MANUFACTURING output grew at its slowest pace in 11 months in February, the government reported yesterday, amid weaker global demand for locally-made products.
Apr 142015
Apr 142015
DAVAO CITY — International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) joint venture partner in the P5.72-billion redevelopment of Hijo Port in Davao del Norte, said modernizing Sasa Port Davao City is expensive at about P17 billion, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of other options in the region, including Hijo.
Apr 142015
THE PHILIPPINE government will honor its contractual obligations to Maynilad Water Services, Inc. with respect to tariff adjustments, but the Department of Finance (DoF) is still awaiting legal advice before its next move, Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said.
Apr 142015
When a steel girder erector being used for the Skyway project near Tramo and Andrews Avenues in Pasay City fell to the ground last month, it hit eight vehicles. Now while it’s noteworthy that the occupants of those cars were miraculously unharmed, it’s also interesting to note that four of those eight vehicles were Toyotas. You don’t have to be a statistician to see that half of the cars involved were Toyotas. And if you want to talk about odds, there’s a high probability that that’s because of Toyota’s stranglehold on the Philippine market—to the tune of almost 45 percent on average month to month for more than a year already. That’s almost half of the local market. Imagine that. Out of 10 cars sold here, almost five of that will be Toyotas. Which means that the 20 or so other Japanese, Korean, American, European, Chinese, and Indian brands competing in our market will be fighting tooth and nail for the other five units. Extrapolate that to 100 units, or 1,000 units, or 10,000 units, or even to 100,000 units, and it’s still Toyota owning almost half that number. The implications are staggering. And now comes news that the largest local car manufacturer in the country achieved its highest sales to date in a single month last March. Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) registered its record-breaking performance of 10,237 units sold. Its previous sales milestone was recorded last October 2014 with 10,163 units sold. Based on the most recent CAMPI report, Read More …
Apr 142015
Smile, you’re on camera: The Murad counter on the first floor of Rustan’s Makati, with a skin specialist manning the Youthcam, which analyzes your skin Photos by Walter Bollozos We all have our issues when we look into the camera. While I’ve been growing increasingly concerned about the fine lines and wrinkles that start to plague every 40-something, like the truth-telling mirror in Snow White, Murad’s Youthcam gave me the real skinny on the state of my skin. It’s like getting a skin consultation for free. At the Murad counter in Rustan’s, you put your chin in a little cup in front of the camera and it takes a snapshot of the side of your face. Hooked up to a laptop, the Youthcam then analyzes your skin in terms of five skin conditions: fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, inflammation, redness and pores. “It will give you a percentage and count of each skin concern, so you’ll know which one is highest,” says Aprille Cabrera of Rustan’s Cosmetics & Toiletries Division, Skin Care Category. “When someone comes for a skin consultation and says they’re really concerned about acne, for example, what the camera and Murad’s skin health specialists do is we address your concerns, but the camera shows you your major concerns in terms of scores of each aspect.” With zero as the perfect score, what the Youthcam showed was that sun damage and discoloration was my primary skin concern at 34.26 percent, followed by fine lines and wrinkles at 28 Read More …
Apr 142015
Ruffa Gutierrez (MNS photo) All is well now between Ruffa Gutierrez and her mom Annabelle Rama despite that the latter still seems to have concerns over the former’s non-showbiz boyfriend, Jordan Mouyal. Apparently, Annabelle got mad upon learning that Ruffa had agreed to do a magazine cover shoot with Jordan without informing her. “’Di talaga kami nagpaalam kasi alam kong ’di siya papayag. Nalaman niya lang sa news. Bilang manager ko alam kong nagalit siya,” Ruffa said. Seemingly half in jest, half out of frustration over the situation, Ruffa said at time of interview that she is planning to dare her mom to set her up with someone whom she feels is right for her. “Parang simula kasi 13 years old ako ayaw na niya (ako magka-boyfriend). Kaya baka pwedeng siya nalang mag set-up sa akin ng (date),” she said, laughing. “Ide-dare ko siya, kung ayaw mo kay Jordan or kung kahit kanino, ikaw nalang magpakilala sa akin.” Told about her mother’s earlier pronouncement that she’s merely worried about Ruffa being made a punching bag, she laughed, “Hindi na mangyayari ’yun kasi magaling na ako sumuntok… baka sila ang maging battered.” Ruffa appreciates Jordan’s effort of standing by her no matter what. “Alam mo maganda kasi may paninindigan siya kahit anong gawin ng kahit sino. Ang importante ipaglalaban ka,” she said. She related how Jordan keeps trying to endear himself to Annabelle, whom Ruffa says remains “dedma.” “Even if my mom ignores him, nagha-hi lang siya. Si mommy naman parang Read More …
Apr 142015
The Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee, chaired by Sen. Koko Pimentel, resumes its inquiry on the alleged overpricing of the 11-storey new Makati City II Parking Building, the 22-storey Makati City Hall Building and related anomalies. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Detained businessman Delfin Lee has linked Vice President Jejomar Binay to a P200-million extortion attempt supposedly in exchange for dropping the P6.6-billion syndicated estafa case against him. In a sworn statement read by his lawyer during a Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probe on Monday, Lee alleged that Vice President Binay’s close associate, Gerry Limlingan, asked P200 million from him so that the Globe Asiatique founder’s estafa case will not proceed. “Ako ay biktima ng panggigipit sa pamumuno ni Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay. Dalawang beses kaming nagkita ni Mr. Gerry Limlingan, na kilalang malapit kay Bise Presidente Binay, sa isang gusali sa Makati, kung saan ako hiningan ng halagang 200 milyong piso para hindi ituloy ang kaso laban sa akin.” Lee also accused Limlingan of asking him to implicate former Vice President Noli de Castro in the Pag-IBIG fund scam. “Hinimok din ako ni Mr. Gerry Limlingan na gumawa ng hindi totoong kwento upang makasuhan si dating Bise Presidente Noli de Castro, ngunit hindi ako pumayag.” The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee earlier summoned to Lee to testify in its probe on alleged anomalies involving Vice President Binay, concurrent chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). Lee, who has blamed Binay for his legal woes, was initially allowed by the Read More …
Apr 142015
In this photo taken Feb. 25, 2014 by surveillance planes and released Thursday, May 15, 2014, by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel, top center, is used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands at South China Sea, Philippines. The Philippines has protested China’s reclamation of land in the disputed reef in the South China Sea that can be used to build an airstrip or an offshore military base in the increasingly volatile region, the country’s top diplomat and other officials said Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The white arrow was added by the source. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has denounced anew China’s massive reclamation works in South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, saying that these reclamation activities have huge effects on security in the Asia Pacific region. In an interview with reporters at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday, Gazmin specifically hit China’s latest dredging activities in the Panganiban Reef also known as Mischief Reef, one of the mineral-rich islands in the disputed Spratlys. “Malaki ang epekto noon sa regional security. Maaapektuhan ang region in terms of freedom of navigation, freedom of the air space,” Gazmin said. “We are worried and we continue to stick to our initial reaction which is to apply the rule of law,” Gazmin added. In a photo released last month by the Washington-based Center for Strategic Read More …
Apr 142015
Sen. Bongbong Marcos, chair of the Committee on Local Government, reviews the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law focusing on the ceasefire mechanisms to be implemented between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senator Teofisto Guingona III defended Monday Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal’s refusal to reveal his real name. During the resumption of the Senate hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, Guingona said the anti-alias laws of the country cannot be applied or will be impossible to apply to the MILF because it is a revolutionary group which is not under the Philippine government. “The concept of use of alias can be only charged against them once they are physically arrested, conceptually they are not under the law dahil rebelde sila at hindi kinikilala ang batas,” he said. “It is not proper to look at this issue on Iqbal having an alias as a legal problem because we cannot look at it using the eyeglasses of the law. It is not a legal issue, it is bigger than legal, it is political,” he added. He further said that the lawmakers should take into consideration the culture in Muslim Mindanao in asking for Iqbal’s real name. “Kailangang kilalanin ang kultura down south. Kung magkasala ka sa isang tao lalo na kung sa honor ng tao, babalikan ka at hindi sa pamamagitan ng pag-file ng kaso sa regional trial court kundi babawian ka. At kung hindi ka mahanap, iyong pamilya mo Read More …
Apr 142015
Sen. Bongbong Marcos, chair of the Committee on Local Government, reviews the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law focusing on the ceasefire mechanisms to be implemented between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal on Monday pleaded with senators to not compel him to reveal his true identity citing security risks to him and his family. Attending the resumption of the Senate hearing on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Iqbal explained the situation behind his using an alias was “complicated.” Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate committee on local government, insisted that Iqbal reveal his true name to no avail. “We use nom de guerre to protect myself, my family, and the struggle. If I was harmed and killed, perhaps I would not be here in this august body,” Iqbal said. Marcos retorted, “It does not inspire confidence in anyone, when you’re sitting across the table and you’re not sure of the identity of the person you’re talking to.” Iqbal said he would reveal his true identity once the BBL, which seeks to create the Bangsamoro political entity, was signed into law. “When the BBL is passed by Congress and hopefully ratified, that will be the time everything will normalize and we will disclose that,” Iqbal said. “But at this point in time, I request the Honorable body not to compel me to reveal my identity,” he added. Iqbal was backed Read More …