Tracking and complete accounting all those Yolanda donations

 News
Sep 112014
 
Tracking and complete accounting all those Yolanda donations

Ten months since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) wreaked havoc in Central Philippines, the government has yet to create or designate a single agency that will ensure that all donated funds for relief operations reach their intended beneficiaries or materialize into envisioned projects.  “At present, there is no single agency that is actually monitoring the receipt and utilization of funds received as donation or grants for calamity victims,” the Commission on Audit’s special report on Typhoon Yolanda disclosed. Although the government created the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) that tracks the pledges and donations of countries and international organizations, the hub does not scrutinize local and foreign donations carried by nongovernment organizations and private entities.  FAiTH does not monitor donations directly given to local government units. “Pledges of foreign aid coursed through nongovernment organizations (NGOs), such as the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) or other international aid agencies can also be recorded in the portal, but cannot be tracked,” COA said. The FAiTH Task Force has representatives from different government agencies: Department of Budget and Management, Commission on Filipino Overseas, Department of Finance, Department of Health, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Economic and Development Authority, Office of Civil Defense, Office of Presidential Spokesperson, Presidential Management Staff and the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. As of 8 September 2014, the country has received P71 billion ($1.626 billion) worth of foreign aid pledges in cash and in kind, but only P15 billion ($349.404 million) has Read More …

Aquino Europe visit till Sept 20

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
Aquino Europe visit till Sept 20

President Benigno S. Aquino III shares the stage with newly sworn in government officials for a photo souvenir after administering the oath in a ceremony at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Monday (September 01). Also in photo are Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza. (MNS photo) MANILA, (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III is embarking on a four-nation official tour of Europe from September 13 to 20, his first to the region since he assumed office in 2010, to pitch for investments and support for the Philippine position to resolve the conflict in the West Philippine Sea. In a press briefing in Malacañang on Monday, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara-Collinson discussed in detail the President’s schedule in Europe, where he is set to meet with leaders of Spain, Belgium, France and Germany before heading to the United States to attend the United Nations Global Climate Change Summit. According to Collinson, the Chief Executive, accompanied by his official delegation, will depart on September 13 for Spain via a chartered flight, his first stop of the eight-day European trip. In all of his visits to these nations, the President will also discuss with his counterparts common issues that include the Philippines’ Generalized System of Preferences or the GSP+ application, the illegal and unregulated fishing, the Standard of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCWS) and the latest developments in the comprehensive peace agreement on the Bangsamoro. In the Read More …

World welcomes draft Bangsamoro law submission

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
World welcomes draft Bangsamoro law submission

President Benigno S. Aquino lll delivers his speech at the Asean Business Awards Philippines held at New World Hotel in Makati City,Tuesday September 9, 2014.The ASEAN Business Awards Philippines aims to recognize outstanding local enterprises and use it platform to spread knowledge about the ASEAN Economic Community. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The international community on Wednesday welcomed the latest step in the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with the submission of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress leaders. Australia reaffirmed its support for the peace process, Ambassador Bill Tweddell said in a post on his Twitter account. “Australia is committed to supporting pursuit for peace in Mindanao and welcomes mutually-acceptable Bangsamoro Basic Law in Congress,” he said, after President Benigno Aquino III formally turned over copies of the draft law to Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. in Malacañang. The draft law’s transmittal to Congress signals the start of another crucial stage in the peace process, when the bill will go through the legislative mill and face lawmakers’ scrutiny. Earlier, Australia said its development assistance program has been supporting peace efforts in conflict-affected Mindanao since 1995. Tweddell, in his remarks at an Iftar reception last July 22, said Australia, via partner organizations, has focused on four key priorities: increasing women’s participation in the peace process promoting peace education among youth increasing capacity of communities to better manage local level violence providing technical assistance to the negotiating parties Read More …

Duterte is Miriam’s first pick for VP if she runs for president in 2016

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
Duterte is Miriam’s first pick for VP if she runs for president in 2016

