THE PROPOSAL to amend the country’s rules governing public-private partnership (PPP) deals in infrastructure projects faces rough sailing in Congress with lawmakers unable to assure its passage.
Oct 192015
Oct 192015
A UNIT of the Department of Agriculture (DA) focused on farm credit has given out only a tenth of its total loans to small farmers, which state auditors said defeated the purpose of extending help to the sector.
Oct 192015
As the number of multinational companies continues to rise in the Philippines, the number of expatriate employees is also increasing. This will only multiply as the Philippines prepares for the beginning of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) integration this year.
Oct 192015
Romy Sia at Healthy Options, Glorietta 2: “In the first 10 years of Healthy Options, we were able to create awareness of natural health. It’s all about eating healthy, living well, being fit.” He may wear many hats but businessman Romy Sia is, first and foremost, a good, devoted dad who wants only the best for his children. How it broke his heart when, many years ago, he found out that his son Sean, then a toddler, was allergic to corn. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him and his wife Janet who now have to gingerly sift through every single label of the products they buy in the supermarket to make sure their precious son does not ingest corn or anything with corn as a hidden ingredient. He wanted to help his son (and parents of children with allergies) by keeping him away from products that could harm his health. He looked around and realized there was hardly any health store in Metro Manila back then. So he put up Healthy Options, which is what its name suggests. Fast-forward to 2015: Twenty years later, Romy now runs 25 store branches — and counting — of Healthy Options located nationwide, and it is now the country’s leading all-natural health store. And Sean is now a smart young man in his early 20s. Yes, everything you see in the supermarket, you will probably find at Healthy Options — only healthier options. Starting out with healthy snackfoods like Read More …
Oct 192015
These Kapuso stars love to bring the wacky out of the ordinary and to celebrate simple things in a grand way.
Oct 192015
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe was named the Full-size Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas by the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) during its 23rd Annual Texas Truck Rodeo at the Knibbe Ranch in Spring Branch near San Antonio. “We are delighted to hear that the Texas Auto Writers Association recognized the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe as the top contender in a highly competitive category,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, Corporate and Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “This is a tremendous honor that further confirms Hyundai’s commitment to quality, durability, safety and comfort in this important product category.” This win complements the Santa Fe’s victory as CUV of Texas in 2013 and as Compact CUV of Texas in 2012 for its smaller, 5-passenger sibling Santa Fe Sport. During the 2015 Texas Truck Rodeo, more than 70 TAWA members evaluated some of the industry’s leading trucks, SUVs and crossover utilities. In order to put each vehicle through its paces, the famed Knibbe Ranch in Spring Branch, Texas served as the event’s proving grounds. With driving surfaces including bumpy pavement, loose gravel, slick mud, steep hills, jagged rocks and water crossings, each candidate stayed busy throughout the two days of testing. “The 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe earns our award for the Full-size Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas – it delivers on comfort, functionality and reliability,” said Michael Marrs, president of TAWA. “Once again, Hyundai has exceeded expectations in the segment to receive this award among an outstanding group of competitors.” The Hyundai Santa Read More …
Oct 192015
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. addresses some 200 exceptional students in the Hall of Laureates during the Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa on 15 October 2015. Photo courtesy of Philippine Consul General Generoso Calonge. WASHINGTON, D.C – Exceptional high school students from across the United States and other countries learned about positive developments in the Philippines and its efforts to become climate-resilient, climate-smart, and food-secure. Some 200 high school students are participating in the three-day Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa from 15 to 17 October 2015. Throughout the event, participants present and discuss their findings with international experts and peers, connect with other students from around the world, tour leading industrial and research facilities, and take part in symposium discussions with experts in science and industry. Students are also given the opportunity to meet global leaders. This year, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. addressed the participants on behalf of President Benigno S. Aquino III on the first day of the event. “I would like to commend the World Food Prize Foundation for having a program such as the Global Youth Institute to inspire the next generation to study and work in fields related to global agriculture. By improving agricultural productivity and incomes, promoting fair trade and better nutritional practices at all levels, immediate access to food by those who are most in need can be enhanced,” said Ambassador Cuisia. According to the Read More …
Oct 192015
President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting on the government’s pre-disaster readiness preparation for the impact of Typhoon Lando at the President’s Hall in Malacañang Palace on Friday (October 16). (MNS photo) MANILA, Oct 17 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday said more than 3,000 people have been stranded in seaports in Luzon due to Typhoon Lando. The PCG said that as of 8 a.m., a total of 3,155 people have been stranded in sea ports in Bicol, Southen Tagalog and Northern Luzon. It added that a total of 37 vessels, seven motor bancas and 423 rolling cargos were also stranded. In its 11 a.m. bulletin, weather bureau PAGASA said Lando may spawn up to 14 meters of wave height in open sea. The typhoon is also expected to spawn storm surge of at least two meters in Aurora and nearby provinces.(MNS) President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting on the government’s pre-disaster readiness preparation for the impact of Typhoon Lando at the President’s Hall in Malacañang Palace on Friday (October 16). (MNS photo)
Oct 182015
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago arrives at the Commission on Election headquarters in Manila to file her certificate of candidacy (COC) for president under the People’s Reform Party on Friday. Santiago also announced Sen. Bongbong Marcos would be her running mate for the 2016 elections.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Marcos family doesn’t owe the Filipino people an apology over the the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ imposition of martial law, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said on Friday after she filed her certificate of candidacy to run for president in 2016. Santiago, however, disagreed that the details of what transpired during martial law should already be relegated to the background in favor of addressing the country’s current problems. “I don’t think that on a family basis, the Marcoses as a family owe us an apology. In the first place, it was not the case that President Marcos the father pooled all the Marcoses in one table and they all decided jointly to do certain activities,” Santiago said in a news conference at the Commission on Elections. “That was not the case…. This was all a result not of a familial discussion but a result of policy decisions of the executive department of the government—President Marcos and his advisers,” she added. Santiago is running for president for a third time since 1992 and has chosen Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the sone and namesake of the former strongman, to be her vice presidential candidate. Santiago, however, said she did not agree with remarks attributed Read More …
Oct 182015
Jason Abalos (MNS Photo) Jason Abalos has yet to star in a new project after his much admired series, “Two Wives,” where he was torn between Kaye Abad and Erich Gonzales, whom he both loved and married. But this doesn’t mean that Jason is not busy. He is, he said. “Unti-unting lumalago na ang restaurant business that I put up only early this year with my friend, a Chinese businessman, and his friends. Called the Golden King Buffet, the eatery is located at the Hobbies of Asia, Macapagal Avenue, Pasig City. “We have several best-sellers, including Tamago (egg), Sashimi and Kani salad, which are to-die for,” he added. Jason loves cooking. Sometimes, he and girlfriend Vickie Rushton, former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate, man the kitchen. (MNS)