Threats to coral reefs continue, says Paje

 News
Aug 242013
 
Threats to coral reefs continue, says Paje

By DJ YapPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:24 pm | Saturday, August 24th, 2013 Graphic on Asia’s Coral Triangle, which contains nearly 30 percent of the world’s reefs and more than 3,000 species of fish. AFP MANILA, Philippines—Environment Secretary Ramon Paje on Saturday said more action was needed to save the reefs of the Coral Triangle, an important marine area encompassing Asia Pacific countries, including the Philippines, in the face of growing threats to their ecosystems from overfishing,  pollution and climate change. While the Philippines has taken steps to protect its reefs and the marine life they host, more effort is necessary to develop sustainable solutions for the threatened reefs in the Coral Triangle, a global hot spot of marine biodiversity, Paje said. “We face a crisis on the continued degradation of our fragile ecosystems and resources that could endanger the survival and quality of life of future generations,” Paje said in a press release. “Investing in coastal and marine protection can certainly help ensure a better future for our children and a better environment for all.” Last week, the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)-Philippines National Coordinating Committee, which is co-chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Agriculture, hosted a CTI Forum in Makati City. The event also saw the launch of the Sustainable Coral Reef Ecosystem Management Program or SCREMP, designed by the Philippine government to more effectively protect and rehabilitate the coral reefs in the region. SCREMP will focus on habitat conservation and protection, as Read More …

No sex-for-flight case, just simple negligence raps

 News
Aug 232013
 
No sex-for-flight case, just simple negligence raps

By Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:05 am | Saturday, August 24th, 2013 Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Not finding any evidence of a sex-for-repatriation racket, the labor official in Riyadh who was the subject of recent complaints from distressed overseas women workers will face charges of “simple negligence” for other work-related matters, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. Baldoz said two other labor officials implicated in the sex-for-repatriation controversy will also face unrelated charges “for apparently not performing their duties well.” Baldoz has approved the filing of administrative charges against Riyadh Labor Attache Adam Musa for gross negligence; Jordan officer in charge Labor Attaché Mario Antonio for grave misconduct; and Riyadh Assistant Labor Attaché Antonio Villafuerte for simple negligence. In a statement, Baldoz said the fact-finding team tasked to look into the controversy has found prima facie evidence against the officials, not for the sex-for-repatriation allegations but for other infractions, including their “failure to do their duties well.” She clarified that the team did not find the involvement of any of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) organic personnel in any “sex-for-fly” or “sex-for-hire” activities. The investigation report said some distressed workers had apparently been recruited into a prostitution ring, but it did not involve their personnel. In addition to the charge of simple negligence against Villafuerte, Baldoz also approved the fact-finding team’s recommendation to refer the complaints for sexual harassment against the Riyadh official to the DOLE Committee on Decorum and Investigation. Nicon Fameronag, DOLE Read More …

US defense secretary to visit Southeast Asia

 Entertainment
Aug 222013
 

MANILA  (Mabuhay) — US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will be visiting nations of the Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, during the last week of August. Hagel will begin his trip in Honolulu where he will meet with US PACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Locklear and visit with United States Marines at Kaneohe Bay. He will then […]

Cloud computing heightens bank competitiveness – BSP

 Economy
Aug 212013
 
Cloud computing heightens bank competitiveness – BSP

MANILA, Philippines – Employing cloud computing would help small banks increase their competitiveness, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. “It’s a cost-effective way for them to be able to store, manage data without having to invest heavily in infrastructure,” BSP Deputy Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. told reporters. “Actually, it’s a solution which upgrades the competitiveness of small institutions,” he continued. The BSP recently approved the issuance of an enhanced Information Technology Risk Management for financial institutions which includes the need for banks and non-bank financial institutions to adopt cloud computing to improve their services. Cloud computing utilizes the Internet to store and share information. Firms can use a private cloud which will be solely for their own use or a public cloud, which the public or a group of companies can use. Firms can also opt to use a mix of both. “I think we’re actually a pioneer in formulating a regulation that allow banks to do cloud computing,” Espenilla said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Regulators in the Philippines and Singapore are the among the first in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to issue specific guidelines for the use of cloud computing for banks and other financial institutions, Espenilla said. The mandate in the Philippines is effective immediately, he said. Aside from the use of cloud computing, the BSP has ordered banks to replace automated teller machine (ATM) cards with EMV-enabled ones by January 2017. Banks were also mandated to change Read More …

