P420M worth of elephant tusks to be crushed, burned by DENR on June 21

 News
Jun 092013
 
P420M worth of elephant tusks to be crushed, burned by DENR on June 21

By Jeannette I. AndradePhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:40 pm | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to crush and burn some P420 million (US$10 million) worth of seized elephant tusks to show the country’s support for the global campaign to end the illegal trade of wildlife species. The five tons of ivory are part of the total cargo of elephant tusks intercepted by customs officials since 2009 in separate operations nationwide. These are stored in the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB). The ivory will be crushed by a steam roller before they are burned in June 21 rites at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, according to Environment secretary Ramon Paje. Foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates are anticipated to witness the event, one of the highlights of the environment month celebration. In a statement, Paje said, “Our decision to destroy these ivory tusks that entered the country illegally is to show to the whole world that the Philippines will not tolerate illegal wildlife trade.” The country is a signatory to the 1989 Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of flora and fauna, which bans the ivory trade as a cause of the massive decline in elephant populations in Africa, according to Paje. PAWB is designated as the management authority under the Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act. Under the CITES, elephants are highly endangered and their international trade declared illegal. The Read More …

AS PHILIPPINES BOOMS, OVERSEAS WORKERS EYE RETURN HOME

 News
Jun 092013
 
AS PHILIPPINES BOOMS, OVERSEAS WORKERS EYE RETURN HOME

Mateo Ragonjan took a leap of faith in August last year. The executive sous-chef of a seven-star luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi packed his bags to take up a similar job back home in the Philippines. He is one of a small group of like-minded Filipinos returning to jobs back home, a sign of confidence in an economy that for decades has seen millions leave in search of better prospects overseas. Ragonjan now helps run a 300-man kitchen that caters to guests and high-rollers flocking to Manila’s newest and most luxurious casino resort, one of 400 overseas Filipinos who came home to work at the hotel. “The Philippines is booming at the moment, so I thought it was the right time to go back,” Ragonjan, 41, said on a break from his 10-hour shift at the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila Bay, developed at a cost of $1.2 billion. The Philippines economy is leaving behind its reputation as a regional laggard. It reported annual GDP growth of 7.8 percent in the first three months of the year, outstripping China to make it Asia’s fastest-growing economy. Earlier this year, the government secured an investment grade credit rating, reducing its borrowing costs, while the stock market has reached a series of record highs this year. Returnees like Ragonjan are just a trickle compared to those still leaving the country, but the hope is that the more the country can draw the diaspora back to the Philippines the more that the entrepreneurial Read More …

Aquino ‘deeply touched’ on meeting Aung San Suu Kyi

 News
Jun 082013
 
Aquino ‘deeply touched’ on meeting Aung San Suu Kyi

By Cynthia D. BalanaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:01 am | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 Aung San Suu Kyi. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO NAYPYITAW, BURMA—President Benigno Aquino III said his brief encounter with Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi struck in him a deep personal cord. “Nakakamanghang kausap iyung isang person na very historical, iyong sa akin may pagka-personal (It’s awe-inspiring to talk to someone who is part of history, which for me in also quite personal),” the President said at a press conference here Friday night. “The struggle that my father underwent, my mother underwent … and you can see, that she (Suu Kyi) underwent the same thing (too),” he said. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr. Aquino and the Burmese leader on the sidelines of the three-day World Economic Forum on East Asia in this second largest Southeast Asian country. Mr. Aquino admitted he was overwhelmed upon seeing and talking to Suu Kyi, whose struggle against the Burmese military junta resulted in her detention for 20 years. The President’s father, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was also incarcerated by a dictatorship and his crusade to restore democracy in the Philippines culminated in his assassination in 1983.  A people power revolt in 1986 brought his widow, Cory, to power. During her time, the late president Cory Aquino campaigned for the release of Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy in Burma. During their meeting, the President reiterated his long standing invitation to Suu Kyi to visit the Philippines Read More …

Philippines recovers war prize Tokyo property – DFA

 Entertainment
Jun 082013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) -– The Philippine flag is once again hoisted and flying high in its recovered war prize from Japan, the Nampedai property in Tokyo, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday. The property in Shibuya, the shopping and entertainment district in Tokyo, was one of four properties in Japan acquired by the Philippine government […]

Subsidy for SSS contributions of handicapped pushed

 Entertainment
Jun 082013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) — Two lawmakers are pushing for the grant of subsidy to persons with disabilities (PWDs) to encourage them to become members of the Social Security System (SSS). Under House Bill 1685 authored by Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. (Party-list, Abante Mindanao), PWDs shall be granted 70 […]

Palace: Cebu Pacific plane mishap at Davao airport shouldn’t happen again

 Entertainment
Jun 082013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Tuesday told airlines in the country to take the necessary steps to make sure there will not be a repeat of Sunday’s mishap involving a Cebu Pacific airplane at the Davao International Airport. At a press briefing, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) […]

