Last (?) plane out: 767 Filipinos escape from Libya

 News
Aug 162014
 
Last (?) plane out: 767 Filipinos escape from Libya

HALFWAY HOUSE After a 28-hour boat ride, Filipinos fleeing from Libya wait for their flight to Manila at Malta International Airport. CHRISTINE AVENDAÑO MALTA INTERNATIONAL Airport—Stuffed toys, some random items like a guitar and an audio speaker, and laundry—these were all that they had when they got here after fleeing  strife-torn Libya. They had no money. From Benghazi and Misrata, 767 Filipino migrant workers converged here on Saturday, children and luggage in tow to catch a flight to Manila—and safety, at least from getting caught in the crossfire between militias fiercely battling for control of the North African country. As for survival at home after Libya, that’s a different story. The Filipinos accepted their government’s offer of repatriation and they were evacuated to Malta by sea, the only way out of Libya after the closure of the international airport at the capital Tripoli and the border crossings to neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. The sea crossing on a Maltese ship chartered by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) took 28 hours and a 12-hour flight to Manila on two Philippine Airlines planes awaited the weary Filipinos here. It was the only evacuation that the government was undertaking for now, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, because only a few hundred of the more than 13,000 Filipino workers in Libya were willing to leave their jobs there. More than 10,000 Filipino workers, at least 3,000 of them health-care professionals, have decided they have better chances of survival amid the fighting in Read More …

Pope asks youth: What are you willing to die for?

 News
Aug 162014
 
Pope asks youth: What are you willing to die for?

LIKE A ROCK STAR Pope Francis (inset) on Saturday celebrates Mass at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, where he beatified 124 Koreans martyred in the 18th century. Crowd at the beatification Mass and rites tops a million, according to Korean media, a significant number where only 10 percent of South Korea’s population is Catholic. AFP SEOUL, South Korea—Pope Francis beatified 124 early Korean martyrs on Saturday at a Mass in Seoul and challenged the massive crowd to ask what values they might be willing to die for in an increasingly materialistic, globalized world. “They challenge us to think about what, if anything, we ourselves would be willing to die for,” the Pope said in his homily. “Their example has much to say to us who live in societies where, alongside immense wealth, dire poverty is silently growing; where the cry of the poor is seldom heeded,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of believers, most of them invited church groups from across South Korea, attended the open-air ceremony, held in hot, humid conditions in Gwanghwamun plaza, the city’s main ceremonial thoroughfare. Police declined to give an estimate of the crowd size, but local media reported it had topped 1 million. The number was significant given that Catholics represent only about 10 percent of South Korea’s 50 million people. The centerpiece of the Pope’s five-day visit, the beatification Mass, was the subject of a massive security operation, with bridges, roads and subway stations closed and police snipers posted on the roofs of Read More …

Jonathan Yabut: One year after the ‘Apprentice’

 General
Aug 162014
 
Jonathan Yabut: One year after the ‘Apprentice’

THIS BS Economics graduate from the University of the Philippines temporarily left his work at GlaxoSmithKline to compete in Malaysia. A year after winning the toughest job interview on TV, Jonathan Yabut is still very much on “high” as he copes with his busy schedule, flying from one place to another, and living up to the expectations of his big boss. It was definitely a life changing experience for this 29-year-old marketing genius after emerging as the first winner of the “The Apprentice Asia.” Since he was a big fan of Donald Trump’s hit reality series (with franchises shown in the UK, Italy, Australia and New Zealand), Yabut tried his luck to be part of the show when auditions came to Manila. This BS Economics graduate from the University of the Philippines temporarily left his work at GlaxoSmithKline to compete in Malaysia when he was chosen as one of the 12 contenders. Lucrative contract During the show, Yabut bested other young professionals in several business tasks. He was finally “hired” by Tony Fernandes, the owner and CEO of AirAsia, who gave him a lucrative management contract to work in the company as the chief marketing officer. After the show, Yabut had to relocate and adapt to his new life in Kuala Lumpur. It was initially daunting and confusing for this Manila kid. At work, he had to run around like a headless chicken following Fernandes in all of his meetings. Fortunately, he got a “big break” when he led the Read More …

