A TRADE mission from New Zealand is expected to arrive in the country next week to explore business opportunities, according to a statement yesterday.
May 292014
May 292014
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz: No problem. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has downplayed the assessment of an international workers’ rights organization that the Philippines is among the worst countries in the world for workers. “It does not necessarily concern the workers’ rights since we don’t have problems with workers’ rights. We can say the industry advocacy for workers in the country is very good,” said Baldoz, referring to the 2014 Global Rights Index of the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). ITUC ranked 139 countries based on internationally recognized indicators to assess where workers’ rights, such as democratic rights, decent wages, safer working conditions and secure jobs, are best protected, in law and in practice. Countries were ranked from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) based on 97 indicators related to workers’ rights. The evaluation was conducted from April 2013 to March 2014. The Philippines obtained a rating of 5, which meant that legislation protecting workers’ rights were in place but workers effectively had no access to such rights, thus exposing them to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices. “In terms of quality of work in the country, I can say we are doing OK. The same goes with what they are saying about labor rights,” Baldoz said. But she said that if there was one aspect of the ITUC findings that was accurate, it would be the problem of the extrajudicial killings of workers. According to Baldoz, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has committed to fast-track the Read More …
May 292014
Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:53 am | Friday, May 30th, 2014 Syrians display a large national flag and chant slogans in support of President Basher Assad in front of the Syrian embassy, as others lined up to vote in expatriate voting ahead of the June 3, 2014 presidential vote, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. AP MANILA, Philippines—More Filipino workers arrived from Syria on Thursday to escape the civil war in that country. The Filipinos, numbering 25, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on an Emirates Airlines flight that touched down at 4 p.m. They were assisted by personnel from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Bureau of Immigration and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). According to the DFA, their arrival brought to 5,361 the total number of Filipinos repatriated so far from Syria. Of the number, 2,332 transited through Lebanon with the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut. The embassy in Syria reminded Filipinos in that country to avail themselves of the Philippine government’s mandatory repatriation program and to inform other Filipinos, particularly those in the Damascus area, about it. The airline tickets of this batch of repatriates were provided by the International Organization for Migration in Damascus.—Jerome Aning Follow Us Other Stories: Chinese fishing in disputed waters threatens PH marine life No problem with workers’ rights in PH, says Baldoz PH to host int’l post-‘Yolanda’ meet Harsher penalties sought vs PH diplomats in sex case Recent Read More …
May 292014
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Top leaders, experts and officials of disaster risk reduction and management agencies from Asia and Europe are meeting in the Philippines next week in a conference that is meant to draw lessons from Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) on how the world can prepare for future mega-disasters. The Philippines will host the Asia Europe Meeting’s (ASEM) Manila Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) from June 4 to 6, an event expected to gather some 140 senior government officials, scientists, academics, leaders of business and nongovernment organizations and representatives of regional and international organizations from 36 of the 51 ASEM partner nations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will lead six Cabinet and five sub-Cabinet level speakers during the event. Kristalina Georgieva, the EU commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis, and Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN Secretary General’s special representative for disaster risk reduction, will also be taking part in the conference. The conference, with the theme “Post-Haiyan-—A Way Forward,” is an initiative of the Philippines with the goal of engaging Asian and European leaders in a collective reflection on best practices in mitigating the impact of disasters and rebuilding in the wake of major calamities. “We wanted to pay tribute to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda and to recognize the vaunted resiliency of the people of eastern, central and western Visayas and other affected provinces. We recognize their will to Read More …
May 292014
Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello: Harsher penalties INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—A party-list representative, claiming that labor and foreign affairs officials had essentially closed ranks around their personnel implicated in allegations of sexual exploitation of Filipino workers abroad, is seeking more resolute action from President Aquino and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Party-list Rep. Walden Bello (Akbayan), who heads the House overseas workers affairs committee that investigated allegations by OFWs that Philippine officials abroad had sexually abused or exploited them when they sought their help from abusive employers, said Thursday he would send the panel’s findings to the President. Bello is seeking a reversal of the light administrative sanctions that the diplomats received and to have harsher penalties imposed on them. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) earlier reprimanded and suspended two labor attachés implicated in the alleged abuse, but Bello said these penalties were mere slaps on the wrist. “I will ask [the President] to reverse the weak administrative sanctions,” Bello said. He said he expected the DOJ, which had been looking into the matter, to hold the perpetrators criminally responsible. In his cover letter attached to the committee report, Bello said the testimonies of witnesses and the victims, as well as evidence gathered, “painted a picture of a clique of public officials who are systemically running a prostitution, racketeering and extortion ring while dispensing their duties as public officials.” Incomplete investigation “Our consulates and embassies and government-operated safe houses are no longer havens where our migrant workers Read More …
May 292014
