ADB mulls increasing loan to Phl for Yolanda reconstruction

 Economy
Dec 132013
 

MANILA, Philippines  – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is looking at increasing its loan assistance to the Philippines from $500 million to $850 million for the reconstruction of areas affected by typhoon Yolanda.

“We are considering to give additional $350 million by the end of the year,” ADB President Tahehiko Nakao said on Friday.

The multilateral financial institution has earlier given the Philippines a $23-million grant after the typhoon, $3 million of which were given on Nov. 14.

Nakao said the amount, used for the immediate needs of victims, came from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund. The remaining $20 million will come the Japanese government’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

Despite the devastation caused by the strongest typhoon to hit earth this year, the ADB president said it will maintain its 7-percent growth forecast for the Philippines in 2013 and 6.1 percent next year.

“It will be offset by the very strong domestic demand in the country on the whole… there’s several quarters the growth that is higher than expected,” he said.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said regions of Eastern Samar, Panay and Central Visayas which were damaged by the typhoon contribute as much as 12 percent to the country’s overall economic growth. He said the typhoon may negatively affect the fourth quarter economic growth between .3 and .8 percent.

Bohol tourism not quite recovered 6 weeks after deadly quake

 Entertainment
Dec 072013
 
Bohol tourism not quite recovered 6 weeks after deadly quake

Residents walk past a destroyed church belfry in Tubigon, Bohol , a day after an earthquake hit central Philippines October 16, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The 7.2 magnitude earthquake leveled many of Bohol’s old churches, including the HolyTrinityChurch in Loay town. Reuters Six weeks after a deadly magnitude-7.2 quake jarred Central Visayas, tourism in Bohol province has yet to fully recover. And after Typhoon Yolanda swept through the province, snatching more homes and livelihoods, and causing more power outages, it seems like a case of taking one step forward and three steps back. Department of Tourism Central Visayas regional director Rowena Montecillo said there are still trip cancellations by tourists, state-run Philippine Information Agency said. PIA quoted Montecillo as saying there are “trip cancellations of tourists coming to Bohol.” She also appealed to tourists “not to cancel their trips, but only to postpone” them. Still, she said Bohol tourism is “still up.” Indeed, there are still a few tourists who decided to push through with their vacation on Panglao beach, but the current numbers are a far cry from the tourism glory of pre-earthquake days mere weeks ago. The PIA added the DOT disseminates information on which accredited tour facilities are operating after the quake. Bohol and several neighboring areas in Central Visayas were devastated by the magnitude-7.2 quake last Oct. 15. Among the affected tourist attractions were the world-renowned Chocolate Hills and several churches on the waiting list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Livelihoods have been affected Read More …

Landbank loans expand 16% to P280 B in 9 months

 Economy
Nov 252013
 
Landbank loans expand 16% to P280 B in 9 months

MANILA, Philippines – State-run Landbank of the Philippines has reported a 16 percent increase in its loan portfolio to P280 billion in the first nine months of 2013, from P241.9 billion a year earlier. Landbank president and CEO Gilda Pico said most of the loans were granted to priority sectors of the government. Specifically, loans to priority sectors expanded to P221.7 billion, representing 79.2 percent of the bank’s total loan portfolio. The bank’s priority sectors comprise, among others, small farmers and fisherfolks microenterprises and SMEs, agri-aqua related projects of LGUs and GOCCs, socialized to medium cost housing, and utilities.  “The consistent growth in our loan portfolio, particularly our loans to our priority sectors, is solid testament of Landbank’s aggressive support to the government’s thrust towards inclusive growth and our relentless commitment to nurture progress in the rural areas,” Pico said. As of end-September, outstanding loans to small farmers and fisherfolks reached P29.6 billion, 15 percent higher than last year. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 From January to September, loan releases to small farmers and fisherfolks amounted to P29.8 billion. The regions with the highest loan releases to small farmers and fisherfolk are Central Luzon with P6.8 billion, Central Visayas with P4.4 billion, followed by Cagayan Valley, Southern Mindanao, and Northern Mindanao with P3.9 billion, P2.7 billion and P2.6 billion, respectively. Loans to microenterprises and SMEs also grew by a hefty 21 percent from P28.7 billion to P34.6 billion while loans to socialized, low-cost and medium-cost housing Read More …

