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New CDC head assumes post

Roy — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:39:14 +0000

Antonio B. Remollo, former mayor of Dumaguete City, is the new head of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) replacing Benigno Ricafort, Ateneo law school dean Cesar Villanueva assumed post as CDC chairman, replacing Rizalino Navarro.

Ricafort left to Remollo’s charge a Freeport hosting some P77 billion worth of investments of foreign and domestic firms. He also reported that Clark now employs 60,000 personnel, which is a far cry from the average 24,000 Filipinos employed by the Americans before they left the former US Air Force base.

Ricafort started as CDC board member in 1993 until former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed him CDC head in 2008.

Meanwhile, Remollo had been mayor of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental from 1998 to 2001. In an interview, Remollo said he would keep the current vice presidents of the CDC although they would be under probation for six months to one year. He said he would retain those proven efficient and dedicated to their work.

Remollo disclosed that he is eyeing enough area in Clark for the construction of a “new Malacañang” as well as buildings to accommodate national government offices. He did not confirmed though if it was motivated by President Aquino, although there were other sectors, both private and public, who wanted to move the country’s government seat to Clark.

One of the top priorities of Remollo, he said, would be the development of Clark as a major tourism destination. “Tourism here could be developed to the maximum also by hosting sports activities as well as promoting medical tourism. We should have a really attractive theme park here,” he said.

Remollo is eyeing particularly the 300 hectares of land by the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The area include a resort with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an “officers’ club” building with conference rooms, a hotel, and a football field. Said facilities have been noted to be underutilized and deteriorating under the management of the air force.

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Binay’s recommendation on Marcos’ burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani out next month

Roy — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:51:17 +0000

Vice President Jejomar Binay was tasked to make a decision whether or not the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos will be allowed to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The vice president said he hopes to submit by next month recommendation on the proposal to bury the former president at the Philippines’ national heroes’ cemetery.

Binay said he is still collating the opinions of different groups before he submits his opinion on the issue. He said the Office of the Vice-President is still waiting for the official position of the registered political parties, civic groups and people’s organizations.

“We want to take into account the views of all sectors and groups. We want to encourage people participation in decision-making,” Binay said, adding that commentaries published in newspapers have also been taken into considerations.

The vice president said that more than 3,000 Filipinos worldwide have responded to the survey conducted asking respondents their opinions about the proposal to give Marcos a hero’s burial. As of April 15, Binay said his office received 3,115 replies of which 2,139 were sent through text message and 976 were sent through email.

“We are interested in getting the people’s opinion on the issue, not to count how many agreed or disagreed. We do not tally how many voted yes or no. The survey is intended to get the people’s sentiments so we could formulate and give the best recommendation to President Aquino,” he said.

The Vice-President said he hopes to conclude the survey and submit his recommendation to President Aquino next month Some 218 congressmen have already affixed their signatures in support of the resolution, but Binay apparently now has the final say.

Those allowed to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery are the military personnel who died in the line of duty or were honorably discharged from the service, Filipino war veterans, former presidents, dignitaries, statesmen and National Artists. The remains of widows of former Philippine presidents, secretaries of national defense and Armed Forces chiefs of staff are also authorized to be interred in the same plot where their husbands are buried.

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Xoom special offer on the Pacquiao-Mosley fight

Roy — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:54:56 +0000

Xoom.com, a money online transfer company, tied up with DIRECTV to for a special offer to Xoom customers to watch the Manny Pacquiao “Pacman” Pacquiao versus Sugar Shane Mosley fight for free on DIRECTV Pay-Per-View (PPV).

The company is excited to bring this opportunity for the first time. It will be available to new Xoom customers who send money to the Philippines. This promo is valued at $55. “Manny Pacquiao is a world-wide boxing phenomenon and is idolized by many Filipinos. We’re very excited to bring his fight to his biggest fans for free,” said John Kunze, President and CEO of Xoom.com

The mechanics to avail of the free viewing of the Pacquiao-Mosley fight is easy – first time Xoom.com customers just need to send a money transfer of $150 or more to the Philippines between April 20, 2011 to 10:00 p.m. PST May 7, 2011. They can then order the Pacquiao-Mosley fight from DIRECTTV Pay-Per-View by calling 1-800-531-5000 or online at directv.com/boxing. Within two weeks after the fight, eligible customers will receive the $55 Prepaid Reward card from Xoom.com towards the Pay-Per-View fee.

