THE GOVERNMENT remains steadfast in awarding seven more public-private partnerships (PPP) before the next administration takes over, according to the PPP Center, despite the recent postponements in the bidding of such projects.
Mar 222016
Mar 222016
THE ENERGY Regulatory Commission (ERC) has moved to April 30 the effectivity date of a resolution ordering distribution utilities to conduct a competitive selection process (CSP) when sourcing their power supply.
Mar 222016
Chinkee Tan For most, the basis of a person’s success is his wealth. When a person is able to buy a new car, then he is successful. If he lives in a big house, he is successful. If she is able to travel anywhere she wants, then she is successful. Yes, we can assume that they are successful financially because they can afford these things. But is success just all about the money? For me, it is not. What determines TRUE SUCCESS is CHARACTER. How do I attain that? Before anyone can even buy any of those expensive stuff, he or she has to go through a process to reach the goal, which is the fund that is needed. This process includes working hard for it eight hours a day, five to six days per week. So the question is, did you work hard for this or did you just get a loan for the money? If you are in the sales industry, have you reached the position you are in now through the proper means or did you violate a company policy to get the recognition? To get what you want in life, have you stepped on other people’s feet or did you help them while on your way to your goal. Having the RIGHT CHARACTER during the journey to success is crucial. Whenever we work, we shouldn’t just focus on the result, which is the money. Let’s remember that we need to have the right mentality in order Read More …
Mar 222016
Zsa Zsa Padilla (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Zsa Zsa Padilla confirmed that her wedding with her fiancé, popular architect Conrad Onglao, will definitely happen this year. However, she refused to disclose details, saying she actually hasn’t started making concrete plans yet. “Napakasimple lang talaga ng gagawin namin. Ang gusto ko lang talagang present ‘yung mga anak namin pareho. Iyon lang,” she said. Padilla said she wants an intimate ceremony because inviting a lot of people would be too complicated to arrange. “Kasi maraming magtatampo, and ‘yung mga kamag-anak ko, uuwi pa or pupuntahan namin or magmi-meet kami somewhere. Parang masyadong complicated iplano,” she said. When asked if it will happen in Italy, the singer-actress said: “I don’t know where actually. Hindi ko pa alam.” Padilla said she will just surprise everyone when it happens. “Nati-thrill pa ba kayo doon? Sa Instagram, isang post na lang na we did it. Kasi ito pa rin [ang suot ko na singsing hanggang ngayon], engagement ring pa rin,” she said. While there is media interest in her upcoming wedding, Padilla stressed that her focus right now is on “The Story of Us,” which is keeping her busy. Padilla, along with Kim Chiu, Xian Lim and other members of the cast, recently went to New York to shoot some scenes for the primetime series. “I committed to this kasi gusto ko ‘yung mga kasama ko and gusto ko ‘yung binigay na role sa akin. Mabait naman for a change. Kasi parang nagsunud-sunod ‘yung kontrabida Read More …
Mar 222016
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile made a motion to cite in contempt Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Jupiter Branch Manager Maia Santos Deguito for refusing to answer his queries on the $81 Million money laundering incident at the Senate inquiry, Thursday afternoon.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Filipino-Chinese businessman William So Go reportedly wanted a 10-percent kickback from the $81 million laundered from the account of the Bangladesh Bank with the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York to maintain his silence about the transactions. “Deguito is saying otherwise, that Go was asking her for 10 percent of $81 million para pumayag siya or para maayos problema,” Senator Teofisto Guingona III said in an interview in Manila on Monday. Guingona was referring to claims made by Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito during the executive session with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on March 17. Go is the former owner of S&R Membership Shopping (formerly PriceSmart Membership Shopping) and CUL Warehouse Shopping. He is now the sole proprietor of brokerage firm Centurytex Trading which services the importation of international garment labels such as Guess, Vans, Mango, Terranova, and US-based ice cream parlor chain Cold Stone Creamery. Sought for comment, Go’s legal counsel belied the claims. “This is not true. She offered P10 million,” Go’s counsel Atty. Ramon S. Esguerra said in a text message sent to GMA News Online on Monday. “Mr. Go declined as according to him, he is not stupid to legitimize an otherwise Read More …
Mar 222016
Team Galing at Puso presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe greets supporters during an International Women’s Day celebration at Liwasang Bonifacio, Tuesday. Poe thanked her supporters and reacted to her critics after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of her presidential bid in the upcoming elections.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – If there’s anything that could be said about the performance of Senator Grace Poe in the second leg of the presidential debates, it is her “lack of familarity” with the duties of a chief executive, the spokesperson of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) said Monday. In a media briefing, LP spokesperson Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez scored Poe’s supposed confusion over the question of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on what she would do if she was awakened by news that two of the country’s coast guard cutters were attacked. “Sa tingin ko, that was a real reflection on the lack of familiarity niya with the role of a president, what the resources available to the president are and what the priorities are of a president should [the Philippines] be in a crisis,” Gutierrez told reporters. In her answer, Poe talked in length on how she would work to improve the country’s defense capability, even buying surface-to-air missiles, while engaging other countries to stand with the Philippines as regards its rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Pressed what she would do on that night when she’s told of an attack on Philippine coast guard vessels, Poe Read More …