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is a bold local official who seems to “endorse” violence against criminals. MANILA (Mabuhay) – If Senator Miriam Defensor will push through with her plan to run for President in 2016, her first choice for her running mate will be Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. “He (Duterte) will make an excellent Vice President for enforcement,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday. Santiago said she is also considering as running mate defeated presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro. Moreover, she said it will be good to see two women running together so she is also thinking of taking Senator Grace Poe as her vice presidential bet. “Miriam and Grace sounds like a restaurant,” Santiago said. The feisty senator also said, aside from running for the highest elected post, she also plans to join the International Advisory of a non-government organization or to write a book in Washington D.C. “If I don’t make a full recovery and go on to a dark place, I will come back anyway and sabotage the plans of corrupt politicians,” she added. (MNS)

AARP TEK Workshops in San Diego empower Asian Americans 50+ to use technology

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
AARP TEK Workshops in San Diego empower Asian Americans 50+ to use technology

Free AARP TEK workshops with translation supportexpanding to more cities in 2015 AARP Seminar WASHINGTON, D.C., September 10, 2014 – More than 300 people attended AARP TEK workshops designed for Chinese, Filipino, and other Asian American and Pacific Islander communities on how to use personal technology during AARP’s Ideas@50+ National Event and Expo in San Diego last week. AARP TEK (which stands for Technology Education and Knowledge) is a comprehensive technology education program specifically geared towards the 50+ audience and works to close the technology gap for older adults. Workshops were held in English with translation support available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hindi, and Korean. As with the inaugural translation-supported workshops delivered in Boston earlier this year, the San Diego workshops were offered at no charge. As AARP TEK continues to provide more workshops with translation support, AARP trainers are learning how to better present and integrate multilingual content and materials within the program to better serve Chinese, Filipino, and other AAPI communities. AARP Seminar  “After the hands-on training, the smartphone was no longer as intimidating or irrelevant to their lives,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement, Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. “Transformations were occurring in the two-hour session as participants learned basic tools to stay connected with family and friends, including how to Skype, text, send emails, take photos and ‘selfies,’ use maps, and more. A 95-year-old Chinese American woman traveled from Los Angeles to join us! What great spirit!” AARP TEK offered six Read More …

Eraserheads launches 2 new songs

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
Eraserheads launches 2 new songs

Eraserheads (MNS photo) Twelve years after officially calling it quits, Filipino music icon Eraserheads gathered again for one night at a magazine’s launch party in Makati City. The group – composed of Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro – performed together again for the first time since disbanding in 2002. Eraserheads, whose Esquire cover was unveiled at the event, played some of their most memorable hits, including “Magasin.” Esquire editor-in-chief Erwin Romulo said they chose the band to grace the cover for one simple reason. “We were in London and we decided to talk. We got together in a place at Portobelo Road and we started asking ourselves, what would Eraserheads sound like today? And that was the only thing, we wanted to ask that question,” he explained. And if the reaction of the crowd is any indication, Eraserheads still sounded the way fans loved them through the years. The crowd could not stop singing along with the band in a night that proved to be momentous for another reason. Eraserheads, whose last studio album is “Carbon Stereoxide” in 2001, launched two new songs entitled “Sabado” and “1995.” “It is a tribute to music in general basically. I mean it’s for OPM because people said OPM is dead,” added Romulo. The night became a big throwback and though the group has no plans for a major comeback, the night became a reunion for all OPM lovers and Pinoy rock fans. (MNS)

Nancy Binay says Mercado ‘could’ve been possessed’: ‘Will pray for him’

 News
Sep 112014
 
Nancy Binay says Mercado ‘could’ve been possessed’: ‘Will pray for him’

Mercado: VP Binay got 13% cut from every Makati project . At the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probe on the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II on Thursday, September 11, former Makati City vice mayor Ernesto Mercado said Vice President Jejomar Binay received 13-percent kickback from every project during his term as city mayor. He said the money was always delivered in three bags, one of them for Binay’s son Junjun, the incumbent Makati mayor who was a former city councilor. Benjie Castro Senator Nancy Binay on Thursday said she would pray that former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado would be enlightened and tell the truth on the issue of the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II. In an interview with reporters, Binay joked that Mercado could have been “possessed” when he testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday. “Siguro ipagdadasal ko na lang siya na maenlighten at magsabi ng katotohanan. Baka nasasapian kasi e,” she said. The senator said she was especially hurt that Mercado, a principal sponsor in her wedding, was lying at the expense of the Binay family. “Ninong ko nga yun. Yun ang nakakasakit kasi ginagawa niya ito sa akin e kung tutuusin dapat pangalawang ama ko siya, ninong ko siya sa kasal tapos ganito yung ginagawa  niya sa akin, ginagawa nya sa aking pamilya,” Binay said. Binay denied Mercado’s accusation that she received the kickbacks supposedly for her mother, Dra. Elenita Binay. “I deny na ginagawa ko yun. Hindi ko Read More …

