First quarter economic growth is on track even as the country’s exports fell in the first quarter, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said to reporters on Friday.
May 242013
May 242013
Human capital development topped the list of the challenges among chief executives (CEOs) of firms worldwide as officials seek to grow their businesses amid the weak global backdrop, according to a US-based think tank called The Conference Board.
May 242013
Philippine growth is still expected to remain robust despite downgraded global economic forecast, a United Nations (UN) agency said in a new report.
May 242013
1:01 am | Saturday, May 25th, 2013 Children of The Filipino Channel (TFC) create art to support programs for child rescue and rehabilitation in the Philippines. Photo by Bryan Reynoso REDWOOD CITY, California—Art classes attended by children of the employees of The Filipino Channel are producing works that will help raise funds for the rehabilitation of neglected or abused children in the Philippines. The art program, Kids heART Bantay Bata, is hosted by the ABS CBN Foundation International in partnership with Filipino-American artist Paolo Mejia, whose work and advocacy supports emerging artists and designers to raise awareness and support for the foundation’s flagship program, Bantay Bata (Child Watch Philippines). The foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of ABS-CBN International and The Filipino Channel (TFC). “Our philanthropy starts at our home, at TFC,” says Jo Ann Kyle, managing director for the foundation. “The children are deeply engaged and understand that they paint for a purpose. Knowing that kids as young as four years old create art with the less fortunate in mind gives a more layered and solemn beauty to their raw talent,” Kyle adds. Art for charity The classes create original art that will be reproduced on cards and made available with minimum donations to the charity. Proceeds will support the multi-awarded initiative that rescues and rehabilitates impoverished, abused, and neglected children in the Philippines. Notecard reproductions will be available at the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) parade in New York on June 2, 2013 and online Read More …
May 242013
MANILA, Philippines – External weaknesses dampened investor sentiment yesterday, pushing the main index back to the 7,200 level. The Philippine Stock Exchange index declined 0.62 percent or 45.47 points to settle at 7,268.91, marking the second straight day the bellwether index ended in the red. “Investors found little reason to take aggressive positions in the market following Thursday’s surprise 70-point slump leaving the floor to the bears,” said Justino Calaycay Jr., analyst at Accord Capital Securities. “The rush of negative news in the last two days, and a tepid movements in US stocks overnight, have kept investors opting for safety,” Calaycay said. Wall Street and Asian stocks were again in the negative territory, still reeling from the weak Chinese manufacturing data and potential cut in US Federal Reserve’s stimulus program. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 0.08 percent or 12.67 points to 15,294.50 while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 0.29 percent or 4.84 points to 1,650.51. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 All counters in the local bourse were in the red, paced by industrial firms that shed 0.7 percent or 76.80 points to 10,855.16. Investor participation eased, with value of shares traded sank to P7.13 billion from P12.14 billion on Thursday. Decliners again outpaced advancers, 95 to 57, while 56 stocks did not change. Top-traded stocks were also in the red, led by property giant Ayala Land Inc. (-0.57 percent), Universal Robina Corp. (-2.0 percent) and Bank of the Philippine Islands (-2.03 percent).
May 242013
This is very interesting. Have you ever met people who keep on telling you they’re busy? I knew a group of people who always said they’re busy, yet people see them wandering in the malls and watching movies all the time. When confronted as to why they have the time to watch movies while they don’t have the time to help people, they reasoned with conviction that they’re “doing research.” The funny thing is the same group of people would never dare tell me to my face that “they’re busy” when they know for a fact that I load my days with trainings, talks and seminars, but would rarely say, “I’m busy.” “I’m working.” “I have engagements.” Those are words I’d use, but rarely would I use “I am busy.” Fast Company came up with a very interesting article entitled “Busy is the New Lazy”. Let me share parts of it. “Going on about how busy you are isn’t conversation and doesn’t lead anywhere,” wrote iDoneThis CCO Janet Choi on her company blog, “Except making your conversation partner bored, or worse, peeved.” Choi observed that people who are “legitimately occupied” with work or family rarely play the “too busy” card. Choi supplied some translations: I’m busy = I’m important. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Being busy gives people a sense they’re needed and significant, and it could well be someone’s ego trip. I’m busy = I’m giving you an excuse. Saying that you’re busy is a handy Read More …
May 242013
We spent four days in beautiful sun-kissed Greece, toured the Acropolis and Delphi ruins and visited the Delphi Museum with our second tour guide Electra Toya from the Greek Ministry of Culture who guided us through Delphi so knowledgeably and patiently. We also spent about half a day in the quaint island of Hydra where no cars or motorcycles are allowed and the locals and tourists alike still travel only on bicycles, mules and donkeys or taxi boats. Small wonder that close to 17 million tourists descend upon this lovely country every year, with more tourists than locals even, because Greece has so much to offer, from antiquity via their world-famous archaeological sites to leisure through their scenic islands. It was time for our next stop: Istanbul in Turkey. We breezed through the short one hour-20 minute trip comfortably, enjoyed the light meal on board our chosen airline Qatar Airways, and so soon we landed smoothly at the Istanbul Ataturk International Terminal. The airport, vast and modern, was literally a sea of people, the line to the immigration counters snaking several long loops, and we inched our way through like everyone else, sweating from the sheer volume of people in the airport for at least an hour before reaching the counter where several booths were efficiently manned– that is how many tourists arrive daily in Turkey. Airport transfer cost us TL170, and we soon realized why —our hotel, Asia Artemis, was about two hours away from the airport. At $160/night Read More …
May 242013
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines stands ready to respond should the planned withdrawal of stimulus measures abroad results into capital outflows. “While there may be a possible effect of an exit strategy, I think investors will still look at the fundamentals, the prospects of individual countries. So it does not mean that suddenly they will just exit,” BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. told reporters yesterday. Should it be necessary, the central bank “have the tools” to respond to possible inflow of capital to the US once it decides to scale down or stop its quantitative easing (QE) program. On Wednesday, US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told a Senate inquiry that QE — which involves the buying of $85 billion worth of securities every month — is “providing benefits” to US economy still reeling from the effects of the 2007 financial crisis. While he warned against “premature tightening,” minutes of the meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee — the Fed’s policymaking body — showed that some members wanted to “adjust the flow of purchases downward.” This has disgruntled Asian financial markets, causing investors to fly back to safe haven assets such as the dollar. The peso plunged to 41.69 versus the greenback on Thursday, its weakest level in almost eight months. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In the long run though, Tetangco said it should be expected that QE will stop as the US economy recovers and that Asian nations, such as the Philippines, should Read More …
May 242013
MANILA, May 22 (Mabuhay) — Actress Iya Villania happily shared that she and her boyfriend, television host Drew Arellano, celebrated their ninth anniversary last May 9. Villania was quick to deny rumors that they are engaged, but she admitted that they are already “preparing for our future.” “Let’s just wait for it (ring), it will […]
May 242013
By Reynard Magtoto, VERA Files Legazpi City—After assuring Bicolanos that no one will be left behind in Albay’s surge to prosperity, reelected Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda said he is ready to “paddle the boat” to fulfilling his visionem>(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true”.)