DOLE to redeploy Filipino workers in strife-torn Egypt to other countries

 News
Sep 052013
 
DOLE to redeploy Filipino workers in strife-torn Egypt to other countries

By Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:20 pm | Thursday, September 5th, 2013 Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is eyeing the redeployment of displaced overseas Filipino workers to other countries from war-torn Egypt. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz expressed hope this would help boost the Philippine government’s ongoing repatriation efforts to ensure the safety of OFWs from the worsening political violence in Egypt. Baldoz said they have been coordinating with local recruitment agencies of the affected OFWs. “In the case of Egypt-based OFWs, there is an ongoing coordination with licensed recruitment agencies for their possible redeployment to other countries,” Baldoz said in a statement. She said the initial offer of repatriation was being met with indifference by the majority of the Filipinos in Egypt who did not want to leave and lose their jobs. Most Filipinos in Egypt are employed as skilled and household service workers in Cairo and Alexandria. But aside from the possibility of being redeployed abroad, Baldoz also assured the OFWs of jobs at home. “We have a package of livelihood assistance which they can avail of from the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO),” she said. Meanwhile, nine OFWs were expected to arrive from Egypt before midnight Thursday. It would be the second batch of OFWs repatriated from Egypt following the arrival of the first batch last August 30, according to Baldoz, citing information from the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs. Read More …

Asia stocks boosted by US growth signs

 General
Sep 052013
 
Asia stocks boosted by US growth signs

Associated Press 2:02 pm | Thursday, September 5th, 2013 In this Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, photo, traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stock futures were mixed Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, with the U.S. moving closer to a military confrontation in Syria. AP BANGKOK— Good news about the U.S. economy, including strong auto sales, helped boost Asian stock markets Thursday. A Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday showed that all 12 of the Fed’s districts reported moderate economic growth from July through late August. More good news came from the auto industry: General Motors and other carmakers posted strong sales in August, giving the industry its best month in six years. That data comes on top of the Institute for Supply Management’s report, released Tuesday, that said U.S. factory production rose in August at the fastest pace in two years. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index swung between losses and gains before rising 0.3 percent to 14,093.36 after the Bank of Japan said following a policy meeting that the world’s No. 3 economy was “recovering moderately.” The central bank’s policy board also said the bank’s monetary easing policies would be maintained for the time being, Kyodo News reported. Andrew Sullivan, trader at Kim Eng Securities in Hong Kong, said investors were anticipating a press conference later Thursday by Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda. Analysts were waiting to hear what Kuroda might have to say about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to raise sales taxes from Read More …

Fil-Am kid singer shines at the US Open

 News
Sep 042013
 
Fil-Am kid singer shines at the US Open

By Momar VisayaAJPress/INQUIRER.net News Partner 5:32 am | Thursday, September 5th, 2013 Eleven-year-old Frenie Acoba belted the US national anthem at US Open. NEW YORK—Frenie Acoba, an 11-year-old Fil-Am, kicked off the U.S. Open, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment events, by singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” in front of thousands of fans at opening night on Monday, Aug. 26. “This is my fourth time performing the national anthem here, but my first time to do it on opening night, so I was very nervous,” a visibly excited Acoba told the Asian Journal minutes after her performance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Born and raised in New York to Filipino parents Willy and Nieva, Frenie has been singing for as long as she remembers. None of her parents are musically inclined, but they encouraged her to just sing and pursue her dreams. At the age of eight, Frenie sang at the U.S. Open for the first time. This was in 2010. “We heard that they were conducting auditions and my mom asked me if I wanted to try it out. I did and I have been doing it every year since then,” Frenie said. The US Open has a tradition where boys and girls sing the national anthem and other patriotic-themed songs. The talented vocalists ages 12 and under go trough an audition process. This year, among those chosen to perform are youngsters from Arkansas, California and North Carolina. Frenie also realized one of her dreams – to be Read More …

