THE COURT of Appeals (CA) has denied the government’s appeal of a 2010 regional court decision declaring part of the oil deregulation law unconstitutional.
Jul 082013
Jul 082013
Agance France-Presse 6:52 am | Tuesday, July 9th, 2013 This Aug. 14, 2010, file photo shows an aerial view of the flooded Rohjan area in southern Pakistan. Prominent climate scientist Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Monday, July 8, 2013, that rising greenhouse gas emissions could lead to a 10 to 40 percent increase in the frequency of tropical cyclones by the year 2100. AP PHOTO WASHINGTON—The world typically sees about 90 tropical cyclones a year, but that number could increase dramatically in the next century due to global warming, a US scientist said Monday. Rising greenhouse gas emissions could lead to a 10 to 40 percent increase in the frequency of tropical cyclones by the year 2100, said prominent climate scientist Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Those storms could be up to 45 percent more intense, making landfall 55 percent stronger—a “substantial” increase, said the research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Stronger storm surges, winds and rain would likely be felt most acutely in the southern Indian Ocean, North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean, and could raise risks of damage in coastal areas, he said. Satellite data has shown that cyclones—which are rotating systems of clouds and thunderstorms—have remained relatively consistent in frequency and power over the past 40 years. But he projected a steady uptick in the future using six different climate models combined with forecasts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predicts carbon Read More …
Jul 082013
TAX compliance has never been this burdensome, as evidenced by various complaints and uproars from taxpayers that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) normally shrugs off.
Jul 082013
Cyclone off of PAR as of 5am, July 8. The Japan Meteorological Agency’s forecast track of a cyclone just outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as of 5am (PHT), July 8. At its current rate and direction, PAGASA says it may enter the PAR by Wednesday and may just bring to extreme Northern Luzon. Japan Meteorological Agency Tropical Storm Soulik intensified further early Tuesday as it continued to approach the Philippines, even as state weather forecasters said the cyclone may enter the Philippine area of responsibility Wednesday and stay until Friday. But PAGASA forecaster Manny Mendoza said their models show Soulik is not likely to make landfall on any part of the Philippines, even as it will enhance the southwest monsoon. “Hindi ito magla-landfall sa Pilipinas. Kung papatuloy ito, maaring mag-landfall ito sa Taiwan. Kung west-northwest or northwest ito, sa southeastern China (Our models show it is not likely to make landfall on the Philippines. Our models show it could make landfall on Taiwan. Or if it goes west-northwest or northwest, it could make landfall on Southeastern China),” Mendoza said in an interview on dzBB radio. Also, he said their models show a possibility of Soulik heading for Korea or even Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency’s 5:45 a.m. update described Soulik as a strong tropical storm, and indicated Soulik may not make landfall over the Philippines. So far, Mendoza said their forecast models indicate Soulik is not likely to have any direct effect on the Philippines, but added it Read More …
Jul 082013
The new leader of the Catholic bishops in the Philippines said Monday they will continue to fight for their church beliefs, including their reasons for opposing the Reproductive Health law. Incoming Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas stressed this as several lawyers of the 14 anti-RH law petitions attended a Mass in Manila Monday, the eve of the arguments before the Supreme Court. He said it is the Church’s duty to fight for its stand on various issues. “We are NOT social troublemakers. We are CONSCIENCE troublemakers,” he said with his Twitter account. “We are not a lobby group. We are not rally organizers. We are not another NGO. We are Christ’s followers,” he said in another tweet. Anti-RH activities In a separate article posted on the CBCP news site early Tuesday, Catholic bishops invoked God’s blessings and guidance for lawyers who will argue against the RH law before the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the anti-RH law lawyers and petitioners are to attend a Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia in Ermita, Manila at 9 a.m. “Our first support for the SC process will be a Mass and a prayer vigil because that is our first priority. Our first contribution is to show to the world that prayer has power to change the world,” said Villegas. He added there will be a prayer vigil and a Mass “because we believe in the Church that the Mass can change and Read More …
Jul 082013
By Mila de GuzmanINQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 5:41 am | Tuesday, July 9th, 2013 Shirley and Jay Mercado (2nd and 3rd from left) and their twin sons Jashley and Joriene joined over a million people at the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 30, 2013, to celebrate the Supreme Court decisions on same sex marriage. SAN FRANCISCO—Darwin Dayan and his husband, Deo Patrimonio-Martin, who have been together for 18 years and wed five years ago, screamed with delight when they heard that DOMA had been struck down. Their union in 2008 remains valid because they luckily wed during the brief period when same-sex marriage was legal in California. The United States Supreme Court on June 26, the last day of its session this term, issued two stunning decisions on same-sex marriage that were heard around the world. It overturned the Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) federal ban on same- sex marriage as unconstitutional, thus allowing married same-sex couples in states where same sex-marriage is legal to receive federal benefits. The highest court of the land also ruled that proponents of California’s Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage, had no standing or right to appeal the district court’s ruling that the initiative violated the state Constitution, thus facilitating the resumption of same-sex marriages in the country’s most populous state. Elated Like Dayan and Patrimonio-Martin, other members of the Filipino LGBT community were elated by these historical rulings, which brought them a step closer to achieving full equality. Dayan welcomes the ruling, which not Read More …
