REMITTANCES from overseas Filipinos should stay resilient despite rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and North Africa, a senior official of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.
Apr 192015
Apr 192015
Gambling has been part of human civilization for thousands of years, and continues to thrive in the vast majority of countries worldwide. Asians are perceived to be among the world’s most avid gamblers, an image supported by the explosive growth of gaming in Macau and other Asian economies over the last 15 years.
Apr 192015
IF YOU think that the shortage of plate numbers is the only problem plaguing the Land Transportation Office (LTO), think again. Apparently, it’s not only the registration process for vehicles that has been hit by a supply chain problem, but also the registration process of drivers itself. More specifically, we’re talking about the driver’s license renewal process which—by many accounts—has been hitting snags, especially in the National Capital Region. According to a source, most LTO branches have now run out of blank driver’s license ID cards. As such, people renewing their licenses find at the end of the registration process that all they get is a flimsy piece of paper that doubles as a provisional license (until the actual plastic ID card can be issued, for which they would have to return to the LTO branch at some future date). We’re told that the problem has become so bad that it sometimes takes up to three months (if you’re lucky) to claim the actual driver’s license ID card. Biz Buzz learned that, a few weeks ago, a relative of President Aquino dutifully went to an LTO branch on his birthday to have his license renewed. At the end of the process (which was relatively efficient… until the ID issuing part), he was told to return in three months for the ID. But here’s the thing, this presidential relative was scheduled to head overseas in a few days. He told the LTO officials at the branch that he needed an actual Read More …
Apr 192015
THE reclamation activities of China in Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, an area within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), has progressed in a few months, latest satellite images showed. MANILA, Philippines – Military officials are concerned that the latest developments in China’s ongoing reclamation in the West Philippine Sea (or South China sea) will have adverse economic and military effects not just in the region.This is so as the Armed Forces of the Philippines is set to make public on Monday (Apr. 20) the most recent images of the reclamation projects in the disputed territory. Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, AFP public affairs office chief, said AFP Chief of Staff Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. himself will present the latest photos of China’s projects in the area. “The chief of staff wants to show the latest images of the Chinese reclamation in the West Philippine Sea. He is concerned about the aggressiveness of China because it has adverse effects economically and militarily,” Cabunoc said on Sunday. It may be recalled that China mainly ignored the Group of Seven’s expression of concern over the ongoing reclamation, even defending it as needed to improve living conditions for people in the area. A concrete runway suitable for military use, built by China, was the cause of concern worldwide. The AFP is set to make public the most recent photos of the reclamation projects on Monday. The photographs will show the progressing reclamation in the disputed area. Cabunoc cited the tension and the Read More …
Apr 182015
A senior US official on Friday met with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario who is set to leave for Washington to get “substantive support” from the United States in the Philippines’ dispute with China in the South China Sea. Scot Marciel, principal deputy assistant secretary at the Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian Pacific Affairs, was in the Philippines on April 16-18 as part of his regular visit to Southeast Asia. In a roundtable with Filipino reporters at the US Embassy in Manila, Marciel said he had a “broad discussion” with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials on Friday on key regional issues, including China’s reclamation work, the rise of tensions in the South China Sea, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and the Philippines. “I reiterated [to the DFA] the concerns that we have made public about certain actions that we think undermine the overall positive environment in the region,” Marciel said, referring to the reclamation by China of contested islands in the South China Sea where it is building airstrips and military facilities. Marciel expressed the hope that all claimant nations in the South China Sea—the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei—would show restraint and refrain from provocative actions. “We exchange ideas on how best to create that pattern of behavior among all the claimant states that will reduce tensions,” Marciel said, admitting that there was “more work to do” in addressing the problem. The Philippines has an arbitration case pending in the Read More …
Apr 182015
President Benigno Aquino III is expected to meet with the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for a discussion of the government’s peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that has been set back by a clash between state forces and rebels last January. OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani will speak with President Aquino and Senate President Franklin Drilon before he leaves the country on Monday, a statement from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) said on Saturday. The statement did not indicate when the meeting would take place. Madani will also meet with top leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and MILF “to strengthen the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum, which was created by the OIC to harmonize the two Moro fronts,” the Opapp said. Madani also made courtesy calls on Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Madani led an eight-man delegation on a four-day visit to the Philippines, a move largely seen as an effort to save the peace process, as lawmakers threaten to block the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, the single piece of legislation needed to establish a Bangsamoro autonomous region in Mindanao and end a decades-long conflict on the island. The new autonomous region would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), created by the peace agreement between the government and the MNLF. Mr. Aquino has described the ARMM as a “failed experiment” after the Read More …
