February 2015 – Page 12

Successful or happy?

General

Feb 212015

What is success to you? This is a question I often ask in my seminars. This gets the participants thinking. It is a very simple question, yet many find it profound and hard to answer. Many people want to be successful, but they have not taken the time to identify and settle the things that would constitute success for them. Maybe, success is a moving target. Real successful people never arrive at the stage where they would consider themselves successful because they keep on moving higher. Now, here is an exercise I want you to do. Think of the five most successful people you know. These are people you interact with and not familiar faces you see in websites, TV or magazines. Then list down qualities that you think make them successful. Then ask them if they would consider themselves successful or not. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Now that you have listed the five most successful people you know, this time I want you to think of the five happiest people you know. Would the five people in your success list be the same five people in your happiness list? Is the point clear? The popular view is that success deals with possessions and achievements. In a way, it is. But it is illogical to equate success as being happy. Happiness is a state of being. I may be wrong, but if you look at the people who are in your happy list, it is Read More …

TransCo sets penalties for failure to remit FIT-All charges

Economy

Feb 212015

TransCo sets penalties for failure to remit FIT-All charges

MANILA, Philippines – Collection agents that fail to promptly or fully remit revenues from the feed-in tariff (FIT) allowance (FIT-All) collections would be slapped penalty charges, according to the National Transmission Co. (TransCo), the administrator of the FIT-All. At a rate of four centavos per kilowatt-hour, the FIT-All would be charged to all electricity consumers, similar to a universal charge which is a separate line in electricity bills and is used to pay off the debts of the National Power Corp. (Napocor), the state-owned power company. The FIT-All would be given to renewable energy players as an incentive to invest in the more expensive but less lucrative renewable energy (RE) sector. Renewable energy players are solar, wind, biomass and small hydropower companies. The charge would be collected by distribution utilities such as Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), retail electricity suppliers, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the grid operator. According to TransCo, collection agents that fail to remit the collections would be slapped with penalties such as a monthly interest on unpaid amounts based on the prevailing 91-day Treasury Bill rate at the close of each billing period that the amount remains unpaid; a 20 percent surcharge if there was failure to remit the collections for two successive billing periods and possible disconnection from the grid by the NGCP upon instruction of TransCo in case of failure to remit collections for more than two successive billing periods. The FIT-All charge has already Read More …

CGBP seminar on corporate governance

Economy

Feb 212015

MANILA, Philippines – With the mandate of the SEC to require all board directors of public and publicly-listed companies to attend a corporate governance seminar once a year to be eligible for election / re-election to the board of a corporation, the Center for Global Best Practices (CGBP) is launching a pioneering program entitled, “Board Effectiveness Best Practices” on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. This seminar would provide a new and fresh perspective from the repetitive lectures done by other corporate governance providers. As one of the few SEC-accredited training providers, CGBP will feature the best practices for board directors to help them enhance their skills to become better members or leaders of the board. For details and a complete list of upcoming best practices seminars including How to Set Up an Internal Audit System, Board Directors’ Guide for Audit Committees, Best Practices in Corporate Housekeeping for Board Secretaries, and more, you may log on to www.cgbp.org or call (+63 2) 842-7148/ 59 and 556-8968/ 69, Cebu lines: (+63 32) 512-3106 or 07 or Baguio line: (+63 74) 423-5148 and Legaspi City telephone (+6352) 736-0126. This one-day special corporate governance program is designed to address two important issues: (1) To provide capacity building for board directors by presenting to them the global best practices in board effectiveness drawn from the most updated global research of the largest accounting firm in the world – PriceWaterhouse Coopers / Isla Lipana to be presented by former Read More …

