FILIPINOS are expected to benefit from more trade and labor opportunities from projects being proposed to the leaders of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines — East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Jul 072013
Jul 072013
TAX collections from large taxpayers account for around 64% of the total annual tax take of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the BIR will likely continue to rely heavily on the contributions of large taxpayers to its collection goal.
Jul 072013
Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:50 am | Monday, July 8th, 2013 Opponents of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi burn pictures showing the United States President Barack Obama during a rally outside the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 7, 2013. As clashes between protesters raged over the ouster of Morsi, Malacañang on Sunday cautioned Filipinos in Egypt not to venture out on “unnecessary errands.” AP PHOTO/Hassan Ammar MANILA, Philippines—As clashes between protesters raged over the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, Malacañang on Sunday cautioned Filipinos in Egypt not to venture out on “unnecessary errands.” Undersecretary Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson, reminded the 6,000 Filipinos there that alert level 1 raised by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) remained in effect. Under this alert, Filipinos are advised to stay indoors, avoid areas of protest and take all necessary precautions. “The alert level stays, which is why this has not been lifted by the DFA to warn our citizens that they shouldn’t venture out on any unnecessary errands while there are still incidents (skirmishes) like this,” said Valte over government-run dzRB radio. Morsi’s ouster by the military following days of demonstrations has triggered violent clashes between his supporters and the opposition that has led to deaths and injuries. The Philippine government is monitoring the unrest 24/7 through duty officers manning the embassy and its communication lines, foreign affairs officials have said. “We continue to monitor the temperature, so to speak, and we are ready to extend any assistance that may be required Read More …
Jul 072013
Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:35 am | Monday, July 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Saturday warned Filipino nurses seeking work abroad about fixers offering jobs in Germany. The POEA earlier announced Germany was hiring 500 nurses from the Philippines. ZAV, the agency authorized to recruit Filipino health professionals under German law, has the final say in the selection of candidates, the POEA said. POEA chief Hans Leo Cacdac advised jobseekers to report fixers through tel. 7221144 or 7221155, or e-mail info@poea.gov.ph, or via facebook.com/ poea.official or twitter.com/poeaNews.—Tina G. Santos Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Germany , jobs , Nurses , Philippine Overseas Employment Administration , Philippines Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94
Jul 072013
By Miguel R. CamusPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:57 am | Monday, July 8th, 2013 Fire crews respond to the scene where Asiana Flight 214 crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013. Asiana Airlines may continue flying into the Philippines while the country’s air safety officials are waiting for the results of the investigation of the crash of one of the carrier’s planes in San Francisco, California, on Saturday. AP PHOTO/NOAH BERGER MANILA, Philippines—Asiana Airlines may continue flying into the Philippines while the country’s air safety officials are waiting for the results of the investigation of the crash of one of the carrier’s planes in San Francisco, California, on Saturday. The South Korean airline operates flights to Manila, Clark and Cebu. Deputy Director General John Andrews of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that if a problem with Asiana’s Boeing 777 was found to be the cause of the crash, it would have negative implications for the plane’s manufacturer and the airlines operating that type of aircraft. “Only two areas to be looked at: man and machine. It should not be difficult as the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) and FDR (flight data recorder) have been retrieved,” Andrews said. “If machine is the cause, there is possibility of worldwide grounding of Boeing 777,” he said. Philippine Airlines, which flies daily flights to San Francisco, said none of its flights would be diverted, as San Francisco International Airport has several runways. In a statement posted on its Read More …
Jul 072013
114TH ANNIVERSARY RITES By Michael Lim UbacPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:25 am | Monday, July 8th, 2013 BALER, Aurora—Spanish film writer-director Jesús Valbuena, a descendant of one of the 33 Spanish soldiers who survived the 11-month siege by Filipino revolutionaries of Baler in 1899, is eternally indebted to the people of this town. The “adopted son” of Baler has kept coming back to Aurora every June 30, Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, to keep alive the cultural and historical ties between the two countries. Aurora is the site of the Siege of Baler, the last and historically significant story of the Philippine war of independence against Spain. “I am alive, thanks to Balerianos,” a tearful Valbuena told residents during ceremonies marking the 11th year of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, which also coincided with the 114th anniversary of the attack and the 500th year of Spanish presence in the Pacific. With his wife, Anabel Izquierdo Rubio, Valbuena flew in from Spain to attend this year’s commemoration. He said the siege took place at the “sunset” of the once powerful Spanish empire that ruled over the Philippine archipelago for 333 years. Generosity “My wife and I try to teach our three kids (Adrian, David and Raquel) … to have dignity in defeat and humbleness in victory, and we try to teach them that, one day, the last will be the first,” he said. He said that during the siege, the generosity of Filipinos became “the universal legacy that this town has given the world.” “So Read More …
