Palace list of DAP projects includes billions for lawmakers, LGUs

 News
Jul 142014
 
Palace list of DAP projects includes billions for lawmakers, LGUs

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday defended his administration’s controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, which he said was used to address underspending and to pay for badly-needed projects like classrooms and rural electrification. Minutes after Aquino’s speech, the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson released a list of 116 projects that were alloted funds through the DAP. The allocations include almost P8.3 billion set aside for priority local projects nationwide as requested by lawmakers, local government officials and national agencies; almost 8.6 billion for peace and development intervention in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; and a 6.5 billion in support for local government units affected by the decrease in the internal revenue allotment in 2012. The list also includes the rehabilitation of both lines of the Light Rail Transit, the upgrade of operating rooms and medical equipment at the Philippine Heart Center, and additional funding for the Philippine National Police modernization program. He said the government will file a Motion for Reconsideration on the Supreme Court’s ruling that aspects of the DAP were unconstitutional. List of DAP Projects released by the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson — JDS/NB, GMA News

Stocks close 1.03 pct lower today

 Economy
Jul 142014
 
Stocks close 1.03 pct lower today

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – Philippine shares closed 1.03 percent lower today. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index declined by 70.72 points to 6,830.37. The all-share index also lost 33.87 points, or 0.82 percent, to 4,102.63. Trading volume reached 2.14 billion shares worth P5.23 billion ($120.31 million).   There were 51 gainers, 117 losers while 53 stocks closed flat.

Peso improves on Monday

 Economy
Jul 142014
 
Peso improves on Monday

MANILA, Philippines – The peso rose against the dollar on Monday, closing at 43.485 from the previous day’s 43.56. Total volume transacted at the Philippine Dealing System amounted to $523.3 million, lower than the $1.032 million posted on Friday. The peso opened the week at 43.5.

Phl improves competitiveness, but still behind neighbors

 Economy
Jul 142014
 
Phl improves competitiveness, but still behind neighbors

MANILA, Philippines – The improvement in government efficiency and  the fight against corruption helped the Philippines improve its competitiveness by six notches, the latest report from think tan World Economic Forum said. According to the WEF’s “The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014”, the Philippines is ranked 59th out of 148 economies, getting a  total score of 4.29 fom the three sub-indexes of “basic requirements, efficiency enhancers, and innovation and sophistication factors.” “The trends are positive across most dimensions of the Index. In the institutions pillar (79th), the Philippines has leapforgged over the past years. The current government, which came into power in 2010, has made the fight against corruption an absolute priority; corruption had historically been one of the country’s biggest drags on competitiveness,” the report said. The Geneva-based think tank said the campaign against corruption boosted the Philippines’ standing in the ethics and corruption strategy, up from 135th in 2010 to 87th this year. “A similar trend has been observed in the government efficiency index,” the WEF said. However, the report said the Philippines still needs  to improve its transport infrastructure (84th), particularly its airport (113th) and seaport (116th) facilities. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Also, while the labor market has become “more flexible and efficient over the years,” the  Philippines still ranks a low 100th. “The recent successes of the government in tackling some of the most pressing structural issues are encouraging and proof that bold reforms and measures can yield positive results,” the report Read More …

Peso barely changed midday Monday

 Economy
Jul 132014
 
Peso barely changed midday Monday

MANILA, Philippines – The peso moved sideways against the dollar midday Monday, settling at 43.537 from the previous day’s 43.56. Total volume transacted at the Philippine Dealing System amounted to $196.8 million in the morning, lower than the $575.3 million posted the same period on Friday. The peso opened the week at 43.5.

Fil-Am press club in LA elects new officers

 News
Jul 132014
 
Fil-Am press club in LA elects new officers

Fil-Am press club in LA elects new officers Synersys Consulting Inc. wins award at Odoo Awards Ceremony Small US town rallies for fired gay police chief Woman dead; companion, 3 children missing Chair of US House foreign affairs body blasts China’s ‘unilateral’ claims Fortune 500 company mulling expansion in PH Supermoon rising Saturday

Most OFWs in Libya ignore calls to come home

 News
Jul 132014
 
Most OFWs in Libya ignore calls to come home

OFWs from Libya INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Only 515 of the more than 13,120 overseas Filipino workers in Libya, or nearly 4 percent, have availed themselves of the government’s voluntary repatriation program, prompting the Department of Labor and Employment and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, to appeal again to the OFWs in the strife-torn North African country to return home. The Philippine nationals’ loved ones here “will be most happy to see them back,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had earlier said. Baldoz urged the OFWs to get in touch with the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Tripoli to “use the services of Owwa’s 24/7 operations center” and sign up for the free repatriation. Aid to repatriates The embassy and the Polo’s address is Km. 7, Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas district. Their telephone numbers are (00218) 918-244208 and (00218) 911-061166. Baldoz directed Owwa Administrator Rebecca Calzado and Violeta Muñoz, director of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs, to “see to it that the repatriates’ plans after coming home are identified so the DOLE can focus on the assistance to be given them.” A number of repatriates have reportedly expressed a preference for availing of the agency’s livelihood assistance program, while others had sought help with overseas job referrals. The latest group of Filipino workers from Libya, composed of 27 OFWs, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on July 9 on Etihad Airways from the Middle East. At the Naia, they were met Read More …

Illegal recruiters meted out life for defrauding OFW hopefuls

 General
Jul 132014
 
Illegal recruiters meted out life for defrauding OFW hopefuls

Philippine Overseas Labor Employment office. Photo from www.poea.gov.ph MANILA, Philippines–Two employees of an immigration consultancy firm were meted out life sentences for large-scale illegal recruitment, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Judge Rose Mary Molina-Alim of Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 3 found Rodolfo Domingo Jr. and Roliza Batag guilty of engaging in the recruitment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) without proper authorization from the POEA. Domingo and Batag were employees of Global Consultancy Management Services located at Cresencia Village, Baguio City. According to the POEA, at least 41 complainants, most of them from Baguio, accused Domingo and Batag of collecting from them placement fees ranging from P35,000 up to P170,000. They said they were promised employment as domestics in Canada; as butchers, factory workers and civil engineers in Australia; and as electronic technicians in South Korea, with salaries ranging from P60,000 to P130,000. In another case, the owner of a recruitment firm in Legazpi City, Albay, was convicted of failing to reimburse an OFW for expenses the latter incurred while working on her deployment to the United States and Canada. Lucille Manrique David, owner of Jasia International Manpower Services, was sentenced to up to eight years in prison and to pay a fine of P200,000 by Judge Elmer Lanuzo of the Legazpi Regional Trial Court. Lanuzo also found David guilty of estafa and gave her another sentence of from four to 12 years. David was also ordered to pay the complainant P104,500 in damages. Records showed Read More …

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