Bobby Chinn has a soft spot for kare-kare and adobo.
Jan 052015
Jan 052015
Q uestion: I am 31 years old and my hair has become thinner. Every time I take a bath, a lot of strands fall off. What can be done to cure my hair loss? Answer: Normally, a person would lose 50-100 strands of hair every day. But he/she won’t get bald because hair is continually replaced. Baldness results when the loss of hair is greater than the production of hair. Medically, we call it alopecia. Alopecia totalis means total loss of scalp hair. Alopecia universalis is a condition where all body hair is lost universally, including the eyebrows and eyelashes. Alopecia areata means there are certain areas of bald patches on the head. The most common reason for baldness is hereditary. Blame your parents. There is a well-known male pattern of baldness, which creeps at the side of the head and then affects the crown of the head. In severe cases, some men have hair at the back and the sides only. Hair loss affects guys more often because of their high testosterone levels. Certain diseases like anemia and an underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. Unusual diets, crash diets, sudden weight loss, and vitamin deficiencies can damage your hair, too. Some women experience hair loss after childbirth, but their hair usually returns to normal in a year. Is there an infection? Lifestyle Feature ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: Dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis can cause constant itching and scratching, leading again to falling hair. For these cases, Read More …
Jan 052015
MANILA, Philippines – Local stocks got off to a strong start on the first trading session of 2015, helped by select buying activities amid expectations the Philippines is settling into a more sustainable pace of growth. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) jumped 46.06 points or 0.64 percent to close at 7,276.63, pushed up by gains across most sectors. The holding firms counter posted the biggest gain, growing two percent. More than 1.4 billion shares valued at P7.37 billion changed hands yesterday. Gainers edged out losers, 99 to 87 while 42 issues were unchanged. “I hope that 2015 will be the year when we see more of our countrymen reap the benefits of investing in the stock market. And with our individual endeavors as well as collective effort, I am optimistic that we can help bring financial freedom to more Filipinos,” PSE chairman Jose T. Pardo said yesterday. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Asian stocks were mixed following Wall Street’s sluggish start and continued jitters in the crude market. In the US, the pace of manufacturing growth eased in December, sapping investor appetite for stocks.
Jan 052015
Early this year, Executive Order (EO) No. 68-A, Series of 2014, amending EO No. 68, Series of 2012 was issued to simplify the terms of the VAT tax credit certificate (TCC) monetization program, and thereby promote conducive business environment and raise the business credibility of the government. Pursuant to EO No. 68-A, the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) issued Joint Circular No. 2-2014 providing for the mechanism for qualified VAT-registered persons to receive the cash equivalent of their outstanding VAT TCCs. Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 82-2014 circularizes the full text of the said joint circular. The joint circular provides that VAT TCCs for which the BIR has issued the corresponding notice of payment schedule (NPS) and VAT drawback TCCs approved for monetization by the BOC, are qualified for monetization under the joint circular. Similarly, all other VAT TCCs outstanding as of Dec. 31, 2012 not covered for monetization and VAT TCCs issued after Dec. 31, 2012, are qualified for cash conversion, notwithstanding the existing administrative regulations, guidelines or conditions prohibiting or restricting the cash conversion of VAT TCCs. Specifically, the joint circular provides the procedures in which holders of VAT TCCs with BIR-issued NPS may present the NPS to the BIR for payment on or before the maturity dates indicated thereon. Within 45 calendar days from presentation of the NPS, the BIR should directly pay the total face value of the NPS, Read More …
Jan 052015
MANILA, Philippines – More households borrowed from local banks as of the third quarter of 2014 to pay for their home and car purchases, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data showed. Consumer loans rose 21 percent to P849.7 billion as of end-September last year from P702.6 billion in the same period in 2013. The latest level is also six percent higher than the P804.1 billion recorded in end-June. The increase was driven by a 25-percent jump in residential real estate loans to P382.5 billion from P306.4 billion and a 20-percent climb in auto loans to P217.4 billion from P181.1 billion. BSP data also showed credit card receivables went up three percent to P156.5 billion as of end-September from P151.9 billion in the same period in 2013, while other consumer loans slid 28 percent to P45.7 billion from P63.1 billion. Salary loans or those granted to individuals on the basis of their regular salary, pension, or other compensation amounted to P47.6 billion in end-September, central bank data also showed. The BSP only started monitoring salary loans as a separate category under consumer loans in end-June last year. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Consumer loans have been rising in the last few years, supporting domestic consumption which remain as the major driver of the Philippine economy. In end-September last year, household loans made up 16.68 percent of the banks’ total loan portfolio. Non-performing consumer loans, meanwhile, amounted to P42 billion in end-September, about five percent of the total household Read More …
Jan 052015
