Odds bleak for reversing veto on SSS pension: Villar

 General
Jan 182016
 
Odds bleak for reversing veto on SSS pension: Villar

COCONUT WEEK. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Food, tours the exhibits during the 29th National Coconut Week and 2nd International Coconut Festival & Trade Fair at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The senator was the guest speaker in the said event organized by the Philippine Coconut Authority. In her keynote address, Villar undercores the importance of supporting the coconut industry especially the micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMES), to be more competitive. She also cites the need to help our farmers who belong to the country’s poorest sector. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Lawmakers are unlikely to succeed in overriding President Aquino’s veto on the P2,000 monthly increase for Social Security System (SSS) pensioners, Senator Cynthia Villar admitted Friday. Villar said that at least 16 senators – two-thirds of the total number of members of the upper chamber – are needed to override the president’s veto. This proves a gargantuan task, Villar said, because senators seldom even reach a quorum of 13 as the election period nears. She said getting two-thirds of the House of Representative, or 217 congressmen, to reverse the veto of the President is even more difficult because many of them are in the provinces. “Dapat naman realistic tayo. Hindi natin ipinapangako iyung something na hirap tayo. Kasi kahit kami’y makakuha ng two-thirds sa Senate, paano ang House, 280 [representatives]. Ang two-thirds noon, mabigat,” she said. The senator emphasized that allies of the President in Congress may hesitate to Read More …

IFRS 16, Leases: Increasing transparency on lease assets and liabilities

 Economy
Jan 172016
 

After more than five years, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has finally issued International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 16, Leases, which is the new standard that will replace International Accounting Standards (IAS) 17, Leases. IFRS 16 was issued to address the criticisms surrounding IAS 17, primarily around the fact that many leases are off balance sheet, thereby making it difficult for users to get an accurate picture of an entity’s lease assets and liabilities; to compare companies that lease assets with those that buy assets; and to estimate the amount of off balance sheet obligations.

Is God Your First Option or Last Option?

 News
Jan 152016
 
Is God Your First Option or Last Option?

Chinkee Tan “GOD, just heal me from this terrible disease, and I will serve you.” “GOD, I have done everything there is to do. You are my last resort. Please help me!” “GOD, please help! I promise that if you do this for me, I will change. I will be a better person.” Have you ever bargained with God? We may not want to admit it, but for most times we only remember God when we are at a “dead end”, when we have no choice. We tend to treat the Lord like a fire extinguisher. We call on Him only in times of emergency, when we are in dire need. When things are okay with us, we don’t even acknowledge His presence. Why is God often the LAST OPTION instead of being the FIRST OPTION? Why should we make Him our FIRST OPTION? HE IS AN ALL-KNOWING GOD There is nothing that God doesn’t know. He knows each and every situation that we are going through, our struggles, our thoughts. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows you from head to toe. He said that even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, He already knows us. So if there is one person who truly knows how to help us, that is God. HE IS A POWERFUL GOD There is nothing that God cannot do. What is impossible for man is always possible with God. Imagine, the very creator of heaven and earth is the very one Read More …

A tale of two of Orange County’s member-driven nonprofits

 Entertainment
Jan 152016
 
A tale of two of Orange County’s member-driven nonprofits

Orange County is the third most populous county in California with its more than three million people. It is the sixth most populous in the United States and the second most densely populated in the U.S., second only to San Francisco. Of the 34 cities comprising the county, four largest cities-  Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Huntington Beach, have populations exceeding 200,000. Of the 34 incorporated cities Anaheim was the first to be incorporated in 1870. Orange County is home of attractions to world-class tourist magnets like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and several beaches along its more than 40 miles coastline. Orange County was at one time in U.S. history “the largest county to have declared bankruptcy in 1994” but has since recovered from the unfavorable image. Orange County is one of the most diverse in terms population with over 50 ethnicities represented in its diversified demographic and serves as a microcosm of California’s increasingly diversifying make up. ABAOC Connects: A panel of experts shares their experiences with the members of the Asian Business Association of Orange County at one of the events sponsored by the organization in Orange County. ABAOC President Tom Nguyen is at the podium moderating the exchange. Asians make up 3 percent of the total population. Of the total Asian population, the Vietnamese at 6.1 percent, Koreans (2.9%), Chinese (2.7%), Filipinos (2.4%) Indians (1.4%), Japanese (1.1%), Cambodians (0.2%), Pakistanis (0.2%), Thais (0.1%), Indonesians (0.1%) and Laotians (0.1%). Orange County has also the largest proportion of Asian Read More …

Heart fuses fashion and art

 Entertainment
Jan 152016
 
Heart fuses fashion and art

Heart Evangelista (MNS photo) Heart Evangelista is really taking art and fashion to the next level. It was in August when the actress and wife of Sen. Chiz Escudero started painting on her Hermes bags and totally aced it. This time, she is on to a new “fashion x art” endeavor where she is collaborating with her close friend, designer Mark Bumgarner in “Mark Bumgarner X Love Marie.” The collaboration will showcase embellished and hand-painted dresses and shoes that Evangelista and Bumgarner have been working on for months now. In a recent presscon, the two let the members of the press have a glimpse of the unfinished dresses that will be auctioned off in a fashion show at Dusit Thani Manila on January 18, which will be for the benefit of Thalassemia Association of the Philippines and Corridor of Hope. Heart has been helping patients suffering from thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder, through her annual gift-giving project “I Heart Thalassemia Kids.” Meanwhile, Heart was able to teach art for the first time to cancer survivors, cancer patients and some members of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City through the cancer support group, Corridor of Hope. The art workshop was called “Heart of a Hero.” The actress has finally found a way to merge her passion for art and fashion with her advocacy to help the sick. Indeed, her name suits her for having a big heart for those in need. (MNS)

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