Obama to tour PHL, Malaysia, Japan, S. Korea in April

 Entertainment
Feb 182014
 
Obama to tour PHL, Malaysia, Japan, S. Korea in April

By Stephen Collinson President Obama and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines at the White House on June 8, 2012 speak to the press after a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office. The White House announced that Obama will visit the Philippines and other Asian countries, including a historic stop to Malaysia, in April this year after cancelling last year’s scheduled visit because of the U.S. government shutdown. (Manila U.S. Embassy photo release) WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama will seek to ease questions over the staying power of his strategic shift to increasingly tense East Asia in April with stops in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea. Obama’s visits to Manila and Kuala Lumpur are intended to make up for his no-show when he cancelled a previous Asia tour in October amid domestic political strife in Washington. A subtext to his visit will be rising territorial tensions between several US allies and China, which deepened over Beijing’s recent declaration of an “air defense identification zone” in the East China Sea. Beijing was also angered last week when Washington stiffened its line on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, calling for adjusting or clarifying its claims. Obama’s stops in Japan and South Korea will also bolster close US alliances, at a time of aggravated political tensions between its two Northeast Asian friends. It was an open secret that Obama would visit Japan in April, to take up an invitation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in Read More …

Thousands join INC walk for typhoon aid

 Entertainment
Feb 182014
 
Thousands join INC walk for typhoon aid

Hundreds of thousands members of Iglesia Ni Kristo (Church of Christ) participate in a worldwide charity walk for the victims of super Typhoon Haiyan in Manila February 15, 2014. The event also aims to set a Guinness world record for the most number of participants in a charity walk, according to local media. (MNS photo) MANILA (AFP) – Tens of thousands of members of a Philippine sect took to the streets in Manila on Saturday in a charity walk to raise funds for survivors of the country’s deadliest typhoon. Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) poured into the capital’s seaside avenue in response to the politically influential sect’s appeal to help compatriots caught up by Super Typhoon Haiyan’s onslaught. All those taking part bought special white t-shirts, costing 250 pesos ($5.60)to wear during the march, with all proceed from sales of the garment being donated to help those in need, pensioner Laodiseo Santos, 78, told AFP. “I paid for this T-shirt to help our countrymen rebuild their homes…Some of our wealthier members purchased in bulk,” he said. The retired cashier, his five grown-up sons and daughters as well as several grandchildren completed a three-kilometre (1.8-mile) walk on Roxas Boulevard in late morning. Police estimated the crowd at about 200,000, though the figure could not be independently confirmed. Haiyan tore across 171 towns and cities in the central islands on November 8 last year, killing at least 6,200 people and leaving nearly 2,000 others missing according to an Read More …

PH ‘lacks mining engineers’

 General
Feb 172014
 
PH ‘lacks mining engineers’

THE shortage of mining engineering graduates is adding to the burden holding back potential growth of the mining industry in the Philippines, said a top official of the Philippine Society of Mining Engineers (PSEM). PSEM president Caesar Lao-as said the country produces 60 to 70 mining engineers a year, which is way below the required number of 200 engineers annually on the average. He said the number is too small for the industry requirement. He said the organization is also alarmed by the exodus of these graduates and Filipino mining experts who are easily pirated byforeign mining companies for higher paying jobs mostly in Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and Canada. “The Philippines is now the hottest investment destination for mining operations, sadly, the industry is facing a shortage, we are losing some to foreign mining companies,” said Lao-as, who is president of Cebu-based Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc. He said the industry needs “more mining engineers very badly.” High pay Although quite a risky job, Lao-as is encouraging college students to take up mining engineering as it is one of the highest-paid professions. The current entry-level salary averages from P40,000 to P50,000 a month. In other countries, licensed mining engineers are paid an average of $3,000 to $5,000 every month. The mining potential of the Philippines is one of the largest in the world, with estimated $1.4 trillion in mineral reserves, especially gold, copper, nickel, aluminum and chromite, according to the Arangkada Philippines, an advocacy group led by Joint Foreign Read More …

OFW, sole breadwinner of family, killed in Macau accident

 News
Feb 172014
 
OFW, sole breadwinner of family, killed in Macau accident

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:55 pm | Monday, February 17th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – A Filipina overseas worker in Macau and sole breadwinner of her family in the Philippines was killed in a car accident after participating in the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) worldwide walk event last Saturday. Imelda Ignacio-Austria, 48, was hit by a car as she was crossing a street on the morning of February 15, her husband Villamor Austria, 45, said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net Monday. Fellow INC members in Macau were the ones who informed him of the tragic accident. Villamor said that he and their 14-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl rely on the remittances of Imelda as he has yet to get a job after his previous work in construction. A report by the Macau Daily Times published Monday said that the driver was “in his twenties,” and had passed the breathalyzer test, which measures blood alcohol levels. “She was crossing the road between the Macau Tower and Sai Van Lake Square with two other Filipino women at around 10 am on Saturday, before being hit by a private car,” it said. The report also said that police believe she may have been jaywalking. It did not state whether the driver has been detained. Elvin Jerome Austria Laceda, a nephew of Imelda, said that they are worried the driver will not be held accountable if it was found her aunt was jaywalking. “We are worried that they might have local laws there that would Read More …

