THE GOVERNMENT must improve its spending on climate change initiatives to boost the Philippines’ resilience, according to the World Bank.
Jun 252013
Jun 252013
THE JAPANESE Embassy is confident that tax refunds due foreign firms will be released as it awaits a schedule of payments from the Philippine government, an official said.
Jun 252013
Robbie Antonio’s new house in Manila, designed by renowned architect Rem Koolhaas, will be filled with portraits of himself, by world-class artists such as Julian Schnabel, Marilyn Minter, and David Salle. Is the 36-year-old real-estate developer a patron, an egomaniac, or both? READ FULL STORY PHOTO: Robbie Antonio next to a Kenny Scharf painting, one of the many portraits he has commissioned of himself.
Jun 252013
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines trade deficit in April 2013 widened to $1.020 billion from $153 million in the same period last year, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported yesterday. The government statistics agency reported that total external trade in goods for April 2013 reached $9.263 billion, down 1.7 percent from $9.423 billion recorded in the same month in 2012. This was due to an 11.1 percent slowdown in exports to $4.121 billion in April 2013 from 4.635 billion in the same period last year. Merchandise imports, on the other hand, rose 7.4 percent to $5.141 billion in April 2013 from $4.788 billion in April 2012. The growth in merchandise imports in April was fueled by increased importation of transport equipment. Imports of transport equipment with an 11.5 percent share to total imports in April was valued at $593.61 million, 148.6 percent higher than the previous year’s level of $238.78 million and the highest annual growth rate among the top ten imports. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Robust investments in the power and transportation sectors drove overseas purchases to a solid recovery in April,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan in a separate statement. Imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials was the top imported commodity in April 2013 with payments amounting to $1.283 billion. It went up 21.4 percent over last year’s figure of $1.057 billion. On a monthly basis, it grew 23.3 percent from the $1.040 billion recorded in March 2013. Volume Read More …
Jun 252013
MANILA, Philippines – The country’s top economic manager said he remains unperturbed by the weakening of the peso and the local bourse, saying these barometers are going into a ‘dip’ cycle. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan pointed out that the peso at one time weakened to beyond 53 to the US dollar, and that the present level of the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) is still well above the 1,800-mark a few years back. “I would like to think that it is just a dip,” Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of a World Bank presentation on climate change yesterday. The PSEi fell below 5,800 yesterday, entering bear market territory, according to market analysts. Nonetheless, Balisacan said the real economy remains strong based on sound fundamentals and strong domestic market. “The weak peso is good for our competitiveness. It is not only good for exports, but for our local industries which are competing with imports,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 A stronger dollar makes imported products more expensive, allowing locally-produced goods to compete in the market. Increased local production would, in turn, create more jobs. “The weakening of the peso will not only benefit the exporters or the families of overseas Filipinos sending dollar or dollar-denominated remittance inflows, but broadly our local industries that are producers or assemblers of exports using imported parts,” said Balisacan, who is also director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Meanwhile, robust investments in the Read More …
Jun 252013
More than 6,000 applications for driver’s license have been rejected by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the first four months of the year after the applicants tested positive for illegal drug use. “Na-prevent natin itong mga nag-positive from being a risk to their fellow motorists,” Dr. Louie Miranda of the LTO Central Office told GMA News Online by phone Tuesday. The LTO has expressed reservations over Republic Act 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, which scraps mandatory drug testing from the list of requirements needed in applying for a driver’s license. Citing latest data, Miranda said the 6,670 rejected applicants were placed under alarm, meaning they were barred from driving and can apply again only after six months. Although the number represents only a small percentage of those who applied for a driver’s license, it still shows that mandatory drug test is effective in preventing drug users from becoming licensed drivers, Miranda said. “Maliit siya pero ang punto is nakapag-prevent tayo ng more than 6,000 na applicants from getting their license or from renewing it,” he said. For the previous year, the LTO issued more than 4.5 million driving licenses. Figures for the current year are not yet available. Inconsistent Sen. Vicente Sotto III, principal author of RA 10586, said the provision in the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 that requires the LTO to conduct mandatory drug testing for license applicants has been revoked by the new law. He said the Repealing Clause in RA Read More …
Jun 252013