Of course, those who would avail of this promo from Xoom.com must have an active subscription from DIRECTV to qualify. Monthly cable TV and equipments are additional. The promotional offer is available only for the standard-definition “SD” feed of the telecast. Customers who purchase the telecast in high-definition “HD” may still participate in the promotion, but will only receive reimbursement for the SD price ($55), and will need to pay for any price difference.

To get to know more about this exciting offer from Xoom.com, visit xoom.com/manny. The promo is also subject to the terms and conditions of DIRECTV. This offer is subject to change without notice and valid until supplies last.

Xoom.com was founded in 2001 in San Francisco and is backed by leading venture firms Sequoia Capital, New Enterprise Associates and Fidelity Ventures.

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Online Visita Iglesia went down after reaching 58,000 visitors

Roy — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:24:17 +0000

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has recently beefed up its Visita Iglesia Online website to accommodate more visitors and to prevent what happened last year when the site crashed because it received more than 43,000 online visitors. This year, the CBCP said they expected the number of visitors to double.

Unfortunately, in spite of the upgrading done on the website, the Visita Iglesia Online site was reported to have crashed again after reaching more than 58,000 hits. As of 7:00 a.m. on Holy Thursday, the site had already at least 58,337 visitors.

As of Holy Monday, the site had only around 21,000 visitors. The number of visits appeared to peak late on Holy Wednesday when the figure jumped from 40,187 as of 6:35 a.m. to more than 50,000 as 10:000 p.m. on the same day.

It is even expected that the website traffic would even climb further during the so-called “Easter Triduum” or Paschal Triduum. The Easter Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter Sunday. It celebrates the passion and death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The Visita Iglesia Online site which was started last year by CBCP as an experiment was created for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other Filipinos who are not capable of going out of their homes to physically the churches for the traditional Visita Iglesia during Holy Thursday.

This year, it was launched by CBCP on April 1 and features many improvements – additional churches, a YouTube introduction, catecheses on Lent, the Holy Week and Easter, and features like the Pasyon, Seven Last Words and homilies of different priests.

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Shane Mosley tweeted in Filipino

Roy — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:35:04 +0000

Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley will meet each other in a 12-round bout on May 7 for the WBO welterweight championship at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Nevada. So far, the two boxers have been cordial to each and no have ever said any bad thing about the other. Mosley’s promise to know Pacquiao cannot even be considered a diss or trash talk in the sport of boxing.

Now, Mosley is trying a different approach and reaches to the Filipino fans. The black American knockout artist tries to win over some fans from the Philippines by tweeting in Filipino. Mosley, using the Twitter handle @SugarShaneM tweeted “Hindi ko nais maliitin ng isang mandirigmang Filipino ako igalang ang kanilang espiritu.” Loosely translated, the tweet means, “I don’t belittle the Filipino warrior. I respect his spirit.”

Mosley did not stop at that and even sent some love to all Filipinos and tweeted, “Pagpapadala ibig at paggalang sa mga tao ng mga Philippines (Sending love and respect to the people of the Philippines),” and “I tumingin forward sa magandang malinis na laban (I’m looking forward to a good clean fight.)”

Based on the loose construction of the sentences, it could be construed that the boxer is only using Google Translate to translate what he wants to say. Nevertheless, the effort endeared him to Filipino fans who appreciated his efforts and were thrilled to read his tweets in Filipino.

Mosley, the obvious underdog in the upcoming match, tries hard to promote their fight. He has told everyone who were willing to listen that he is no pushover; that he poses a big threat to the dominance of Pacquiao. To those who don’t believe him, the boxer uses his charm and charisma.

His tweets in Filipino made the boxer known to Filipino fans who are happy hear foreigners speak the language. Because of this, they would look forward to the fight and watch Mosley in action against the Pambansang Kamao.

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Willie Revillame condemned for exploiting 6-year old boy

Roy — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:27:39 +0000

Willie Revillame once again finds himself on the hot seat, this time for subjecting a 6-year old boy named Jan-Jan to what others said was public humiliation on his primetime TV5 show Willing Willie. A YouTube video of the kid dancing and gyrating his hips like a macho dancer has gone viral and has been shared on Facebook countless times. The video generated a lot of angry reactions on via social media and from a lot of bloggers as well.

