DOT needs to rethink tourism strategy, says travel exec

 Economy
Nov 232013
 
DOT needs to rethink tourism strategy, says travel exec

MANILA, Philippines – The government should rethink its tourism campaign following the damage brought by Super Typhoon Yolanda to parts of the country, according to a hospitality consultancy firm executive. C9 Hotelworks Co. Ltd. managing director Bill Barnett said in an interview that while the Philippines would want to continue to attract tourists to visit the country, the government should rethink how it will undertake promotion efforts following the damage left by Yolanda. “I think for us, the key issue is, what does the Philippines do with its ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’?  For us that is really a profound question,” he said. He said that continuing to promote the country as a tourist destination using the ‘It’s More Fun’ slogan may not be appropriate at this time as the country is still assessing the extent of the impact of the typhoon and conducting relief efforts in affected areas. “It isn’t really the right time to start advertising ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ after all these events. We think that is a challenge for the government,” he said. The Philippine government, Barnett said, needs to assess whether the slogan is still relevant and whether it is sending the right message. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “You have to be sensitive to that (disasters)…When things change, you have to change your strategy,” he said. He noted that while other countries which were hit by natural disasters in the past such as Indonesia and Thailand have Read More …

Remittances seen to surge this year

 Economy
Nov 232013
 
Remittances seen to surge this year

MANILA, Philippines – The country is expected to see a sustained robust inflow of remittances amid an improving global economy and as Filipinos abroad are expected to send more money to their families following recent calamities. The research arm of the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. said in a weekly report that remittances growth is expected to hit six percent this year, faster than the five-percent assumption of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. “Research forecasts annual remittances growth this year to be at six percent amid prospects of more positive growth in some major OFW (overseas Filipino workers) host countries,” the bank said. Money sent home by Filipinos living and working abroad summed up to $16.480 billion in the nine months January to September, up 5.8 percent from the $15.571 billion recorded in the same period last year. Metrobank noted that aside from rosy prospects in countries with a big number of Filipino workers, the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and the Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the Visayas region are expected to boost remittances. “The recent calamities that struck the Visayas region is seen to further prop remittance inflows as we close the year, in addition to the expected surge in time for the holiday season,” Metrobank noted. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Last year, remittances amounted to $21.391 billion, 6.3 percent higher than the $20.117 billion seen in 2011. The continued growth in remittances this year is foreseen to further boost the country’s economic output as money Read More …

Richard Gutierrez gears up for 2014

 Entertainment
Nov 232013
 
Richard Gutierrez gears up for 2014

Richard Gutierrez (MNS Photo) RICHARD Gutierrez said he’s ready to work again after taking a short break from the entertainment business. After his 11-year contract with GMA-7 ended a few months back, the actor decided to give time for himself and unwind a little with close friends and family members. He even disclosed his interest in going back to school and to study short courses in filmmaking. In an interview, the 29-year-old said he realized that sometimes stepping back wouldn’t hurt one’s focus and drive at work “It’s the best decision that I’ve done in life. It kind of slowed me down, it kind of get my bearings right and it ignited again a fire inside of me kung ano talaga ang gustong gawin ko and I think next year is the right time to reconnect with my audience,” said Richard. He added, “(Now I know how) to pick and choose the right projects. Yung 11 straight years ko I didn’t slow down. I think it’s important to take a vacation once in a while or a long break.” Richard said he also enjoyed his short absence in the business because he got to spend a lot of time with girlfriend Sarah Lahbati and his immediate family. “Enjoy ‘yung buong vacation ko not only because of Sarah, but also I was with my family. I spend time with them, with my friends, wala akong pressure or responsibility to beat my schedule. It just kind of going back to my roots,” Read More …

Japan medics bring high-tech fixes to PHL

 Entertainment
Nov 232013
 
Japan medics bring high-tech fixes to PHL

Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan carry fuel, which they bought at double the regular price, on a motorcycle in the typhoon devastated town of Palo, near Tacloban November 16, 2013. (MNS photo) TACLOBAN  (AFP) – Japanese medics working to help victims of the Philippines typhoon have deployed wireless mobile X-ray kits using tablet computers, a world first in a disaster zone, a team spokesman said Saturday. The technology, which was developed after the huge tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, allows doctors to take a look inside patients instantly, and even lets them enlarge the image with familiar iPad gestures. Joji Tomioka, coordinator of the Japan Medical Team for Disaster Relief, said the system had been created in response to what doctors needed in the aftermath of the Japanese disaster. “This is the first time that we are deploying it in a disaster situation,” Tomioka told AFP at a modern tent medical clinic put up by the Japanese government to help victims of typhoon Haiyan, which crashed through the central Philippines more than a week ago. At the partly air-conditioned clinic in the ruined city of Tacloban on Leyte island, a radiologist placed a camera on the chest of 72-year-old Carlos Llosa as he sat in his wheelchair. The X-ray image was instantaneously transmitted through a wireless router to an iPad and to a nearby laptop. With a thumb and a finger, the doctor was able to zoom in for a more detailed view of the problem area. “It looks like Read More …