3,162 pass Electrical Engineer Licensure Exams –PRC

 News
Sep 112014
 
3,162 pass Electrical Engineer Licensure Exams –PRC

A total of 2,190 out of 3,661 Registered Electrical Engineers and 972 out of 2,964 Registered Master Electricians successfully passed the Electrical Engineer Licensure Examinations given this month, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Thursday. The PRC said the results of examination with respect to four examinees were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.    [Click here for list of passers in Registered Electrical Engineer Licensure Exam.] [Click here for list of passers in Registered Master Electricians Licensure Exam.] Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will start on September 26, 2014 for R. M. E. and September 29 and 30, 2014 for R.E.E., the PRC said. —KBK, GMA News

GMA Pinoy TV presents Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez in Kapusong Pinoy sa L.A.

 Entertainment
Sep 112014
 
GMA Pinoy TV presents Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez in Kapusong Pinoy sa L.A.

Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana After their recent trip to Singapore for the taping of their latest Kapuso romantic-drama My Destiny, rumored couple Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez have another opportunity to work closely together as they gear up for an exciting concert titled “Kapusong Pinoy sa L.A.” The concert, organized by GMA Pinoy TV, the flagship international channel of GMA Network, in cooperation with Polaris Media and Marketing, will be held on September 27 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in Redondo Beach, California. Carla Abellana Following the success of their onscreen pairing in several projects, Carla and Tom are sure to thrill their fans abroad who ardently followed the story of Lally and Vincent in the groundbreaking, international hit series My Husband’s Lover, and the brewing romance between Grace and Matthew in My Destiny. Carla is delighted that she has been given another opportunity to meet her fans in the United States. “During the US tour of My Husband’s Lover last year, we were given such a warm welcome by our kababayans,” she recalls. “The support we’ve been receiving from our fellow Filipinos, especially those outside the Philippines, is very heartwarming and inspiring.” “This is our way of saying thank you to all those who continue to support us,” shares Tom. “We promise to put on a good show for our fans abroad.” Tom Rodriguez The concert also features some of the hottest Kapuso stars seen on GMA Pinoy TV – Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Read More …

‘Pork’ whistleblower’s credibility questioned after conflicting statements on Abad

 News
Sep 112014
 
‘Pork’ whistleblower’s credibility questioned after conflicting statements on Abad

Merlina Suñas, the whistleblower who accused Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad of once conspiring with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, has backpedaled from her statement, a defense lawyer claimed Thursday. During cross-examination, Suñas supposedly denied that Abad benefited from any of Napoles’ schemes, a statement that ran contrary to her affidavit, said lawyer Remigio Michael Ancheta, legal counsel of Richard Cambe, an accused in the pork barrel scam case. “The witness’ credibility is in question,” Ancheta said in an interview after the continuation of Revilla’s bail hearing. “She stated in her affidavit that in 1997 to 1999, before senators, then-Congressman Butch Abad and others were already in on the scam. I asked her about what particular transactions she was referring to, and suddenly she said there were no transactions. I asked her if she was saying that part of her affidavit was not true, and she said it was not,” he said. In a November 2013 affidavit, Suñas said that Abad was one of Napoles’ first conspirators in Congress when he was still Batanes congressman. Abad has repeatedly denied transacting with Napoles, and claimed that he is being implicated in the pork barrel scam to destroy the credibility of the Aquino administration. Suñas was testifying in the bail hearing of Cambe, Napoles and Cambe’s boss, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. The three, along with Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, have been charged with graft and plunder for allegedly diverting millions of public funds Read More …

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