PNOC-EXPLORATION Corp. (PNOC-EC) targets the commercial operations of two compressed natural gas (CNG) refilling stations within next year, an official from the Energy department said in a recent interview.
Sep 242014
Sep 242014
CORN IMPORTERS were the latest to be featured in the Finance Department’s weekly Tax Watch advertisement, which listed the top companies which make up bulk of the inbound shipments.
Sep 242014
GIVEN the tax reform bill pending in Congress and an alleged revenue loss consequently looming upon the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the massive task of meeting tax revenue targets may become even more challenging for the tax bureau. Even without the tax reforms pushing through, the BIR is already experiencing difficulties in terms of enforcing existing tax laws as it continues to encounter implementation challenges. This is to be expected if the BIR is seen to continue to go beyond its quasi-legislative functions.
Sep 242014
MANILA, Philippines – The late novelist E.K. Tiempo liked to tell his students at Silliman the story of how, newly arrived in Dumaguete from the US with a PhD in English and fellowships from Rockefeller and Guggenheim, he was invited to speak at a church service by a smallish fundamentalist congregation (so I assume but it may have been actually a large one) and, at the end of his talk, heard this comment from the pastor: “Let us pray that our guest speaker will be forgiven for the irreverent thing that he has said to us this morning.” It may have been more strongly worded and memory won’t be held back – …for the blasphemy that he has said to us this morning. Dr. Tiempo said the story of Adam and Eve was myth not history. This was in the late Fifties – over half a century ago. It was the time of Sputnik, the beginning of the awesome thing called space exploration. Dr. Tiempo’s anecdote seems to be a homespun, hometown echo, of a Hollywood movie hit: Inherit the Wind, a frankly theatrical popularization of the debate, continuing to this day, between Evolution and Creationism. Ah! but the problem with fundamentalists and literalists and historicists on both sides is that they don’t give revelation a chance. Or even just imagination. Imagine there’s a heaven! Yes, why not ‘there’s a heaven’ instead? I thought the Beatles were saying yea not nay. A talking serpent. That’s got to be myth. Metaphor, Read More …
Sep 242014
The Bahay Pahingaan or rest house of President Manuel L. Quezon has been relocated from its original location in New Manila to the Quezon Memorial Circle. MANILA, Philippines – Everybody loves a fiesta and everyone deserves a treat. But in an urban setting where work schedules are so stressful that people are generally uptight, there has to be a good excuse for an entire city to figuratively let its hair down and celebrate en masse. Quezon City has much to celebrate as it commemorates its Diamond Jubilee on Oct. 12. There is much to be thankful for as the city moves closer to realizing the dream of its founder, President Manuel L. Quezon to become “the working man’s paradise, a home for the industrious and a springboard of every Filipino’s dreams.” Now is a good time to rediscover important historical and cultural landmarks in Quezon City. Apart from the national shrine at Quezon Memorial Circle where the remains of President Manuel L. Quezon and his wife Aurora are interred, take time out to visit their Bahay Pahingaan or rest house, which was relocated to the area from its original location in New Manila. While you’re there, take a walk in well-kept parks and visit the organic garden, a project of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte. If you’re lucky to be around during harvest time, you can get some vegetables for free. Alternatively, visit the memorial of Melchora Aquino or Tandang Sora, who, as the “Grand Woman of the Revolution,” supported and Read More …
Sep 242014
By Niña P. Calleja |Philippine Daily Inquirer 11:29 pm | Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—Despite the opposition from overseas Filipino workers’ groups and recruiting agencies, the Manila International Airport Authority is going ahead with its plan to integrate the terminal fee into the cost of airline tickets beginning Oct. 1. But Jose Angel Honrado, the Miaa general manager, said the agency has always been open to suggestions for improving its systems and would continue to be so. “No system is perfect. This is why we are not closing the door to possible improvements. For now, we are determined to proceed, observe and see later on how else we can enhance it to settle all stakeholders’ concerns,” Honrado said in a statement. The main argument for integrating the terminal fee into the airline ticket is to ease the check-in process. The Miaa has noted that some 7 million passengers have to queue to pay for the terminal fee at the Naia. From Oct. 1, all international airline tickets will include the cost of the P550 international passenger service charge (IPSC), better known as the terminal fee. “We are happy that finally, we are raising Naia’s level of service to be at par with its counterparts abroad,” Honrado said. He said the integration would be implemented simultaneously by all airlines worldwide and would cover passengers transiting Manila to any destination point. The process will go through a transition period and is expected to be fully implemented by October 2015, when all Read More …
Sep 242014
Germany said Wednesday it would not withdraw support for US action against jihadists in Iraq and Syria following a reported ultimatum from Philippine Islamist militants threatening to kill a German hostage. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the German government had “heard about the report” but stressed that “threats are not an appropriate way to influence our policy in Syria and Iraq”. “There will be no change to our Syria and Iraq policy,” she added. A terrorism monitoring group reported Tuesday that the extremists said they would kill one of two German hostages unless a 250 million pesos ($5.62 million, 4.4 million euros) ransom is paid and Berlin stops supporting the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. US-based SITE, which monitors extremists’ activities worldwide, released a picture attributed to the Abu Sayyaf group showing a masked militant with a machete beside a grey-haired white man. A younger white woman with close-cropped hair was also shown, while other masked men stood behind them, armed with assault rifles and machine guns. The Abu Sayyaf, a small band of Islamic militants based in the southern Philippines, vowed to kill one of two hostages if the two demands were not met within 15 days, according to SITE. The foreign ministry spokeswoman said the German government had set up a crisis task force on the case “and we will of course continue our efforts to secure a release”. The German government has ruled out joining air strikes or any ground offensive Read More …
Sep 242014
Associated Press 9:25 pm | Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 Philippine Congressman Rodolfo Biazon, left, Chair of the House Committee on National Defense, during a news conference with Hiroshi Nakada, Head of delegation of the Japanese opposition Party for Future Generations, on Sept. 3, 2014 at Makati City, Philippines. AP BEIJING — State media say China and Japan have resumed high-level talks on maritime issues, in a sign they want to improve relations that have been badly strained in recent years by territorial disputes and wartime historical issues. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday that senior ministry officials met for two days in the eastern city of Qingdao to exchange views on issues in the East China Sea and maritime cooperation. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to hold talks on setting up a maritime hotline between their defense ministries. Japan’s Kyodo News agency also reported that a Chinese vice premier separately commented on Wednesday that he wants an early resumption of a high-level economic talks with Japan, which have been suspended since 2010. RELATED STORIES Obama: US will defend Japan vs China China, Japan blame each other for jet encounter Follow Us Other Stories: PH, Japanese ships to conduct naval exercises off Palawan Filipino fisher rescued off Taiwan after being adrift for 9 days PH journalist slams Aquino’s Europe trip in column in Chinese media Rising criminality in PH a spin by Chinese state media—Palace Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks Read More …
Sep 242014
Japan and North Korea will hold talks next week in China, officials said, after Pyongyang failed to produce a report on its probe into the Cold War kidnappings of Japanese citizens.
Sep 242014
Andi Manzano-Reyes says her eyebrows are trimmed by expert hands: “It’s one thing I’m very maarte about.”