Norway foreign minister to visit PH and Yolanda-hit areas

 News
Jan 062014
 
Norway foreign minister to visit PH and Yolanda-hit areas

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 5:03 pm | Monday, January 6th, 2014 Norway’s foreign minister Borge Brende. AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Norway’s foreign minister Borge Brende will make his first official visit to the country from January 7 to 9 and will also visit disaster-hit areas in Samar to see first-hand the Norwegian humanitarian and relief effort in the province. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario will personally welcome Brende and the two will discuss bilateral relations “and find new ways of expanding areas for cooperation in the fields of trade, investments, and maritime cooperation,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing Monday. “They will also discuss Norway’s participation in the country’s recovery from typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). Minister Brende will visit Tacloban and Basey in Samar province to see first-hand the Norwegian humanitarian operations and assistance to victims,” Hernandez said. According to the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (Faith) website, Norway has provided $13.6 million (P600.5 million) worth of non-cash aid channeled through the Red Cross and the United Nations, and other non-government organizations. Humanitarian relief workers and volunteers have also been deployed to the calamity areas. “Minister Brende will also meet Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Teresita Deles to discuss Norway’s current role as third country facilitator for peace talks with the communist groups and its participation in the international monitoring team in Mindanao,” Hernandez said. As of June 2013, there were 17,400 Filipinos in Norway mostly working as nurses, caregivers, engineers and housekeepers, the DFA Read More …

Filipina beauty captures Miss Tourism International title for the second straight year

 Entertainment
Jan 052014
 
Filipina beauty captures Miss Tourism International title for the second straight year

Miss Tourism International 2013/2014 Angeli Dione Gomez (center) is flanked by fellow winners at the end of the pageant coronation night held at the Marriot Hotel and Spa in Putrajaya. The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported that a Filipina emerged victorious for the second straight year at the Miss Tourism International pageant held on December 31, 2013 at the Marriot Hotel and Spa in Putrajaya. Twenty year old Angeli Dione Gomez bested 59 other contestants from around the world to win the title.  She was crowned by Miss Tourism International 2012/2013 and fellow Filipina Rizzini Alexis Gomez. Rounding up the top five are Thailand’s Sunidporn Srisuwan (Miss Tourism Queen of the Year), first runner-up; Australia’s Sarah Czarnuch (Miss Tourism Metropolitan), second runner-up; Dominican Republic’s Michelle Alexis Torres (Miss Tourism Global International) third runner up and Malaysia’s Thaarah Ganesan (Miss Tourism Cosmopolitan International), fourth runner-up.  Vietnam’s Phan Hoang Thu was named Ms. Southeast Asia. “Ms. Gomez’s victory in the Miss Tourism International pageant is a perfect way to cap the country’s impressive streak in the pageant scene and is wonderful news to start the new year.  The Embassy extends our congratulations and wishes her well during her reign as Miss Tourism International,” said Embassy Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Medardo Macaraig, who was present during the coronation night. During the coronation night, the field was reduced to 20 delegates, where the contestants competed in the evening gown.  It was then reduced to 10 for the interview portion. The candidates were asked how Read More …

Non-machine readable passports to be phased out by late 2015 – DFA

 Entertainment
Jan 052014
 
Non-machine readable passports to be phased out by late 2015 – DFA

Philippine Passport Biometric Data Page from Wikimedia Commons. The Department of Foreign Affairs said on-machine readable passports to be phased out by late by 2015. MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The use of all non-machine readable passports will not be extended beyond 31 October 2015 and must be completely phased out by 24 November 2015, the Department of Foreign Affairs said recently. Citing its own regulations and the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), DFA said all Filipino nationals holding machine readable-ready passports (MRRP, green passports) and machine readable passports (MRP, maroon passports) will no longer be allowed to apply for an extension of the validity of these passports after 31 October 2014. All Filipinos are told to apply for a new e-Passport as soon as possible before the expiry of their current MRRP (green) or MRP (maroon) passports. Those who fail to do so will likely encounter difficulty at immigration checks when traveling through any ports of entry around the world after October 2015, DFA said. Passport holders are also reminded that there are strict rules for applying for an extension of the validity of expiring or expired passports. Passports that are valid for less than six months or those that have already expired may be extended once only in the following instances: death in the family requiring the OFW and members of his/her dependent family to urgently travel to the Philippines; medical emergencies requiring the OFW and members of his/her dependent family to urgently travel to the Read More …

