December 2013 – Page 23

Cebu Pacific adding HK-Mla daily flights

Economy

Dec 092013

Cebu Pacific adding HK-Mla daily flights

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ leading low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific Air is adding one more daily flight between Manila and Hong Kong during the Christmas peak season to accommodate increased travel demand to Hong Kong. Utilizing Airbus A320 aircraft, CEB will operate a total of five daily Manila-Hong Kong-Manila flights on the following days only: December 20-23, 26-30, 2013 and January 2-5, 2014. The flight departs Manila at 11:30 p.m. and arrives at 1:30 a.m. he next day. The return flight departs Hong Kong at 2:15am and arrives in Manila at 4:15am. “We hope to give more travelers the chance to visit Hong Kong this Christmas holidays, especially with the festive activities lined up this season. With up to five daily flights between Manila and Hong Kong, guests can definitely pick the most convenient flight schedule that is perfect for their travel plans,” said CEB VP for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog. Aside from Manila, CEB flies from Cebu, Clark and Iloilo to Hong Kong. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

BCDA allots P76 M for Poro Point roads

Economy

Dec 092013

MANILA, Philippines – The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is spending about P76 million for three road projects for improved access to the Poro Point Freeport Zone (PPFZ) in La Union. In a statement, the BCDA said the three projects, which were recently launched by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), are the construction of the road leading to the Poro Point Lighthouse; repair of the road leading to the Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC) and upgrade of the road leading to the San Fernando Airport. The BCDA and its subsidiary PPMC identified the Poro Point road projects which the DPWH would execute. BCDA president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said the initiative is in line with the BCDA’s mandate to be a catalyst for national growth and development. “The PPFZ is a key economic driver in the region, and these road projects will make it more accessible to tourists and locators,” he said. Under Republic Act (RA) 7917 which amended Section 8 of RA 7227 or the Bases Conversion and Development Act, the BCDA should set aside 27.5 percent of its earnings for infrastructure projects, including the construction and upgrade of highways, railways and other transport facilities to improve access to former military bases. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 PPMC board chairman Ives Nisce said the road projects would boost tourism and economic activities in the Freeport zone, particularly the annual Sillag Festival, one of San Fernando’s biggest tourist draws. Read More …

ALI unit seeks BOI perks

Economy

Dec 092013

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala Land Inc.’s mass housing unit is seeking incentives from the Board of Investments (BOI) for the expansion of its project in Quezon City. The BOI said Amaia Land Corp. “is applying for registration with the BOI as expanding developer of low-cost mass housing project (Amaia Skies Cubao Tower 3) with a total capacity of 1,043 low-cost mass housing units on a non-pioneer status.” The project is located at EDSA and 5th Avenue, Brgy. Socorro in Cubao. The firm can qualify for income tax holidays if its application would be approved by the BOI. To attract investments, the BOI grants incentives to firms which engage in activities being promoted by the government. Every year, the BOI comes up with the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) which identifies activities that can qualify for incentives. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Mass housing is listed as a preferred activity in the 2013 IPP. Other preferred activities in the IPP are agriculture or agribusiness and fishery; creative industries or knowledge-based services; shipbuilding; iron and steel; infrastructure; research and development; green projects; motor vehicles; strategic projects; hospital or medical services; and disaster prevention, mitigation and recovery projects. The 2013 IPP also has a mandatory list covering industries that require their inclusion as provided for under existing laws and covers export activities as well as priority activities identified by the Regional BOI of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Index retreats for 5th straight day

