he was engaged in a Ponzi scheme, which entices investors to put money in the company in exchange for huge returns in two months. According to Investopedia, a Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. The Ponzi scheme generates returns for older investors by acquiring new investors. Mr. Rasuman claimed he is operating a legitimate business of car trading Read More …

If tasked, DOJ ready to look into Imee Marcos' offshore trust — De Lima

 News
Apr 042013
 
If tasked, DOJ ready to look into Imee Marcos' offshore trust — De Lima

If ever she would be put to task, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday said she would look into a report that Ma. Imelda “Imee” Marcos is beneficiary of a secret offshore trust in the Carribean. “If it gets refered to us, it’s our duty to preliminary look into that. Kapag me positive finding, that’s the time to make a formal probe,” De Lima told reporters. However, she refused to further comment on the issue, saying: “Huwag niyo muna ako tanungin. Di ko pa nakita document. How can I comment? So lets see,” she said. Under Executive Order 643 issued in July 2007 by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Presidential Committee on Good Government was transferred under the DOJ from the Office of the President. The almost 27-year-old PCGG was created through Executive Order No. 1, the first edict that the late President Corazon Aquino signed shortly after the Marcos regime was toppled in 1986. According to a report of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Imee Marcos is one of the beneficiaries of the Sintra Trust, which financial records uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists show was formed in June 2002 in the British Virgin Islands. The PCIJ report said that apart from Marcos, other beneficiaries are her adult sons with estranged husband Tomas Manotoc: Ferdinand Richard Michael Marcos Manotoc, Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc, and Fernando Martin Marcos Manotoc. The PCIJ said that having offshore trust was “a primary way her father allegedly stashed away hidden wealth Read More …

US Navy relieves 4 officers from grounded minesweeper

 News
Apr 032013
 
US Navy relieves 4 officers from grounded minesweeper

Associated Press 11:12 am | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 This handout photo taken on January 19, 2013 and released on January 20, 2013 by the Philippine Western Command (WESCOM) shows an aerial shot of US Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, as it remains trapped on the Tubbataha reef after it ran aground on the western Philippine island of Palawan. AFP FILE PHOTO PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Four officers of a U.S. Navy minesweeper that ran aground on coral reef in the Philippines are being relieved of their duties. The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement Wednesday that initial findings indicate all four sailors failed to adhere to standard navigation procedures at the time of the Jan. 17 grounding of the Guardian. The sailors are the commanding officer, the executive officer and navigator, the assistant navigator and the officer of the deck. They’ve been reassigned. Workers recently finished dismantling and removing the minesweeper from Tubbataha National Marine Park. The park’s superintendent has said the grounding damaged about 4,000 square meters, or nearly 5,000 square yards, of reef. The U.S. could face a fine of more than $2 million for the damage. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Tubbataha Reef , US Navy , USS Guardian Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Read More …

Comcast cites progress of effort to close digital divide

 News
Apr 032013
 
Comcast cites progress of effort to close digital divide

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 7:30 am | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 AFP FILE PHOTO WASHINGTON, D.C.– Comcast released the second progress report on its Internet Essentials program, the company’s major effort at  connecting lower-income Americans to the Internet. “In just 16 months, Internet Essentials has helped put a real dent in the digital divide and connected more than 150,000 low-income families, or 600,000 Americans, to the power of the Internet, most for the first time in their lives,” said Comcast Executive VP David L. Cohen. “That’s approximately the entire population of Washington, D.C. or Boston,” Cohen added. Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest, most comprehensive broadband adoption initiative designed to help close the digital divide. “When it comes to education, the Internet has changed everything,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. Children, he said, can do research for their homework, and parents get connected to their child’s school to monitor grades and see their child’s development, Carvalho added. The 2nd Annual Internet Essentials Progress Report covers key program milestones through the end of 2012 milestones, a number of program enhancements and a new award designed to honor top-performing school districts.  Milestones include: Printed and shipped more than 25 million pieces of collateral material for free. Fielded more than one million phone calls in dedicated Internet Essentials call center. Distributed more than 15,000 computers at less than $150 each. Trained 10,000 people in-person about digital literacy and how to use the Internet. Received more than 800,000 visitors to the Internet Essentials and Read More …

Fil-Am rondalla program thrives

 News
Apr 032013
 
Fil-Am rondalla program thrives

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 7:01 am | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Instrument lending program beneficiaries after performing at the “Kwerdas sa Kaunlaran” Festival in Manila. SAN JOSE,California—A Filipino American musical organization based in this city has continued to promote a diverse, local musical culture while helping improve the lives of many young people. Pagyamanin Likas Musika (PLM), an informal not-for-profit group established by George Gange with friends and former schoolmates, has a unique Rondalla Instrument Lending Program for interested children of a nominated village or school in the Philippines. PLM founder George Gange with guests at the rondalla festival in Manila. From its humble beginnings in February 2010, the PLM rondalla instrument lending rogram has reached 46 community/institution beneficiaries. This number includes an orphanage in Davao, a foundation for street children in Quezon City, an elementary school in Payatas and Southern Leyte, GK Villages in Angat, Bulacan, and Imus Cavite, indigenous tribes in Roxas, Palawan, a Philippines National School for the Blind in Pasay and a similar school in Davao serving hundreds of underprivileged children. Seven of the program’s beneficiary groups’ performances at the 3rd Pagyamanin Likas Musika Rondalla Festival (“Kwerdas Sa Kaunlaran”) last Feb. 23 proved the value of the PLM program. Held at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila University Activity Center the free event showcased newfound rondalla talents of many underprivileged children. An added highlight of the festival was the special participation of what is considered the best rondalla group today, Celso Espejo Rondalla (CER) of Las Pinas City. “Hopefully Read More …

US backs PH tack in sea row

 News
Apr 032013
 
US backs PH tack in sea row

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:49 am | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry. AP FILE PHOTO Citing the importance of peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region, the United States has thrown its full support behind the Philippines’ bid for arbitration in the United Nations to settle a territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In remarks before talks with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in Washington on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated his government’s support for a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea, home to vital sea lanes and islands believed to be sitting on vast energy and mineral reserves. “The Philippines is one of our five Asia-Pacific allies and a very, very important relationship at this point in time when there are tensions over the South China Sea, where we support a code of conduct, and we are deeply concerned [about] some of those tensions and would like to see it worked out through a process of arbitration,” Kerry told reporters at the US Department of State. A transcript of his remarks was posted on the department’s website. The West Philippine Sea dispute has long been a matter of keen interest for Kerry who, as senator, “was a moving force” behind a resolution in the US Senate seeking a peaceful settlement of disputes in those waters, Del Rosario said after his meeting with the new top US diplomat. Kerry replaced former State Secretary Hillary Clinton, Read More …

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