Teachers: Most valued, but underpaid

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
Teachers: Most valued, but underpaid

Starting next week, underpaid and overworked elementary and secondary public school teachers will report back for work as classes in all levels in both public and private schools in the Philippines will start June 1. As usual, the opening day of classes will be marred by teachers and classroom shortages, as well as insufficient number of textbooks intended for students in public schools. Traffic jams are expected to occur during rush hours to the detriment of commuters and workers, particularly in the congested areas of Metro Manila. In far flung or remote areas of the country, schoolchildren will be made to wait in makeshift classrooms for several hours until a teacher will show up for work. Most often than not, no one will show up.  The reason is simple. LOW PAY. It is very sad that the continuing government neglect of the plight of public school teachers have impacted the quality of education in the Philippines. According to Department of Education data, there are more than 600,000 elementary and secondary teachers taking care of their students in more than 60,000 schools all over the country. These teachers are paid a monthly salary of a little more than P19,000 a month, which probably does not ensure a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. Most probably, a public school teacher in a less affluent municipality, especially those teaching in remote barrios, are getting paid much lower than those who have teaching jobs in urban areas. No wonder, some teachers have Read More …

Business groups urge gov’t to implement reforms

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
Business groups urge gov’t to implement reforms

President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo during the Courtesy Call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Thursday (May 21, 2015). Also in photo are Chef de Cabinet Ambassador Tim Yeend and Philippine Permanent Mission to WTO Ambassador Esteban Conejos, Jr.. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Local and foreign business groups are calling on the government to implement key reforms as President Aquino enters his last year in office. The Philippine Business Groups (PBG) and Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC), a coalition composed of 18 local and foreign business groups, sent a letter to the President urging him to enact critical policy reforms aimed at ensuring inclusive growth through job generation, poverty reduction, and global competitiveness. The PBG-JFC said “qualified, credible, and experienced public servants” should be immediately appointed to vacant posts in the Civil Service Commission, Department of Energy, and the Philippine National Police. The coalition also urged the establishment of a public-private Energy Council “composed of credible electricity experts who will formulate and regularly update a detailed energy security and price competitiveness roadmap” as well as a National Privacy Commission. They are also pushing for the release of the implementing rules and regulations of the Data Privacy Act and the Cybercrime Prevention Act The group also highlighted the need for assistance to farmers and fisherfolk and for improved processes in establishing a business. Also among the group’s proposals that government should take action on are the “revision of Read More …

Defense chief Gazmin says govt hoping for ‘very positive verdict’ on EDCA

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
Defense chief Gazmin says govt hoping for ‘very positive verdict’ on EDCA

President Benigno S. Aquino III administers the oath of office to newly-appointed generals and flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the oath-taking of military officers at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday (May 27). (MNS photo) FORT SAN FELIPE, Cavite City (Mabuhay) – Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin said they are hoping for “a very positive verdict” on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), especially in the light of the dispute with China over territories in the West Philippine Sea. In an interview on Monday, Gazmin said, “We are hoping for a very positive verdict on the EDCA. Malaki ang maitutulong ng EDCA in the sense that there will be joint use of facilities and use of equipment by both armed forces.” The bilateral agreement was signed by the Philippines and the United States on April 28 last year. Amid questions over the pact’s constitutionality brought before the Supreme Court, Gazmin earlier said Chinese vessels stopped harassing Filipino ships after the signing. He once claimed that EDCA, which provides for increased US military presence in the country and US access to Philippine military bases, was “a deterrent” against external security threats such as those presented by China. Gazmin also told reporters on Monday that China’s reclamation activities over disputed territories with the Philippines would not have happened if the US forces were still in the country. This was in response to Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe, who said that the return of US military Read More …

12 senators sign Santiago report saying BBL draft is unconstitutional

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
12 senators sign Santiago report saying BBL draft is unconstitutional

Various organizations lead by Nationalist Advocates for Filipino Ideology and Jesus Is Lord Fellowship hold a prayer rally at Luneta on Sunday against the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). The group said the BBL subverts the country’s sovereignty and will create a wedge among Moros, Lumads and Christians in Mindanao. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – At least 12 senators have already signed the committee report drafted by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago stating that the Bangsamoro Basic Law should be substantially revised if it is to withstand legal scrutiny before the Supreme Court. With the signatures of the majority of the 14-member Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, Santiago transmitted the report to the committee on local government, the primary committee contemplating the BBL and chaired by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Those who signed the report were Santiago herself, Marcos, committee vice chairman Aquilino Pimentel III, acting minority leader Vicente Sotto III, and committee members Juan Edgardo Angara, Jinggoy Estrada, Teofisto Guingona III, Gringo Honasan, Lito Lapid, and Cynthia Villar. Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, ex-officio members, also expressed their support for the report. Santiago said Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, another vice chair of the committee, is out of the country and had no chance to review the report. On the other hand, detained Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, also an ex-officio member, did not sign because he has not studied the matter fully, according to his staff. “By affixing their Read More …