Most of the comments on the video noted the audience who all were laughing together with the show’s host, Revillame, as the boy was dancing, even as tears started rolling down Jan-Jan’s cheeks. Revillame even asked the boy to repeat the dance when he returned to his place near him, where Revillame mimicked him as he danced, giving him P10,000 afterwards.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), compelled by the ordeal that the 6-year old boy went through, condemn Revillame’s action and asked for the censorship of the show. DSDW Dinky Soliman wrote to Manny Pangilinan asking for censure of Revillame and to stop having children on his show. She also sent MTRCB a copy of the letter she sent to Pangilinan.

The latest on the news was Willing Willie show producer, Revillame and TV5 have already issued a public apology on the said segment featuring the 6-year old Jan-Jan, and said that there was never any intention to humiliate or abuse him or any contestant on the show.

The apology continued that “Willing Willie” is a program conceptualized to bring joy and hope and shine the spotlight on ordinary Filipinos. The program aims to provide a venue for everyone to show their talents, tell their stories and make their dreams come true. This is the thrust of everyone involved in the program, particularly its host, Revillame. It ended with the TV station and Wil Productions expressing “profound regret” for any insensitivity on their part, and thanked all those who have expressed concern.

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NSO to conduct survey on businesses establishments

Roy — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:13:56 +0000

A survey of the businesses in the Philippines will be conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) this year. The project called, the Annual Survey of Philippine Business Industry (ASPBI), will start as soon as the NSO personnel have finished with their training for the conduct of ASPBI, according to NSO-Cordillera Regional Director Olivia Gulla. The aim of the survey is to get the statistical data on the activities of business establishments here in Cordillera.

Gulla said they have just finished with their second level of training. Participants for the training were regional and provincial statisticians and statistical census officers. After their training, they will then, in turn, train those who will be involved with the ASPBI survey in their respective provinces.

NSO Statistician III Jean Floirendo said, the ASPBI survey aims to determine regional revenues or income of business establishment in the region. This would help in determining the productivity and value added indicators of the business industries not only here in Cordillera but to all parts of the country.

Floirendo, who was assigned by the NSO central office to conduct the said training, called on all business establishments in the region to support the said survey, and assured respondents to the survey their reply will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

The questionnaires for the said survey will be distributed on April and the collection of data will commence on May. Among the data involved in the survey are the number of establishments, number of employment generated, compensation each establishment pay their employees, the revenue and the cost of operating such business.

Based on the last completed ASPBI survey done on 21,040 business establishments nationwide, which have employed 20 or more workers, they have provided employment to about 2.74 million Filipinos nationwide, which also provided a total revenue to the government of about P6.9 Trillion.

The manufacturing sector also got the most part of the pie with 21.9 percent of the total establishments surveyed, followed by the wholesale and retail sector with 19.5 percent, followed by the hotel/restaurant and education sector, with 14 and 13.6 percent, respectively.

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AirAsia Inc. sets hub of Philippine operations in Clark

Roy — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:29:40 +0000

Clark airport in Angeles City Pampanga beats Subic International Airport in Subic, Zambales in bidding for the right to host the hub operation of AirAsia Inc. in the Philippines. AirAsia, Inc., an affiliate of Malaysia’s AirAsia Group, picked Clark as the base of its operation in the country. It will have its office at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport when it starts operating international flights from the airport in the fourth quarter of 2011.

AirAsia Berhad chairman Tony Fernandez said that their choice of Clark is in line with the airline company’s commitment to developing transportation and tourism hubs outside Manila. Chief executive officer Marianne B. Hontiveros of AirAsia Inc. said, “This is part of our plan to contribute to the development of the country as whole.” She added, “AirAsia Inc. is excited to start contributing to the economy of Clark and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to Filipinos.”

The Clark airport is located north of Manila and is accessible to 23 million people from the National Capital Region, Central and Northern Luzon. Incidentally, it is also where the airline’s sister company, AirAsia Berhad has been flying to and from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu since 2005.

Hontiveros said, “We plan to make Clark the hub for flights to popular destination including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan,” adding that it would make travelling much easier and more affordable for tourists and overseas Filipino workers.