PHL allows phone use on planes

 Entertainment
Jan 052014
 
PHL allows phone use on planes

Laptops, MP3s can now be used inflight – CAAP The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines circular allows conditional use of people on board the aircraft conditional use of laptops, cellular phones, Internet or short-based-messaging service, voice communications and other broadband services during flights on-board aircraft on all commercial aircraft operating within or en-route over the territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines. MANILA  (AFP) – The Philippines’ civil aviation authority said Tuesday it would allow passengers to use mobile phones and laptops to make calls and access the Internet during flights. Civil aviation director general William Hotchkiss said the order covered “transmitting portable electronic devices”. With immediate effect, the move will allow “people on board the aircraft conditional use of laptops, cellular phones, Internet or short-based-messaging service, voice communications and other broadband services during flights”, he said in a directive. However, devices should still be turned off pre-flight, when the aircraft is refueling, and be switched to silent mode. “The use of MP3s should always be with earphones and not with additional or separate speaker or amplifiers,” Hotchkiss added. The United States and the European Union have also said they will relax restrictions on the use of mobile devices on planes. However there have been concerns that allowing voice calls would cause disturbance to other passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) memorandum circular released on Tuesday allows conditional use of transmitting portable electronic devices (TPEDs), music players (MP3s), and global system for mobile communication on-board aircraft (GSMOBA) on Read More …

Global tech spending seen slipping 1 pct in 2014

 Economy
Jan 052014
 
Global tech spending seen slipping 1 pct in 2014

LAS VEGAS — The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that global spending on technology will slip 1 percent this year to $1.06 trillion as the lower average selling price of smartphones and tablets offsets unit growth in markets like China. The decline is off the peak of $1.07 trillion estimated this year. Steve Koenig, the association’s director of industry analysis, issued the forecast at the opening of the annual International CES gadget show on Sunday. The retreat doesn’t reflect less consumer appetite for what Koenig called the “dynamic duo” of tech gadgets. Spending on smartphones and tablets is still expected to account for some 43 cents of every dollar spent on technology this year. But the average price of smartphones, for example, will fall from $444 in 2010 to an estimated $297 this year.

Megawide seeks Stan Chart loan for classrom proj

 Economy
Jan 052014
 
Megawide seeks Stan Chart loan for classrom proj

MANILA, Philippines – Megawide Construction Corp. is arranging a financing deal with Standard Chartered bank for the construction of almost 10,000 classrooms nationwide. The listed contractor will tap the British lender’s innovative loan structure to manage risks and exposure in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP). Megawide chief financial officer Oliver Tan said the company is in talks with Standard Chartered bank for a loan whose amount has yet to be finalized. “Whatever structure they offered to BF Group,” Tan said. Megawide plans to monetize its long-term receivables to maintain a respectable debt ratio. In November, BF Group of businessman Bayani Fernando agreed to buy a portion of the contractor’s P3.44 billion in receivables. It ensured that BF Group’s debt ratios will remain low enough to venture into other projects. In 2012, BF Group won the build-lease-transfer contract for PSIP Phase 1, with the Department of Education (DepEd) committing to P344.6 million in lease payments for the new classrooms for the next 10 years. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 For its part, Megawide earlier won two school infrastructure projects involving the construction of 7,144 classrooms in Central and Southern Luzon. “The total contract is around P12.1 billion for 10 years for Phase 1. For Phase 2, the contract is P2.2 billion,” Tan said. The DepEd earlier signed a build-transfer deal with representatives of Megawide, and the BSP and Co. Inc. and Vicente Lao Construction joint venture, the winning bidders for the PSIP Phase Read More …

Local furniture industry seen to grow 10%

 Economy
Jan 052014
 
Local furniture industry seen to grow 10%

MANILA, Philippines – The local furniture industry is projected to grow by 10 percent this year, largely driven by strong demand expected from both local and export markets. Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. trustee for the furniture sector Myrna Bituin said in a statement there is room for the industry to grow as furniture makers can serve the strong demand from the domestic market. “The local market buys billions of pesos (worth) of furniture overseas… Majority of companies that do researches, are open to the market, invest in design and in their people, (and) they have always survived,” she said. Bituin said there are already some local companies which focus on the domestic market, particularly on hotels and resorts. “You save on your freight cost and you are here… serving your country. For those who are mechanized, for those who know about design, they can serve the local market,” she said. She noted that the export market is still growing despite the slowdown in demand from the US. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 She said the Middle East is one of the growing markets for the local wood sector. In Japan, there is strong demand for prefabricated housing components.

