Ind’l spaces to remain abundant – CBRE

 Economy
Aug 102013
 
Ind’l spaces to remain abundant – CBRE

MANILA, Philippines – Despite interest from foreign firms to invest in manufacturing facilities in the Philippines amid the country’s impressive economic performance, supply of industrial spaces is expected to remain abundant given the high power and labor costs here, property services firm CBRE Philippines said. “While renewed interest in the country’s industrial sector is evident, investments in these types of projects may take some time before it materializes, with supply of industrial properties to remain abundant in the short to medium term,” CBRE Philippines said in its Metro Manila MarketView report for the second quarter. Supply of industrial spaces is seen to remain healthy over the short to medium term as it noted that foreign firms are concerned over the country’s power and labor costs. “The manufacturing sector continues to be challenged by relatively high labor and power costs compared to its neighboring nations,” the CBRE report said. But while high power costs are preventing foreign firms from making investments here at the moment, the development of new power generating plants is expected to benefit companies that will locate in the country in the future. It noted that investments in the power sector have increased with foreign and local firms vying to set up power plants throughout the country. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “The development of new power generating plants is anticipated to produce enough energy to address the demands of the general population and the ongoing industrialization of the economy. It is also expected Read More …

DTI pushes higher Northern Mindanao exports to Asean

 Economy
Aug 102013
 
DTI pushes higher Northern Mindanao exports to Asean

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) aims to promote growth in Northern Mindanao through increased merchandise exports from that region to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In a statement, the DTI said it wants to encourage exporters in the region to increase their merchandise shipments to Southeast Asia by informing them of trade opportunities available there. To encourage greater trade between Northern Mindanao and Southeast Asian countries, the DTI will conduct information sessions focused on the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) under the Doing Business in Free Trade Area (DBFTA) program next week in Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, and Ozamiz City. The DBFTA is a series of business information sessions to be conducted nationwide to increase exporter awareness of the country’s trade agreements. The information sessions to be held in Northern Mindanao will discuss how businesses there could increase trade with Southeast Asian countries. Through the information sessions, the DTI wants businesses, the academe and other stakeholders in Northern Mindanao “to increase their awareness as well as foster appreciation for the benefits of free trade agreements, and (learn about) how they could avail of these benefits.” Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Among the benefits offered by free trade agreements are preferential tariff rates and harmonized standards. The DTI noted that as of the end of 2012, Northern Mindanao’s merchandise exports amounted to $1.17 billion. The region’s exports include fresh and processed fruits, marine products, beverages, food products, coconut Read More …

Laments on the Filipino Diaspora

 News
Aug 102013
 
Laments on the Filipino Diaspora

By Ricardo B. RamosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:47 pm | Saturday, August 10th, 2013 MAPPING of overseas Filipinos (SOURCE: Commission on Filipinos Overseas, cfo.gov.ph) My older sister, a retired doctor, recently passed away unexpectedly in Cardiff, Wales, in  the United Kingdom where she had resided for the past 25 years. She was 67 years old. Her sudden demise happened two weeks after our youngest sister, a registered nurse, was run over by a car whose driver was texting in Sydney, Australia. The saying must really be true that “when it rains, it pours.”  Our family was devastated by the tragedy. Fortunately, our “baby” sister survived the auto accident, although she was badly injured. It will take months before her spine heals. In the meantime, she cannot work and will therefore not receive any compensation from her employer. My older brother, who petitioned my sister’s migration “Down Under” more than two decades ago, took two weeks off from work to take care of her. She is a widow. The tragedy that struck our family in a span of two weeks reminded me of what happened 40 years ago in the early 1970s. Our eldest sister, who was working in Manhattan and at the same time taking her master’s degree in Columbia University,  nearly died when she was run over by a car in New York City. While she received some compensation from the insurance of the driver who nearly killed her, she was never the same again. Now at almost 70 years Read More …

Is the US immigration reform bill dead?

 News
Aug 102013
 
Is the US immigration reform bill dead?

IMFO By Lourdes Santos TancincoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:45 pm | Saturday, August 10th, 2013 It is hard to say exactly how many of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States are Filipinos.  Perhaps we will never know— not until a legalization law is enacted. There are many factors that justify the passage of an immigration reform. A recent poll shows that 74 percent of registered voters favor legalization and eventual US citizenship for undocumented migrants. The Congressional Budget Office said immigration reform, as designed in Senate Bill No. 744, will grow the United States economy, and reduce the federal deficit by $158 billion over the next 10 years and $685 billion more over the following decade. The members of the US House of Representatives will go on  summer recess this month of August. While the Senate passed their version of the comprehensive immigration reform bill last June, many wonder whether the bill was dead on arrival at the House of Representatives. A companion bill to SB 744 has yet to be introduced.   Immigrants in limbo “Lucia” is one of the undocumented Filipinos who, most probably, will benefit from a legalization program. She arrived in the United States when she was 8 years old and was educated in US schools. Lucia now works as a special education teacher at her local district school. She has been teaching children with disabilities. Lucia has no legal documents. After several years working without proper legal documents, Lucia applied for an Read More …

