Aquino encourages all government agencies to support ‘Kabisig Expo 2014’

 Entertainment
Feb 122014
 
Aquino encourages all government agencies to support ‘Kabisig Expo 2014’

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by outgoing Army Chief Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, inspects the troops during the Philippine Army Change of Command Ceremony at the PA Grandstand in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Friday (February 7). Major General Hernando Iriberri, the 56th PA Commanding General replacing Coballes, is the commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division (ID) and a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Matikas” Class of 1983. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III encouraged all government agencies and instrumentalities to extend their support and participate in the “KABISIG Philippine Expo and Trade Fair 2014.″ The directive was issued by virtue of Memorandum Circular No. 62 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Janauary 29. The KABISIG People’s Movement (KABISIG) Program was created by virtue of Proclamation No. 650 (s. 1990) in order to facilitate, coordinate and monitor the implementation of government programs and projects, as well as to provide linkages between and among the private sector groups and the government agencies. In pursuit of the mandate, KABISIG is conducting the “KABISIG Philippine Government Expo and Trade Fair 2014″ which has for its theme “Matuwid na Daan, Susi sa Tagumpay at Kaunlaran.” The project aims to bring together in one venue all government agencies and instrumentalities, including Government-owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and Local Government Units (LGUs), to feature their profiles, service facilities, programs, projects, products, and accomplishments. It is also an opportunity that will allow the government to promote public Read More …

Palace: Latest PDAF scam witness to undergo usual state witness procedure

 Entertainment
Feb 122014
 
Palace: Latest PDAF scam witness to undergo usual state witness procedure

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, questions Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala during the inquiry Thursday on the alleged P10-B Priority Development Assistance Fund scam involving the Janet Lim-Napoles group at the Senate Session Hall in Pasay City.(upper photo power point presentation by Senate. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Ruby Tuason, a potential state witness in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, will undergo normal procedures in the case, Malacañang said Saturday. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there are requirements Tuason must meet to become a state witness in the case. “Meron tayong batas at standard na tinitingnan (We have laws and standards to observe). Kung pumasok sila sa standard, pwede sila mag-avail of the witness protection program. This does not apply only to Ruby Tuason. For any criminal offense where a person who participated in the crime (and) whose participation is not the most guilty, the law allows them to testify and shed truth to the matter,” he said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. He said that even in the United States, the law allows whistleblowers to “help facilitate and expedite the revelation and uncovering of (the) truth” in a judicial proceeding. But Lacierda stressed there are procedures and requirements for one to become a state witness. Tuason returned to the Philippines on Friday and offered to testify on the PDAF mess. For now, Lacierda said the Ombudsman is evaluating Tuason’s testimony. (MNS)

LTFRB issues 30-day preventive suspension on 228 Florida bus units

 Entertainment
Feb 122014
 
LTFRB issues 30-day preventive suspension on 228 Florida bus units

A policeman searches for personal belongings of passengers after a bus fell off an elevated expressway and crashed into a van below in Taguig city, south of Manila December 16, 2013. At least 21 people were killed during the incident, according to the police. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board has issued a 30-day preventive suspension order on a bus firm whose unit figured in an accident that killed 14 people and injured 32 others in Bontoc, Mt. Province early on Feb. 7. LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said the preventive suspension is ordered against the Florida Transport, owner of the bus that plunged into a 116-meter-deep ravine in Barangay Talubin. Fourteen people, including comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, musician David Sicam, leader of the Kinaiya Band, and visual artist Gerard Baja, were killed and 32 others hurt. The order came after the LTFRB discovered that the license plate (TXT-872) was issued to a bus from Mountain Province Cable Tours, owned by a certain Norberto Cue, Sr. Ginez said on Saturday, the LTFRB will confiscate the yellow plates of all 228 Florida Transit bus units with Nueva Viscaya, Mountain Province, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Bataan routes. The Florida bus crash and license-plate fraud came just two months after a horrific fall from the Skyway in Metro Manila of a Don Mariano Transit bus that also had fraudulent identification on its chassis, belonging to another vehicle. After the Skyway crash, the LTFRB vowed to Read More …

