Gov’t confident ban on Phl carriers lifted this year

 Economy
Apr 242013
 
Gov’t confident ban on Phl carriers lifted this year

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino administration is confident that the ban imposed by the US and Europe preventing local airlines from flying and mounting additional long haul flights would finally be lifted within the year. (Ret) Gen. William Hotchkiss lll, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), told reporters that the government is confident that the results of the audit to be conducted by the US Federal Aviation Authority (US FAA) and the European Union within the next two months would be positive. Hotchkiss said US FAA manager for international programs and policy John Barbagallo is scheduled to conduct a check in visit starting May 2 to validate whether the Philippines has complied with the recommendations made in 2010. He pointed out that the EU Commission directorate general for mobility and transport (DG MOVE) had accepted its invitation for the EU representative on Air Safety to conduct an on-site visit to the Philippines from June 3 to 7. He said the on-site visit would coincide with the meeting of the EU Air Safety Committee on the last week of June in Belgium. “This committee is the one tasked to determine whether a country can be removed from the EU blacklist,” he stressed. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Hotchkiss said the Philippines was informed about the on-site visit during his recent trip to Brussels, Belgium where he met with EU Commission DG MOVE head director Matthew Baldwin last April 16. “Hopefully within the Read More …

Heed election bans, UK advises nationals in PHL as polls near

 News
Apr 242013
 
Heed election bans, UK advises nationals in PHL as polls near

Avoid large crowds and heed the election bans on firearms and liquor as the May 13 elections draw closer. This was the gist of the advice the United Kingdom on Wednesday gave to its nationals in the Philippines. “The Philippine government has put in place enhanced security measures in the lead up to the May 2013 congressional and local government elections. These include a ban on bearing, carrying or transporting firearms or other deadly weapons. The enhanced measures will remain in place until 13 June 2013,” the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in an update to its travel advice for the Philippines. It also noted there will be increased checkpoints run by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. UK nationals were likewise advised there will be a liquor ban in place from May 9 to 13. “Keep up to date with local and international developments, and avoid demonstrations or large gatherings of people,” the FCO advised. The FCO also maintained its advice against all travel to Southwest Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of “ongoing terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups.” The FCO also advised against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao for similar reasons. Some 113,282 British nationals visited the Philippines in 2012, with most visits being trouble-free, the FCO said. — BM, GMA News

Lifting of PH air ban in Europe seen

 News
Apr 182013
 
Lifting of PH air ban in Europe seen

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:10 am | Friday, April 19th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: We are on a very positive curve. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Negotiations for the lifting of Europe’s blanket air ban against Philippine carriers are “on a very positive curve” as the European Union wants the issue resolved soon in hopes of bolstering trade and tourism with the Philippines, according to the EU ambassador here. The resumption of the European flights of Philippine carriers is of mutual interest as it would facilitate greater business and people-to-people exchanges between the EU and the Philippines, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said Thursday. “I think really we are on a very positive curve. I mean the first major achievement was the lifting of the safety concern by Icao (International Civil Aviation Organization) earlier this year,” Ledoux told reporters. “I think what is important is that a very important dialogue has been reestablished,” he said. Two days previously, transport officials from the European Commission met in Brussels with representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific to discuss the remedies that the Philippine side has implemented to bring airline safety measures at par with EU standards. The Philippines passed the Icao’s safety audit in February, ending three years of being listed among the countries deemed of “significant safety concern” by the international aviation regulator. The negative Icao assessment prompted the EU to ban Philippine carriers from flying to Europe in 2010.