Economy

Dec 092013

MANILA, Philippines – The local bourse retreated for the fifth straight day yesterday, ignoring the climb in Asian and global markets. The Philippine Stock Exchange index eased 0.10 percent or six points to 6,008.90, recovering from the intraday low of 5,989.08. The broader all shares index fell 0.21 percent or 7.67 points to 3,680.80. “Against a backdrop of optimism that covers the rest of Asia, Philippine shares started the week on the same footing it ended the previous four sessions,” Justino Calaycay Jr., an analyst at Accord Capital Equities Corp. Given the historical average increase of the main index during December, Calaycay said “the best the index could hope for would be around 6,400. Anything above it will be a welcome surprise.” Wall Street gained on Friday amid stronger-than-expected US job creation last month. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 1.26 percent or 198.69 points to 16,020.20, while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index added 1.12 percent or 20.06 points to 1,805.09. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rallied 2.29 percent or 350.35 points to 15,650.21, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index picked up 0.29 percent or 68.07 points to 23,811.17. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Most counters were in the red, paced by property firms that shed 1.18 percent or 27.81 points to 2,320.95. But holding firms improved 0.78 percent or 42.86 points to 5,537.86. The value of shares traded slipped to P4.58 billion from P5.9 billion on Friday. Decliners outpaced advancers, 99 to 53, while 40 Read More …

SEC issues new rules on corporate names

Economy

Dec 092013

MANILA, Philippines – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is rationalizing the guidelines on the use of corporate and partnership names. The new rules simplify the identification of a company based on the nature of its business, avoiding confusion for the investing public, the corporate regulator said. In a memorandum, SEC said it came up with the Omnibus Guidelines and Procedures on the Use of Corporate and Partnership Names “to keep abreast with developments in business and information technology in the country.” “The SEC shall, for the protection of the public interest and other justifiable causes, disallow the use of names that, in its judgment, are misleading, deceptive, confusingly similar to a registered name, or contrary to public morals, good customs or public policy,” the agency said. The corporate regulator said corporate names should contain “Corp.” or “Inc.” but partnerships are required to bear “Co.” or “Ltd.” A professional partnership name may include “Co.,” “Associates” or “Partners.” “A term that describes the business of a corporation in its name should refer to its primary purpose,” SEC said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “The name shall not be identical, misleading or confusingly similar to a corporate or partnership name registered with the SEC, or with the Department of Trade and Industry, in the case of sole proprietorships,” it added. The corporate watchdog also prevented companies from using punctuation marks, spaces, signs and symbols to differentiate a proposed name from a registered entity. “The name of an internationally Read More …

In this time of adversity, Jessica Cox serves as an inspiration

Entertainment

Dec 092013

In this time of adversity, Jessica Cox serves as an inspiration

Filipina-American Jessica Cox, the world’s first armless pilot, and her husband Patrick with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. A motivational speaker, Cox is helping raise funds for typhoon victims in the Philippines. (Philippine Embassy Photo by Majalya Fernando) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Typhoon victims in the Philippines, particularly those who lost arms or legs as a result of their injuries, should draw strength and inspiration from armless Filipino-American pilot and motivational speaker Jessica Cox. “Jessica has risen from adversity and can definitely inspire our people, especially those who are experiencing adversity as a result of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in the Central Philippines,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. after Cox offered to help typhoon victims during a recent visit to the Philippine Embassy. Ambassador Cuisia said typhoon victims, especially those who had to undergo amputations, should look up to Cox, who holds the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person in aviation history to earn a pilot’s certificate. “Although she was born without arms, Jessica never allowed her condition to limit her – she attained a college degree in Psychology, earned a black belt in taekwondo and learned to drive with her feet, play the piano with her toes and fly an airplane,” he said. The Arizona-based Cox, who was in Washington to attend a Senate committee hearing on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has delivered numerous inspirational speeches around the world and is an advocate for Read More …

PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

News

Dec 082013

PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

President Benigno Aquino III can withdraw the parole granted to convicted killer Jose Antonio Leviste, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, even as she maintained that there seems to be nothing irregular with the granting of the parole. “So far, there’s no basis for me to conclude that the board did not act above board in passing such application,” De Lima said Monday following a meeting with the country’s top jail officials. She, however, noted that she would “defer” to the decision of the President, who she said has the power to “review” paroles granted to prisoners. De Lima also said the Board of Parole and Pardon is standing by its decision to end Leviste’s almost five-year imprisonment by granting him parole. She also noted that Leviste, a former Batangas governor who was jailed in January 2009 for killing a long-time aide in Makati, was able to comply with the requirement for parole. Leviste, 73, was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to at least six years in prison but his good conduct time allowance allowed him to cut short his sentence by a little more than a year. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News

UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

News

Dec 082013

UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

CANBERRA, Australia — The United Nations is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon, the UN humanitarian chief said on Monday. Valerie Amos, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said she had expected that aid had been delivered by helicopter to survivors in even the most remote outlying islands following the Nov. 8 disaster. “Although we’ve got significant aid now coming in to the major centers, we still have a little bit of a worry that in a couple of the smaller islands that there may be needs there that we haven’t managed to meet yet,” she said. “I’m still hearing worrying reports in the media — indeed I heard one this morning — where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet, and we’re looking into that,” she said. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through Tacloban and other coastal areas, leaving more than 5,700 dead and more than 1,700 missing throughout the region. About 4 million people were displaced. Amos, in Australia for aid talks with the government, defended the Philippine government against criticisms that it was too slow to deliver aid to victims. She said the Philippines responded to more than 20 typhoons a year and was well prepared for storms. “But the scale and severity of this was something which none of us could have anticipated,” Amos said. —Associated Press

PNoy wants sanctions for officials who approved Leviste parole

News

Dec 082013

PNoy wants sanctions for officials who approved Leviste parole

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday said he is looking into the possibility of imposing sanctions against officials of the Board of Pardons and Parole who approved the parole application of former Batangas Governor Jose Antonio Leviste. “Pinahanap ko na rin, meron bang sanctions puwede doon sa Board of Pardons and Parole; ni-review ko na rin paano ba naa-appoint diyan sa Board of Pardons and Parole. Ni-review iyong buong system para hindi mangyari uli itong ganito,” Aquino told reporters in a chance interview during the anniversary celebration of the Department of Labor and Employment in Quezon City. In questioning the approval of the parole application, Aquino noted that Leviste’s “escape” two years ago is not indicative of good conduct. “Paano magiging good conduct iyong nasa labas ng piitan habang nagse-serve ng sentence? So hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit maco-consider man lang,” he said. Leviste was charged with murder for the 2007 shooting of his long-time aide Rafael de las Alas. He was convicted in January 2009 for the lesser offense of homicide, with the court saying the killing of De las Alas did not appear to be premeditated. He was punished to serve a minimum sentence of six years and a maximum sentence of 12 years, but it was slashed to just a little under five years after he earned “good conduct time allowance.” He re-emerged in the headlines in May 2011 when he was reported to have “escaped” from prison. He was re-arrested, transferred to the maximum security facility, Read More …

Tacloban mayor: No help from national govt in Yolanda's aftermath

News

Dec 082013

Tacloban mayor: No help from national govt in Yolanda's aftermath

Tacloban mayor recounts Yolanda ordeal at Congressional hearing. At a Congressional oversight committee hearing on PHL disaster management law at the Senate on Monday, December 9, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo Romualdez becomes emotional as he recounts his ordeal when Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban on November 8. At right is Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Benjie Castro Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez decried Monday how the national government supposedly did not help his local government unit in rescue and security efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). During a post-disaster assessment at the Senate, Romualdez said he asked for additional security personnel from the national government a day after Yolanda’s landfall, but Interior Secretary Mar Roxas did not grant his request. Romualdez said Roxas instead asked him to write a letter that the local government could no longer function and that the national government should step in. “Secretary Roxas said we should legalize everything… He told me we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino,” Romualdez said. The mayor said he practically “begged” national officials for help, but to no avail. “I could not understand why I could not get help from national government… Kung kaya ng police at military na ma-secure ang President, bakit ‘di kami nabigyan ng security para ma-secure ang siyudad?” Romualdez said. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who was presiding over the post-disaster assessment, said the committee wants to hear Roxas’ side on the matter next hearing. Close Read More …

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