Govt mulls stopping construction of Yolanda bunkhouses

 News
Jan 272014
 
Govt mulls stopping construction of Yolanda bunkhouses

Lacson: No overpricing in Yolanda bunkhouses. Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery chief Panfilo Lacson, in giving update on the rehabilition efforts in Yolanda-hit areas during a press briefing at Malacañang on Monday, January 27, said there was no overpricing in the construction of bunkhouses in Tacloban City. Benhur Arcayan The government is considering stopping the construction of bunkhouses for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda and instead may just give them materials to repair their houses, Presidential Adviser for Rehabilitation and Recovery Sec. Panfilo Lacson said. “Nag-confer kami ni [DPWH] Secretary Babes [Singson] na parang we’ll do away with the bunkhouses na. Bibigyan na lang talaga ng construction materials ‘yung mga tao na gustong magkumpuni ng transition shelters,” Lacson said during a press conference at the Palace on Monday.  “Kasi ‘pag kinumpuni nila ‘yung mga dating bahay nila, in effect those are temporary shelters, kasi ire-relocate din naman sila eventually ‘pag nakakita na ng relocation sites at nagawa na ‘yung mga housing units,” he added. He issued the statement after some Yolanda victims initiated a petition to grant each of their families P40,000 in financial assistance. But even before this, issues of overpricing and substandard bunkhouses also hounded the government. Singson, however, had earlier said he will resign if there was indeed overpricing. On Monday, Lacson confirmed that there was no such thing. “There’s no question, walang overpricing. Kasi pinatingnan ko rin ito. Meron kaming pool of civil engineers who went to the area and took a look at the Read More …

NDRRMC: Almost P80M aid given to families affected by TD Agaton, LPA

 News
Jan 272014
 
NDRRMC: Almost P80M aid given to families affected by TD Agaton, LPA

Nearly P80 million in assistance has been given to families in Visayas and Mindanao who were affected earlier this month by a low-pressure area that intensified into Tropical Depression Agaton (Lingling). The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said some P79,803,510.81 was extended by government agencies and non-government organizations. In its 6 a.m. update, the NDRRMC said a breakdown of the amount included: P40,154,571.21 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development P35,486,090.55 from local government units P2,059,685 from non-government and government organizations The NDRRMC indicated the assistance was given to residents of Regions 5, 10, 11, 12 and Caraga. As of Tuesday morning, the death toll from Agaton remained at 64, with 85 injured and 10 still missing. The NDRRMC said 244,344 families or 148,621 people were affected in 1,002 villages in 118 towns in 16 provinces. Of these, 21,062 families or 102,201 people were displaced and are staying in 228 evacuation centers. Damage was estimated at P509,905,686.72, including P256,413,750 in infrastructure and P253,491,936.72 in agriculture. —KG, GMA News

Aliens reminded to register for ‘14

 News
Jan 272014
 
Aliens reminded to register for ‘14

Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:07 am | Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison: A reminder. facebook photo MANILA, Philippines—Foreigners living in the country who are over 14 but under 65 years old are required to make a personal appearance and fill out new forms for their annual report before the March 1 deadline or face administrative fines, Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison said on Monday. Mison said it would only take 10 minutes to register provided the annual report form is completely filled out and all requirements are complete. Mison said the annual report form may be downloaded from the website immigration.gov.ph. but an application fee of P310 must be paid directly to the immigration bureau’s cashier. The new procedure strictly enforces immigration rules prescribed by the Alien Registration Act, Mison said, adding that at least 209,000 registered foreigners must report in person to Bureau of Immigration (BI) offices in the country. He also advised foreigners who register and pay their application fee to ask for an official receipt from the BI cashier to avoid being victimized by fixers and extortionists preying on them.—Niña P. Calleja Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: aliens , annual report , Bureau of Immigration , Immigration , Philippines Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Read More …