Phl lags behind in use of latest technology for tax administration

 Economy
Jan 052014
 
Phl lags behind in use of latest technology for tax administration

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is lagging behind its Asian neighbors in utilizing information and communications technology (ICT) for its tax administration. Based on a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), personal income tax statements that are electronically-filed account for only 0.3 percent of the total filed in the Philippines, as against Malaysia, (69 percent), Thailand, (45 percent), India, (26 percent) and Hong Kong (14 percent). The Philippines is also behind Japan, (44 percent), New Zealand, (71 percent), Taipei, (82 percent), Korea, (87 percent), Australia, (92 percent) and Singapore, (96 percent). For corporate income tax, a mere six percent is electronically-filed in the Philippines as against India’s 100 percent, Taipei’s 98 percent, Malaysia’s 49 percent and Thailand’s 10 percent. Curiously, the value-added tax accounted for highest percentage of electronically-filed returns for the Philippines at seven percent but it is still the lowest among its Asian neighbors, Singapore (100 percent), Taipei (94 percent), Korea (79 percent) and Thailand (14 percent). What may be the edge in the Philippines’ tax administration environment is the use of mobile phone technology for tax payments. In Quezon City, for example, real estate tax can be paid through a mobile platform introduced by telecommunications company (telco). Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “In the Philippines, individual taxpayers can pay tax through an electronic cash service provided by a mobile phone company. Under this electronic cash service, consumers without a bank account can deposit electronic cash at mobile phone shops or shopping Read More …

PH gov’t asked to shun US military access amid Tubbataha issue

 News
Jan 042014
 
PH gov’t asked to shun US military access amid Tubbataha issue

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 12:31 pm | Sunday, January 5th, 2014 This undated handout photo released on March 30, 2013 by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows the stern of the USS Guardian before being lifted by a boat crane during its salvage operation at Tubbataha reef, in Palawan island, western Philippines. AFP PHOTO/PCG MANILA, Philippines – Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) asked the government on Sunday to abandon military access negotiations with the United States after it was revealed that the US has yet to pay for the damage caused by their ship on the Tubbataha Reef. “The US government has made it abundantly clear that our relations are unequal. It has not paid a single centavo for the destruction caused by the USS Guardian on the Tubbataha Reef. It has made a mockery of our laws,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement. The group chided the PH government for not aggressively pursuing the damage claims, adding that there were many opportunities to do so, including US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the country last month. “Why allow the US increased military access to our country when the US clearly disregards the protection of the environment? Why allow de facto basing when these ships pose a threat to the environment? It does not make any sense,” Reyes said. The two countries have started negotiations on a framework agreement for the increased rotational presence of US troops in Philippine soil. It is in line with US Read More …

‘US must pay more for reef damage’

 News
Jan 042014
 
‘US must pay more for reef damage’

In this Jan. 22, 2013 photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard, coast guard divers approach the USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper, to assess the situation after it ran aground last week off Tubbataha Reef. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—It’s all right if the United States has not yet paid the P58.3-million fine slapped on it by the Philippines for messing up the Tubbataha Reefs this time last year, because it has to pay more, a Filipino lawyer said on Saturday. Lawyer Edre Olalia said the United States had to pay not only for direct damages but also for other violations of Philippine environmental laws and regulations due to the grounding of its minehunter USS Guardian on an atoll in the Tubbataha Reefs. “We’re opposed to the paltry fine assessment made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Those responsible for the destruction of the reef must be held liable. The United States should pay more,” Olalia told the Inquirer in a phone interview. Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, is one of the lawyers of environmentalist and activist groups that filed in April last year a petition for a writ of kalikasan (nature) in the Supreme Court while efforts to extricate the USS Guardian from the reef were under way. The petitioners demanded a fine more than 10 times the Philippine government’s assessment. Similar incident in Hawaii They compared the Tubbataha incident to the grounding of the USS Port Royal on a coral Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries