Isuzu introduces 2 new truck models

 Economy
Jun 202013
 
Isuzu introduces 2 new truck models

MANILA, Philippines –  Truck maker Isuzu Philippines Corp. introduced yesterday two new truck models which are expected to boost the company’s leadership in this particular segment. At yesterday’s launch, the company introduced the FVM and the FRR truck medium-duty trucks. The Forward FRR is powered by a 5.2-liter diesel engine with a six speed transmission. It has a gross vehicle weight of 10,600 kilograms (KG) and a payload capacity of 7,450 KG. The unit is priced at P1.9 million. A much larger unit, the Forward FVM, is powered by a 7.8-liter diesel engine with a  six speed transmission. The FVM has a gross vehicle weight of 25,000 KG and a payload capacity of 18, 380 KG. The unit is priced at P3.1 million. Isuzu Philippines Corp. president Nobuo Izumina said that because of the downtime experienced by customers in between buying and conditioning of second hand trucks, many buyers are prefering to purchase brand new units. “The customers are now considering the downtime as well as other problems, now the customers are changing their minds,” Izumina said. For this year, the company aims to sell 13,000 units which include heavy trucks, pick up trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Of this figure, the company expects to sell 2,500 trucks. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Robinsons Retail Group firms up P40-B IPO plan

 Economy
Jun 202013
 
Robinsons Retail Group firms up P40-B IPO plan

MANILA, Philippines –  The Gokongwei family’s Robinsons Retail Group has firmed up its plan to raise as much as P40 billion through an initial public offering (IPO). The company behind Robinsons supermarkets and department stores plans to conduct potentially one of the largest public share sale by a Philippine firm, said International Financing Review (IFR), a publication of Thomson Reuters. IFR reported that Robinsons Retail Group targets to sell 461.9 million shares at a maximum price of P86.64 each to generate up to P40 billion in fresh capital. Robinsons Retail’s listing application was not immediately available at the Securities and Exchange Commission The retail group of property giant Robinsons Land Corp. claims to be the country’s second largest retailer, next only to SM Retail Inc. of the Philippines’ richest man Henry Sy. Robinsons Retail Group owns and operates 35 department stores and 73 supermarkets nationwide. The IPO is scheduled in the third quarter, IFR said, adding that Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and UBS were tapped to facilitate the offering. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The aggressive fundraising program, which comes at a time when the local stock market is being battered by massive foreign fund selling could be one of the largest share sale by a Filipino company. In April, LT Group Inc. of taipan Lucio Tan raised a record P37.72 billion in a follow-on offering while SM Investments Corp. secured P28.75 billion during its IPO in 2005. Since hitting its 31st record high for the Read More …

Buhay party-list gets 3rd seat, Magdalo its 2nd

 News
Jun 202013
 
Buhay party-list gets 3rd seat, Magdalo its 2nd

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given back to Buhay and Magdalo party-list groups the seats that were initially taken from them as a result of a Supreme Court order regarding the cases of two disqualified party-list groups.   Buhay was initially guaranteed three seats at the House of Representatives after garnering more than two percent of total votes in the May 13 elections. Magdalo, on the other hand, has two seats. The Comelec, however, took one seat each from the two groups after the Supreme Court ordered the poll body to reserve two seats for Senior Citizens and one seat for Abang Lingkod party-lists, which have pending appeals before the high court. For its third nominee, Buhay will have William Irwin Tieng, whose family owns Solar Entertainment Group, while for Magdalo it would be Francisco Ashley Acedillo, a former Cebu City representative who was involved in the November 2007 Manila Peninsula siege. The other nominees who were not in danger of losing their seats are Mariano Michael Velarde, son of El Shaddai founder Mike Velarde, and former Environment secretary Lito Atienza for Buhay; and Gary Alejano, who was also involved in the Manila Pen siege, for Magdalo. The party-list system is a proportional mode of representation in Congress, which means the number of seats is based on the number of votes per party-list. Party-lists that got two percent of total votes cast are guaranteed a seat. Those that got more than two percent may get additional seats, based on Read More …