Ayala, Aboitiz tie up anew

 General
Jan 272014
 
Ayala, Aboitiz tie up anew

TWO property giants that teamed up to bid for the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport rehabilitation project have teamed up once again for a new mixed-used development in Cebu. Publicly-listed firms Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and AboitizLand Inc. signed last Friday a joint venture agreement for the operation and development of a 15-hectare city center in Subangdaku, Mandaue City. The agreement, according to a press statement, aims to solidify their partnership in developing what is envisioned “as one of Cebu’s most impressive growth centers.” It added that the partnership would bring together ALI’s track record in developing master-planned, sustainable communities and AboitizLand’s “vast and deeply-rooted real estate experience” in Cebu. “We are very excited to work with AboitizLand in developing another city center that will further boost Cebu’s economy. The development shows great promise and will provide new opportunities for business expansion and employment, while providing the community with quality spaces for convergence,” said Antonino Aquino, chief executive officer and president of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI). The 15-hectare city center will house residential developments and commercial spaces with retail and office components. ‘Place-making’ The project is targeted to be launched by 2015. Andoni Aboitiz, chief executive officer of AboitizLand, said he is “looking forward to embarking on this venture together with a strong partner, who shares the same vision, passion and commitment with us, in building Cebu through what we do best, ‘place-making’.” The Mandaue City development will be ALI’s fourth major mixed-use district in Metro Cebu, following the Cebu Business Read More …

Kim, Xian click as screen sweethearts

 General
Jan 272014
 
Kim, Xian click as screen sweethearts

The romantic-comedy movie Bride for Rent starring Kim Chiu and Xian Lim is a mega box-office hit earning close to P200M in just over a week. The movie earned P21.2M on its opening day. Directed by Mae Czarina Cruz, Bride for Rent is the much-awaited follow-up movie of Kim and Xian. The story revolves around Rocky (Kim) who joins an audition and meets Rocco (Xian), a rich guy desperate to get his inheritance from his grandmother (Pilita Corrales). Rocky agrees with Rocco to be his pseudo wife in exchange for a large sum of money. Either of them is aware that they can fall in love with each other.  The onscreen loveteam of Kim and Xian was first introduced through the 2011 hit teleserye My Binondo Girl where they played Jade and Andy, respectively. Now, they are considered one of the most bankable loveteams in local showbiz. They recently guested in Buzz ng Bayan to promote their new movie. As expected, their fans were inside the studio to support their idols. Many wanted to join but only three were selected to ask questions. When asked what song they would dedicate for each other, Xian chose the song Hero while Kim answered Chinito. Kim revealed that she gave Xian a carpet for his house last Christmas. Kim explained, “Bago kasi ang house niya. Pinapakita niya iyong picture. Parang may kulang. Sabi ko, ‘May kulang dito, diyan.’” Meanwhile, Xian gave her two gifts but Kim revealed only one during the interview. “Iyong Read More …

Japan to beef up support to Mindanao peace process after annex signing

 News
Jan 272014
 
Japan to beef up support to Mindanao peace process after annex signing

Japan on Sunday committed to strengthen its support to the Mindanao peace process following the signing of an annex that would lead to a comprehensive peace pact between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. “As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced during his visit to the Philippines in July last year, Japan will strengthen its support to the Mindanao peace process through the assistance for community development, capacity-building in transition period, sustainable economic development in Mindanao, and other methods,” Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement posted on the website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Saturday, government and MILF negotiators signed the annex on normalization that would pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement. Kishida said Japan “heartily welcomes” the successful conclusion of the peace effort last weekend in Kuala Lumpur. “Having a firm belief that the peace in Mindanao will lead to the peace and stability in this region, Japan has extended its support to the peace process for years. It is great pleasure that Japan contributed to the progress of the peace process,” he said. Kishida also commended the efforts made by the Philippine government, the MILF, and the Malaysian government as facilitator. “Japan strongly hopes that the parties concerned will continue their efforts to steadily implement the transition process including the enactment of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority towards the realization of the Bangsamoro Government,” he said. — BM, GMA News

