World Bank OKs $300M loan for PHL project

 Entertainment
Mar 212014
 
World Bank OKs $300M loan for PHL project

President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with World Bank (WB) East Asia and Pacific vice president Axel van Trotsenburg during the Courtesy Call at the Music Room, Malacañan Palace on Friday (July 12, 2013). In photo are International Finance Corporation (IFC) resident representative Jesse Ang, IFC East Asia and the Pacific director Sergio Pimenta, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad. (MNS Photo). MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Over four million Filipino students will have an opportunity to improve their math and reading skills, thanks to the Learning, Equity, and Accountability Program Support Project (LEAPS). The World Bank’s board of executive directors approved a $300 million loan for the LEAPS project, which will provide training for around 36,000 teachers and 12,000 principals and head teachers in five of the country’s poorest regions. “Through LEAPS and with the help of World Bank, DepEd (Department of Education) will be able to advance the basic education agenda of the government. To deliver quality education, we need to empower not only our learners, but also our teachers,” said Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro. “LEAPS will strengthen accountability and incentives for teachers; improve teaching and learning in early grades, especially in reading and math; and address the needs of our disadvantaged learners.” LEAPS will provide support for training Grades 1 to 3 teachers and school principals in reading and math. The project will be implemented in Regions V (Bicol), VIII (Eastern Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), Cordillera Administrative Region, and CARAGA. The project Read More …

PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

 News
Feb 232014
 
PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

The Philippine National Police on Sunday welcomed the arrest of the leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, saying it could delay or even stop the cartels’ expansion to the Philippines. Police Chief Superintendent Theodore Sindac, PNP spokesman, said a vacuum in leadership caused by the arrest of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could lead to a halt in the flow of illegal drugs that Sinaloa has reportedly been bringing to the country. “This will be a major blow to their operation, and that includes here in the Philippines. We welcome this development,” he said. The PNP’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force confirmed the existence of the Sinaloa drug cartel in the country after P400 million in methamphetamine was seized in a raid in Batangas in December 2013. The raid was followed by the arrests of two people linked to Sinaloa in operations in the southern part of Metro Manila.  Sindac said, though, some people may try to keep the Sinaloa drug operation going. Police will be on the lookout for them, but Sindac said authorities are focused on Chinese drug syndicates, which have bigger operations. Guzman was captured in the Mexican resort town of Mazatlan on Saturday by Mexican Navy personnel. — JDS, GMA News

Mat Ranillo willing to return to PHL to help in probe of Estradas

 News
Feb 212014
 
Mat Ranillo willing to return to PHL to help in probe of Estradas

Actor Mat Ranillo III, who has been tagged as having a key role in the pork barrel scam, is willing to return to the country and testify on the plunder case, according to his sister Suzette. In an interview aired on GMA News TV’s Balitanghali, Suzette said: “Mat is willing to come home naman as long as protektado ang safety niya.” Ranillo, who played Christ and San Lorenzo Ruiz in the movies among other lead roles, has been linked to the pork barrel scam for allegedly signing vouchers for the kickbacks supposedly received by Senator Jinggoy Estrada and his mother, former First Lady and Senator Loi Estrada. Ranillo was mentioned again on national TV by whistleblower Ruby Tuason during her testimony on Thursday. Some of the vouchers were submitted in court by Ranillo in his legal dispute against JLN Corporation, a company owned by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. Earlier, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she was told the justice department has received feelers from Ranillo but refused to give other details. “Naririnig ko rin na parang may feelers from Mr. Mat Ranillo so we would welcome that. Let’s see kung ano iyong magiging value ng kanyang testimony if and when he cooperates,” De Lima said. However, the legal counsel for the whistleblowers in the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam is not in favor of making actor Ranillo a state witness, saying it is unlikely that the actor had personal transactions with the senators implicated in the Read More …