Mar 222016
Vendors create decorative palm fronds, locally known as “Palaspas,” outside the Sto, Domingo Church in Quezon City on Friday. Catholics in the Philippines will commemorate the entry of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which ushers the start of the observance of Holy Week.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Transportation and Communications Secretary Jun Abaya on Monday said flights may be delayed during the Holy Week not only because of the influx of people but also due to problems with airlines as well. “Bagamat marami tayong lumilipad sa ganitong panahon, minsan sa kadahilanan rin ng airlines, kung late ang piloto, poor ang maintenance, then magkakaroon ng delay ‘yun,” Abaya said. Abaya said passengers are entitled to certain benefits when their flights are delayed as stated in the Air Passengers’ Bill of Rights. “Kapag na-delay ka, may mga penalties ‘yan at pribilehiyo na dapat mong matanggap. Kung kanselado [ang flight], dapat libre ang booking at may accommodations,” Abaya said. Under the Air Passengers’ Bill of Rights, terminal delay of three hours after expected time of departure (ETD) gives the passenger the right to avail of refreshments and meal, to have free phone calls and texts, to rebook or refund the ticket, and to be endorsed to another carrier. Terminal delay of six hours after ETD, on the other hand, entitles the passenger to consider cancelling the flight and receive additional compensation. A two-day delay gives a passenger the right to have sufficient food and beverage. “Mahalaga mayroon tayong reminders sa mga Read More …
Mar 222016
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 health of presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago should be her priority amid the rigorous campaign for the upcoming May elections, his running mate said on Friday. Vice presidential candidate and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday expressed hope that Santiago would join him in the campaign soon, however, he said that her health should come first. “We had planned to be together during the campaign. That was always the original plan. But I suppose her health issues have overtaken her and she has just to attend to that. And I think that she would be able to overcome this new obstacle and she will be joining us in the campaign soon enough,” Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of his Unity Caravan in Cebu City. On Thursday, Santiago said that she would skip the second presidential debate in Cebu City on Sunday to undergo a clinical trial for a new anticancer pill. “I am very sorry to miss out on the debates, but it would be a disservice to the country if I forego the opportunity to get rid of my cancer completely and strengthen myself further to serve the Filipino people,” Santiago said in a statement. While Marcos would prefer Read More …
Mar 222016
Fellow Senators Grace Poe Llamanzares and Francisco Escudero recently declared their intent to run for president and vice president, respectively. Escudero, in his announcement, stressed that ideal contenders for public office should only be beholden to the Filipino people. MANILA (Mabuhay) — Vice-presidential race frontrunner Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said it is high time the government seriously address the problem of land-grabbing and stop individuals or groups from illegally and forcibly taking the land of others, including those owned by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “Land-grabbing involving both public and private lands should be stopped and land grabbers should be dealt with accordingly,” said Escudero, who is running as independent under the banner “Gobyernong may Puso” alongside leading presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe. Escudero said he received numerous complaints regarding land grabbing, particularly in Antipolo City, where property owners, mostly OFWs, lost their lands by force, intimidation or misinformation. “Land grabbing seems to be rampant in Antipolo City and yet authorities are not doing anything,” Escudero said, as he lamented that most of the victims are OFWs. “It is unacceptable that the properties bought by OFWs with their hard-earned money accumulated over the years of working abroad, go away just like that,” he said. Escudero, meanwhile, vowed to take back all government-owned lands illegally encroached by land-grabbing syndicates and use them for future socialized housing projects, if he and Poe are elected. “We will retrieve all state lands in adverse possession of land mafias across the country and turn them into Read More …
Mar 222016
RCBC –Jupiter Branch Manager Maia Santos-Deguito takes an oath before testifying during a Senate hearing on the US$81 million money-laundering scandal, at the Philippines Senate on Tuesday. Deguito was summoned to shed light on the Philippines’ biggest anti-money laundering case involving money stolen from the central bank of Bangladesh.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — The camp of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito on Friday accused her bank of covering up the role of some of its officials in an $81-million laundering scandal. Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, legal counsel of Deguito, said RCBC is pinning her client as a “scapegoat” in the transfer of stolen money from a Bangladesh central bank account into four RCBC accounts. Topacio claimed RCBC’s attempt to cover up for some officials is aimed at maintaining the confidence of its investors and avoiding legal repercussions. “Siyempre po, pagtatakpan po ng RCBC ang kanilang mga opisyales sapagkat unang-unang po, concerned sila sa reputasyon ng RCBC. Baka natatakot silang masira ang kumpiyansa ng mga depositor sa RCBC,” he said. “Pangalawa po, magkakaroon ng pananagutang legal sa ilalim Anti-Money Laundering Act ang mga opisyal ng RCBC. Pati RCBC po mismo, baka magkaroon ng pananagutan sa ilalim ng batas po sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas na nagre-regulate ng mga banko.” Topacio added the RCBC has suspended Deguito, hence barring her from securing bank documents which may clear her name. “Suspendido po iyung aking kliyente at bawal po siyang pumasok sa bank. Iyung mga dokumento pong magpapatunay na siya Read More …