CBCP: Yolanda, Magnitude-7.2 quake tests of faith

 News
Nov 232013
 
CBCP: Yolanda, Magnitude-7.2 quake tests of faith

The twin calamities that struck the country in the last two months may be considered severe tests of faith for Filipinos, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Saturday. But the CBCP, in a pastoral statement signed by outgoing president and Cebu archbishop Jose Palma, said Filipinos should also learn the lessons from the Oct. 15 magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). “Indeed the twin calamities have tested severely our faith. Yet, even now, we believe we shall emerge from their situations with more awareness of the pattern of nature and hopefully learn its lessons,” Palma said. “By strengthening the systems and institutions that mitigate the effects of these forces of nature, we can avoid the recurrence of the present tragedy,” he added. The statement came on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday. Several were killed when the Oct. 15 quake struck Central Visayas while more than 5,000 were left dead in the wake of Yolanda, which battered Visayas and Southern Luzon. Palma said no words can describe the sorrow that many in Bohol, Cebu, Leyte and Samar have suffered. “The calamities have tested our spirit as a community,” he said. Exercising faith However, he said that with the Year of Faith coming to a close, “we have been called upon to exercise our faith by putting our trust in the Lord and reaching out to help each other.” “Once again we treasure the precious gift of faith. It will Read More …

‘Yolanda’ death toll nears 4,000-mark

 Entertainment
Nov 212013
 
‘Yolanda’ death toll nears 4,000-mark

Residents carry a coffin containing the body of a victim of Typhoon Haiyan during a funeral in Tanauan, Leyte, central Philippines November 14, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday morning the official death toll from supertyphoon “Yolanda” has reached 3,976, while the number of families affected also rose slightly as relief efforts from the government and other sectors continue for the victims. The death toll is broken down by regions as follows: CALABARZON, 2; MIMAROPA, 7; Bicol, 5; Western Visayas, 161; Central Visayas, 74; Eastern Visayas, 3,725; Zamboanga Peninsula, 1; and CARAGA, 1. NDRRMC said that 18,175 persons were injured, broken down as: 2 for CALABARZON, 21 for Bicol, 228, Western Visayas; 102, Central Visayas; 17,821, Eastern Visayas; and 1, Zamboanga Peninsula. Still missing are 1,598 individuals and these can be broken down into 19 for Western Visayas, 5 for Central Visayas, and 1,574 for Eastern Visayas. NDRRMC said a total of 2,212,955 families (10,306,318 persons) were affected in 44 provinces, 574 municipalities, and 57 cities. Of the total number of affected residents, 850,058 families or 4,008,894 persons were left homeless, NDRRMC said, prompting over 74,000 to stay inside evacuation centers. Number of damaged houses also rose to 571,806. The cost of damages breached the P10-billion mark at P10,384,690,061, with P1,295,508,600 for infrastructure facilities and P9,089,181,461 for agriculture. NDRRMC spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido said the province with most damages is Leyte with P1.2 billion in agriculture, P1.6 million Read More …

Palace: P2.3-B quick response funds still available for emergencies

 News
Oct 252013
 
Palace: P2.3-B quick response funds still available for emergencies

After extending assistance to victims of recent calamities including last week’s magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas, the government still has some P2.3 billion in quick response funds for emergencies, Malacañang said Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the standby funds are with the implementing agencies tasked to provide speedy assistance in areas hit by disasters. “Quick response funds are standby allocations that are part of the budget of the departments … for them to provide quick assistance in areas struck by disaster,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. She said a breakdown of the amount includes: – Office of Civil Defense, P554 million– Department of National Defense Office of the Secretary, P326 million– Department of Agriculture, P196 million– Department of Social Welfare and Development, P200 million– Department of Public Works and Highways, P600 million Valte also reassured residents in Bohol, the area hit hardest by the Oct. 15 quake, that the government continues to mobilize funds to help them. “Meron tayong sapat na pondo (We have enough funds),” she said. Also, she thanked the international community for the aid they have sent to the quake victims. “Nagpapasalamat tayo sa ating kaibigan na hindi nag-atubiling tumugon sa panawagan ng United Nations para tumulong sa kababayan natin (We thank our friends who did not hesitate to respond to the call of the United Nations to help our fellow Filipinos),” Valte said. — LBG, GMA News