Apr 182015
Commission on Audit building. FILE PHOTO The government lost P626.3 million in projected revenues due to a questionable agreement the Bureau of Immigration (BI) entered into with a private firm to automate alien registration in the country, the Commission on Audit (COA) found. In its audit of the BI for 2013, the COA said amendments to the original build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract between the BI and Datatrail Corp. were “void, inoperative and without legal effect” since they were not sanctioned by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). The changes in the BOT agreement—which was signed in December 2003—were approved by former Immigration Commissioner Marcelo Libanan and Commissioner Roy Almoro in March 2007. “The amendments introduced to the BOT agreement appear (to be) very disadvantageous to BI,” the COA noted. “The amendments, modifications or variations introduced… to the BOT were void, inoperative and without legal effect because of the various violations to Republic Act No. 6957,” it said, referring to the BOT Law. Among the amendments to the contract for the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card project was a modification of the revenue-sharing scheme between the BI and Datatrail, formerly known as J. Serrano Trading Corp. The project was supposed to modernize and hasten the registration of foreign nationals living in the country by introducing a microchip-based ID card. From the original 50-50 sharing in gross revenues, the COA said the BI agreed to a 67-33 sharing scheme in favor of Datatrail. It said Libanan and Almoro also approved a Read More …
Apr 182015
‘THE CLARITY Principle’ By Chatman Sullivan John Wiley & Sons, 2013 When a company is steering toward unclear directions, someone must be bold enough to confront a confused situation and tell the boss to take stock of what’s going on. When top corporate leadership refuses to confront a “neither-here-nor-there” situation as the company sinks to lower levels of market performance, one must muster enough courage to point out the unfortunate impasse. When the boy said the Emperor had “no clothes,” he told the truth others would not dare speak of, fearing the Emperor’s wrath. The book, “The Clarity Principle,” calls it a “powerful leadership moment.” It’s that moment when truth is told against sacrosanct ill thought-out strategies and unchecked practices that push a firm into a sea of red ink. Author Chatham Sullivan, who taught at the Wharton School of Business and the School of Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, calls for “more clarity in communicating the purpose” of the firm. In the book, he mentions the conflict in policy between Steve Jobs and John Sculley, chair and president, respectively, in Apple Inc. The root of the problem is traced by the author to the move of Jobs to split off the Mac division from the rest of the Apple business. “Better to be a pirate,” Job was heard to have said, than join the navy. Jobs wanted “to free Macintosh designers from the bureaucracy of the larger organization.” As conceptualized by Jobs, he would handle Mac, while Read More …
Apr 182015
At the Harana sa Dapit-Hapon last March 11 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the numbers of the Kabayao Family Quartet elicited a prolonged standing ovation. Gilopez Kabayao and his daughters Sicilienne and Farida, played the violin, while his wife Corazon was on the piano. The overflow audience congratulated the “National Artist” and his family, but your columnist corrected them, “Gilopez is not a National Artist… at least not yet.” Gilopez has been honored worldwide for his violin virtuosity and using his and his family’s musical gifts to touch the lives of people. His many recognitions include the Magsaysay Award, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. But paradoxically, he has yet to be named National Artist which he, needless to say, richly deserves. It’s a long-delayed recognition. Listen to what media said: Standing alone on stage, Gilopez Kabayao seemed to hold the large Carnegie Hall audience in the palm of his hand from beginning to end. — New York Times Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Renowned violinist Gilopez Kabayao, his gifted wife Corazon, and their children create a distinctive expression of life. They are a full-blown concerto of art and insight. — The Philippine STAR The Kabayaos must be the most outstanding musical family the Philippines has ever produced. — Manila Bulletin The Kabayao Family’s greatest achievement is in having spread the Word of God through humble presentation of their talents. They gave deeper meaning to the saying, “God above everything else.” — Health Read More …
Apr 182015
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines must come out with a strong and comprehensive national multimodal transport and logistics development plan, if it wants to take full advantage of its economic growth, enhance its position as a transport hub in the region, and position Philippine ports in the global supply chain. According to a policy note released by state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the Philippines cannot afford another fiasco such as the seven-month truck ban in Metro Manila that cost the economy an estimated P43.85 billion. Traffic congestion, mainly in Metro Manila, results in an estimated productivity loss of around P2.4 billion ($54 million) a day or more than P800 billion ($18 billion) a year, according to a World Bank blog. The PIDS recommends a combination of short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions. In the short term, PIDS said that policymakers could introduce caps, revive the freight operation of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) and establish 24-hour web-based booking system to improve the logistics chain. But these have to be carried out together with a more strategic action, PIDS said. The government must invest heavily in capacity building at the ports and the train tracks, as well as rationalize future port development and investment programs in port infrastructure, said the government think-tank. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The recent PIDS report titled “Port Congestion and Underutilization in the Greater Capital Region: Unpacking the Issues” indicates that among the three major ports in the Greater Capital Read More …