Senate probe on Vhong? We’ll see, says ‘best friend’ Jinggoy

 News
Jan 272014
 
Senate probe on Vhong? We’ll see, says ‘best friend’ Jinggoy

Will the Vhong Navarro case lead to a Senate investigation? Senator Jinggoy Estrada is trying to find out. Estrada told reporters Monday that he is trying to get in touch with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to know the status of the case involving Navarro, whom he called his “best friend.” “Nakakaawa. I feel sorry for him dahil sa sinapit niya noong isang linggo… Parang set-up talaga,” Estrada said at the sidelines of the Senate session. The actor-turned-senator said he visited Navarro in the hospital over the weekend, and vowed to help seek justice for his celebrity friend. “Kilala ko si Vhong matagal na. Ang tawagan namin, best friend. Mabait siyang tao. Ako’y naniniwala sa kanya… Sabi ko tutulungan ko siya para ma-achieve ang justice,” Estrada said. When asked if he will call for a congressional probe into the incident, Estrada said, “We’ll see.” Navarro is currently recovering in the hospital after supposedly being beaten up in a condominium unit in Taguig City last January 22. Navarro has been accused of attempted rape by the owner of the condominium unit, identified as Deniece Cornejo. Navarro’s camp calls the allegation “pure fabrication.” In 2009, actor-turned-senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. called for a Senate probe on a celebrity scandal involving Dr. Hayden Kho and actress Katrina Halili. — BM, GMA News

First Filipino-Canadian senator recounts rise through the ranks

 News
Jan 272014
 
First Filipino-Canadian senator recounts rise through the ranks

Loading the player… Senator Tobias Enverga Jr. MANILA, Philippines – Canada’s first senator of Filipino descent was once a struggling overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who left the Philippines seeking adventure. “I went to Canada for adventure, I took a chance,” Senator Tobias Enverga Jr. shared with INQUIRER.net in an interview January 24, while he was in the country leading a Filipino delegation of “winter escapees” from Canada. “I never realized I will be a Canadian Senator,” he told the 240-strong delegation, mostly composed of Canadians of Filipino descent, that toured Kalibo, Boracay, Roxas City, Iloilo City, and Guimaras from January 18 to 23 as part of the first “Winter Escapade” tour. Filipino roots Enverga was born to a middle-class family in Lucena City. He shared that there were two clans of Envergas in Lucena, one was mostly composed of politicians and the other was mostly educators. “I’m part of the educators,” he said. During college, he went to the Letran College in Manila where he graduated with a degree in Economics. He worked for less than a year in two banks in the country after he graduated. He met his wife there in the bank, Enverga recalled. He however said that he felt “tired” about being in the Philippines. “I got so tired about being here in the Philippines,” Enverga said. “When you are a young man you have so many things going on in your life.” It was then that he decided to go to Canada to stay with Read More …

POEA bans deployment of workers to parts of Thailand

 General
Jan 272014
 
POEA bans deployment of workers to parts of Thailand

Anti-government protesters make their way on a street during a rally opposing an advance voting, in Bangkok, Thailand ,Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration imposed a ban Monday on the deployment of newly hired Filipino workers to three places in Thailand in light of the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas. Thai capital Bangkok has been reeling from protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. “The POEA Board, in a meeting after consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, has approved a resolution to this effect,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, chair of the POEA governing board, said at a news release. The members of the board who signed the resolution were Hans Leo J. Cacdac, POEA administrator and governing board vice-chair; Felix M. Oca; Estrelita S. Hizon; Alexander E. Asuncion; Milagros Isabel A. Cristobal, members. Baldoz said R.A. 10022, which amended RA 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, authorizes the POEA board, after consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, to impose a ban on the deployment of Filipino migrant workers in pursuit of national interest or when public welfare so requires. On January 23, 2014, the DFA raised Crisis Alert Level 2 (restriction phase) in Bangkok, Nonthaburi Province; Lad Lum Kaew District (Pathumthani Province); and Bang Phli District (Samutprakan Province), in light of the declaration of a 60-day state of emergency due to the escalating civil unrest and insecurity Read More …

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