Vision of hell in Tacloban’s ‘Divine’ hospital

 Entertainment
Nov 232013
 
Vision of hell in Tacloban’s ‘Divine’ hospital

By Cecil MORELLA Residents, who survived Super Typhoon Haiyan, receive holy communion during Sunday mass inside the Redemptorist Church in Tacloban city, central Philippiness November 17, 2013. Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan flocked to ruined churches on Sunday, kneeling in prayer under torn roofs as the Philippines faced an enormous rebuilding task from the storm that killed at least 3,681 people and displaced 4 million. The Philippines is facing up to an enormous rebuilding task from Typhoon Haiyan, with many isolated communities yet to receive significant aid despite a massive international relief effort.(MNS photo) TACLOBAN  (AFP) – Jennifer Purga tearfully pumped air into her critically ill husband’s lungs, willing his sepsis-ravaged body to respond as he lay in a roofless hospital, with no water or power. The Divine Word Hospital in the typhoon-wrecked Philippine city of Tacloban was the vision of a world without redemption Friday, as exhausted hospital staff struggled to provide basic care to patients – some with horrific injuries. Part of the ceiling had caved in, exposing now-useless electrical wires that dangled harmlessly towards the ground. Despite the lack of electricity, Divine Word is the only truly functioning hospital left in Tacloban, a once-bustling city of 220,000 people that was utterly devastated by one of the most powerful typhoons ever to make landfall. “We lost nine patients during the typhoon, when a power cut affected those who were on life support,” Valentina Gamba, the director of nursing, told AFP. The storm surge inundated the ground floor of the Read More …

Frustrated by slowness, kin of Maguindanao massacre victims seek help from UN

 News
Nov 232013
 
Frustrated by slowness, kin of Maguindanao massacre victims seek help from UN

Relatives mark 4th year of unresolved Ampatuan massascre . Relatives of five of the 58 killed, including 32 journalists, in the Ampatuan massacre in Maguindanao on November 22, 2009, hold photos of their loved ones on Friday at GMA Network, as they mark the fourth year of the tragedy. Also in photo is lawyer Harry Roque Jr (center). Joe Galvez On the fourth year anniversary of the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre, several complainants led by a Southeast Asia-based group advocating for freedom of expression filed a petition before three United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteurs to compel the Philippine government to speed up the investigation and prosecution of 196 individuals involved in the case. At a press conference held Saturday at the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, representatives from Media Defense Southeast Asia (MDSEA) on Saturday transmitted separate petitions via e-mail to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial and Arbitrary Killings, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Reparations calling them to look into the cases of the massacre victims. A total of 58 people, including 32 journalists, were killed in the grisly 2009 massacre, considered as the worst single-day election-related violence in Philippine history and the single worst attack on journalists ever recorded in the world.  The victims were part of a convoy that was supposed to accompany then-Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu when he was going to file his certificate of candidacy to run as governor against then-incumbent Maguindanao Read More …

Most foreign aid not directly given to PHL gov’t – Henares

 Entertainment
Nov 232013
 
Most foreign aid not directly given to PHL gov’t – Henares

A Philippine Air Force helicopter is loaded with water at Tacloban airport, ahead of being deployed to a mountainous area inaccessible for vehicles to the west of Tacloban city, in the central Philippines November 17, 2013. The Philippine and U.S. Air Forces are flying rice, clothes and drinking water into remote areas of the central Philippines, which are unreachable by vehicles. A massive relief effort is finally kicking into gear, nine days after one of the most powerful typhoons on record wreaked havoc across the impoverished area in the central Philippines with monster winds and a deadly storm surge of sea water. Philippine authorities and international aid agencies face a mounting humanitarian crisis, with the number of people displaced by the catastrophe estimated at 4 million, up from 900,000 late last week (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – While foreign governments have pledged millions of dollars in donations for relief efforts in the Philippines, the government is not actually getting its hands on most of the funds. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) chief Kim Henares clarified that foreign governments usually course their donations through their own aid organizations. “May misconception ang tao na ang laki-laki ng dinonate ng ibang bansa sa Pilipinas. Ang nangyayari ho, ang America mayroon sila donation eh hindi ho nila binibigay ang pera sa gobyerno. Ginagawa nila binibigay nila sa sariling charitable organization nila, like USAID. At yun USAID mismo ang magdistribute (ng relief goods),” Henares told dzMM. For instance, the US government provided $22.5 million worth Read More …

