INFRASTRUCTURE spending grew by nearly a fourth year-on-year as of April as the government continued to speed up disbursements, particularly to calamity-hit areas, the Budget department yesterday said.
Jun 302014
Jun 302014
DAVAO CITY — The city government plans to invite interested companies to locate in a soon-to-be established industrial economic zone.
Jun 302014
JULY heralds the start of the rainy season in the Philippines. From months of suffering through the summer heat, now people anticipate inundated roads because of frequent heavy rains and the concomitant traffic congestion.
Jun 302014
MEGAWORLD, the country’s leading real estate developer, is fast-tracking the construction of office, commercial, and residential towers in the 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park due to the strong demand, brisk sales and rental inquiries for residential, commercial, and office spaces. This year, three office towers, namely, One Global Center, Two Global Center and Richmonde Tower, are scheduled to be completed. The three towers, with a total of 25,000 square meters of leasable spaces, will be able to accommodate around 10,000 full time employees (FTE) for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies. Megaworld will also start the construction of another two office towers by August this year: One Techno Place and Two Techno Place, which will generate an additional 8,000 FTEs in the township. Both towers, with a total of 19,000 square meters of leasable spaces, are scheduled to be completed in early 2016. “With the heavy influx of inquiries from BPO companies who want to be part of Iloilo Business Park, we see the urgent need to hasten the construction of more office towers to meet the strong demand,” said Jericho P. Go, senior vice president of Megaworld. StarTek Inc., a US-based BPO company, has already started its operation in the Richmonde office tower this month of June and is poised to launch its standalone BPO office building at Two Global Center by 4th quarter of this year. As the first BPO company opens in Iloilo Business Park, McDonald’s also opens its standalone store in the township. The branch will be Read More …
Jun 302014
LOS ANGELES – Clocks are ticking; days are passing by so amazingly quickly as departure nears for the more than 250 participants of the 9th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour to the Philippines. Preparations are at a frenzy not only at all Philippine Consular Posts across the United States but also in Manila as the team from the Tourism Promotions Board shifts to high gear to make this year’s ACGTDT another exciting and memorable experience for everyone. A tour of Malacanang Museum, an audience and a photo session with President Benigno Aquino III, and lunch at the historic Heroes Hall of the Palace will highlight the four-day tour. Activities awaiting this year’s ACGTDT participants include a welcome dinner to be hosted by the Tourism Promotions Board, running tour of Manila and Makati area, visit to the centuries old University of Santo Tomas, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Ayala Museum, a full day out of town tour with a Grand Barrio Fiesta lunch and cultural presentation at the famed Hamilo Coast, Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas, a historic wreath-laying ceremony at Rizal Park, and a farewell dinner to be hosted by Western Union. However, the Basic Tour is just the start of more exciting tours that are available for the participants to choose from. Post tours to other popular destinations in the countryside are especially prepared for the interested participants that they may fully explore and enjoy the many beautiful and exotic places in the country. From July Read More …
Jun 302014
President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers addresses the 23rd World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA) 2014 Opening Plenary at the Tacloban A & B, 2nd Floor, of the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City on Thursday (May 22, 2014). With theme: “Leveraging Growth for Equitable Progress.” The meeting will serve as an ideal platform for participants to deliberate the opportunities of the ASEAN Economic Community to promote greater inclusion across East Asia and to instill more resilient decision-making in the face of unpredictable economic and natural disruptions. More than 600 leaders from business, government, civil society and academia will participate, representing over 30 countries. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III said he will summon officials concerning the price hikes of basic goods in the country. “There will be a meeting, perhaps this week – if not, at the latest, by next week. Che-check-in rin ‘yung especially rice but also pati na rin sa garlic to determine exactly what is causing this price spike or price spikes,” Aquino told reporters during his one-day working visit in Japan on Tuesday. Earlier, the Palace admitted that the government has yet to determine the cause of the sudden surge in the price of garlic and other goods. In the past few weeks, the price of imported garlic has been hovering at P300 to P400 per kilo in Metro Manila while commercial rice prices increased by P2 per kilogram. The Palace later on said the hike might have been due to port Read More …
Jun 302014
