UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to visit Tacloban City

 News
Dec 162013
 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to visit Tacloban City

UNITED NATIONS – UN leader Ban Ki-moon will go to the typhoon-stricken Philippines city of Tacloban this week to highlight the growing number of weather disasters. “2013 was another year of extreme weather — as we saw most recently with Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). On Thursday, I will depart for Manila and Tacloban for a firsthand assessment of the aftermath,” Ban said Monday as he announced the visit. The UN secretary general is to arrive in Manila on Friday for talks with government leaders and will go to Tacloban on Saturday, UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko said. “He will visit affected communities in Tacloban,” Kaneko said. The UN leader will leave the Philippines on Sunday. The Philippines government says that more than 6,000 people died in the November 8 typhoon — one of the strongest storms ever recorded — which badly hit Tacloban and surrounding regions. Almost 1,800 people are still missing. Ban said that he is organizing a major summit on climate change for September 23 next year, just ahead of the UN General Assembly. — Agence France-Presse

The poor in the U.S. gives ‘till it hurts’

 Entertainment
Dec 132013
 
The poor in the U.S. gives ‘till it hurts’

by Rey Andres GOLGOTHA, JERUSALEM: Pilgrims from the U.S. to the “place of skull in Golgotha, Jerusalem where Jesus’ body was given the rightful pre-burial customary treatment marvel at the slab where the ceremony took place. Christians worldwide will celebrate His birth on December 25 amid the tumultuous state of the world that He offered Himself to save. Super Typhoon Yolanda (aka Haiyan) visited Southern Philippines in November when excitement was building up in anticipation of the Christmas season. Known for their religiosity, the Philippines owns distinction of celebrating the longest season of merry making and commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The November 8 short visit of the strongest howler in history to the impoverished coastline community villages brought untold miseries and destruction that will cost billions to recover from and years to heal the emotional scars brought by thousands of deaths. As quick as the visit was, the world responded with astonishing promptness to alleviate the suffering of millions who were simply unprepared for such a destructive visitor whose wrath deprived them of hope for the future. Emergency response plans were immediately deployed even if the  host county appeared in utter bewilderment on  the magnitude of the devastation not seen before. Typhoon Haiyan brought the world to scramble to help the Philippines as the devastation became apparent. Countries and organizations lined up to offer help. The United Nations agencies in the Philippines, with the help of its humanitarian partners and other responders came to “assess the situation Read More …

ADB mulls increasing loan to Phl for Yolanda reconstruction

 Economy
Dec 132013
 
ADB mulls increasing loan to Phl for Yolanda reconstruction

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.

President Aquino to pursue closer PHL-Japan ties in Tokyo visit

 Entertainment
Dec 122013
 
President Aquino to pursue closer PHL-Japan ties in Tokyo visit

President Benigno S. Aquino III and His Excellency Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, review the honor guards during the Arrival Ceremony at the Malacañan Palace Grounds for his Official Visit to the Republic of the Philippines on Saturday (July 27, 2013). The visit of Prime Minister Abe will further advance the Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Japan. The last time that the prime minister of Japan visited the Philippines was in December 2006 when Prime Minister Abe visited Manila during his first term as the head of the Japanese Government. Japan is one of only two strategic partners of the Philippines. In 2012, Japan was the Philippines’ number one trade partner and provider of official development assistance as well as the second major source of approved investments and third source of tourist arrivals. (MNS photo) TOKYO, Japan (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III will pursue closer ties between the Philippines and Japan during his visit here this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Japan Commemorative summit. President Aquino and the Philippine delegation are to take part in several events aimed at bolstering various aspects of Philippine-Japan friendship. On Friday, the President is scheduled to receive an Honorary doctorate law degree from Sophia University. The President is then expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a bilateral meeting and a working lunch at the Prime Minister’s official residence. He is then to meet with the Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) at the Keidanren Read More …

PMA-Hawaii gears up for mission to Yolanda victims

 News
Dec 122013
 
PMA-Hawaii gears up for mission to Yolanda victims

The Philippine Medical Association of Hawaii (PMAH) is gearing up for a medical and humanitarian mission to the typhoon-devastated Visayan region of the Philippines from December 13-23. A total of 40 volunteers will join the mission, including 20 physicians, medical and physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, medical students and other paramedical personnel. Every volunteer will pay for his or her own travel, lodging, food and other expenses. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO “This is the first mission from Hawaii to help the Typhoon Yolanda survivors,” says mission chair Dr. Sonido, who has been involved in at least 20 missions of mercy over the past 30 years as a volunteer physician. He will be assisted by co-chair Dr. Russell Kelly, who is the current president of the Ohana Medical Missions—the missionary arm of the PMAH. The team will be based in Cebu but plans to go to areas most devastated by the typhoon. Organizers are expecting to serve up to 25,000 Yolanda survivors over a five-day period. Mission volunteers will bring over $500,000 worth of medications and supplies such as EKG machines, stethoscopes, and blood pressure and blood sugar monitors. Most of the items were donated by physicians, pharmaceutical companies, local drug stores and mainland medical companies. Mission co-chair Dr. Kelly says volunteers are anticipating a very challenging mission. “We expect horrible conditions in the Visayas because it is in a state of emergency and people are expecting a lot of help,” he says. “We are planning to deliver aid to as many survivors as Read More …

