Villar Group expanding All Day stores

 Economy
Sep 082016
 
Villar Group expanding All Day stores

In an interview during yesterday’s opening ceremony, All Value chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr. said two more branches were expected to open before the end of the year. Plans are underway to build four to five more branches in 2017. STAR/File photo Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines – The Villar Group, through its retail arm All Value Holdings Corp., is investing an additional P1.4 billion to fund the continued expansion of its All Day supermarket chain. The company opened yesterday its third branch, located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. This followed the opening of the first two stores in Vista Mall in Taguig and Starmall Edsa-Shaw. In an interview during yesterday’s opening ceremony, All Value chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr. said two more branches were expected to open before the end of the year. Plans are underway to build four to five more branches in 2017. “Each branch may cost us about P180 million or less,” Villar told reporters. He said the sites of All Day Supermarkets are leased from Vista Malls of sister company Vista Land & Lifescapes, while the inventory is largely consigned by suppliers. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Villar said the fourth branch, located in Vista Mall Bataan would be even bigger. It is targeted for opening this month. The fifth and last outlet to open this year will be in Vista City in Daang Hari. Target date for the opening is December. All five stores will have a total floor area of about Read More …

Quantitative restrictions: NEDA, DA clash on rice imports

 Economy
Sep 082016
 
Quantitative restrictions: NEDA, DA clash on rice imports

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia maintained the government would import more rice to comply with a World Trade Organization agreement to lift barriers on the staple food despite opposition from the Department of Agriculture. PPD/Toto Lozano MANILA, Philippines – Trouble could be brewing between the departments of Agriculture and of Economic Development and Planning over the country’s rice imports. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia maintained the government would import more rice to comply with a World Trade Organization agreement to lift barriers on the staple food despite opposition from the Department of Agriculture. “There are some moves in some sectors to extend again the QR  (quantitative restrictions) on rice but we oppose. The economic ministers are opposing this extension,” Pernia said during the Smart Agriculture Forum yesterday. “We are not going to be prevailed over by other members of the Cabinet,” he added. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, on the other hand, has made public its stand on seeking another extension of the so-called QR by least two more years. “It’s not good to extend it for the fourth time, it doesn’t make us look good that we keep on extending it,” Pernia said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Piñol, however, has been resolute on the issue, insisting that removing the QR will be disastrous to local rice farmers, whom he claims are still not ready to compete with cheap imports. In 2014, the Philippines under former president Benigno Aquino won approval of the WTO to keep Read More …

Batangas-Manila natural gas pipeline project up for review

 Economy
Sep 082016
 
Batangas-Manila natural gas pipeline project up for review

MANILA, Philippines – The Duterte administration is taking a second look on how to implement the long-delayed P10.528-billion Batangas-Manila natural gas pipeline project, a ranking government official said yesterday. The Bat-Man pipeline project is among the six and the only energy-related public-private partnership (PPP) projects up for approval of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board, PPP Center executive director Ferdinand Pecson said in his presentation during The Philippines Energy and Infrastructure Finance Forum 2016 yesterday. Pecson said the project is now being reviewed by the Department of Energy (DOE). “The Bat-Man project is not submitted for the NEDA board meeting this month,” he said. “It is being reviewed whether it will continue in the same form and structure as it is today. The DOE, I suppose with the new administration, is having a second look at this.” During the previous administration, the DOE was eyeing other options to implement the project due to off-taker concerns. In January this year, former socioeconomic secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the DOE had asked for an opportunity to present to the Cabinet-level NEDA board the issues and other options to implement the Bat-Man pipeline. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 When asked whether the Bat-Man project could be approved this year, Pecson said it will be included in the next NEDA board meeting as soon as the DOE completes its review. “That depends on when they would submit it finally for NEDA board approval. it’s still with the DOE,” he Read More …