Divorce of properties

Economy

Feb 212015

Call it straight talk on an “undiscussable,” and do that before the marriage. If your relationship survives that, maybe you were meant to be. If it doesn’t, who knows if you just blew away your real chance to be truly happy? Prenuptial agreements describe what will be owned in common after two people get married, and what will remain exclusive property of the spouses. These marriage settlements are almost not attuned to the Filipino culture and concept of marriage. It is like arranging for separation even before the wedding happens. It is also like creating a second-class citizen, in a marriage only for two. It is the situation when in a marriage, one is affluent, and the other, middle class. So when this popular father cried when his daughter refused, despite his insistence, to enter into a prenuptial agreement with her fiancé, it is because—for the first time—someone, an outsider, is more important to his daughter. It is also because he may just need to share part of the family wealth, or at least those that can be allocated to his daughter, with the family members of her husband. Social status does not even need to be a factor for property dispute to happen. An average couple bought a house and lot while they were still engaged. Then their marriage soured. He left the wife who was residing in their house. A relative of her husband got interested in the property. And because the husband’s family does not have a Read More …

Greece, euro zone settle row – for now

Economy

Feb 212015

BRUSSELS – Following weeks of recrimination and distrust, Greece and its creditors in the 19-nation eurozone reached an agreement Friday on extending the country’s rescue loans, a move that should dramatically ease concerns it was heading for the euro exit as soon as next month. The agreement, which looked a long way off Thursday when one German official compared Athens’ request for more time to the infamous Trojan Horse, will mean that Greece will avoid going bankrupt, at least over the four months of the extension. It should also mean that capital controls won’t be needed and that Greek banks will have enough money to stock up their ATMs. To get the money though, the Greek government has one more hurdle to clear. On Monday, it has to present a series of unspecified economic reforms measures that are deemed acceptable by creditors and rooted in Greece’s previously enacted bailout agreement – something the government had promised not to do. Still, the Greek government will be the author of the reforms pursued and that represents a change from the past five years when Greece has relied on rescue money to avoid going bankrupt and was effectively ordered to enact a series of austerity measures. “We have established common ground again,” said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the eurozone’s top official, after the meeting in Brussels. And Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the deal allows both Greece and Europe “to turn a page … As of today, we are beginning to be co-authors of Read More …

Stars endorse ‘Intrigue’

General

Feb 212015

The perfume lotion, endorsed by movie stars, has an intriguing label: “Intrigue,” a product of Blanchard New York and distributed in the Philippines by Hermoso Drug Store, owned by Premiere producers Dr. Ciriaco Santiago and wife Doña Adela Hermoso-Santiago. No wonder then that Premiere stars were the image model of Intrigue Perfume Lotion. Consider the sales pitch: For glamour that beckons… Fabulously enchanting. Headed by romance. Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The perfume was popular in the ’40s and ’50s. — RKC

PNP OIC Espina submits affidavit to Mamasapano investigating board

News

Feb 212015

PNP OIC Espina submits affidavit to Mamasapano investigating board

Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, officer in charge of the Philippine National Police, has submitted his affidavit on the Mamasapano clash to the PNP Board of Inquiry investigating it. According to a report on GMA’s “24-Oras” aired Saturday, Espina said his affidavit mostly contained details on how the PNP asked for support for the beleaguered Special Action Force commandos during the said incident. The Board of Inquiry is composed of police officials and is also looking into tactical lapses that may have led to the bloody firefight. The report added that the acting PNP chief will attend the senate hearing of the Mamasapano clash scheduled on Monday. Espina also attended the recent Philippine Military Academy homecoming celebration in Baguio City, his last time as an active official since he will be retiring next year. Espina, who replaced then suspended and now resigned PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Alan Purisima is also known for his emotional outburst during a Senate hearing of the Mamasapano clash. At that hearing, he asked the representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front why they had to kill his men even if when they were already defenseless. On Jan. 25, the government launched a massive law enforcement operation against two notorious international terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, an area considered under the control of the MILF. Some 400 elite lawmen from the PNP’s SAF branch conducted the operation but at 44 were killed and 12 were injured after a support unit was allegedly flanked by armed rebels. — Read More …