Xoom announces instant deposit service with BDO

 Economy
Dec 112013
 
Xoom announces instant deposit service with BDO

Money can be deposited instantly into any BDO account, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Xoom Corporation (NASDAQ: XOOM), a leading digital money transfer provider, and BDO, the largest bank in the Philippines, have collaborated to offer instant bank deposit to all BDO accounts. This new service allows Xoom customers to instantly send money directly into a BDO account. “Xoom is committed to providing ‘instant’ in all of our services, and we are pleased to launch instant deposit with the largest bank in the Philippines, BDO.” said Julian King, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development for Xoom. “With our collaboration with BDO, people can rest assured that their loved ones can receive their money without waiting or having to be mindful of cut-off times. Xoom customers can send 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year from their computer, mobile phone or tablet.” In the past, people were mindful of cut-off times, arranging their schedule to get to the bank to deposit their money and not have to wait another full day. Instant deposit means no waiting on the part of either the sender or recipient, making this a fast and convenient service for all Xoom customers. Visit https://www.xoom.com/philippines for more information.

Kerry to tour typhoon-hit Philippines, Vietnam

 News
Dec 092013
 
Kerry to tour typhoon-hit Philippines, Vietnam

US Secretary of State John Kerry is to make his first visit to the Philippines since taking office to see first-hand the damage left by last month’s typhoon, and will also tour Vietnam where he fought during the war. Kerry’s next trip from December 11 to 18 will start on Wednesday, his 70th birthday, when he flies to Israel and Ramallah. But he will then travel to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, before heading to Manila, and the storm-hit city of Tacloban, a US official said Monday. Since becoming the top US diplomat in February, Kerry has dreamed of returning once again to the country where his political activism was forged in the horrors of the Vietnam War. He had also planned to visit the Philippines back in October, but the trip had to be cancelled at the last minute as Tropical Storm Nari bore down on the Southeast Asian nation. “Within the Asia-Pacific rebalance, Southeast Asia holds special importance, and the secretary’s travel to Vietnam and the Philippines demonstrates the enduring US commitment… to the region,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. It will be Kerry’s fourth trip to Asia while in office. In Ho Chi Minh, the city once known as Saigon which fell to the communist North Vietnam forces in April 1975, Kerry will “underscore the growth of our bilateral trade relationship and the empowering role of education.” He would also visit the Mekong Delta to show how “Americans and Vietnamese can work together on critical Read More …

New pact allows information cooperation, exchange between Phl and Myanmar media

 Entertainment
Dec 092013
 
New pact allows information cooperation, exchange between Phl and Myanmar media

His Excellency U Thein Sein, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,is being escorted by Department of Agriculture Sec.Proceso Alcala during the wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Manila on Thursday, the 2nd day of his state visit to the Philippines. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — Media entities in the Philippines and Myanmar can now strengthen their information cooperation following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Malacañan Palace on Thursday. The memorandum of understanding was signed on the second day of Myanmar President Thein Sein’s state visit to the Philippines. Signing it were Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. and Myanmar Deputy Minister for Information Ye Htut. The MOU provides for an exchange of visits of journalists, cooperation between private radio and TV networks, and sharing of best practices in media’s role in national development and the peace process. It covers news exchanges, radio and television broadcasting, film industries, public relations, printing and publishing. (MNS)

UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

 News
Dec 082013
 
UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

CANBERRA, Australia — The United Nations is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon, the UN humanitarian chief said on Monday. Valerie Amos, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said she had expected that aid had been delivered by helicopter to survivors in even the most remote outlying islands following the Nov. 8 disaster. “Although we’ve got significant aid now coming in to the major centers, we still have a little bit of a worry that in a couple of the smaller islands that there may be needs there that we haven’t managed to meet yet,” she said. “I’m still hearing worrying reports in the media — indeed I heard one this morning — where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet, and we’re looking into that,” she said. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through Tacloban and other coastal areas, leaving more than 5,700 dead and more than 1,700 missing throughout the region. About 4 million people were displaced. Amos, in Australia for aid talks with the government, defended the Philippine government against criticisms that it was too slow to deliver aid to victims. She said the Philippines responded to more than 20 typhoons a year and was well prepared for storms. “But the scale and severity of this was something which none of us could have anticipated,” Amos said. —Associated Press

UN probes ‘Yolanda’ aid to Philippines

 News
Dec 082013
 
UN probes ‘Yolanda’ aid to Philippines

Associated Press 9:07 am | Monday, December 9th, 2013 United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos. AP FILE PHOTO CANBERRA, Australia – The United Nations humanitarian chief said she is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon. Valerie Amos, who is in Australia for aid talks with the government, said on Monday that she is still hearing “worrying reports in the media … where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet.” Typhoon”Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan)  and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through coastal areas of the Philippines on Nov. 8, leaving over 5,700 dead. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: aid , Haiyan , Philippines , Typhoon , UN , Valerie Amos , Yolanda Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

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