Aquaquest franchise expands in provinces

 General
Aug 162014
 
Aquaquest franchise expands in provinces

MANILA, Philippines – GQWEST Inc. plans to expand its Aquaquest water refilling franchise outside Metro Manila as part of its plan to drive growth. A sister brand of Aquabest the country’s premier water franchise and with over a hundred stores, Aquaquest is set to grow in rural areas where potable water access remains an issue. The company’s CEO, Carson Tan, sees tremendous potential in areas outside Manila which have begun to see rapid development and urbanization. “With the Metro Manila water refilling market getting ever more competitive, it would be more practical to look at other areas where opportunities are great and competition isn’t as fierce,” Tan said. A single Aquaquest store can offer three different types of water: purified, mineral, and alkaline. While the purified water is the staple product of the store, the mineral and alkaline types of water would appeal most to people who have specific medical needs or those who need water as a health supplement.

Lady luck turns her back

 Economy
Aug 162014
 
Lady luck turns her back

Could lady luck be turning her back to the powers-that-be at the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA)? Just recently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reportedly stood by the Baguio City government in not finalizing BCDA’s application for a special patent covering the 14 barangays within the Camp John Hay (CJH) reservation.  DENR Cordillera OIC Paquito Moreno Jr. said the special patent being sought by BCDA could not be issued in view of Baguio City Resolution 362 (1994) which listed 19 conditions for the city government’s turnover of the erstwhile US military camp to BCDA.  Condition No. 14 of that resolution excluded from the CJH reservation 14 barangays, namely, Green Water, Country Club, Upper Dagsian, Lower Dagsian, Sta. Escolastica, Hillside, Happy Hollow, Loakan Apugan, Atok Trail, Loakan Proper, Camp 7, Loakan Liwanang, Lucnab and portions of Outlook Drive. SunStar Baguio reported that the DENR move has “strengthened the resolve” of the city government to appeal to the BCDA to comply with the 19 conditionalities, and has prompted Baguio City mayor Mauricio Domogan to order the city’s Legal Office to file a case for specific performance against the BCDA for breach of this resolution in applying for a special patent covering the 14 barangays. BCDA suffered another setback when the Baguio City government reportedly opposed BCDA’s application for a permit with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to tap Barangay Greenwater as a source of spring water for CJH. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Read More …

The power of clarity

 Economy
Aug 162014
 
The power of clarity

One day, an employee sent a letter to his boss asking for an increase in his salary. In thi$ life, we all need $ome thing mo$t de$perately. I think you $hould be under$tanding of the need$ of u$ worker$ who have given $o much $upport including $weat and $ervice to your company. I am $ure you will gue$$ what I mean and re$pond $oon. Your$ $incerely, Norman The next day, the employee received this letter of reply: I kNOw you have been working very hard. NOwadays, NOthing much has changed. You must have NOticed that our company is NOt doing NOticeably well. NOw, the newspapers are saying the world’s leading ecoNOmists are NOt sure if the United States may go into aNOther recession. After the NOvember presidential elections, things may turn bad. I have NOthing more to add NOw. You kNOw what I mean. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Yours truly, Manager  This popular story widely circulating in various clean joke sites in the Internet really made me laugh. Communication should be clear, no matter what. But from the story, we can see that the way the employee communicates with his boss isn’t direct and clear, yet it is successful in getting the message across. A bumper sticker says: “Clarity is Power!” I thought about this and realized just how powerful clarity can be. There are many leaders who are unclear not only in communication, but also in actions and behaviors. There are business owners who Read More …