Pimentel: PDP-Laban might field Davao Mayor Duterte in 2016 polls

News

Feb 212015

Pimentel: PDP-Laban might field Davao Mayor Duterte in 2016 polls

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) is considering fielding Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as the party’s standard-bearer in the 2016 presidential elections. At a chance interview with reporters during the party’s 33rd anniversary celebration on Saturday, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, PDP-Laban president, said Duterte is one of their top choices for standard bearer. “Dadaan pa po iyon sa proseso pero malakas ang kanyang suporta within the membership of the party,” Pimentel said. “Hindi pa po sa ngayon, but nakikita ko na marami kaming members from Visayas ang Mindanao na halos solid sila na Duterte for president, pero dadaanan pa po iyon sa proseso,” he added. Pimentel, however, stressed that the decision to field Duterte should undergo proper process. “As soon as we can call for a national convention and then the councils of each chapters are properly represented then when there is a formal motion, then we will now process the motion,” he explained. ‘Strong candidate’ Pimentel noted that Duterte has a strong following in Visayas and Mindanao. “I think sa Visayas, may market si Mayor Duterte because he speaks Cebuano, and a little bit of Ilonggo, and coming from Mindanao, mayroon namang natural identification ang Visayas and Mindanao,” he said. “Sa Luzon na lang, and the party, PDP-Laban, is strong in Luzon,” he added. “We have [a] presence in Ilocos, Bicol, and in Region 4, and Metro Manila. Although our members are not named politicians, we have members nationwide.” He added that he is confident that Read More …

After Mamasapano, can Filipinos still rally to the Flag?

News

Feb 212015

After Mamasapano, can Filipinos still rally to the Flag?

China’s leaders in Beijing must be grinning from ear to ear, toasting their champagne glasses and cheering “Gan Bei!” It has been three weeks since a Chinese ship deliberately rammed three boats carrying 29 Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) and there have been no protest demonstrations denouncing China’s unprovoked aggression. The 29 Filipino fishermen reported that they had been out at sea for five days when the huge waves and strong winds of a powerful storm caused them to seek refuge in the shallow waters of the Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal). They described to Philippine authorities that on January 29, 2015 they saw at least 10 Chinese vessels patrolling the shoal with armed personnel. One Chinese ship then steered in their direction straight for their outriggers to force them out of the shoal, which is only 125 miles from Zambales and 550 miles from the nearest Chinese port, well within the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). But all the Philippine government could do for its helpless fishermen was to file a diplomatic protest against China for yet another provocation. In stark contrast, last year when China’s ships rammed Vietnamese fishing vessels that were protesting China’s installation of a $1 billion oil rig within Vietnam’s EEZ, the Vietnamese people erupted with anti-China riots all over Vietnam, forcing China to withdraw its oil rig and its ships in and to repatriate 3,000 Chinese workers back to China. Flexing its muscles China’s January 29 attack on Filipino fishing vessels is another example Read More …

Bangsamoro law ‘rightful answer’ for peace in Mindanao, Sulu solon says

News

Feb 212015

Bangsamoro law ‘rightful answer’ for peace in Mindanao, Sulu solon says

Passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law is the “rightful answer” to conflict in parts of Mindanao, Sulu Rep. Habib Tupay Loong said Saturday. Loong told GMA News Online that he believes the BBL will finally bring lasting peace to the Bangsamoro people of Mindanao. He added that the BBL will benefit everyone including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with the government last year. Deliberations on the BBL, which is meant to create a new political entity with greater powers but that will remain part of the Philippines, were put on hold after a bloody clash between police and Moro rebels last month. Police troopers had been on a mission to serve arrest warrants on two terrorists in the area. “Without the BBL, war will continue and the disadvantage is always on the government side since everyone — including the AFP, PNP and MILF — are all Filipinos,” he said. Loong also said he understood that work on the bill had to be suspended as a sign of respect for the families of the 44 PNP Special Action Force troopers killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in the Jan. 25 firefight. “I think the delay of the deliberation of the BBL is called for so the government can share the same condolences and the sorrow for the families of the Mamasapano clash,” he said. The Malacañang earlier said it was already resigned to the delay of the passage Read More …

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