SF District Attorney helps domestic violence victims get child support

 News
Sep 042013
 
SF District Attorney helps domestic violence victims get child support

INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 5:30 am | Thursday, September 5th, 2013 SAN FRANCISO—The city District Attorney’s Victim Services Division together with the Department of Child Support Services will educate victims of domestic violence about their child-support options. “Studies show that 90 percent of domestic violence victims would like child support if it can be done safely,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “By removing barriers and providing access to child support services, we hope to help victims obtain the financial stability necessary to rebuild their lives,” Gascon said his office is collaborating with the Department of Child Support Services to reduce incidents of domestic violence and recidivism. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases over the past three years with incidents of violence between parties, according to the Department of Child Support Services. More and more, victims of domestic violence, who are also parents, are requesting child support services to help them stabilize and increase their ability to provide for their children. “We look forward to a successful collaboration (with the DA),” said Karen Roye, Department of Child Support Services Director. The District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Child Support Services will hold office hours on the 1st and 3rd Monday, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. of each month, at 850 Bryant Street, 3rd Floor. Victims of domestic violence will be able to make appointments or drop in and meet with Child Support Services representatives that can provide guidance and information about their child support options. Read More …

Filipinos slaves have a chance for freedom

 News
Sep 042013
 
Filipinos slaves have a chance for freedom

No Limitation By Ted Laguatan 12:22 am | Thursday, September 5th, 2013 All Filipinos are slaves including the well to do. We are slaves to the all-pervading institutionalized corruption in the Philippine government that permeates all facets of our lives. Even Filipinos working and living abroad are slaves. They bear the burden and shame of coming from a country with a reputation of being poor, weak and corrupt. And like the hard earned money of their fellow  Filipinos in the homeland, a significant amount of the billions of dollars they send to their relatives back home – will find their way to  the pockets of corrupt dishonest officials and other personnel in all branches and all levels of the Philippine government: bureaucracy clerks; traffic policemen; palengke kubradors; tax collectors; customs people; restaurant inspectors; immigration officials:  court personnel; authorities involved in the licensing or registration of vehicles, businesses, land titles, etc ; and super greedy Senators, Congressmen and judges. Filipinos have continually been slaves to government corruption for so long now.  The terrible resultant effects of this slavery are seen everywhere in the Philippines: Children digging into smelly garbage cans for scraps of pagpag food; One third of our people going to bed hungry at night; Sick people dying because of not having medicines; Children with educations stopping at grade six because of limited funds; Millions living in subhuman squalid slums;  Substandard eroding roads, dangerous bridges and other infrastructures;  Inferior government services… Thousands of our people are separated from their children Read More …

ABS-CBN, GMA both claim ratings leadership in Aug

 Economy
Sep 042013
 
ABS-CBN, GMA both claim ratings leadership in Aug

MANILA, Philippines – TV rivals ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. and GMA Network Inc. claimed to have fortified their respective rating leadership for the month of August. ABS-CBN said in a statement that it managed to sustained its nationwide leadership by having the most number of households watching its shows whole day. ABS-CBN enjoyed its biggest lead on primetime from 6pm to 12 midnight with an average audience share of 47 percent or 15 points higher than GMA’s 32 percent. ABS-CBN also ruled primetime in other key territories like in areas in Luzon outside Mega Manila with 49-percent audience share compared to GMA’s 33 percent as well as the Visayas where it registered 57 percent versus GMA’s 24 percent. It also dominated Mindanao with 62 percent or three times GMA’s 21-percent share. Primetime is the most important time block when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investment to reach more consumers efficiently. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 ABS-CBN’s primetime supremacy also drove its dominance in terms of total day audience share, hitting an average audience share of 41 percent as compared to GMA’s 34 percent. ABS-CBN has tapped Kantar Media that uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population. Not to be outdone, GMA said in a separate statement that it grabbed the nationwide TV ratings leadership in August on the back of its strong performance in the Read More …