MANILA, Philippines – State-run Land Bank of the Philippines posted a net income of P2.9 billion in the first quarter of 2014, down 44 percent from P5.1 billion in the same period last year. Landbank president and CEO Gilda Pico said the drop was brought about by lower profits from investments as a result of an increase in interest rates from historically low levels in the first half of 2013. “Notwithstanding these low Q1 results, we are encouraged as income from loans remains strong. We are well-positioned for sustained growth this year as we continue to expand our deposits and increase revenue from traditional and non-traditional sources,” Pico said. Despite the drop in earnings during the three-month period, the bank’s deposits grew a hefty 28 percent to P733.8 billion from P574.7 billion in end-March 2013. Loans also increased 13.4 percent to P310.9 billion from P274.1 billion. Total assets increased 18 percent to P873.7 billion while capital stood at P67.6 billion. Pico said the lower income would not hinder Landbank from performing its main function as the biggest lender to the agricultural sector. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The bank’s priority sectors comprise, among others, small farmers and fisherfolks, microenterprises and SMEs, agri-aqua related projects of LGUs and GOCCs, socialized to medium cost housing, and utilities. At present, Landbank has 344 branches and 1,256 ATMs in 80 provinces. It also plays a significant role in major government programs such as the Conditional Cash Transfer, the Food Supply Read More …
May 292014
MANILA, Philippines – Two South Korean companies that have already been sourcing corn silage from the Philippines are interested in building feed mills in the Philippines, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said. Alcala said the companies are encouraged to build feed manufacturing facilities in the country because of the availability of various feed ingredients in local farms. “They are willing to invest in a location and machinery so they can mix feeds here. We have also copra meal, coconut oil and fish meal. This will enable them to save in the manufacturing process and they would also earn income from that,” he said. Alcala declined to identify the companies pending the finalization of talks for the investment. In April last year, the Philippines sent an initial shipment of 24 metric tons (MT) of corn silage for cattle to Busan, South Korea, which was part of the 15,000 of silage shipment valued at P75 million for export until December 2013. Exporting corn silage is seen to increase farmers’ income by 20 percent. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Silage is made by harvesting forage crops such as corn, legumes and various kinds of grass at early maturity. These are then chopped finely and stored in silos to ferment. The resulting product is a sour-smelling, succulent feed for cattle. Silage is a preferred cattle feed because it is highly digestible and has good nutritional value. The preparation is also easily mechanized and ingredients are easily to source.
May 292014
MANILA, Philippines – The slower-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter prompted investors to dump local stocks, pulling down the bellwether index to a one-month low. The Philippine Stock Exchange index retreated 1.64 percent or 111.21 points to finish at 6,676.67, also the intraday low. It is the lowest closing for the main index since ending at 6,636.45 on April 29. For its part, the broader all shares index fell 1.39 percent or 56.55 points to 4,004.09. “The market took the lower-than-expected first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) result to capitalize on their gains as the numbers were quite disappointing,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist of BDO Unibank Inc. “With the market breaking below 6,700, this puts us in the 6,500 and 6,600 risk,” Ravelas said. Gab Aguila, an analyst at DA Market Securities, said the stock market declined across the board as the first quarter GDP report surprised investors. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 First quarter GDP grew by 5.7 percent, slower than the 6.5-7.5 percent full year target set by the government and below the median estimate of 6.4 percent, as the economy continued to feel the lingering effects of disaster that hit the country last year. Again, the local bourse shrugged of the uptick in Asian markets that are banking on the easier monetary policy from the European Central Bank. On Wednesday, Wall Street took a breather from several days of posting record highs. The Dow Jones industrial average eased 0.25 percent Read More …
May 292014
MANILA, Philippines – Listed San Miguel Corp. (SMC) yesterday said the deal breaker in the decision of the diversified conglomerate to withdraw from the bidding of the P65 billion Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) Cavite extension was the viability of the public private partnership (PPP) project. SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the company was all set to submit a bid for the Aquino administration’s largest PPP project last Wednesday but decided on the last minute to back out. “We were really serious in joining. In the last minute while running the computation, the figures did not pass our hurdle rate,” Ang said. According to Ang, the documents of SMC were complete including the insurance as well as cash bonds together with the technical and financial proposals. Based on the company’s computations, Ang pointed out that the return on investments would likely be after the 20th year even with the P5-billion subsidy to be extended by the government. SMC representative brought five big boxes to the venue of the bidding but instead decided to submit a letter informing the DOTC that it regrets not joining the bidding process. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Aside from SMC’s SMC Infrastructure Resources Inc., other companies that did not submit their bids last Wednesday to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) included Filipino-owned Megawide Construction Corp., Spanish-owned Globalvia Inversiones SAU, Eco Rail Services Inc. of businessman Reghis Romero II, and Malaysian-owned MTD Philippines Read More …
May 292014
MANILA, Philippines – The idea of portraying an understanding, faithful and caring wife, despite knowing her husband’s infidel ways in the GMA 7’s latest primetime drama Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real, makes Maricel Soriano want to “freak out.” She could hardly hide her “strong feelings” for the kind of persona she is about to portray. Maricel is pertaining to her role as Millet Gonzales-Real, a successful woman who is willing to do everything for her family, especially for her husband Anthony Real (played by Dingdong Dantes). But never did she expect that she will one day discover that there is another Mrs. Anthony Real in the person of Shiela Salazar-Real (Lovi Poe). The actress relates that while reading the script, her heart started to beat faster in anger towards Millet. “I told them (the production staff), ‘Huh? Could this really be possible? Millet’s undying love is surreal, nanggigigil ako sa kanya.” And until the day the cameras started to roll, Maricel was still trying to convince herself that she is able to plunge into the character easily “because I cannot take her personality. Millet has this unconditional kind of love no matter how painful it is for her to be cheated by her man. Naloka ako, may tao bang ganito?” Maricel even jokes that she needs to sit down face to face with Millet to make her realize her foolishness. But given her personal feelings, Maricel does not ask the writer if a moment of redemption will occur in the end. Read More …