Jul 072013
No, ‘The Lone Ranger’ isn’t PC just because the noble savage takes the central turn here. But it’s funnier and more fun, I would say, than Tarantino’s remake of Django as an avenging black man. Steeped in Amerian lore as we have been or maybe I should just speak for my generation of baby boomers the words “kemo sabe” have at one time or other issued from our lips. Correct me if I’m wrong, Dr. Sawi, but I seem to recall a conversation I had with the esteemed poet and magus Cesar Ruiz Aquino, way way back in Dumaguete City, when we bandied about with the phrase. Of course I was Tonto to his Lone Ranger. But still he gave it back to me, every time I called him Kemo Sabe. As we shall soon see, we were both quite prescient, if not entirely on the spot, with our elliptical recognition of the phrase as maybe a spin-off from the Spanish “Quien sabe?” (who knows?) or “quien no sabe” or the corrupted“qui no sabe” which roughly means “he who knows nothing.” In today’s parlance, “clueless.” It also sounded close to “No savvy?” Even to the Chavacano “aqui sila tumba” despite its remote boast of a meaning which is “here they fall.” Yeah, sounds close; but hey, dude, no cigar. In the latest reincarnation onscreen of The Lone Ranger, Johnny Depp as Tonto tells Armie Hammer as the Masked Man that kemo sabe means “wrong brother.” In this Disney production, Tonto Read More …
Jul 072013
MANILA, Philippines – Listed holding firm Jolliville Holdings Inc. plans to pursue two new hydropower projects with a generation capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) worth as much as $75 million. The company aims to initially ride on the increasing energy demand in Mindoro province before expanding in new areas, its top official said. “After the first 10-MW mini-hydro power plant, we might expand our hydropower plant by another 10-20 MW using the same source,” Jolliville chairman and CEO Jolly L. Ting said in an interview. Based on a benchmark investment of $3-3.5 million per MW for hydropower projects, Jolliville will need $60-75 million for the two renewable energy projects. Last week, Jolliville subsidiary Ormin Power Inc. borrowed P1.1-billion from state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines to fund the construction of the 10-MW Inabasan River hydropower project. Ting said the loan covers 70 percent of the total project cost, with the remaining 30 percent to be sourced from internally-generated cash. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The first phase of the run-of-river hydropower venture will start commercial operations in 2015. “We will have to finish the first 10 MW and then we can be ready for another 10 MW,” Ting said, adding that Inabasan River can produce as much as 30 MW of power. Electricity generated by the power plant will be sold to the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco), the sole power distributor in the province. Ormeco distributes power to the entire province of Oriental Mindoro which Read More …
Jul 072013
MANILA, Philippines – Lumina Homes Inc., a unit of listed Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. is seeking incentives for a new housing project in Batangas. The Board of Investments (BOI) said Lumina Homes has filed an application for registration with the agency “as a new developer of low cost mass housing project (Lumina Phase 1) with a capacity of 158 low-cost mass housing units on a non-pioneer status.” The project is located at Brgy. San Vicente, Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Should its application with the agency be approved, Lumina Homes can quality for incentives such as income tax holidays. The government offers incentives to firms that invest in preferred sectors or activities. Under the 2012 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), which serves as the country’s investment promotions blueprint, mass housing is considered a preferred activity. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Lumina Homes is partly-owned by Vista Land. Vista Land, the country’s largest homebuilder, caters to all income segments in the country through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Brittany Corp., Crown Asia Properties Inc., Camella Inc., Communities PhilippinesInc. and Vista Residences Inc. Its range of product offering starts from below P1 million to P48 million. As of the first quarter, Vista Land’s net income amounted to P1.342 billion, 29 percent higher than the P1.036 billion in the same period last year.
Jul 072013
MANILA, Philippines – Global passenger traffic grew at a faster rate of 5.6 percent in May amid the slowdown in the Asia Pacific region including the Philippines, data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed. IATA director general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler said air travel continued to expand at a healthy rate as overall demand rose 5.6 percent while capacity climbed 5.2 percent, pushing the load factor up to 78.1 percent. “Global economic performance remains a concern, however, demand for air travel continues to expand. The primary driver is growing demand for connectivity to emerging markets,” Tyler stressed. Data showed that May international traffic passenger demand rose 5.7 percent compared to the year-ago period amid a 5.6- percent rise in capacity resulting to a load factor of 77 percent. International traffic of Asia-Pacific airlines rose at a slower pace of 3.7 percent in May compared to the year-ago period but this was more than offset by a 5.5-percent rise in capacity resulting to a 1.3-percent decline in load factor to 74.1 percent. “The softness in demand is consistent with falls in business confidence in major Asian economies as well as a slowdown in trade growth momentum. In particular gross domestic product (GDP) growth in China did not meet expectations in the first quarter and business confidence has slipped to levels indicating contraction in manufacturing activity,” Tyler explained. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 He added that the strongest growth occurred in the emerging markets Read More …