Cartoonist Pol Medina, creator of 'Pugad Baboy,' resigns from PDI

 News
Jun 082013
 
Cartoonist Pol Medina, creator of 'Pugad Baboy,' resigns from PDI

After 25 years, Pol Medina Jr, the cartoonist behind the popular comic strip “Pugad Baboy,” resigned from the national daily Philippine Daily Inquirer on Friday night. In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Saturday night, Medina confirmed that he has resigned “irrevocably” from his post. “Mga 9:55 p.m., right after ko manood ng “SONA” [ni Jessica Soho], pinabigay ko sa kasama ko sa Art Section ‘yung resignation letter ko,” Medina said. “Hindi siya spur of the moment,” he said. “I wrote a very precise and crisp [letter].” The cartoonist detailed what the letter said: 07 June 2013 To: Ms. Letty-Jimenez Magsanoc Ma’am: Sorry I dishonored you. I resign. (signed) Pol Medina Jr. The “Pugad Baboy” creator quipped that he did not know how to use an electronic signature that is why his signature appeared big in print. “Parang galit lang, pero hindi naman.” Asked what pushed him to resign, he said: “Nung Friday, wala akong comic strip tapos may nakalagay na pending further investigation.” He was referring to the statement posted on the space allotted for his comic strip, which read: “Our Reader’s Advocate, Elena E. Pernia, has begun an inquiry into this matter. Her preliminary findings show that this cartoon strip had been rejected for its insensitivity when it was submitted in April 2013 but, due to a mix-up in the comics section, was picked up for publication.” “The Inquirer confirms its commitment to the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and good taste,” the statement continued. Medina’s Read More …

Palace: Cebu Pacific mishap should not affect PHL bid for aviation upgrade

 News
Jun 082013
 
Palace: Cebu Pacific mishap should not affect PHL bid for aviation upgrade

Saying similar accidents also happen even in first-world countries, Malacañang on Saturday insisted the faulty landing of a Cebu Pacific plane at the Davao International Airport should not be a cause to hold the upgrade of the Philippine aviation industry. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda contested claims that the country’s aviation industry is not ready for an upgrade following the Davao airpoprt mishap. “Ang nangyari diyan, nangyayari rin sa mga first world countries, hindi lang ‘yan sa mga third world countries. Alam natin na may mga aksidenteng ganito na nangyayari rin sa mga ibang bansa,” he said on government-run dzRB radio. Excerpts of the interview were posted Saturday afternoon on the Presidential Communication and Operations website. Last Sunday, a Cebu Pacific plane skidded off a Davao International Airport runway and got grounded. The incident forced the airport to halt operations until Tuesday night. Yet, Lacierda downplayed arguments that what happened showed the Philippines is not ready for an upgrade in its assessment. “I don’t think that is a one-to-one correspondence. And I don’t think that is proper. The premise would justify the conclusion,” he said. Also, he said the government has been focusing on different approaches in improving the country’s aviation industry and making a conclusion based on the Davao incident would be irresponsible. Besides, he said the Philippines is getting commendations for its initiatives in modernizing the aviation sector. “We are taking the proper steps to ensure that we are going to be out of that category and to ensure Read More …

PAGASA: 'Dante' intensifies; floods, landslides threaten parts of Luzon, Vis-Min

 News
Jun 082013
 
PAGASA: 'Dante' intensifies; floods, landslides threaten parts of Luzon, Vis-Min

PAGASA: Tropical Depression ‘Dante’ spotted 690 km east of Aurora province. “Dante” maintained its north northwest path but picked up pace from 9 kph to 11 kph PAGASA Residents in parts of southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao may have to brace for possible flash floods and landslides in the next 24 hours even as Tropical Depression Dante slightly hovered near Aurora province Saturday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA indicated Dante slightly intensified but also slowed down along its track as well on Saturday afternoon. PAGASA said that as of 4 p.m., Dante was estimated at 730 km northeast of Casiguran, Aurora, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and moving northeast at 11 kph. As of 10 a.m., Dante packed winds of only 45 kph near the center and was moving north-northwest at 15 kph. “Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, MIMAROPA and the Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rain and thunderstorms that may trigger flash floods and landslides,” PAGASA warned. It added that Bicol and the rest of Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be “partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” it added. Also, PAGASA said moderate to occasionally strong winds from the southwest to west will prevail over northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to Read More …

Palace reassures public of AFP modernization to protect sovereignty

 News
Jun 082013
 
Palace reassures public of AFP modernization to protect sovereignty

Malacañang on Saturday reassured the public the government has not lost its focus in achieving a minimum credible defense position to protect Philippine sovereignty against external and internal threats. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government has already accomplished much in modernizing the country’s police and military. “We are going to achieve what we have always maintained, what the President has always said—a minimum credible defense position; and if the lawmakers would wish to add to the budget of the AFP, again, we are going through a budget deliberation process,” Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio. He added the current thrust of the government is modernizing the Philippine police and military. As for some lawmakers’ call to increase the 2014 budget of the police and military for 2014, he said they can do their share by taking part in the deliberation for the 2014 budget. Lacierda also said Congress can add to the budget for the military and the police, which would be a great help for the country. But he said adding any amount should be in the budget process and budget deliberations. “It is within the process itself, as to their discretion how they would like to assist in further modernizing our forces,” he said. Under the AFP Modernization Law, the Aquino administration acquired a Hamilton-class cutter from the US, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar. The Navy is also awaiting the arrival of another naval ship from the US, he said. Also, he said the military acquired several Read More …

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