Feb 132014
 
Bill seeks to increase monthly stipend of senior citizens

An elderly survivor evacuated from the disaster zone of typhoon Haiyan is wheeled past a V-22 Osprey on tarmac after arriving on a military plane at Villamor Air Base in Manila November 13, 2013. Philippine officials have been overwhelmed by Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons on record, which tore through the central Philippines on Friday and flattened Tacloban, coastal capital of Leyte province where officials had feared 10,000 people died, many drowning in a tsunami-like wall of seawater. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – A lawmaker has filed a measure increasing the monthly stipend of senior citizens from P500 to P1,000. House Bill 3731, authored by Rep. Anthony del Rosario (1st District, Davao del Norte), also seeks to lower the age of coverage from the present 77 years old to 70 years old. Del Rosario said the present age requirement is no longer reasonable considering today’s average lifespan of senior citizens. “The coverage should be lowered so that our elderly will be able to avail of the benefits longer into their twilight years,” Del Rosario said. The measure amends Republic Act 7432, as amended, otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. “The time is ripe to re-visit the provisions embodied in the existing law and uphold the time-honored principle that those who have less in life should have more in law,” Del Rosario stressed. “It cannot be denied that over the years the prices of commodities have increased and by increasing the senior citizens’ purchasing power, this Read More …

Feb 132014
 
The New BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

A new 4-door coupe in the mid-sized performance-luxury segment Woodcliff Lake, NJ  – The new BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe adds a fresh dimension to one of the company’s newest model ranges.  It combines the sleek look and sporty character of the 4 Series Coupe with the functionality provided by four-doors and a spacious, flexible luggage compartment. The 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe arrives in the US in early summer of 2014 with two engine choices. The 428i Gran Coupe will feature BMW’s award-winning 240hp TwinPower Turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder while the 435i Gran Coupe will be powered by the much-lauded 300hp TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline six. The 428i xDrive Gran Coupe will also be available at launch with BMW’s intelligent all-wheel drive system. All versions will be offered in the US with an 8-speed sport automatic transmission. The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014 and makes its US debut at the New York International Auto Show in April 2014. Prices in the US will start at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $41,225 (including $925 destination & handling) for the 428i Gran Coupe. The 428i xDrive Gran Coupe will have an MSRP of $43,225, including destination & handling while the top-of-the-line 435i Gran Coupe will have an MSRP of $46,725, again, including destination & handling. While this model shares the same length, width, wheelbase and track with the extremely dynamic two-door version, the roofline of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is Read More …

Feb 132014
 
Study: Tired teenagers may need a new mattress

According to the country’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies subjects aged 15-19 slept just seven hours and 37 minutes per night on average. Nearly one third of the study’s participants had accumulated a “sleep debt,” while 17% said they were dissatisfied with their sleep. More troubling, 7% of the teenagers in the study reported taking sedatives to help them sleep. (Relaxnews) – It’s no secret that sleep is crucial during the intensive growth phase of adolescence. Yet studies have shown that teenagers’ average sleep per night has declined by 50 minutes over the past 25 years. While the causes of this decrease are often hard to pinpoint, sleep researchers at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Paris have found one way to remedy the problem: newer, bigger mattresses. Professor Damien Léger, director of the Centre du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, the Parisian hospital’s sleep research center, partnered with the founder of the European Sleep Center, Doctor François Duforez, to study the effects of high-quality bedding on teenagers’ sleep. The two researchers were motivated by recent studies on the question, which show that French teenagers are not getting their recommended eight to nine hours of sleep per night. According to the country’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), subjects aged 15-19 slept just seven hours and 37 minutes per night on average. Nearly one third of the study’s participants had accumulated a “sleep debt,” while 17% said they were dissatisfied with their sleep. More troubling, 7% of the Read More …

Feb 132014
 
Beckham gives cheer in Philippines typhoon zone

Football superstar David Beckham visited the Philippines on Thursday to give comfort to survivors of the Asian country’s deadliest-ever typhoon — although not everyone was sure who he was. Hundreds of survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan rushed out of their tent shelters in the central city of Tacloban to welcome the global celebrity, who is nevertheless unfamiliar to many citizens of the Philippines, where basketball rather than soccer is king. “He’s so handsome. I heard he plays for the Azkals,” gushed mother-of-four Darilyn Bascug, referring to the Philippines’ national football team. Shortly after Beckham’s arrival, another woman from the area approached an AFP reporter and asked timidly: “Is that man a celebrity?” Wearing a black T-shirt with the logo of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the 38-year-old ex-England international visited a tent city for several hundred families who lost their homes when giant waves unleashed by Haiyan crashed into Tacloban’s coast. Beckham spent more than an hour inside a UNICEF tent set up as a nursery, where he played with dozens of young typhoon survivors. The father-of-four stopped to greet babies and children staying in a shanty home made of scrap corrugated iron and wood. “Very happy, very happy to visit everybody,” Beckham told reporters. “Oh, my God,” a young woman screamed as she reached out to grab his hand. He also visited a warehouse for relief goods donated by the UN in the nearby town of Palo. Goodwill ambassador Beckham, who ended his illustrious career last year, is on Read More …

Feb 122014
 
Philippines slides further down the World Press Freedom Index rankings

The Philippines sank further down a global ranking of press freedom by the international media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders.  In its “2014 World Press Freedom Index” released Wednesday, the RSF placed the Philippines at the 149th place among the 180 countries included in the list. The Philippines slid two rungs lower on the ladder from 2013 when it landed on the 147th spot. The country was at the 140th rank in 2011-2012 and at 156th in 2010 after the Maguindanao Massacre on Nov. 23, 2009 where 32 of the 58 people killed were journalists. The Philippines was at 122nd place in 2009. Started in 2002, the annual RSF report scored countries based on a questionnaire sent to RSF partner organizations around the world. “It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations and netizens enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom,” the RSF said in its report’s methodology. For its 2014 report, the RSF said the questionnaires were sent to “18 freedom of expression NGOs located in all five continents, to our network of 150 correspondents, and to journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists.” Questions were divided into six general criteria namely: the extent of pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency of the institutions and procedures that affect production of news and information, and the quality of infrastructure that supports the production of news and information. Remaining in Read More …

Feb 122014
 
De Lima rejects Rep. Haresco plea for reinvestigation of fake SARO case

Rep. Haresco denies role in fake SARO scam. At a press conference on Tuesday, February 11, Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco compares an original Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) with a fake one to deny the National Bureau of Investigation’s accusation that he had a hand in the alleged fake SARO scam. GMA News The National Bureau of Investigation will not reinvestigate the fake Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) case against Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr despite the solon’s plea, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Wednesday.  De Lima, in an interview, said she was turning down Haresco’s request, adding that it was no longer the call of the NBI to go over the matter anew. As Justice chief, de Lima has supervision over the NBI, an agency attached to the Department of Justice. “I dont think we are inclined to do that kase ifa-file na sa proper forum iyan whether sa Department of Justice or the Ombudsman. That is the proper forum,” De Lima said. De Lima also said she saw no reason for the NBI to re-investigate Haresco because due process has been observed by the investigators and attempted to get the lawmaker’s side of the story early on. “They have exerted efforts short of issuing subpoena to access him but it was unsuccessful. They wanted to access him but hindi daw sila hinarap at pinagbigyan,” De Lima said. In its findings, the NBI said Haresco should be charged for falsification of public documents under Article 171 Par. Read More …