Irate envoy who berated Filipinos in Canada back in Manila for probe

 News
Apr 302013
 
Irate envoy who berated Filipinos in Canada back in Manila for probe

7:05 pm | Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 Jose Ampeso, the Philippine consul general to Vancouver, as shown in the video posted on YouTube. Screen grab from www.youtube.com MANILA, Philippines — The career diplomat caught on video in an irate mood during a consular outreach in Canada has returned to Manila to face an investigation at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the office’s spokesperson said on Tuesday. Philippine Consul General to Vancouver Jose Ampeso is back in Manila on orders of his home office to air his side on the incident at a consular mission in Alberta, Canada, where Filipinos based there lined up to renew their travel documents. “He is already here. A fact-finding panel is being formed to investigate and determine if there is a case to pursue,” said Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson. Saying foreign service officers should always be professional, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said last week that Ampeso had some explaining to do for his behavior recorded on video and posted on online video-sharing site YouTube. Del Rosario said Ampeso’s behavior appeared “errant” if one viewed the video without hearing his explanation. Canada-based Filipino Proceso Flordeliz Jr. had complained against Ampeso for raising his voice when he offered to donate a dollar to the consulate fund-raising drive during their outreach at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer, Alberta two weeks ago. Then applying to renew his passport, Flordeliz posted his narration on a Filipino online forum and later uploaded a video Read More …

Phinma allots P3.9B for power plant project with Ayala

 Economy
Apr 172013
 
Phinma allots P3.9B for power plant project with Ayala

MANILA, Philippines – Listed holding firm Phinma Corp. is banking on the recovery of its property unit and the absence of losses from its business processing unit to post an income turnaround this year. Phinma is allotting P3.9 billion in capital expenditures this year that will primarily fund the construction of a power generation plant. “Higher income will come from energy, better property business and no more losses from One Animate Ltd.,” Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr., president and vice-chairman of Phinma, told reporters after the company’s annual stockholders meeting. Lower profits from the Phinma Properties, which was hampered by delays in project launches, and losses in the animation unit resulted in Phinma incurring a net loss last year. Phinma said it suffered from a P36-million net loss last year, reversing the P81-million income in 2011. “The company is poised for a recovery based on a larger sales network and a healthy pipeline of over 4,400 condominium units over the next three years,” Del Rosario said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Regina B. Alvarez, senior vice-president for finance of Phinma, said the company will spend P3.9 billion this year, of which P3.6 billion will be for the power project, P79 million for Phinma Properties and P200 million for steel fabricator Union Galvasteel Corp. Unit Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp. is building a 135-megawatt (MW) power plant in partnership with Ayala Corp. It will start commercial operations in 2016. For the hotels business, Del Rosario said Read More …

US Reiterates Commitment to Address Grounding of USS Guardian, Full Cooperation on Independent Probe by PH

 Entertainment
Apr 032013
 

WASHINGTON DC (2 April 2013) – Reiterating Washington’s apology over the grounding of the USS Guardian, Secretary of State John F. Kerry today assured Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario that the United States will cooperate with the Philippines in addressing issues related to the damage caused by the incident on Tubbataha Reef. “Secretary […]

Local smartphone app created for sari-sari store load sellers

 Economy
Mar 012013
 
Local smartphone app created for sari-sari store load sellers

MANILA, Philippines — A new smartphone application was introduced for “sari-sari” stores or mini-stores in the country which sell prepaid cellphone load credits to their customers. Called the SariLoad, the app was developed by Sari Software Solutions, a local company in the Philippines. The company said SariLoad demonstrates a first-of-its-kind smartphone-based loading app for sari-sari stores. A public demo of the app was made recently at the 2013 Globe National Convention which was attended by Globe Telecom’s load distributors and resellers from all over the Philippines. SariLoad is designed to run on Android-based smartphones and comes packed with features that address the needs of sari-sari store owners. The app was first fielded to several sari-sari stores in a closed beta testing for a few months in order for Sari to gain real-world insights and learning. During the SariLoad demo led by Sari’s CEO and founder Ibba Bernardo, user interface designer Philip Cheang, and product research manager Cristina del Rosario, it only took seconds to perform the task compared to the traditional methods which take a few minutes to sell load, thereby saving sari-sari store owners valuable time and allowing them to serve more customers. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The app can also show how much the store is earning at any given time period. Del Rosario highlighted the creation process for the SariLoad app which took into account all the suggestions of the sari-sari store owners who tested the app. Del Rosario reiterated that such Read More …

UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

 News
Feb 132013
 
UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

By Philip Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:07 am | Thursday, February 14th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Thankful for the contribution of overseas Filipino workers in the growth of their business, a major healthcare company from the United Arab Emirates launched on Wednesday a P5-million campaign in Manila to save Filipino children with congenital heart defects (CHD) by funding their surgeries and treatment. DM Healthcare LLC, through its charity foundation, launched the Save the Little Hearts Program, which aims to help 50 Filipino children with CHD have their surgery here or in India for free. Annually, 20,000 children with CHD are born in the Philippines and one of out four of these patients die because they do not get medical treatment. “Why come here in Manila? We want to give back to the people who helped us and to the country where they came from,” Padma Shri Dr. Azad Moopen, the founder of DM Healthcare, said during the launch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati. “This country and its people are very close to our hearts. Twenty percent of our staff is composed of Filipinos and they have given us excellent service for the past five years,” he said. “As an employer of choice to thousands of Filipino staff at DM Healthcare, we wanted to give back to the community that is integral to our growth, success and quality,” Moopen added. Moopen said the campaign would help children with CHD from the poorest families and those who have been in dire need of Read More …