UN chief asks ASEAN:  Ratify climate change pact

 News
Sep 082016
 
UN chief asks ASEAN:  Ratify climate change pact

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, glances at Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, at the start of 11th East Asia Summit on the last day of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits at the National Convention Center Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) MANILA — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Asean countries, including the Philippines, on Thursday, to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change within the year to help bring it closer to coming into force. Ban was speaking at the UN-Asean Summit held in Vientiane, Laos, where Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. represented the Philippines instead of President Duterte. The UN chief said that among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, only Laos has so far ratified the Paris Agreement, which contained mainly commitments or efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Aside from Laos and the Philippines, other Asean members include Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam. So far,  27 countries — representing about 39 percent of global GHG emissions — have ratified the Paris Agreement. “We need 28 more countries to ratify, accounting for a further 16 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, to bring this agreement into force,” Ban said in his opening remarks. “If nine more Asean countries ratify, we will have just 19 more countries to go, I am counting on your leadership,” he told the attending heads of state and government. Ban said he Read More …

Chinese female pilot lands at Clark in bid to circumnavigate world

 News
Sep 082016
 
Chinese female pilot lands at Clark in bid to circumnavigate world

Flight instructor Julie Wang landed at the Clark International Airport, on Sept. 7, 2016, in Pampanga province, one of her stops as she attempts to fly around the world on her Cirrus Generation Three single-engine aircraft. (Photo contributed by the Clark International Airport Corp.) BAGUIO CITY —  Flight instructor Julie Wang has landed at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga province, one of her stops as she attempts to fly around the world on her Cirrus Generation Three single-engine aircraft. Wang’s plane landed on Wednesday after a 10-hour flight from Guam and flew out at noon on Thursday for China without much fanfare. A resident of Florida in the US, Wang intends to become the first Chinese woman to circumnavigate the world on a single-engine plane. A Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) report said Wang’s journey, which has been promoted by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) in China, would cover 23,000 nautical miles, mostly over oceans. Wang grew up in Dalian, China, but she has been a Florida resident for the past six years.  SFM Latest Villar seeks 4Ps review Duterte sums up debut at Asean summit: ‘Perfect’ ASEAN, China agree to ease military tensions at sea, set up hotline Global stocks higher after stronger China trade, Nasdaq gain Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Obama: US wants to partner with PH in drug crusade, but…

 News
Sep 082016
 
Obama: US wants to partner with PH in drug crusade, but…

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said the American government wants to partner with the Philippines in going after drug traffickers, but noted that a possible partnership should be in consonance with human rights and international law. “As I said in China, we want to partner with the Philippines in the particular issue of narco-traffickers, which is a serious problem in the Philippines, in the United States and around the world. We want to make sure that the partnership we have is consistent with international norms and rule of law,” Obama said in a televised press conference in Laos, the site of this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit. “So we’re not going to back off our position that when we are working with a country, whether it’s about terrorism or going after drug traffickers, it is important from our perspective that we do it the right way,” he added. Obama was responding to a question on Duterte’s expletive-laced remarks against him, which the US President said he did not take personally. Confirming a brief meeting before a gala dinner at the regional summit on Wednesday, Obama said he told Duterte that their teams should to discuss how they can work on a spectrum of issues. “I don’t take these comments personally because it seems this is a phrase he has used repeatedly, including directed to the Pope and others. I think it seems to be just a habit, a way of speaking for him,” Obama said. “I Read More …