Comelec to fine 11 senators-elect who erred in filing expense reports

 News
Jun 202013
 
Comelec to fine 11 senators-elect who erred in filing expense reports

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will slap fines on 11 of the 12 senators-elect who failed to comply with the requirements regarding the filing of their statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCE). In Minute Resolution No. 13-0775, the poll body en banc approved the memorandum of commissioner Christian Robert Lim that specified the violations of each senatorial bet in the 2013 elections, and the subsequent penalties. Lim is the poll body’s campaign finance unit head. Strict implementation, steep fines  Among the 12 senators-elect, only Alan Peter Cayetano has no deficiency in his expenditure report. Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. urged the candidates to submit their deficiencies before June 30, the start of the term for the new senators. “We will be very strict in its implementation. Kailangang i-comply nila on or before June 29,” he said. According to Lim’s memorandum, the penalties shall amount to “P1,000 per day (not exceeding June 29, 2013) until they have corrected the deficiency in their submissions.” Brillantes said they would implement their memorandum of agreement with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which prohibits local officials from assuming office without submitting their expense reports.  Up to Senate or House to bar non-compliants  Meanwhile, Comelec will submit a list of complying and non-complying candidates to the Offices of the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and DILG Secretary.  But Brillantes admitted they have no power to compel the Senate or the House to bar non-compliant officials from taking their posts. “Hindi Read More …

Comelec revises protest rules, allows ballot images as evidence

 News
Jun 202013
 
Comelec revises protest rules, allows ballot images as evidence

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has revised its rules on protest cases to allow the using of ballot images as primary evidence. Poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday this would be cheaper than using the paper ballots—which will have to be shipped from the protested precincts and stored at the Comelec warehouse in Cabuyao, Laguna—for manual recount. “Ang matagal noon ‘yung retrieval of ballot boxes and then ang storage,” Brillantes said. “Ngayon you can dispense from all these by simply choosing decryption. You now waive the physical examination of the ballot.” The Comelec so far has received 69 poll cases in connection with the May 13 midterm elections. Every ballot-reading Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine has a removable storage device that stores an image of every ballot inserted by the voters. According to Resolution No. 9720, which amends Resolution No. 8804, “the protestant may… waive the recount of the paper ballots and instead resort to either the decryption and recount of the ballot images.” The protested and counter-protested precincts should be at most 20 percent of total number of precincts “to best illustrate the merits of the protest,” the amended resolution states. Meanwhile, another option for protestants is to “read the rejected ballots only of the entire protested or counter-protested precincts,” the Comelec’s new rules said. The rejected ballots, stored in envelopes after being spoiled, do not have PCOS images. “It’s very possible that these rejected ballots can determine the intent of the voter,” Brillantes said.    For Read More …

DFA creates body to probe sexual exploitation in PH foreign missions

 News
Jun 202013
 
DFA creates body to probe sexual exploitation in PH foreign missions

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:07 pm | Thursday, June 20th, 2013 Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA—The Department of Foreign Affairs  set up Thursday a fact-finding body to investigate alleged sexual exploitation of distressed Filipino workers in at least  three Philippine diplomatic posts in the Middle East as it asked eight more of the country’s ambassadors in the region to come home “for consultations.” Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario ordered the ambassadors home to discuss the alleged cases and draw up measures to prevent such offenses from occurring in Philippine foreign missions. The Philippine envoys to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon were summoned a day after Del Rosario called on the ambassadors to Jordan, Syria and Kuwait and officials linked to the alleged prostitution rings to take the next flight home to give their side of the issue. “To be as thorough as possible in addressing the issue on the alleged sex-related offenses, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has instructed the ambassadors of 11 of our embassies in the Middle East (including the three earlier called home) to come home immediately for consultations and to discuss related issues,” Hernandez said at a news briefing. “We need to have our ambassadors participate in the fact-finding initiatives that the DFA has started, We need to find ways to collectively encourage victims and witnesses to come forward and submit formal complaints and testimonies,” he added. Hernandez said the envoys in the Read More …

A year later, Congress still undecided on who should be sent to JBC

 News
Jun 202013
 
A year later, Congress still undecided on who should be sent to JBC

Congress has yet to decide on who between Sen. Francis Escudero and Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. would represent the legislative branch in the Judicial and Bar Council. The impasse remains almost one year after the Supreme Court has ruled with finality that only one representative, and not two as traditionally observed, should represent Congress in the JBC. Neither Tupaz nor Escudero showed up during Thursday’s JBC interviews of candidates for the vacant presiding justice post at the Sandiganbayan. “They have not resolved with definitiveness as to who will represent. Kasi in accordance with the SC decision which has become final and executory, there will only be one who should represent Congress,” said lawyer Jose Mejia, JBC regular member for the academe. Mejia, however, added that he received information that Tupas and Escudero are already “working it out… to resolve the matter sooner or later.” Asked if the JBC could intervene in deciding who should represent Congress, Mejia said: “It would have to be between them. They should decide themselves.” Mejia said that as a result of the SC ruling, the required majority votes for a candidate to qualify on a JBC shortlist went down from five to four. Mejia said even without a Congress representative, the JBC can still proceed with voting, so long as there is a quorum and the members can muster a majority of four votes. The Supreme Court in July 17 last year sided with a petition by former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez, who questioned Read More …