AirAsia Inc. is owned by Hontiveros, Antonio O. Cojuangco Jr. and Michael L. Romero who has total shares of 60 percent, while the 40 percent is owned by AirAsia Berhad. AirAsia Inc. in Clark will become the 13th hub of the AirAsia Group in the region.

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Government urges Filipinos to participate in Earth Hour 2011

Roy — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:57:12 +0000

Earth Hour 2011 will be celebrated again for the fifth straight year and the Philippines is one of the countries who has many participants for this annual exercise. For this year, the Earth Hour will be on March 26, 2011, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

During Earth Hour, those who are participating in this advocacy would be turning off their lights for one hour. For this year though, the Earth Hour organization is advocating its theme, “This Earth Hour: Go Beyond The Hour.”

In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director Maximo O. Dichoso is spearheading the observation of the Earth Hour by asking both government and private offices and establishment to switch off all lights and other non-essential electrical appliances to “relieve Planet Earth and its inhabitants of destructive carbon stress build-up.”

The environment secretary believes that the country will surpass last year’s celebration as the event is seen to be more popular and is getting more support, both from the public and private sectors.

For the past two years, Philippines was said to have recorded the most number of participating towns and cities in this annual global event. Last year, there were some 15 million Filipinos in 1,076 towns and cities voluntarily switching off power for an hour.

But Dichoso stressed that they are not after breaking any record and/or setting a new one. More than the record, he is calling on Filipinos to participate and reduce their carbon footprint by decreasing their electrical consumption for a total 60 minutes, in an effort to cut emissions generated from carbon dioxide and fossil fuel, which substantially contributes to adverse climate change.

Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 which was just then a one-city campaign. Soon the world caught on with the practice and it became an annual campaign for environmental awareness.

The official Earth Hour 2011 campaign video

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Execution of 3 Filipinos in China set on March 30

Roy — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:31:55 +0000

The Philippine government wasn’t able to do much to alleviate the plight of the three Filipinos who were caught for drug smuggling in China. They have been sentenced to death and the date of their execution would on March 30, 2011.

According to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesman Ed Malaya, the Fujian People’s Court and Guangdong High People’s Court informed the Philippine Consulates General in Xiamen and Guangzhou that the death penalty will be carried out on Ramon Credo and Sally Villanueva in Xiamen, and Elizabeth Batain in Shenzhen. They will be executed via lethal injection.

Arrangements are being made now for their families to be able to depart for China and see their loved ones for the last time. President Benigno Aquino III have been apprised of the execution date, his deputy spokesperson said Filipinos would have to respect Chinese law.

The three apprehended for carrying heroin, on different occasions, upon their arrival to China; Credo, 42, was arrested on December 28, 2008 at the Gaoji International Airport in Xiamen for 4,113 grams of the prohibited substance; Villanueva, 32, on December 24, 2008 also in Gaoji Airport for carrying some 4,410 grams; and Batain, 38, at the Shenzhen Airport with 6,800 grams.

Smuggling 50 grams or more of heroin, or equivalent drugs, is punishable with death penalty by lethal injection under Chinese law.

The original execution dates of the three Filipinos were February 20 and 21, but was postponed as a result of the humanitarian visit to Beijing of Vice President Jejomar Binay on February 18. During his visit, Binay expressed the Philippines’ respect for Chinese law and “the verdict of the Supreme People’s Court” on the cases.

Malaya stressed that the Philippine government did everything it can and provided the three Filipinos all possible legal and consular assistance it need. He said the government their legal rights were respected and observed, and that their welfare protected from the time of their arrests and throughout the judicial process, up to this very day.

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SEAIR’s Animated Short Tails contest

Roy — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:32:14 +0000

The South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR), in partnership with the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) is granting Filipinos a chance to win a dream vacation package for two at one of the country’s best year-round destinations, Batanes.

The contest dubbed, “Animated Short Tails,” contest is open to all Filipinos. Registration for the contest is free and forms can be downloaded at www.animahenasyon.com, and competition updates will be posted at the www.facebook.com/flyseair.

And due to insistent public demand, the deadline for the animation contest is extended to September 15, 2011. The awarding will coincide with the 5th Philippine Animation Festival, Animahenasyon, which will be on November 25, 2011.

Executive Director of ACPI Michael Kho Lim said they have been swamped with numerous requests from students and professionals alike to extend the deadline. “We understand that content creation for animation takes time so we decided to accommodate their requests. That way, awarding and celebration can coincide with this year’s Animahenasyon,” he said.