PHL remittances hit US$25.1 billion in 2013

 Entertainment
Feb 182014
 
PHL remittances hit US$25.1 billion in 2013

An employee counts U.S. dollar bills before changing it to Philippine Pesos inside a money changer in Manila September 19, 2013. The Philippine central bank said remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have allowed households to save money, boosting the country’s savings rate.(MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) reached US$25.1 billion last year, 7.6 per cent higher than the previous year. The Philippine central bank said Monday remittances in December amounted to US$2.4 billion, up 12.5 per cent compared to December 2012, Xinhua news agency reported. “Remittances in December marks the ninth consecutive month in 2013 that personal remittances breached the US$2 billion level,” the bank said in a statement. Cash remittances channeled through banks grew by 6.4 per cent on year to US$22.8 billion last year, exceeding the central bank’s projection of a 5-per cent hike for the year. Major sources of cash remittances last year were the US, Saudi Arabia, UK, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Canada, and Japan. The central bank said the robust growth of remittances last year was due to the strong demand for skilled Filipino manpower abroad particularly in the Middle East. Preliminary data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed there were 1.8 million OFWs last year. Cash remittances accounted for 8.4 per cent of Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013.(MNS)

PHL thanks world for typhoon aid with billboards, tweets

 Entertainment
Feb 112014
 
PHL thanks world for typhoon aid with billboards, tweets

Electronic billboards lit up with “Thank you” signs at New York’s Times Square (shown above), Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, London’s Piccadilly Circus and five other cities at 2040 GMT Friday, exactly three months after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines. MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Philippines took to social media and bought ad space in the world’s most prominent strips Saturday to thank the global community for its help three months after a devastating typhoon that killed 8,000 people. Electronic billboards lit up simultaneously at New York’s Times Square, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, and London’s Piccadilly Circus early Saturday, at the exact time Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines on November 8, 2013. “The number of lives lost and affected is unprecedented. But ever since then, the world has been one with the Philippines in helping rebuild the nation,” the tourism ministry behind the ad campaign said on its website. “This February 8… exactly three months after the typhoon, we want to be one in expressing our gratitude,” the ministry said on its Twitter account, where it also posted pictures of the billboards. Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit land, smashed across 171 towns and cities in the central islands with a combined land area the size of Portugal, wrecking the homes of more than four million people. The government is still collecting corpses and looking for nearly 2,000 missing people after the deaths of 6,201 victims were confirmed, many Read More …

PHL, New Zealand to launch working holiday scheme

 Entertainment
Feb 062014
 
PHL, New Zealand to launch working holiday scheme

President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomes the non-resident Ambassadors from Different countries during their Presentation of Credentials held at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Monday (June 10) in photo is Department Of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario. (MNS photo) Another significant milestone in Philippines-New Zealand bilateral relations has been reached with the launch of the Working Holiday Scheme (WHS). Effective 05 February 2014, Filipinos and New Zealanders, ages 18 to 30 years, will be able to apply for the WHS visa allowing them the opportunity to stay for one year in New Zealand and the Philippines, respectively, for leisure, holiday or temporary work. WHS participants may enroll in training or study for a maximum period of three months or work for one year with a limit of three months per employer. They will have to leave the country at the end of the temporary 12-month entry visa.  A quota of 100 WHS visas per year will be issued to successful Filipino applicants and the same number to successful New Zealand applicants. The arrangement on the WHS, the first of its kind for the Philippines and one of 34 arrangements with other countries for New Zealand, was signed between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully and witnessed by President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime Minister John Key in Wellington on 23 October 2012. The implementation of the WHS is expected to generate closer people-to-people understanding and goodwill Read More …

NO APOLOGIES: PHL stands firm in diplomatic row with Hong Kong

 Entertainment
Jan 312014
 
NO APOLOGIES: PHL stands firm in diplomatic row with Hong Kong

The Aquino administration described as “unfortunate” Hong Kong’s decision to scrap the visa-free arrangements for visiting Philippine diplomats and officials but reiterated that the Philippines will not apologize for the 2010 Manila hostage crisis that resulted in multiple deaths to Chinese tourists. “At the end of the day, we submit that the act of one individual should not be construed as the act of the entire nation,” President Benigno Aquino has said MANILA (AFP) – The Philippines insisted Thursday it would not apologize for a 2010 hostage crisis in which Hong Kong tourists died, saying its response to the tragedy had been generous and compassionate. The statement came after the Hong Kong government announced on Wednesday it would impose diplomatic sanctions against the Philippines because of its “unacceptable” failure to apologize. “The Philippine Government regrets the Hong Kong SAR Government’s implementation of sanctions against the Philippines,” foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a statement. However he said the Philippines “is not prepared to consider” an apology. Rather, the Philippines would reiterate its “deepest regret and condolences”, while providing more compensation to the survivors and the victims’ relatives. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said on Wednesday that the current visa-free arrangement for visiting Philippine diplomats and officials would be suspended from February 5. They are currently able to stay 14 days without a visa. Leung described the move as the “first phase of sanctions” and said the government may take more action if it thought it could be “effective” Read More …