Jul 082013
By Leila B. SalaverriaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:32 am | Tuesday, July 9th, 2013 OFW Family Club party-list Rep. Roy Señeres: Stop foot-dragging MANILA, Philippines—Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continue to suffer from the hiring freeze that resulted from the Philippines’ recent tiff with Taiwan, leaving 10,000 of them unable to return to their jobs there, according to OFW Family Club party-list Rep. Roy Señeres. Señeres, who served as labor attache of the Philippine Embassy in the United Arab Emirates from 1983 to 1989, told a press briefing the Philippine government must stop its foot-dragging and resolve the Taiwan dispute immediately, lest OFWs suffer more permanent consequences. Taiwan earlier decided to freeze the hiring of Filipino workers following the shooting by a Filipino coast guard of a Taiwanese fisherman whose boat had strayed into Philippine waters. The incident triggered the harassment of Filipinos in Taiwan. Slow to act on problem Señeres said the Department of Justice’s report on the shooting incident, which has been submitted to Malacañang, should be made public. Those involved in the incident should also face criminal and administrative charges, he added. “The government is slow to act on this problem,” he said. The Aquino administration must also hasten the restoration of bilateral relations with Taiwan, he said. He said many OFWs wanted the administration to resolve the issue soon, and were worried that it was becoming too preoccupied with the allegations of sexual exploitation of OFWs by Filipino officials in the Middle East. Señeres said many Taiwan-bound OFWs Read More …
Jul 082013
MANILA, Philippines – Smart Communications Inc. of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has tied up with recording giant MCA Music Inc. to provide over 70 million mobile subscribers with online music service and at the same time combat rampant piracy in the country that cost the industry over P2 billion in revenue losses per year. Smart executive vice president and head of wireless consumer business Charles Lim told reporters in a press conference that the three-year tie up with MCA Music is a vital part of the PLDT Group’s multimedia strategy. “We will rapidly grow our multimedia content offerings in the next few months. What better way to jumpstart this effort than by offering what’s close to the hearts of Filipinos – music,” Lim stressed. He pointed out that the partnership hopes to increase the share of digital music in the total P700-million industry in the Philippines to about 60 percent to 70 percent over the next two years from the current level of about 40 percent. He said the partnership with Universal Music Group (UMGI) and its local company MCA Music would enrich the lives of Smart subscribers by democratizing access to legitimate music and enabling them to keep creating the playlists of their lives in fast, easy and affordable way. UMGI president for Southeast Asia Sandy Montero said the “game-changing” partnership is a first in the world between Smart and MCA Music, making more than three million tracks in MCA Music’s global catalog exclusively available Read More …
Jul 082013
SANTA ROSA, Laguna, Philippines — Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) is planning to hike its total production by 18 percent to 36,300 units this year from a year ago as it expects higher demand for vehicles. Speaking at the ceremonial roll-off of the all-new Vios yesterday, TMPC president Michinobu Sugata said the firm has made improvements in its production line to increase its capacity and be able to manufacture more vehicles. “The result of all these improvements is a faster production line giving us a 10 percent increase in capacity from 30,500 to 33,300 vehicles per year,” he said. “We expect to sell more than that number so we plan to actually build 36,300 units of Vios and Innova by the end of 2013, which is 18 percent more than last year, by rendering overtime and holiday work,” he said further. The improvements made at the company’s plant required the investment of more than P2 billion. The firm decided to raise the level of its production capability as it expects strong demand for vehicles particularly for the all-new Vios sedan, which accounts for 60 percent of the company’s total sales of completely knocked down units. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “TMP is confident that the new Vios will recharge the market. Anticipating higher demand due to this model’s improved features, we raised the level of our production capability to ensure that what the customers want, we can supply,” Sugata said. He noted that about 14,594 units Read More …
Jul 082013
MANILA, Philippines – Constellation Energy Corp. (CEC) is expanding its business interests to green architecture, its top official said yesterday. CEC is building Mindanao’s first eco-friendly building in Cagayan de Oro City through a partnership with ItalPinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corp. (ITPI), said CEC chairman and ItalPinas president Jose Leviste. “Constellation Energy’s venture into green architecture is but a natural consequence of our company’s full thrust in exploring multi-technology renewable energy (RE) projects,” said Leviste. CEC has RE service contracts with the Department of Energy (DOE) for several geothermal, wind and hydroelectric projects all over the country. The project is a P45-million mixed-used twin-tower condominium, which features eco-friendly design features, an inner courtyard and cross-ventilation layout among the units for natural airflow and illumination, said Italian architect Romolo Nati, ITPI chairman and chief executive officer. The 160-unit Primavera Residences Tower A, which was completed last year, boasts of shaded façades to reduce direct sun illumination on the windows to bring down internal temperature of each unit. The building is equipped with photovoltaic solar panels on the rooftop for renewable energy production. “With ItalPinas, we put our money where our mouth is by going to great lengths to put up eco-friendly and sustainable building,” said Nati, who also sits as vice chairman of CEC. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Leviste said Primavera’s “passive design elements” had resulted in the reduction of energy consumption in air-conditioning expenses for their building residents. Set up in 2009, ItalPinas has Read More …