HK rejects massacre widow’s plea for protection

 News
Apr 182013
 
HK rejects massacre widow’s plea for protection

By Leila B. Salaverria Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:08 am | Friday, April 19th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has rejected a bid for protection made by Myrna Reblando, widow of one of the journalists slain in the Maguindanao massacre, saying it did not believe she would be tortured should she return to the Philippines. Reblando fled to Hong Kong in 2011 with her daughter, claiming inadequate security to protect her back home. She also criticized the slow grind of justice in the Philippines. Mother and daughter had asked the Hong Kong Immigration Department to allow them to stay in the Special Administrative Region while awaiting the result of their pending application for asylum with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They said they faced torture if they returned to the Philippines. The Hong Kong government is prohibited from returning to their country of origin persons claiming risk of torture and other threats to their lives, according to Danilo Reyes, acting deputy director of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). Facing deportation But with the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s rejection of Reblando’s torture claim, she and her daughter faced deportation to the Philippines, Reyes said. He said Reblando would appeal the ruling. In her torture claim, Reblando detailed several incidents she said highlighted the dangers she and her daughter faced should they return to the Philippines, including certain death after the Ampatuans reportedly offered her P3 million to stop talking about the case or, should she refuse the money, Read More …

Skyline College Students to stage “Pilipino Cultural Night”

 News
Apr 182013
 
Skyline College Students to stage “Pilipino Cultural Night”

INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 5:04 am | Friday, April 19th, 2013 SAN BRUNO, California–Filipino-American students will celebrate Filipino heritage and the Fil-Am experience by staging Skyline College Kababayan Program’s 8th annual Pilipino Cultural Night. This year’s production, “Layunin,” will be performed on Thursday, May 2 and Saturday, May 4, at 7 p.m. in Skyline College’s Main Theatre on 3300 College Drive, San Bruno. Doors will be open one hour before show time. Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN), a student­run event open to the community, celebrates the Filipino­American experience, showcasing traditional dances and music from the Philippines as well as elements of the Filipino American culture. Students of English 104: “Applied English Skills for Cultural Production” wrote, directed, produced and advertised the show. Acted. They sing, dance and serve as stage/technical crew. They were also responsible for prop/set design and the overall stage construction. This year’s action­packed story of love, war and family, “Layunin,” takes place in ancient times, when Palau’an is the land of life. It’s the home of many grand tribes who live in unity and harmony. But peace is then disrupted by a possessed datu from the Palawano tribe and his desire to rule all of Palau’an. When all hope seems lost after many bloody battles and merciless conquest, Agbayani, a young Palawano warrior, testifies and does all he can to bring back the long lost peace to Palau’an, even if he has to clash with his father, the datu. Students in the Kababayan Program and the Filipino Student Union, Read More …

Filipino movies make waves in SF Bay Area theaters

 News
Apr 182013
 
Filipino movies make waves in SF Bay Area theaters

By Alex Drechsler INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 3:49 am | Friday, April 19th, 2013 MILPITAS, California—Filipinos thronged the April 12 opening-day of Star Cinema and Viva Film’s newest movie, “It Takes a Man and a Woman,” starring Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz. On opening day, the romantic film was shown in largest theater, which holds more than 400 seats. By the time previews started, the room was filled to capacity. Huge crowds surrounded the Century 20 Great Mall Theaters in Milpitas, the high demand to see the film resulting in nine showings scheduled per day during its screening course. While it takes a man like John Lloyd (playing Miggy), and a woman like Sarah, to fill up the theaters and create a major buzz in the Fil-Am community, Filipino films have generally gained popularity these past several years. In fact, mainstream theaters have been contacting Filipino companies to screen Tagalog films in their theaters. Currently, some 30 theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area show Filipino movies. To be sure, the massive crowd and line that extended out of the theater in Milpitas consisted mostly of loyal fans of Geronimo and Cruz. But something deeper is also at work. You can take the immigrant out of the Philippines, but not the Filipino from the immigrant. “Through the films brought to America, viewers are able to keep in touch with the actors and actresses, both newly rising and already established,” says Melissa Sokukawa. “We might not all stay updated with the Read More …