UN sends out call for $47-M aid for Mindanao rehab in 2013

 News
Jun 202013
 
UN sends out call for $47-M aid for Mindanao rehab in 2013

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:42 pm | Thursday, June 20th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — The United Nations’ humanitarian agency called for immediate international response to the prevailing needs in Mindanao provinces devastated by Typhoon “Pablo” and decades of conflict, estimating that the region would have to raise $47 million (roughly P2 billion) for shelter and livelihood needs in 2013 alone. Top officials of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also bared on Thursday that it has started downsizing its operations on the ground in typhoon-hit parts of Mindanao as operations shifted from immediate relief to long-term rehabilitation. The $47 million is part of a $91-million call for aid under the agency’s revised humanitarian action plan for Central and Western Mindanao as of this month, according to David Carden, head of OCHA Philippines. “This revised plan will help us to meet the ongoing needs of those affected by Pablo, particularly in the areas of shelter, because people need shelter and livelihood,” Carden said in a press conference on Thursday. “The requirements are still there in the areas of shelter, education, socio-psychological rehabilitation. A lot of people who lost relatives, friends, they are recovering now and I’d say we don’t have much time… We have to move rather quickly,” Rashid Khalikov, Geneva-based UNOCHA director who led a high-level visit of aid officials and international donors to Maguindanao this week. Carden said the revised call for aid aimed to “meet the humanitarian and protection needs of 530,000 affected Read More …

Rep. Bello: I have evidence of embassy sex racket

 News
Jun 202013
 
Rep. Bello: I have evidence of embassy sex racket

By Christian V. EsguerraPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:35 pm | Thursday, June 20th, 2013 Representative Walden Bello MANILA, Philippines—Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello threatened on Thursday to reveal more damaging evidence against overseas welfare officer Mario Antonio if he would insist on his “brazen lie” that illegal recruiters had made up the “sex-for-flight” scandal. “We don’t want to preempt the investigation, but if he continues with his brazen lies, we’re going to make more of his misdeeds public,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone following a meeting with Assistant Labor Secretary Rebecca Chato at the House of Representatives. Bello also called for a parallel investigation independent of the one promised by the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Labor and Employment. He said his informants from both agencies were more willing to talk in a Malacañang-initiated inquiry. “They’ll feel safer and more confident in an independent investigation initiated by the Palace,” he said. In the meeting with Chato, Bello said, he asked that DOLE expand its investigation to cover Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Bello earlier alleged that female overseas Filipino workers were being sexually exploited by some Philippine labor officers in Kuwait, Damascus in Syria, and Amman in Jordan. Antonio denied the allegation, saying it might have been floated by illegal recruiters who wanted him out. The response incensed Bello, who said his information had come from “mid- to high-level” officers of both the DFA and DOLE. “What he is saying, that’s a brazen lie,” he said. Also tagged Read More …

Philippines, US to hold naval exercises near disputed reef

 News
Jun 202013
 
Philippines, US to hold naval exercises near disputed reef

Agance France-Presse 3:11 pm | Thursday, June 20th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – The United States and the Philippines are to hold joint naval maneuvers in the South China Sea next week between the main island of Luzon and a reef claimed by both China and Manila, the Filipino navy said Thursday. The exercises taking place from June 27 to July 2 by the two allies are to be held about 108 kilometers (67 miles) east of Scarborough Shoal, navy spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Gregory Fabic told AFP. Chinese government vessels are still believed to be patrolling the waters around the shoal after a lengthy stand-off last year with the Philippines, which ended with a Filipino retreat. “This was planned way back in 2010. Whatever happened since then was purely coincidental,” Fabic said when asked if holding the exercises there this year were a way for the Philippines to reassert its sovereignty over the shoal. The maneuvers would be held over 12,347 square kilometers (4,767 square miles) of waters, he added. Chinese embassy spokesmen in Manila could not be reached for comment Thursday. Beijing claims it has sovereign rights over nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters far away from its main landmass and approaching the coasts of Southeast Asian countries. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea, and the area has for decades been regarded as a potential trigger for major military conflict in the region. Since last month the Philippine navy has also Read More …

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