Volleybelles: For over a decade now, the Best Center has been providing kids with the scientific method of volleyball training. MANILA, Philippines – This year, hundreds of kids signed up for a productive summer at BEST Center Volleyball Summer Clinic. With its focus on the scientific method of teaching, kids learn the fundamentals of volleyball in the best way for only BEST Center uses this kind of teaching method in the country. The pioneer scientific sports center in the Philippines, BEST Center fosters learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. For over a decade, it has been providing sports training in volleyball that enhances kids’ physical, mental, and social well-being. “Learning the basics and mastering these would help them take in the advanced skills easily, allowing them to adapt quickly,” explained Nic Jorge, founder of BEST Center. Just like 12-year-old active volleyball player Mevean Tominez who signed up for the summer clinic to improve her footwork, which is an important basic skill in volleyball. After the training, she was able to master the footwork and gained volleyball techniques that she could use when competing in school. BEST Center also brings together kids who have the same love for sports, and lets them discover friendship, cooperation and sportsmanship, which is true enough in Nicole Andres’ case for the summer clinic helped her gain new friends and overcome her shyness. The sports clinic also drives young ones to stay fit and healthy by engaging themselves in various physical activities included Read More …
Jun 302014
More than 200 US and Filipino Marines launched a mock amphibious assault Monday on an enemy beachfront close to a disputed South China Sea outcrop. Amid driving rain and rough waves, five amphibious assault tanks roared off from a US destroyer anchored off Zambales province, about two hours drive northwest of Manila, and landed on the soggy beach peppered with imaginary foes. US Marines scanned the horizon on scopes mounted on assault rifles as they dramatically emerged from the hatch, while their Filipino counterparts took firing positions on the ground. Shots later rang out towards enemy positions in an assault that lasted about an hour. The drill was part of week-long, annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training that the United States bilaterally holds with Asian allies, including the Philippines, to boost maritime security. About 1,000 US and Filipino troops and five warships, including an American missile destroyer, took part in the training, which began last week. Philippine fleet commander Jaime Bernardino told reporters at the start of the war games last week that they were designed to upgrade the Filipino navy’s capability in guarding the country’s long coastline. “These are the gaps that we would like to address (to) make sure we detect (foreign vessels) properly, we intercept them and we neutralise them if necessary,” he had said. Monday’s exercise took place on an uninhabited beach near a naval outpost on Zambales on Luzon island, 220 kilometres (137 miles) east of Scarborough Shoal on the South China Sea. The shoal, Read More …
Jun 302014
Associated Press 4:55 pm | Monday, June 30th, 2014 Loading the player… Video from Associated Press SAN ANTONIO, Philippines — More than 100 Filipino and US marines in assault amphibious vehicles conducted a mock assault on imaginary enemies in military drills Monday on a beach in northwestern Philippines facing the South China Sea, where Manila is locked in a territorial dispute with China. The amphibious tanks sailed from a US ship anchored a distance away, then rolled onto the beach of San Antonio, Zambales, northwest of the Philippine capital Manila, disgorging the Filipino and American sailors and marines armed with automatic rifles. The exercise is part of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training that the US conducts with its allies in Asia, including the Philippines, to address maritime security, strengthen partnerships and enhance interoperability. Officials said the maneuvers were not directed at China, which has been criticized for its increasingly assertive behavior in disputed South China Sea territories. The Philippines, the oldest of Washington’s five defense treaty allies in Asia, has turned to the US to modernize its ill-equipped military amid the increasingly tense territorial rifts with China. “Whenever we do an exercise, we always train to improve our capabilities, it is not meant for whatever threat or situation that are current,” said Philippine Navy Commodore Roland Joseph Mercado. Marine Maj. Damon Torres, commanding officer of the US landing force in the exercise, said the drills were a good opportunity to coordinate and learn about each other’s capabilities. China, Read More …
Jun 302014
By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:42 pm | Monday, June 30th, 2014 Department of Foreign Affairs building INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Monday the opening of its Consular Affairs office in a mall in Cagayan de Oro province. “The DFA Office of Consular Affairs, in partnership with Ayala Land Inc., has successfully moved its satellite office in Cagayan de Oro (DFA Cagayan de Oro) to a new location at the Ayala Centrio Mall,” DFA said in a statement. “DFA Cagayan de Oro is the 16th mall-based DFA consular office established under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement intended to help the DFA provide better services to the public by upgrading its consular facilities in strategic locations at minimum or no cost to the government,” it said. “DFA Cagayan de Oro started operations at its new location last June 23. It is open from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every Saturday,” the statement added. In the National Capital Region (NCR), the DFA has opened several satellite consular offices in malls that offer passport services. These include the DFA NCR-East in Megamall, DFA NCR-Central in Robinsons Galleria, DFA NCR-West in SM City Manila, and the latest, the DFA NCR-Northeast in Ali Mall Araneta Center. Other DFA satellite consular offices in located in malls are in Pampanga, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Lipa City in Batangas, Lucena City in Quezon, and Legazpi City, Albay. Follow Us Other Read More …