How to prevent, prosecute & collect bouncing checks

 Economy
Apr 182013
 
How to prevent, prosecute & collect bouncing checks

MANILA, Philippines – A substantial number of collection cases filed in the office of the prosecutor or court using BP 22 and /or estafa are dismissed due to legal technicalities. You should never be a victim of bouncing checks again if you know the right way to prevent it, prosecute offenders, and collect debts effectively. Many lawyers fail to defend their clients on this effectively because they only learn this subject matter as a two to three hour lecture in law school. To arm yourselves with the full knowledge of the law against bouncing checks, the Center for Global Best Practices is launching a one-day pioneering seminar entitled, “How to Prevent, Prosecute and Collect Bouncing Checks: Best Practices Guide on the Use of BP 22 and Estafa and Other Effective Collection Methods” on May 8 at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, Philippines. In this one-day comprehensive seminar, commercial and criminal law experts will teach you all the relevant regulations governing bouncing checks, how to file a court case properly against the offenders, surefire ways to secure criminal conviction, as well as how to enforce court decisions and recover your money with the right out-of the-box collection strategies. For details call Manila lines: (+632) 556-8968 or 69; telefax (+632) 842-7148 or 59; Cebu lines: (+632-512-3106 or 07; Baguio: (+632) 423-5148. You may also check details and all other upcoming best practices seminars at www.cgbp.org. This special seminar will feature lawyer Marlo B. Campanilla who has authored six criminal law books and Read More …

UN arm forecasts 6.2% Phl growth

 Economy
Apr 182013
 
UN arm forecasts 6.2% Phl growth

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy is expected to grow by 6.2 percent in 2013, driven by strong private consumption, according to a survey released by the United Nations Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) yesterday. In its briefing paper, UNESCAP noted while there could be threats of poor global demand, the Philippines could bank on its aggressive investment programs. “Poor global demand, including a slowdown in major trading partners such as China, could impede (Philippines) economic expansion, however. Speedy growth could materialize if progress on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) gains more momentum, helped by the upgrade of the country’s rating to investment grade status in March,” it said. PPP is a government initiative to boost investment and, at the same time, provide the public with adequate, safe, efficient, reliable,and reasonably-priced infrastructure and development facilities while affording the private sector a level playing field, reasonable returns and appropriate sharing of risks. Early this year, the government approved four big-ticket infrastructure projects under the PPP program totaling more than P80 billion. Fitch Ratings early this month raised the Philippines’ credit rating to investment grade. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 According to the survey, the Philippine government expects to raise infrastructure spending to five percent of GDP (gross domestic product) by 2016 from two percent in 2012. Aside from the slump in its regional partners’ growth, another major concern for the Philippines, UNESCAP noted, is higher job creation in the formal sector which remains Read More …

In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

 News
Apr 182013
 
In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

As the government awaits developments in its case against China in connection with Beijing’s alleged excessive claim over the South China Sea, a fishing town in the province of Zambales has been feeling the brunt of the territorial dispute. According to Mayor Desiree Edora of Masinloc town, the local fishermen’s livelihoods have been “paralyzed” as a result of the continued presence of Chinese ships at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a disputed area. “Actually naga-attempt silang pumunta kaya lang itinataboy sila ng mga Chinese,” Edora said in a recent interview. “Marami na nakapaikot na mga malalaking barko. So itong mga fisherman na ito, ano naman ang kakayahan nila para lumapit nga e nakaharap sa kanila, baril. So ang ginawa nila, umalis na lang sila.” Mario Forones, a local fisherman, said ever since the standoff at the Panatag Shoal a year ago, he and his companions have to do their fishing in small boats to avoid detection by Chinese vessels. “Parang nakaw-nakaw na lang sir ang pagpupunta dun. ‘Yung bangka kong malaki lalayo, tapos yung maliliit na bangka na ganyan, [na] hindi gaanong pansinin, yan ang nangingisda doon,” he said. Edora said they have received complaints that local fishermen were being driven away by Chinese ships stationed at the Panatag Shoal’s lagoon entrance — an allegation that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) denied as early as last year. In May last year, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) declared a fishing ban around Panatag Shoal, located about 124 nautical Read More …

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