The government’s chief negotiator with the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) is set to leave his post after he was nominated as head of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Alexander Padilla, who chairs the government peace panel with the NDF, said Tuesday that while he has not formally resigned from his post, he will only stay with the panel until the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) finds his replacement. “I’m in transition. That’s based on the premise that there’s an impasse. Meron pa akong reports na kailangang isubmit,” Padilla said in a phone interview. He added that he wanted to focus more on his new job as PhilHealth president and chief executive officer. In a separate text message, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said Padilla’s decision did “not come as a surprise,” since the peace panel chair has long notified her about his plans to leave the panel. “We have agreed that he [Padilla] will stay on to ensure a smooth transition. The rest of the panel remains in place and the work continues to proceed,” Deles said. Last April, Padilla announced that the Philippine government will no longer return to the negotiating table with the NDF, saying that the talks were “going nowhere” after a 22-month impasse. NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni, for his part, said that it was the Aquino administration, not the communist-led group, which “dimmed” the prospects of peace due to the government’s supposed refusal to hold its end up Read More …
Jun 252013
The P18,000 to be given to families living near Metro Manila waterways is not meant to boost Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’s chances of winning the presidency in 2016, a Palace spokesperson said Tuesday. At a news briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the relocation of informal settlers living near waterways has been planned even before Roxas’ stint at the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). She added that it was the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo who began planning moving the informal settlers away from the waterways. “Everybody understands na hindi naman po agaran na makakapagtayo ng medium-rise structure. It took some time to plan and, also, natagalan din po tayo sa pagpili ‘nung mga communities,” Valte said. The President’s spokesperson also said that the DILG is not the only agency in charge of the plan to give P18,000 to enable families near waterways to find temporary housing. She said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be the one to supervise the disbursement of this amount. Valte further said that Vice President Jejomar Binay, who also has plans to seek the presidency in 2016, will also participate in the relocation project, being the head of the Housing & Urban Development Coordinating Council. Senator Franklin Drilon, the Liberal Party (LP)’s vice chairperson, said early this year that Roxas will be the ruling party’s standard-bearer in 2016. Roxas was Aquino’s running mate during the 2010 national elections, but lost the vice-presidency to Binay. — BM, Read More …
Jun 252013
A Philippine archbishop will receive from Pope Francis in Rome this weekend the pallium, one of the most special symbols of the Catholic Church. Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tirona, who arrived in Rome Sunday, will attend the Mass and imposition of the pallium on new metropolitan archbishops at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. in Manila) on Saturday. It noted Tirona, a Carmelite missionary, will be the only Filipino archbishop to receive the pallium this year—and the first Filipino archbishop to receive pallium from Pope Francis. A pallium is a vestment made of white wool worn only by the Pope and archbishops. The pope uses the pallium to symbolize the plenitude of pontifical office. “Many of those receiving the pallium were appointed since June 29 of last year or during the term of Francis’ predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” the CBCP said. The CBCP said a pallium for archbishops signifies the authority from the Pope over their respective archdioceses, particularly their bond with the pontiff to pastors in their regions. It said the pope gives a pallium to newly installed archbishops around the world during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Last year, four Filipino archbishops were given the pallium: Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of Manila John Du of Palo Jose Advincula of Capiz Romulo Valles of Davao. Tirona, 66, was the last archbishop appointed by Benedict XVI on September 8, 2012, before Benedict XVI Read More …
Jun 252013
President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday used the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)’s anniversary celebration as an opportunity to criticize the agency’s employees for their supposed failure to accomplish their self-imposed targets. In a speech during NIA’s 50th anniversary event in Quezon City, Aquino openly expressed dismay over the agency’s supposed inability to fully irrigate agricultural lands in the country. “Halos tatlong taon na po tayong magkakasama sa administrasyong ito, at malamang ay kilala na ninyo ako—wala po tayong panahon sa pambobola. Tatapatin ko po kayo: dismayado pa rin ako, dahil hanggang ngayon, lumalabas na kakarampot pa rin ang pagbabagong nangyayari sa NIA,” the President said. In front of NIA administrator Antonio Nangel, Aquino reprimanded the agency’s leadership for only irrigating 65 percent of the 81,170 hectares of land the NIA set as its target last year. The President also pointed out the NIA’s supposed inaction towards the Balog-Balog Dam Project in Tarlac, which he said has been pending since 1990. “Ngayon po, dalawampu’t isang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang planuhin ang proyekto sa Balog-Balog. Ilang administrasyon na po ba ang nagdaan? Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin ito umuusad,” he said. Aquino further said NIA’s leadership and employees is leaving him with no choice but to closely monitor the agency. “Tao lang din po ako; hindi ako CCTV camera na beinte-kwatro oras ay kayang magmanman sa kilos ng bawat institusyon ng gobyerno. Pero sa nangyayari ngayon sa NIA, ang pakiramdam ko, kayo pa mismo ang nag-iimbita sa aking bantayan kayo Read More …