Enrile resurrects bill exempting electricity users from VAT

 Entertainment
Feb 122014
 
Enrile resurrects bill exempting electricity users from VAT

(DOE Seal) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile has recently resurrected his pet bill exempting the sale of electricity to residential consumers with consumption not exceeding 250 kWh from the Value Added Tax (VAT). Senate Bill Nos. 2547 and 2159 respectively, pushing the same exemptions, were filed by Enrile during the 14th and 15th Congresses, respectively. During the 2010 senatorial elections, Enrile campaigned under the banner of “Gusto ko Happy Ka!, advocating lower price of electricity. In Senate Bill No. 2101, Enrile said that prior to the enactment of Expanded Value Added Tax Law, the cost of electricity in the Philippines was already one of the highest in Asia and the imposition of VAT on power further increased the cost. “The bill is limited to exempting residential users or households only because households cannot avail of output of VAT to mitigate their VAT liability unlike industries, and business and commercial establishment which could pass on the cost of electricity to the user of their service,” Enrile said. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), residential consumers or household would have to shell out additional 0.592 centavos per kWh due to the imposition of VAT. “If a household consumer an average of 250 kWh per month, household members would be able to save P148 in electricity payment if VAT is removed, a rather substantial amount especially to those who belong to the lower middle income bracket and below,” Enrile said. Lastly, Enrile said, household are also the last Read More …

10 Reasons why Philippines should be 1st stop in Asia

 News
Feb 122014
 
10 Reasons why Philippines should be 1st stop in Asia

The Philippines was never very high on my travel bucket list. No one really talked about the place, and it seemed to have a reputation for being a rather dangerous place to travel through. Besides, all travellers knew that Thailand had all the best beaches, China had all the work opportunities and Vietnam had all the best food. Why bother going to the Philippines? Then finally in March this year I got the chance to visit. What I discovered was a country inhabited by the friendliest people on Earth, littered with unimaginable beaches and an infectious family like culture that made you never want to leave. Some of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in Asia were hidden in faraway corners of the country, still unheard of by much of the backpacker crowd. What I still can’t figure out is how so many travellers in Asia pass on this country full of beautiful people, fresh tropical fruit, picturesque islands and untouched natural beauty. Safe, cheap, beautiful; I ended up staying for 6 months! It’s easily become my new favourite spot in Asia. Need more proof? Here’s 10 reasons why you need to skip Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and head straight to the Philippines on your next trip to Asia. The amazing people It’s amazing how friendly the people are here. How the place got a reputation for being dangerous, I have no idea. There was one time where I ran out of cash in El Nido, and since the Read More …

Ruby Tuason: Jinggoy's 'pork cut' delivered to house of Loi Estrada's ex-aide

 News
Feb 112014
 
Ruby Tuason: Jinggoy's 'pork cut' delivered to house of Loi Estrada's ex-aide

The house of former First Lady Loi Estrada’s former aide in Makati was once used as a drop-off point for Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s kickbacks in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam, potential state witness Ruby Tuason said in her affidavit. In her sworn statement submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Tuason identified a certain Justa Tantoco as the owner of the house in Dasmariñas Village where a total of P11.97 million for Senator Estrada, son of the former First Lady, was supposedly brought. Tuason, a resident of Dasmariñas Village, added that based on the accounting record of Benhur Luy, principal whistleblower of pork barrel scam, the transaction in Tantoco’s house was “consummated through a certain Matt Ranillo.” A report on news magazine Asiaweek published in 2000 identified Tantoco as the former First Lady’s chief aide. The magazine report even portrayed Tuason as someone familiar with the former First Lady’s relationship with her husband, former President Joseph Estrada. Previous reports published on lifestyle pages of local broadsheets meanwhile portrayed Tantoco as a “civic-oriented” and “charity-oriented” socialite. A report on “News To Go” also identified Tantoco as a friend and former aide of the former First Lady. Last December, GMA News Online published a report on how the former First Lady, who also served as senator from 2001 to 2007, also supposedly benefited from transactions with JLN Corporation, Janet Lim-Napoles’s company. The information was based on payment vouchers submitted during a 2005 legal dispute between actor Matt Ranillo III and Read More …