Australia to give P124-M aid to Visayas quake victims; P20M to Zambo victims

 News
Oct 252013
 
Australia to give P124-M aid to Visayas quake victims; P20M to Zambo victims

The Australian government will be giving up to P124 million in aid to the victims of last week’s earthquake in Central Visayas and around P20 million to the families affected by the crisis in Zamboanga City, its embassy in the Philippines said Friday. In a statement, the Australian Embassy said the financial assistance to the earthquake victims will include P44 million worth of supplies such as family survival kits containing sleeping mats, mosquito nets, and water containers through the Philippine Red Cross, rice through the World Food Programme, and health and dignity kits for women through the UN Population Fund. It said Australia will also provide P40 to provide “critical relief needs” identified in the UN Action Plan such as shelter, water and sanitation, and early recovery activities. Another P40 million, it said, will be given to replenish prepositioned supplies with partners. Aside from this, the embassy said the Australian Government-funded Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF) is also working with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to assess the damage to roads and bridges “The devastation caused by the earthquake, particularly in Bohol, is enormous and staggering. With more than 200 lives lost, 380,000 people displaced, and ongoing aftershocks that aggravate people’s suffering, the extent of assistance required is also massive,” said Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell in the statement. He added that the Australian government has had “a long-standing development partnership” with Bohol province, making the quake’s Read More …

Palace: Quake, disaster preparedness should start at home

 Entertainment
Oct 252013
 
Palace: Quake, disaster preparedness should start at home

Bartolome Bautista, deputy director of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), points to the epicenter of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake which hit central Philippines on Monday Feb. 6, 2012 during a news conference at suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Officials said the quake in central Philippines killed at least five people as it destroyed buildings, triggered landslides that buried dozens of houses, trapping residents and listed 29 more as missing. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – After the deadly magnitude-7.2 quake that devastated Central Visayas, Malacañang on Saturday pushed for quake preparedness measures at the community and family levels. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said families should draw up and review their own measures, saying disaster preparedness starts at home. “We highly encourage everybody to review your family’s disaster preparedness measures. Kung lahat tayo maihanda ang pamilya natin, malaking bagay ‘yan,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. Her call came amid reports that the West Valley Fault Line could move every 200 to 400 years, with the last major movement occurring 200 years ago. So far, she said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been distributing geo-hazard maps to local governments. “Ang pinakamagandang panangga rito, ihanda natin ang ating pamilya,” she said. In the meantime, she urged the public to make sure their homes are structurally sound. She also said government preparedness measures “will be for naught if citizens do not cooperate.” “If we can take care of our families and contribute to the preparedness of Read More …

Govt to launch ‘structural resiliency program’ for public buildings – DPWH

 Entertainment
Oct 222013
 
Govt to launch ‘structural resiliency program’ for public buildings – DPWH

Residents walk past a destroyed church belfry in Tubigon, Bohol , a day after an earthquake hit central Philippines October 16, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) –Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson on Thursday said the government would implement a “structural resiliency program” for all public buildings to keep these functional even after strong earthquakes. “We have what we call ‘structural resiliency program’. Ibig sabihin niyan ay imbes na ire-repair lang namin mga lumang buildings we will retrofit and upgrade them (It means instead of repair, the old building will undergo retrofitting and upgrading,” Singson said after the send off ceremonies for President Benigno Aquino III at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday morning. President Aquino left for a two-day state visit to South Korea. Singson said the government would prioritize the program on government hospitals, public schools, and government buildings. He said they would come up with a template of the standards that should be followed. “Ang ibig sabihin ng programang ito (structural resiliency) we cannot upgrade them unless they are compliant with the new building code para sa ganoon kapag nangyari ang ganito (strong earthquake), sana naman ay hindi na, ay magiging operational pa rin sila. We will make them structurally fit (The program means we cannot upgrade them unless they are compliant with the new building code so if ever a strong earthquake will hit, I hope not. We wikll make them structurally fit) ,” he said. A 7.2 magnitude quake hit Central Visayas on Tuesday, killing Read More …