Turkish companies seek Phl partners

 Economy
Aug 212013
 
Turkish companies seek Phl partners

MANILA, Philippines – Several Turkish companies have indicated interest to tap local partners for the distribution of their products and for other business opportunities in the Philippines. In an email-message, Turkish Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc. (TCCP) said the companies are set to meet with Philippine firms through a business matching activity on Aug. 27 at the F1 Hotel in Bonifacio Global City. The visiting group is composed of the following firms: Ezinc Metal (solar water heater and storage tanks); Tuna Steel Doors (steel doors, interior doors and special doors); Envai (spices and condiments); Erkut Holdings (construction); Vendeka Group (information and communication technology products and solutions); S&L Fine Foods (importer of food from Europe and Australia); Altus Qualitas Trading Inc. (import and export of goods); JMJ Auction (household appliances and furniture); Erciyes Construction (construction) and Neva Trade (cosmetics and textiles). The event is seen to present opportunities for companies for business; is likewise expected to help enhance the economic ties between the Philippines and Turkey. The TCCP which is organizing the business matching activity, invites firms from Turkey regularly to come to the Philippines to explore opportunities here. The TCCP also arranges business and leisure trips for Philippine companies to Turkey to allow them to see if there are opportunities for them there. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Total trade between the Philippines and Turkey was valued at $171.37 million last year. Philippine merchandise exports to Turkey reached $42.18 million while imports from Turkey Read More …

Ninoy Aquino as a freedom fighter in exile

 News
Aug 212013
 
Ninoy Aquino as a freedom fighter in exile

On August 21, 1983, then-Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., upon his arrival at the Manila International Airport, was shot dead by a lone assailant. He was then coming home from a three-year exile in the United States. One could only imagine what would’ve happened if Aquino — or Ninoy as Filipinos fondly call him — had decided to just stay in the US and fight the Marcos dictatorship from afar. But that was not his style. Dubbed by former Senate President Jovito Salonga as “the greatest president we never had,” Aquino did not let his exile stop him from empowering the country, and, as it turned out, also from becoming the family man his long absence prevented him to become. It all started with his health condition. In March 1980, Aquino, who was incarcerated and on hunger strike to protest his military trial under the martial law, developed chest pain that, upon a brief test at the Philippine Heart Center, turned out to be caused by blocked heart arteries. He had to undergo an emergency triple bypass, otherwise, his attending physician warned, he “may die in six days to six months.” Wary of his situation, Aquino refused offers to have his surgery in local hospitals or to have his doctors see him, as he feared what he might say under anesthesia. Through an offer made by the Deputy Minister of Defense, he wrote a letter to Marcos requesting a flight to America, though bound with two constraints: one, that he Read More …

First batch of OFWs repatriated from Egypt to arrive in PH

 News
Aug 212013
 
First batch of OFWs repatriated from Egypt to arrive in PH

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:44 pm | Wednesday, August 21st, 2013 Egyptian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint during a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the Zamalek district of Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013. The Philippines has ordered the mandatory evacuation of some 6,000 Filipinos from Egypt following a visit to the Arab country by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to investigate the security situation after days of violent clashes. AP PHOTO/MAYA ALLERUZZO MANILA, Philippines – Five Filipinos will comprise the first batch of overseas Filipino workers to be repatriated from Egypt in light of the crisis alert level 4 raised due to the escalating civil strife in that country. “Five Filipinos are to be repatriated to the Philippines in view of the crisis alert level 4 imposed [due to] the current political situation in Egypt,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman assistant secretary Raul Hernandez said Wednesday in a text message. “Three of them came from Cairo, and two from Alexandria. Their flight is scheduled to arrive Aug 21, 4:20 p.m. via [flight] QR646,” Hernandez said. Violence erupted in Cairo after government security forces dispersed a sit-in protest of ousted president Mohammed Morsi’s supporters who have been demanding his reinstatement after being deposed in a military coup last July. Hundreds have been reported killed in the violent dispersal, the latest of a series of clashes between pro-Morsi protesters and government authorities. The DFA issued crisis alert level 4 last Aug 19 after a month-long state of emergency was declared in the Read More …

US defense chief Hagel to visit PHL

 News
Aug 202013
 
US defense chief Hagel to visit PHL

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will visit the Philippines later this month as negotiations on the framework of increased rotational presence of American troops in the Philippines continue between the two countries. In a statement, the Pentagon said that Hagel’s visit will cap the series of stops on the Secretary’s upcoming Southeast Asian trip. Hagel will start in Malaysia from Aug. 24 to 26, followed by Indonesia from Aug. 26 to 27, and Brunei from Aug. 27 to 29 In Brunei, Hagel will “meet with defense counterparts from across the Asia-Pacific region,” said the Pentagon. The US official will meet with defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries on Aug. 28. The next day, Hagel will participate in the Asian Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus meeting. “Secretary Hagel will conclude his trip in Manila on August 29-30 and return to Washington the evening of August 30,” the statement said. The visit of Hagel will come as Philippines and US officials are negotiating the framework of the increased rotational presence of US forces in the country. The talks between the US and the Philippines began last Wednesday in Camp Aguinaldo. According to officials, at least three more rounds may be held before an agreement can be reached. The next round of negotiations will be held in Washington later this month, said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta, who heads the Philippine government’s negotiating panel. — BM, GMA News

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