Govt recovers P1.3-B Marcos Swiss accounts

 News
Feb 112014
 
Govt recovers P1.3-B Marcos Swiss accounts

The government has recovered the last tranche of Marcos Swiss accounts worth a total of P1.3 billion ($29 million) after a Singapore court ruled that the Philippine National Bank (PNB) had the legal title to the deposits.  At a press briefing Wednesday, Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairperson Andres Bautista said the amount has been remitted to the National Treasury on February 5. The accounts were worth $23 million in 2003 and have since gained interests.  “The recovered amount form part of the Swiss bank accounts of former President Ferdinand Marcos and his family that were ordered forfeited by the Philippine Supreme Court in 2003 but which were held up in litigation in Singapore since then,” said Bautista.  In 2003, the Supreme Court granted the forfeiture of the bank deposits, allowing PNB to give most of the money back to the Philippine Treasury under an escrow agreement.  But the funds were held up in Singapore after complaints were filed against it by human rights lawyers. Singapore’s high court ruled in favor of PNB in 2012.  Singapore’s appeals court affirmed the high court decision on December 30.  Marcos signed on Sept. 21, 1972 Proclamation No. 108 that imposed Martial Law in the Philippines, following increasing civil strife and threats of communist takeover.  The abuse of authority of the Marcoses and their cronies led to the 1986 People Power Revolution which toppled the regime. — Siegfrid O. Alegado/RSJ/KBK, GMA News

Red Cross to build 'better' homes in Yolanda-affected areas

 News
Feb 112014
 
Red Cross to build 'better' homes in Yolanda-affected areas

Now that the recovery phase has started in areas devastated by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippine Red Cross is setting its eyes on building “better” houses for the survivors. At a press conference in Manila on Wednesday, PRC chairman Richard Gordon said that after the initial emergency response, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Red Crescent Movement (RCM) would prioritize building permanent homes for the survivors of the killer typhoon. He said the houses they are planning to build will be “better” as each will be erected away from danger zones and can withstand winds of up to 250kph. The PRC, which Gordon leads, is ICRC’s chapter in the Philippines. Officials of the ICRC and the RCM met Wednesday to discuss future support for typhoon victims. Also at the meeting in Manila, PRC’s secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang told reporters the two international aid organizations are set to rebuild some 50,000 houses; repair 70,000 more damaged homes; and relocate 5,000 families away from areas now considered as danger zones. She said the funds for rebuilding and repairs will be sourced from the 300 million Swiss francs raised for the Yolanda survivors. On the other hand, Gordon said 45 percent of the total funds raised will be for the housing project in Yolanda-affected areas. — Amanda Fernandez /LBG, GMA News

PNoy woos ARMM residents, asks them to give Bangsamoro law a chance

 News
Feb 112014
 
PNoy woos ARMM residents, asks them to give Bangsamoro law a chance

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday appealed to the people of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to give chance to the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is expected to result in a Bangsamoro Political Entity. “Nananawagan [po ako] nawa’y bigyang daan ninyo ang hakbang [na] ito… hinihimok ko po kayo ay tumaya rin sa pag-asa na makakamit natin ang ganap na pagbabago sa ARMM,” Aquino said during his speech at the 2nd ARMM LGU Summit on Good Governance and Development in Davao City. He issued the statement after the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the last and most contentious of the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) last January. The annexes will be used as guides in the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is expected to result in a Bangsamoro Political Entity that will replace ARMM. Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said they hope to present the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is being crafted by a Bangsamoro Transition Commission, to Congress early this year.   Aquino, however, had expressed worry that they may have difficulty passing it in Congress. After Congress enacts the law, a plebiscite will be held for it to be approved. According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the plebiscite will be held in the “envisioned core territory of the Bangsamoro.” It said this includes the current ARMM provinces and Marawi City; the cities of Cotabato and Isabela; the six Read More …

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