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will push for the passage of the Cabotage Law and competition policy which are seen to help promote the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) this year. According to Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, who chairs the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, he is committed to work on the passage of the two bills this year. Aquino said the inclusion of the two bills in the President’s priority legislative agenda this year is a welcome development as both are seen to promote the growth o MSMEs. Senate Bill (SB) No. 2364, filed by Aquino, seeks to amend Section 1009 of the Presidential Decree No. 1464, otherwise known as the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978, in response to the President’s call to relax the country’s policies on cabotage. This, as it is cheaper to send products from other countries to the Philippines than to ship goods within the country. For instance the cost of shipping a 20-foot equivalent unit container from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Cagayan de Oro is $360 or P16,000 only, while the cost of shipping the same cargo from Manila to Cagayan de Oro will take $1,120 or almost P50,000. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 If the proposed measure is enacted into law, foreign ships would be allowed to call in multiple ports, which would in effect lower the logistics costs. SB No. 2282 or the Fair Competition Act of 2014, meanwhile, aims Read More …
Jan 052015
MANILA, Philippines – The government rejected all bids for the 91-day and 364-day Treasury bills (T-bills) due to the unreasonably high interest rates sought by banks. The Bureau of the Treasury, however, sold P4.7 billion worth of six-month debt papers, or a little more than half of the planned P8-billion issuance. The yield on the 182-day bills went up by five percentage points to 1.82 percent. Tenders amounted to P8.96 billion. National Treasurer Rosalia De Leon said the rates sought by banks were “way way above where they should be.” Had it accepted the bids, the rate of the 91-day bills would have risen by 89 percentage points from 1.42 percent to 2.31 percent. Tenders reached only P6 billion, short of the P8-billion planned offering. The rate for the 364-debt paper would have risen by 21.9 percentage points to 2.059 percent. Bids amounted to P7.2 billion, 20 percent more than the P6 billion on offer. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “No reason for rates to drastically rise. They’re asking for much bigger increase in rates,” De Leon said. The government has programmed to sell P135 billion worth of debt instruments in the first quarter of the year as part of a fund-raising initiative to augment its expenditure requirements. About 86 percent of the government’s borrowing requirements will come from the domestic market while the balance of 14 percent will come from international lenders. Foreign borrowings are done through the sale of sovereign bonds in the international Read More …
Jan 052015
The City Government of Manila will close roads around the Apostolic Nunciature, Pope Francis’ official residence during hist visit to the Philippines, GMA News’ “24 Oras” reported on Monday. The report said Taft Avenue will be closed from the intersection on Quirino Avenue to the intersection of on Dagohoy street. Leon Guinto Street will be closed as well. Only residents and their vehicles will be allowed to enter the road. “Yung mga nakatira dun na walang garahe…. lahat ‘yun ay kukunin ng MMDA at ng city government,” Vice Mayor Isko Moreno said. Moreno and some barangay officials on Monday discussed security measures for the visit of Pope Francis. He ordered strict monitoring of the communities near the Apostolic Nunciature. Manila has also given the Presidential Security Group and Pope Francis’ security personnel access to almost 200 closed-circuit television cameras in the city. —Kathryn Tubadeza/NB, GMA News
Jan 052015
Airport authorities have been strengthening security measures in preparation for the papal pisit, GMA News reported via its “24 Oras” early evening newscast on Monday. Public works crews started to remove the Circulo del Mundo rotunda in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Parañaque City in preparation for the Papal Visit on January 15-19. The structure which cost P50 million was originally planned to be taken down by the Department of Public Works and Highway in preparation for the construction of a skyway in NAIA. No-fly zone Aviation authorities have other security measures for the papal visit. NAIA runways will also be closed when the aircraft with Pope Francis on board lands and takes off at NAIA. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has already issued a Notice to Airmen about the implementation of no-fly zone effective on January 15 and 19 over NAIA during the Pope’s arrival and departure and on January 17 over Daniel Z. Romualdez (Tacloban) Airport from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. No-fly zones will also be in effect over other areas such as Rizal Park, University of Sto. Tomas, and Tacloban where Pope Francis is set to hold activities. “Expect that they will all follow these limitations, these flight restrictions para sa kapayapaan ng loob nating lahat kasi it involves safety and security,” CAAP’s Deputy Director General for Operations Ret. Gen. Bgen. Rodante Joya explained. Airline companies and operators that will violate the no-fly zone implementation may be fined Read More …
Jan 052015
The Philippine government does not want talks with communist rebels to drag on without progress, a Palace spokesman said Monday at the prospect of a return to the peace table. “We don’t want to go back to the situation where the talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army- National Democratic Front) would not be time-bound and are not doable. So those are the things that we’re looking for,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing. NDF chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison last month said the CPP was open to resuming peace negotiations with the Philippine government which ended in July last year. He added that the government should release NDF consultants and 500 political prisoners to pave the way for the talks but Malacañang earlier turned down a call to release supposed communist leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon. Lacierda said that at present “there are friends of the (peace) process who are channeling back and forth to see if there is a possibility of restarting the peace process.” “We’d rather have peace than war. And we have proven our sincerity insofar as starting a peace dialogue. We’ve proven that in MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front),” he added. He, however, questioned the sincerity of the NDF in resuming talks after NPA rebels killed government troops before the year ended. “They cannot just rationalize the fact that just because our ceasefire was only for certain days, we can go and kill soldiers with impunity. Read More …