DFA: No deadline set on temporary reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
DFA: No deadline set on temporary reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso

Supporters rally outside the Indonesian Embassy in Makati City on Friday appealing for clemency for Filipino Mary Jane Veloso, convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia. Veloso has been moved to an island prison and is awaiting final word on her execution from Indonesian authorities. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Indonesian government did not set a deadline on the temporary reprieve it granted to Mary Jane Veloso to give way to the investigation of her case here in the Philippines, a representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. At the House hearing, Francisco Noel Fernandez III, special assistant to the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Overseas Workers Affairs, said, “There is no definite time set by the Indonesian government on the reprieve.” Before this, Justice Sec. Leila de Lima said she did not know for how long the reprieve was going to stand. She added that they have an internal deadline for the investigation. This will be followed by a trial, whose length they cannot predict. She said because of this, they regularly update her Indonesian counterpart about developments in the investigation. “We submit regular updates… a comprehensive report on the investigation, so that he (Indonesian Justice secretary) knows the Philippines is determined, is serious, and that the request is not just to delay the execution. That it is a much-deserved temporary reprieve,” she said. De Lima, however, pointed out that it is still up to the Indonesian government to determine whether Veloso will be spared from Read More …

DFA: More than 1,000 Pinoys in jail abroad for drug-related cases; 41 on death row

 Entertainment
May 292015
 
DFA: More than 1,000 Pinoys in jail abroad for drug-related cases; 41 on death row

A batch of 37 female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Syria, arrive at 4 p.m. Friday (March 7) via EK 332. OWWA personnel and from Office of the Vice President (center photo) assist the returning OFWs upon their arrival at the Gate 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – A representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said there are 1,288 Filipinos in jail abroad for drug-related cases. At a House hearing, Francisco Noel Fernandez III, special assistant to the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Overseas Workers Affairs, said these include 41 who are on death row. Aside from Mary Jane Veloso, who was granted temporary reprieve from death via firing squad, there are 18 Filipinos facing death sentence in Malaysia, 21 in China, and one in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fernandez added. The 21 Filipinos on death row in China were all granted a two-year reprieve, which will likely turn into a commutation to life sentence if they exhibit good behavior in prison, he also said. (MNS)

FHM wants pregnant Marian to join ‘sexiest’ bash?

 Entertainment
May 282015
 
FHM wants pregnant Marian to join ‘sexiest’ bash?

Marian Rivera (MNS photo) It’s been done before, notably by Hollywood actress Demi Moore, who agreed to pose in the nude even while she was pregnant. But Marian Rivera is not likely to follow suit. The expectant mom said she has already decided not to join year’s FHM party even if she tops the men’s magazine poll of sexiest women. Aside from her condition, Rivera said she is also thinking of her husband, actor Dingdong Dantes. “Actually napag-usapan namin ‘yan ng FHM at saka ng management ko. Naka-receive ako ng letter sa management. Sabi ko huwag na, tama na. Kahit lumalabas sa FHM – kung palarin ulit ako, may bumoto ulit sa akin at maging number one ako, for example – hindi ko kayang rumampa. Mahiya naman ako sa asawa ko, buntis pa ako. So huwag na muna,” Rivera said at a press conference for this year’s PEP List. Rivera and Dantes were hailed the Pepsters’ Choice for Newsmaker of the Year. Rivera admitted that a lot of things have changed after she got married last December. “Iba ang buhay ng may asawa, iba ang buhay ng buntis,” she said. “Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng biyayang ipinagkaloob sa akin ng Panginoon pero ito talaga ang buhay na pinapangarap ko at inaasam-asam ko – ang ikasal at magkaroon ng isang anak at magkaroon ng pamilya. ‘Yun talaga.” “Sabi ko nga, ‘yung showbiz parte ng buhay ko, minahal ko ‘yan. Madami akong nakilala madami akong natutunan. Diyan ko nakilala ang asawa ko. Read More …

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