Sharon, Gabby have nothing against Paulo Avelino

 Entertainment
Nov 232013
 
Sharon, Gabby have nothing against Paulo Avelino

Kc Concepcion (MNS photo) Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion have nothing against Paulo Avelino after the actor admitted that he is currently dating their daughter, actress KC Concepcion. Both said they are not going to intervene with their daughter’s love life as long as KC is happy. “Ay ayoko makialam! Pero okay lang sa akin basta masaya si KC. ‘Yun lang,” Cuneta said. As for Gabby, he said: “Basta kung sino ang mamahalin mo, at mahal mo okay sa akin yun. Basta ang importante doon, naipapakita nila ang concern nila sa isa’t isa.” Gabby added that he likes people who are respectful and kind. “Binati niya ako. It doesn’t matter [kung nagpapalakas], ang importante magalang siyang tao. Gusto ko ‘yung mga taong ganun, mabait, magalang and marunong rumespeto,” he said. Following Avelino’s admission on national television two weeks ago, KC clarified on her Twitter account that she is not exclusively dating the actor. “Hi. So… I am not dating anyone EXCLUSIVELY. At least not yet! Just wanted to clear the air! Goodnight, Philippines,” she said. KC then posted another tweet after several minutes confirming that she is seeing the “Honesto” actor but is still single as of the moment. “To those asking: Yes @mepauloavelino & I enjoy each others company, yes we spend time, but nothing serious right now! I am still single,” she said. Avelino, on the other hand, said he did not intend to make it appear that he and KC are already serious with each other. “Like Read More …

UN: More funds for ‘Yolanda’ victims

 News
Nov 232013
 
UN: More funds for ‘Yolanda’ victims

U.S. Marines provide safe drinking water to typhoon survivors Thursday Nov. 21, 2013 at Tacloban city, Leyte province in central Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, slammed into central Philippine provinces Nov. 8, leaving a wide swath of destruction. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations appealed for more aid for typhoon victims in the Philippines on Friday, increasing the original amount it sought to raise by $47 million (P2 billion) to $348 million (P15 billion). UN Undersecretary General Valerie Amos, the world body’s humanitarian chief, made the announcement at the UN headquarters in New York after seeing for herself the situation in the hardest-hit areas of the Visayas, including Tacloban City, which she visited twice in two weeks. “A massive disaster like this requires a massive response,” a UN press statement reported Amos as saying at a news conference in New York on Friday. “Much more needs to be done. Food, clean water and shelter remain the top priorities. Vast numbers of vulnerable people are still exposed to bad weather and need basic shelter. Families who have lost their homes will need substantial longer-term support from the international community to ensure they have the means to rebuild their houses,” she added. The UN launched on November 12 an action plan seeking to raise $301 million (P13 billion) from the international community to support six months of relief and recovery operations in Eastern Visayas, including the provision of emergency food, shelter and water Read More …

Online gambling billionaire eludes arrest in Manila

 News
Nov 232013
 
Online gambling billionaire eludes arrest in Manila

By Julliane Love de JesusINQUIRER.net 6:31 pm | Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – Police raided the Makati office of an online gambling billionaire, considered one of America’s most wanted, but failed to arrest him, an official has said. Calvin Edward Ayre, a Canadian businessman, is facing illegal gambling charges in the US, said Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, chief of the Crime Investigation and Development Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR). CIDG elements raided Ayre’s office around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at the 22nd floor of the Enterprise Tower. Ayre, however, was not in his Makati office and Fajardo told INQUIRER.net that they have yet to confirm to Bureau of Immigration if Ayre has left the country. He was said to have operated call centers or Business Process Outsourcing firms while taking illegal casino and sports bets from international clients. Fajardo said in a phone interview that Ayre’s offices, two more at the RCBC building in Makati and Eton Building in Quezon City, were granted permits to operate by the Security Exchange Commission. Ayre, who used the false name “Calvin Wilson” while in the country, was listed in the US Department of Homeland Security as most wanted for illegal gambling and money laundering charges. The 52-year-old businessman is the founder of Bodog Entertainment Group, an online-based sports betting and casino games. American business magazine Forbes said Bodog is one of the world’s biggest online gambling firms with total winnings of $100 million as of 2012. Fajardo said the CIDG has seized Read More …

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