Obama shrugs off Duterte’s tirades against him

 News
Sep 082016
 
Obama shrugs off Duterte’s tirades against him

United States President Barack Obama on Thursday (Manila time) shrugged off the tirades launched against him by President Rodrigo Duterte. READ: Duterte, Obama shared handshake, ‘good conversation’—Cayetano “I don’t take these comments personally because it seems the phrase is used repeatedly including [the one] directed at the Pope. It seems to be just a habit,” Obama said in a televised press conference at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Vientiene, Laos. READ: Duterte to Obama:  Don’t lecture me on rights, PH not a US colony Obama said he met briefly with Duterte on Wednesday night. “I did shake hands with President Duterte last night,” Obama said. “It was not a long interaction,” he added. Obama said he is willing to partner with the Philippines on addressing the drug problem in the country. “We wanna partner with the Philippines on [the war against] narco-traffickers,” he said. TVJ/rga Latest Villar seeks 4Ps review Duterte sums up debut at Asean summit: ‘Perfect’ ASEAN, China agree to ease military tensions at sea, set up hotline Global stocks higher after stronger China trade, Nasdaq gain Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Duterte sums up debut at Asean summit: ‘Perfect’

 News
Sep 082016
 
Duterte sums up debut at Asean summit: ‘Perfect’

President Rodrigo Duterte addresses delegates of the Asean Business and Investment Summit, a parallel summit in the ongoing 28th and 29th Asean summits and other related summits on Sept. 6 in Vientiane, Laos. AP VIENTIANE—Perfect. This was how President Rodrigo Duterte described his inaugural attendance as the Philippines’ head of state at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit here, which ended on Thursday. The President answered questions from the media as he was entering the main hall of the National Convention Center for the closing ceremony of the three-day conference. “Perfect,” Mr. Duterte briefly replied about his debut in the regional bloc’s annual conference. “Good,” he said when asked regarding his condition. The 71-year-old Chief Executive failed to attend the Asean leaders’ meeting with the United States and India in the morning. Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said the President was not feeling well. Latest Obama: Arbitral ruling should help clarify South China Sea claims 169 gov’t execs in Cagayan surrender to police, admit drug ties Mapua eliminates EAC in heated affair American traders:  Duterte words, drug slays may harm PH-US ties Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

ASEAN, China agree to ease military tensions at sea, set up hotline

 News
Sep 082016
 
ASEAN, China agree to ease military tensions at sea, set up hotline

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) applaud after posing for a group photo at National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. Leaders from left, Myanmar’s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte, Brunei Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) MANILA — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have agreed to step up measures to stop military tensions in the disputed waters of South China Sea  through the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and a hotline that alerts parties on skirmishes including military incursions particularly of claimants. Both parties supported the creation of a hotline to respond to maritime emergencies in the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The DOC adopted by Asean and China in 2002 commits parties “to exercise restraint and prevent tensions” in the disputed waters. “We remain committed to the full and effective implementation of the DOC in its entirety and working substantively towards the early adoption of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) based on consensus,” said the Asean-China joint communiqué signed on Sept. 7, 2016 during the Asean Summit in Vientiane, Laos. The Asean-China Read More …

American investors concerned over drug killings

 Economy
Sep 082016
 
American investors concerned over drug killings

Protesters stage a “die-in” to dramatize the rising number of extra judicial killings related to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “War on Drugs” Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in front of the Philippine National Police headquarters in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. According to police, nearly 2,000 people, mostly suspected drug-dealers and users, have been killed in drug-related incidents since President Duterte took office June 30, 2016 and prompted Philippine senators to open an inquiry into the killings. AP/Bullit Marquez MANILA, Philippines — American investors expressed concern over the rising number of extrajudicial and vigilante killings amid the new administration’s anti-drug campaign. The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) noted that the drug problem is a serious threat in the country but some investors are questioning whether the drug war reduces the rule of law. “While the country’s economic fundamentals are strong and its potential is high, our members have raised concerns that some American values—which Filipinos have long shared—may be weakening in the current environment,” the AmCham said in a statement on Thursday. The chamber noted that bilateral relations between the US and the Philippines have been strained by recent remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte against US President Barack Obama. “Although statements of regret soon followed, such words and their international policy also create investor concern,” the statement read. The White House canceled the scheduled meeting between Duterte and Obama following the former’s tirade against the American leader which came out as a personal attack. Business ( Article Read More …

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