‘Remarkable’ growth for PHL economy despite disasters

 Entertainment
Jan 312014
 
‘Remarkable’ growth for PHL economy despite disasters

By Mynardo Macaraig President Benigno S. Aquino III leads the ceremonial laying of the San Gabriel Power Plant Project time capsule in Brgy. Sta Rita, Batangas City January 14 that include Batangas Governor-turned actress Vilma Santos, among the many manifestations of continued economic growth in the Philippines. (MNS Photo) MANILA  (AFP) – The Philippine economy was one of the fastest-growing in Asia last year after shrugging off devastating natural disasters and expanding at a “remarkable” pace in the final quarter, the government said Thursday. The economy grew by 6.5 percent in the last three months of the year even as a super typhoon claimed thousands of lives and an earthquake struck popular tourist islands, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters. “This is a remarkable turnout,” Balisacan said, as he emphasised the final quarter expansion was expected to be the fastest in the Asia-Pacific after China, which recorded annual GDP growth of 7.7 percent last year. Growth for all of 2013 was 7.2 percent, the fastest since President Benigno Aquino came to power in 2010 and exceeding the government target of 6.0-7.0 percent. The government said the main drivers of growth were in the manufacturing, trade, real estate and finance sectors, while hailing the performance as further proof of Aquino’s economic stewardship. The Philippines endures relentless natural disasters because it is located along a typhoon belt and the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth’s quakes and volcanic eruptions occur. However the final quarter Read More …

Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

 News
Jan 242014
 
Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

PNoy welcomes Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Friday, January 24. This is the first visit of a Swedish monarch and head of state to the Philippines. Gustaf will visit Yolanda-hit Tacloban City on January 25. Gil Nartea Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf arrived in the Philippines on Friday and will be here until Jan. 26 for boy scouting events and activities. He was welcomed by President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañan on Friday and by Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace afterwards. Gustaf will be the guest of honor at the Invitational Peace Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), which more than 7,000 young scouts are expected to attend Saturday. The event, which will be held in Makiling, Laguna, is meant to mark the Boy Scouts’ centenary year. He will be accompanied by Binay, national president of the BSP.  Binay will also accompany Gustaf to Tacloban on Sunday to check the BSP’s as well as Sweden’s various projects in the typhoon-affected areas. Gustaf, who became a scout at 10, has been a lifelong supporter of the Scouting movement. He accepted the role of honorary chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF) in 1977 and has since been leading the WSF in raising funds to support scouting projects worldwide. WSF supports the Boy Scouts of the Philippines’ “Ticket to Life” project for children living in difficult circumstances The Read More …

PHL tells citizens in Thailand to prepare for possible evacuation

 Entertainment
Jan 232014
 
PHL tells citizens in Thailand to prepare for possible evacuation

A Thai soldier keeps watch while others are at rest inside the Wat Phra Kaew Temple (Emerald Buddha Temple) in Bangkok, Thailand, where at least 20 million tourists visit annually. However, recent protests against the Thai government, which has imposed a 60day State of Emergency. Massive protests aimed at pressuring elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down in favor of an unelected council have disrupted tourism and is shaking up political stability in the country. (Photo: Rhony Laigo) MANILA, Jan 23 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines has called on Filipinos in Thailand to restrict their movements and prepare for possible evacuation amid intensified anti-government demonstrations there. Manila raised Alert Level 2 over Thailand as the 60-day state of emergency was enforced on Wednesday by the Thai government to quell weeks-long protests aimed at pressuring elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down in favor of an unelected council. “Alert Level 2 is issued when there are real threats to the life, security, and property of Filipinos arising from internal disturbance or external threat,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday in a statement. Under Alert Level 2, the DFA said “Filipinos in Bangkok and the surrounding areas are instructed to restrict non-essential movements, avoid public places and prepare for evacuation.” “While there has been an effort to maintain a state of normalcy in the Thai capital, the situation remains fluid and volatile particularly in anti-government protest areas,” it said. Filipinos with essential travel plans to Thailand and those residing Read More …

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