ASEAN – Page 5 – Maniolas

Aquino says Sabah standoff must be resolved peacefully

Feb 252013

President Benigno S. Aquino III meeting with local Leaders with Community, Dumangas, Iloilo 02/21/2013 (screenshot courtesy of RTV Malacanang : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxcJnha5moc) President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Thursday that resolving the Sabah standoff through the use of force is not the effective way to deal with the problem. “Pag tinapatan mo ng armas siyempre ang kabilang panig iisa lang ang magiging puwedeng tugon sa mga hamon na yun. So hindi yun ang solusyon,” the President said in an interview in Iloilo on Thursday. “We have been dealing with this. We have been talking to parties concerned including the family of the Sultan to ensure na may peaceful resolution.” Resolving the standoff doesn’t rest entirely on the government’s hands, he said, adding that there has to be cooperation among all other entities to achieve a resolution on the current crisis and later on a long-term solution to the dispute. The President also acknowledged the good relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia, having helped the country in forging a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). “They (the Malaysians) have been very, very friendly to us. And they have been very, very supportive to us. And we have to, as a brother nation in ASEAN, also have to respond.” The government has been studying the Sabah issue and has compiled available data, the President said. One of the information mentioned by the President includes the treaty or agreement that was signed in 1878, which contain so many amendments. It Read More …

MAP raises awareness for ASEAN integration

Economy

Feb 092013

MAP raises awareness for ASEAN integration

MANILA, Philippines – The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) has formed a committee that will help the government and the business community prepare for the opportunities and risks of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration. The MAP has created the ASEAN Integration Committee (AIC) to raise the awareness of the business community sector on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as well as country branding efforts. The AIC headed by Junie del Mundo has a two-fold mandate: to conduct an information drive and consultations with businesses and to push country branding initiatives. The AIC will likewise implement activities under the MAP-ASEAN Business Advisory Council Agreement from this year onwards. The AIC is part of MAP’s Economic Development Cluster, a grouping of other committees on trade and development, working on ways to create an environment conducive to promoting rapid, inclusive, and sustained economic growth. “AIC captures MAP’s commitment to operationalize our thrust to help build the foundation for economic growth through relevant, timely and private sector-focused offerings,” MAP president Melito Salazar, Jr. said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Among the activities planned to help the government and the businesses sector prepare for the ASEAN’s unified market is to conduct a series of fora on the AEC and its impact on the country. The MAP is set to hold its first AEC forum next month. Earlier, Salazar said the group intends to come up with a master plan that would contain strategies on how businesses Read More …

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL SIGNS HEALTH SERVICE PARTNERSHIP WITH ST. VINCENT MEDICAL CENTER FOR THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY

Entertainment

Feb 072013

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL SIGNS HEALTH SERVICE PARTNERSHIP WITH ST. VINCENT MEDICAL CENTER FOR THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY

Consul General Maria Hellen M. Barber-De La Vega (left) and Mr. Jan N. Stein, Vice President and Executive Director, St. Vincent Foundation signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Los Angeles, 05 February 2013. – Consul General Maria Hellen M. Barber-De La Vega signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mr. Jan N. Stein, Vice President and Executive Director of St. Vincent Medical Center (SVMC) Foundation, at a ceremony held this morning at the Conference Room of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. The MOU established a broad framework for cooperation between the two organizations in providing and improving access to health services for Filipino immigrants and expanding its services to the underserved Filipino community. St. Vincent Medical Center has similar partnership agreements with ten Consulates General in Los Angeles, two of which are from ASEAN, namely Philippines and Thailand. The project is an initiative of the ATN Section of the Consulate under Consul Charmaine Serna-Chua. Consul General Maria Hellen M. Barber-De La Vega (left) exchanging the Signed Memorandum of Understanding with Jan N. Stein, Vice President and Executive Director, St. Vincent Foundation.

Good and bad news on rice in 2012

Economy

Feb 042013

A good summary of the rice and palay situation of the country in 2012 is aptly conveyed by our reader, Manuel Bondad, in the following letter he sent recently. Please read on. “Reports that the 2012 palay production reached 18 million metric tons (MMT) is good news. For the first time, the highest ever attained output of 16.8 MMT in 2008 was bested as well. “The milled rice equivalent of the record palay tonnage is sufficient to cope with the country’s annual consumption of 10.9 MMT and a 21-day buffer stock based on the government’s assumed per capita consumption of two sacks and 15 kilos a year. “The feat may allay critics’ unwavering stand that the road to rice self-sufficiency is a dream never to be attained in our lifetime. On this score, the impact of population growth on rice self-sufficiency was not considered by the critics. “A perusal of the Food and Agriculture (FAO) published statistics shows that while the hike in combined population of the four most populated countries outside the Philippines in the ASEAN, i.e., Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, reached 9.8 percent in 2010 from 2001, the country’s growth of 18 percent – the highest – when halved to nine percent could have made the country self-sufficient with consumption correspondingly reduced to 10 MMT against the milled rice equivalent of 11.5 MMT of the 2012 palay output of 18 MMT. “On palay productivity, the Philippine yield per hectare of 3.62 tons, or equivalent to 80 cavans Read More …

BPI income up 27% to P16.3 B

Economy

Feb 012013

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala-owned Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) posted a 27 percent increase in its unaudited net income to P16.3 billion last year from P12.8 billion in 2011. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, BPI said the improved earnings could be attributed to the strong business volume and revenue growth as the Philippines likewise grew at a faster pace compared to other ASEAN economies. Total resources reached P985 billion, or 17 percent higher than the previous year, as the bank’s core businesses remained solid. The bank’s deposits expanded 18 percent to P802 billion while assets grew 11 percent to P743 billion. The net loan portfolio also increased 16 percent to P527 billion as all markets sustained double-digit growth. It said the consumer/middle market/SMEs segment grew 17 percent while the top tier corporates jumped 12 percent. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 BPI president and CEO Aurelio R. Montinola III said they expect to sustain their in loan performance this year. “2012 was a banner year for BPI, as we generated record profits and exceeded our return on equity goal of 16 percent. We will aim for 12 to 15 percent loan growth in 2013,” he said. This year, he said they hope to duplicate the earnings growth of the bank. “Given significant securities trading gains last year and an even lower interest rate regime this year, our challenge for 2013 will be to deliver a meaningful earnings growth after a record 2012 Read More …

Newer Entries