Maltreatment at the agency

 News
Aug 102013
 
Maltreatment at the agency

Bantay OCW (Ang Boses ng OFW) By Susan KPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:45 pm | Saturday, August 10th, 2013 Christina Rosales of Gubat, Sorsogon, related in an interview with Radyo Inquirer how her husband, Jesus, worked in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, but did not receive his salary for nine months. He had also complained that he was not fed regularly. Jesus could not take it anymore so he ran away from his employer, along with a friend, to find another job in Jeddah. Christina went to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) in Bicol and Manila to report the incident. She recalled her husband telling her that he was advised by someone in the consulate to run away and file charges against his employer. When he did, that same person scolded him for running away and warned him that his employer might press charges against him. Jesus was confused. Verbal abuse Christina also reported the incident to Edwin Escudero of the International Resources Development Services Agency (IRDSA), the agency of her husband. Instead of acting on her complaint about her husband’s unpaid salaries and poor working conditions, Escudero threw crude insults at her and accused her of inventing stories about her husband’s plight. Bantay OCW learned that Escudero, who had referred her husband to the agency, was not an IRDSA staff member but the personal driver of one of the agency’s owner, a certain Juno Reduca. When contacted by Bantay OCW,  Bing Gamboa, IRDSA’s recruitment officer, promised to act on Christina’s complaint Read More …

PHL works to contain huge diesel spill

 News
Aug 102013
 
PHL works to contain huge diesel spill

MANILA — Authorities said they were working Saturday to contain a huge diesel spill that shut down parts of Manila Bay’s vital fishing industry. Ryan Santos, a district official at one of the hard-hit coastal villages, said the fuel polluting the water had dissipated noticeably a day after it was released, but its pungent stench remained. “A few local fishermen are putting to sea again, but have to go much further out to reach the fish,” Santos told AFP by telephone. However, most stayed at home. “They are complaining that the slick is fouling up their boat hulls and nets,” he added. Local officials said fish and other marine life floated up dead and some residents fell sick from the fumes after an estimated 500,000 liters of the fuel cast a slick across 20-kilometres (12 miles) of coastline near the capital Manila from Thursday. The coastguard said the slick, which by Friday had covered a 300-square-kilometre area, was likely released by either a fuel depot in the area or an oil tanker that had unloaded its cargo at the terminal. The bay is the country’s most important waterway in a region where about 30 million people, nearly a third of the Philippines’ population, live. Petron Corp, the depot owner, struck a deal with the government earlier Saturday for both sides to deploy more oil containment booms and crews to speed up the clean-up, coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said. “It has been mostly contained… Our latest feedback is that some Read More …

Historic Filipinotown Festival 2013 was a reflection of Filipino spirit and camaraderie

 Entertainment
Aug 102013
 

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 9, 2013) – For a Filipino, having “good health” means living a balanced life that is blessed with a healthy body, mind and spirit.  The organizers of the 11th Annual Historic Filipinotown Festival 2013 were very successful in keeping their program in line with this idea when they held the event at […]

Bicol OCD goes on red alert for Storm Labuyo, recalls fishermen

 News
Aug 102013
 
Bicol OCD goes on red alert for Storm Labuyo, recalls fishermen

As Tropical Storm Labuyo (Utor) moved close to Bicol, civil defense officials in the region went on red alert and started moves to recall the fishermen who are now at sea. Office of Civil Defense Region 5 head Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said they had been on red alert since 10 a.m. Saturday. “Gusto namin ma-recall lahat na local fishermen na lumabas,” he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said this aims to minimize the chances of fishermen drowning after getting caught in bad weather conditions. Alejandro said they are advising the fishermen in the region not to go out to sea until Tropical Storm Labuyo has moved away. “Huwag na lumabas hanggang lumampas ang bagyo (Don’t go out to sea until Labuyo has moved away to a safe distance),” he said. Earlier, state weather forecasters said five areas in Luzon are under Storm Signal No. 1 as Labuyo intensified. PAGASA said Labuyo packed maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph, and was moving west-northwest at 19 kph. Under Storm Signal No. 1 are Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quirino and Catanduanes. — LBG, GMA News

BINMALEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI GLOBAL REUNION AUG. 17

 Entertainment
Aug 102013
 

Cerritos, California – The Binmaley Catholic High School International (BCHS) will hold its 2nd Global Reunion on Aug. 17, Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Cerritos Park East Community Center’s Malibu Room. The venue is located on 13234 E. 166th Street, Cerritos, between Shoemaker Ave. and Carmenita Blvd. The motif is Hawaiian attire. Alumni members […]

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