Phl needs more FDIs to boost growth

 Economy
Aug 162014
 
Phl needs more FDIs to boost growth

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the turnaround of foreign direct investments to a net inflow in May, the research arm of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. said attracting more remains a growth constraint for the Philippines. “Robust foreign investment has been supporting the growth in other Asian economies – generating much-needed employment, raising incomes, increasing economic activity, and deepening technologies,” Pauline Revillas, research analyst at Metrobank, said in a report. “The support from FDIs should not be underscored as the robust economic expansion last year was underpinned by the solid performance of investment spending,” she said.  “The lack of infrastructure and the failure to attract FDIs have long been seen as a critical growth constraint to the domestic economy, but the government has been firm in its commitment to improve and develop the country’s infrastructure system,” Revillas further said. The country’s FDIs reached $473 million in May, a turnaround from a net outflow of $62 million in the same month last year. This brought the five-month net FDI inflow total to $2.923 billion, up 34 percent from $2.182 billion in the same period in 2013. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas attributed the increase in FDI inflows to sustained confidence of foreign investors in the country’s sound macroeconomic fundamentals. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “The sustained increase in FDIs would help ensure a sustainable and inclusive economic growth moving forward,” Revillas said. The Philippine economy grew by a lower-than-expected 5.7 percent in the first quarter of the year, Read More …

One Filipino evacuee fails to board rescue plane in Malta

 News
Aug 162014
 
One Filipino evacuee fails to board rescue plane in Malta

Some of the passengers of PAL flight 9007. Christine O. Avendaño/INQUIRER MALTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT—A Filipino who arrived here Saturday with over 700 others evacuated by sea from Libya missed his flight to Manila. Rodrigo Andres was supposed to be among the 356 passengers of the last of two Philippine Airlines flights that the government chartered to repatriate them. PAL flight 9007 departed here for Manila at 11 a.m. Saturday (Manila time) without Andres after Maltese airport authorities failed to find him. Andres had just a few hours earlier disembarked along with 766 Filipinos from a ship chartered by the Philippine government to ferry them out of Libya to Malta. He was among the second batch to leave the ship that arrived before two PAL flights landed here about 6 a.m. Manila time. With passengers already seated inside the plane, OWWA welfare officer Mario Antonio was seen in a huddle with Maltese airport officials who had been trying to locate Andres. “(Andres) checked in his luggage but he did not get in the plane and Maltese airport officials are trying to locate him,” Antonio told a media delegation invited to cover the arrival of the evacuees here and repatriation to Manila. Andres’ name was called repeatedly by PAL flight crew members inside the plane but he was not around. The plane had 355 passengers as listed, including Andres. PAL crew members then called Jacinto Abunda, a passenger of the other flight who was seen in the company of Andres. Abunda came Read More …

Trillanes wants Palparan transferred to military detention facility

 News
Aug 162014
 
Trillanes wants Palparan transferred to military detention facility

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will ask the Palace and the Armed Forced of the Philippines to transfer kidnapping suspect Jovito Palparan, a retired major general, to a military detention facility. In a report on GMA’s “24 Oras” aired Saturday evening, Trillanes there is a need to take care of former members of the military in recognition of their service to the country.   “Hindi natin inaabsuwelto si General Palparan, pero kailangan tratuhin lang natin ng maayos ‘yung mga naging sundalo,” he said. Trillanes, a former Navy officer, also said it is unfair that Palparan is being dubbed “the butcher” since this is a form of prejudgment. On the other hand, the families of the alleged victims of Palparan pushed for his transfer to the Bulacan provincial jail as already ordered by a regional trial court in Malolos. Palparan’s camp is appealing the transfer for his security. Trillanes recently visited Palparan at the National Bureau of Investigation detention center where he is being held.According to Trillanes, Palparan is in good condition and is in high spirits. Palparan was arrested last Tuesday after almost three years in hiding. He has been charged with two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. Palparan has denied the charges. — Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News

2 ‘immoral’ Filipino barbers jailed in Kuwait

 News
Aug 162014
 
2 ‘immoral’ Filipino barbers jailed in Kuwait

SAYS REPORT By Nestor Corrales |INQUIRER.net 6:07 pm | Saturday, August 16th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—Two unnamed Filipinos barbers were arrested by Kuwaiti police after being caught committing “immoral acts” with customers, an online report said. In a report by the Arab Times, the Filipino barbers were seducing their customers inside their shop, offering them “massage” service. In return, the customers would pay for five to ten Kuwaiti Dinar (about P770 to P1,540). The report said the two Filipinos were caught in the act doing sexual acts in an entrapment operation. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Short URL: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/?p=109479 Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

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