Berjaya unit offers P2 B for luxury car dealer

 Economy
Sep 042013
 
Berjaya unit offers P2 B for luxury car dealer

MANILA, Philippines – The local unit of Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Corp. has extended anew its P2-billion offer to take over a British luxury car distributor. The longer tender offer period will allow Berjaya Philippines Inc. to buy more stocks from shareholders, the company said. “The issuer extended the offer period for a further 14 days or until Sept. 16,” Berjaya Philippines said in a regulatory filing. As of Sept. 2, Berjaya Philippines received shareholders’ approval to buy 90,195 shares representing around 0.38 percent of the issued stocks of London-based car distributor H.R. Owen, or just 0.54 percent of shares subject to the tender offer. “The offer price remains unchanged in connection with the extension,” Berjaya Philippines said. Under the terms of the tender offer, Berjaya Philippines wants to buy out other stakeholders for 130 pence per share for a total transaction value of 32.5 million pounds (around P2.25 billion). Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The first takeover offer attempt took place on July 29 to Aug. 19 but H.R. Owen management rejected the buyout, claiming Berjaya Philippines undervalued the company’s shares. Berjaya Philippines then extended the tender offer to Sept. 2. In June, Berjaya Philippines expanded its car dealership business by acquiring 29.81 percent of H.R. Owen for P540.36 million as a long-term investment in line with its diversification strategy. H.R. Owen is involved both sales and after-sales of brands like Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Mini, Pagani and Rolls-Royce, predominantly Read More …

Wego expands local operations

 Economy
Sep 042013
 
Wego expands local operations

MANILA, Philippines – Singapore-based Wego, the leading travel search site in Asia Pacific and the Middle East, is expanding its operations into the Philippines. As a participant in the first Philippine Tourism Forum and the 24th Philippine Travel Mart, Wego said it sees huge growth potential in the country’s tourism industry. Wego said it has appointed a dedicated market manager to the Philippines to extend its localization strategy to further incorporate and serve travelers, hotels, airlines and other travel industry businesses. Currently, Wego has local offices in Indonesia, India and Dubai. Wego chief marketing officer Joachim Holte said the Asia Pacific market is a strategic region for Wego. “We’ve established a successful localization program with more than 50 country sites in 30 languages worldwide in 42 currencies,” he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “In the Philippines, we are one of only a few travel comparison sites to display rates in Philippine peso,” he added. “Following an investment of $17 million in growth capital through the completion of a Series C preferred share offering, part of our strategy is to appoint dedicated market managers in our growth regions to extend our activities going forward. The Philippines is undergoing a surge in tourism development and economic growth which is being reflected in the growing number of Wego users from the country,” Holte said.

No. 1 in Phl: BDO jumps to 251 in global banking rank

 Economy
Sep 042013
 
No. 1 in Phl: BDO jumps to 251 in global banking rank

MANILA, Philippines – BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO), the main banking arm of the SM Group, has improved its ranking in the world’s top 1,000 banks list, according to a report by UK-based banking and finance magazine The Banker. Based on the report, BDO now occupies the 251st spot from 396th place in 2012, or 145 notches higher. The Banker said the improvement in BDO’s ranking is on the back of an enhanced overall performance, particularly in terms of Tier 1 capital, assets and profit. For the Philippine country listing, BDO secured the number one spot, the publication said. The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks ranking has been setting the industry benchmark since 1970, providing comprehensive intelligence about the health and wealth of the banking sector. The report enables investors and clients worldwide to assess the strength and weakness of the banks, identify banking partners for the future, and track the big movers and new arrivals in the sector. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 BDO has been one of the most profitable banks in the country, more than doubling its net income in the first half of 2013 to P14.1 billion from P5.8 billion in the same period in 2012. As of end-June 2013, BDO remained well capitalized with a capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and Tier 1 capital ratio of 18.3 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively, well above the regulatory minimum. With record earnings for the period already representing more than two-thirds of its P20.4-billion guidance for Read More …

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