President Aquino receives visiting German Foreign Minister in Malacanang

 Entertainment
Feb 072013
 
President Aquino receives visiting German Foreign Minister in Malacanang

President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with German Federal Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle during the courtesy call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Thursday (February 07, 2013). Dr. Westerwelle’s visit is a very strong signal of the interest of both the Philippines and Germany to further enhance bilateral relations. To date, Germany is the Philippines’ second largest export market in the European Union (EU), and the second largest source of tourists from Europe. Germany is also the 4th largest bilateral donor of official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines. Statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shows that trade between the two countries from January to September 2012 amounted to around US$2.6-billion. In photo are Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and German Federal Ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Dr. Joachim Heidorn. (MNS photo) President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomes to the Palace German Federal Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle who called on at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace on Thursday (February 07, 2013). Dr. Westerwelle’s visit is a very strong signal of the interest of both the Philippines and Germany to further enhance bilateral relations. To date, Germany is the Philippines’ second largest export market in the European Union (EU), and the second largest source of tourists from Europe. Germany is also the 4th largest bilateral donor of official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines. Statistics from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shows that trade between the Read More …

Binay, DFA thank Saudi king

 News
Feb 012013
 
Binay, DFA thank Saudi king

FREEDOM FOR DOOMED PINOYBy Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:53 am | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 Rodelio Celestino Lanuza. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday expressed the Philippine government’s gratitude to Saudi King Abdullah for donating the P24.9-million balance for the “blood money” needed for the release of Filipino death convict Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza. “I’m happy to relate that our compatriot has been saved from the execution. This is because of the kindness of King Abdullah,” Binay, concurrent presidential adviser of OFW affairs, said. In a press conference at the Coconut Palace, the Vice President’s official residence, Binay said the government had been quietly working for the release of Lanuza, who was sentenced to death in 2000 in Damman, Saudi Arabia for killing a Saudi national. Lanuza claimed it was an act of self-defense. The Vice President said the King’s gesture of goodwill “once again affirms the strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Saudi government’s “humanitarian gesture” would pave the way for the issuance of the affidavit of forgiveness (tanazul) in Lanuza’s favor, thus formally saving him from execution. “This positive development is a result of the tireless effort and steadfast commitment of Filipinos working together. We hope that as soon as all legal procedures are completed, Mr. Lanuza will finally be reunited with his family,” Del Rosario said in a statement. Del Rosario did Read More …

PH thanks Saudi Arabia for P25M ‘blood money’ to save doomed OFW

 News
Feb 012013
 

By Fat Reyes INQUIRER.net 7:38 pm | Friday, February 1st, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government on Friday thanked the Saudi government for its decision to shoulder nearly P25 million in blood money for jailed Filipino worker Rodelio Celestino Lanuza, saying the act affirmed the strong ties between the two countries. “On behalf of President Aquino, we would like to express our most sincere thanks to His Excellency King Abdullah for his gesture of kindness. This gesture once again affirms the strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement Friday. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that its government had made a directive for the payment of the balance of 2.3 million Saudi Riyals for handing over to the heirs of the victims of Lanuza, who had admitted to stabbing an Arab out of self-defense in June 2000 and was sentenced in 2002 to death by beheading. In February 2011, the Philippine government and the Saudi Reconciliation Committee in Dammam helped him secure forgiveness from the offended family. The family required a diyya or compensation worth P35 million. The embassy noted that the family had filed an appeal to the Saudi government after paying an initial 700,000 riyals (P7.6 million). In his statement, Binay also apologized for being elusive and not readily answering questions regarding the state of Lanuza’s case for the past years, saying that the cases of Lanuza and other Filipinos’ Read More …

Assad not seeking asylum in PH–DFA

 News
Jan 312013
 
Assad not seeking asylum in PH–DFA

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:26 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday denied a newspaper report that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seeking asylum in the Philippines amid the escalating violence in his country. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario categorically denied the story (not in the Philippine Daily Inquirer) that suggested the matter was  discussed at a meeting on Tuesday between Bouthaina Shabaan, a trusted adviser of the beleaguered Syrian leader, and President Aquino. “There was absolutely no discussion on the matter,” Del Rosario said in a text message. “There is no truth to that report that President Assad is seeking asylum in the Philippines. In other words, the unnamed sources gave the wrong information,” Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, told a press briefing Thursday. He said Shabaan indeed handed a letter to the President but that the two sides did not talk about the possibility of asylum for Assad in the Philippines. ‘Political solutions’ He explained that Shabaan’s visit was part of Syria’s campaign to inform the international community about “political solutions” that the Syrian government is considering to end its the conflict with rebel forces. Hernandez characterized the meeting as a “sharing of information” on Syria’s plans, adding that Shabaan went on to visit other countries after she left the Philippines. “It’s part of their campaign to the international community that this is how they would like to solve their crisis.  Usually, this is what happens when Read More …

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