No direct ‘pork’ talks with Enrile, only with his former aide – Ruby Tuason

 Entertainment
Feb 172014
 
No direct ‘pork’ talks with Enrile, only with his former aide – Ruby Tuason

State witness Ruby Tuason reads her opening statement during the Feb. 13, 2014 Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged pork barrel scam as Justice Secretary Leila del Lima (right) and whistle-blower Benhur Luy (left) listen. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Potential pork barrel scam Ruby Tuason on Thursday said she never got to directly transact with Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile involving pork barrel funds. During her testimony before the Senate blue ribbon committee, Tuason said she only discussed pork barrel transactions with Enrile’s former chief-of-staff, Gigi Reyes. “He [Enrile] never talked to me about PDAF [priority development assistance fund]. He would arrive, have coffee, and pick up Attorney Reyes,” Tuason said. Also, she said she often delivered pork commissions to Reyes at fancy restaurants, such as Mamou, Gourmand and L’Opera. On Monday, Enrile said he never authorized Reyes to discuss pork barrel transactions with anyone, including Tuason. He, however, admitted to meeting with Tuason in Mamou once over lunch either in late 2006 or early 2007. He said Reyes was present during the meeting “to record the details of what is being discussed.” Enrile, Tuason and Reyes are currently facing plunder raps before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly benefiting from the pork barrel scam supposedly engineered by controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. (MNS)

Mitsuwa launches monthly Shokuiku cooking classes at Torrance store

 Entertainment
Feb 172014
 
Mitsuwa launches monthly Shokuiku cooking classes at Torrance store

Shokuiku cooking class Torrance, CA – Mitsuwa Marketplace, the largest Japanese supermarket chain in the U.S., held the opening ceremony for its Shokuiku cooking class followed by the first Shokuiku event on 2/8 (Sat). Over 40 families had participated in the 4 segments of omusubi (rice ball) cooking classes held in Mitsuwa Torrance store on 2/8 (Sat) and 2/9 (Sun). This marked the start of its serial cooking classes to be held on the first Sunday of each month. Shokuiku cooking class “Shoku-iku” is a concept of promoting healthy lifestyle through food. Store manager Mr. Kishimoto said, “In an effort to support healthy living habits, Mitsuwa will hold monthly cooking classes to promote a healthier lifestyle”. Parents and kids will enjoy family-bonding moments together through free cooking classes. Japan Rice and Rice Products Export Promotion Association (JRE) sponsored this first Shokuiku event.  Representatives from JRE welcomed the crowd by introducing the importance of rice and rice culture in Japan. The next Shokuiku cooking class will be held on March 2nd, featuring easy-to-make sushi. This goes perfectly with the March 3rd Japanese Girl’s Day. It is a traditional Japanese holiday for families to get together to pray for the well being of young girls, and sushi is one of the traditional foods to be served on that day. If interested in future Shokuiku classes, be sure to sign up at the Mitsuwa Torrance store. About Mitsuwa Marketplace Mitsuwa Marketplace, the largest Japanese supermarket chain in the U.S. carries a wide variety Read More …

BI to issue new departure, arrival cards starting Mar. 1

 Entertainment
Feb 172014
 
BI to issue new departure, arrival cards starting Mar. 1

Philippine soldiers walk near a military C-130 plane as they prepare to go to Tacloban city, at the Villamor Airbase, in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. Four days after Typhoon Haiyan struck the eastern Philippines, only a trickle of assistance has made it to affected communities. Authorities said at least 9.7 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the devastating typhoon. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Starting March 1, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will be issuing newly designed and printed arrival and departure (AD) cards to passengers. BI spokesperson Maria Angelica Pedro said they are currently coordinating with airline companies as to the distribution of the cards. The new AD cards are used to document passengers, for border management and compilation of tourism statistics. For this year, the BI will be printing 10 million each for arrival and departure cards. The AD cards are printed at the National Printing Office (NPO). She explained that the cards are color-coded, for arrival cards the heading is color blue while the departure cards is color red. For his part, BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the design and data fields of the cards are aligned with the existing computer systems – the upgraded BI Information System (BIIS). “Even the size of the color-coded forms is aligned with that of the standard passport page,” he added. The BI and the Department of Tourism are equally shouldering the printing cost. Pedro said some of the information such as the date of birth Read More …

IPP meetings start soon

 Economy
Feb 162014
 

CONSULTATIONS for the 2014 Investments Priorities Plan (IPP) will start by the end of this month, a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official said, adding that the agency will be taking a sectoral rather than a geographical approach, for increased focus on the industries.

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