The entries to the animation contest should promote SEAIR and its destinations and at the same time, communicate SEAIR’s positioning as the Philippines’ premier leisure airline. The entries can in cel animation, line drawing, stop motion objects or animated objects, stop motion puppets, stop motion clay or claymation, sand on glass, paint on glass, cut-outs, pixilation, 2d computer or flash animation, 3D computer, or a combination of the above forms. The video entry should have a total duration of 30 seconds.

There are two categories for the contest – the professional and the student category. For the “Animated Short Tails” contest, submission of entries and other inquiries, interested parties my contact the ACPI at 817-2727 local 108 or email them at animahenasyon@gmail.com. Be sure to also check the updates in SEAIR’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/flyseair.

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Two Filipinos reported casualties in Japan

Roy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:07:06 +0000

In the latest report from the aftermath of the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last March 11, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that two Filipinos were confirmed dead. However, the names of the victims, a woman and her child, was not yet released by the DFA.

In its press conference in Tokyo, Japan, DFA officials said the Philippine government will need more than P3 billion to evacuate around 300,000 Filipinos there. “That’s probably more than the budget of the department,” Jose Brillantes, DFA Undersecretary said.

The DFA official said they will only implement forced evacuation once the situation reaches alert level 3. The Philippine Embassy in Japan said it still has enough funds to meet the evacuees’ current needs.

Filipinos were rescued from Fukushima and Miyagi by the DFA and embassy official and brought to shelters. There were 15 people who were rescued in Fukushima out of the 60 who said they wanted help. In Iwaki though, none appeared in the designated pick-up point. In Sendai, 27 Filipinos were rescued. A total of 143 Filipinos were rescued and brought to two evacuation centers .

The evacuees, particularly those from Fukushima, underwent radiation tests, according to Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez. Although some were tested positive, they were just for minimal radiation and is not really dangerous. “None of them showed any significant radiation levels. We’re not too concerned about that,” said Lopez, as he allayed fears that radiation will reach Philippines.

The Japanese government already released advisory to the people to country to avoid drinking milk and eating spinach from Fukushima. It also refrains people from drinking tap water because of radiation concerns.

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Foreign business chamber opposed BIR plan to disclose top tax payers’ names

Roy — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:12:30 +0000

The plan of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) of naming the top taxpayers in the country makes foreign business leaders worried that it could threaten people’s safety and privacy. The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) is urging the BIR to nix the said plan.

JFC said that publishing the names of the top taxpayers may also be in violation of the Tax Code which prohibits the revenue agency from divulging information “regarding the business, income or estate of any taxpayer.”

The JFC said to BIR Commissioner Joel L. Tan-Torres in a letter dated May 5, “We express deep concern over the personal safety and security issues that it can cause to the numerous individuals who will be included in the list.”

It continued, “As it is, security and safety are major concerns of many expatriates working in the Philippines. The disclosure of their otherwise private tax information will unnecessarily put the said individuals at risk and make them target of criminal activities. This holds true even for the many Filipinos who will be included in the said list.”

The JFC is opposing the listing of the value of tax payment alongside the tax payer’s names, saying it would allow people to compute tax payers’ salaries and could violate non-disclosure agreements companies broker to “safeguard delicate relations between and among their employees.”

The group also noted that the BIR itself has stated in its rulings that disclosure of any tax information is prohibited under Section 270 of the Tax Code.

Unfortunately, the BIR seems to be adamant in its plan and maintained that it would push through to make models out of these taxpayers.

Memorandum Order 38-2010 dated April 8, issued by the BIR, seeks to recognize upstanding taxpayers by having each revenue district office publish names of the top 300 contributors. Likewise, another national list of the top 2,000 taxpayers will be made public.

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New $100 bill unveiled

Roy — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:34:05 +0000

A new $100 bill has been unveiled by the United States government, and this time, the new bill will give counterfeiters a hard time as it has a unique security feature not seen in any other US dollar bills. According to the US Embassy and the US Secret Service officials, the redesign of the $100 note was intended to deter counterfeiters and makes holders of dollar bills assured that what they have is the authentic bill.

The new bill design was unveiled in Washington DC last week and it will start circulating on February 10, 2011. The Philippines was identified as one of the key countries where a global public education program would be implemented, said Brian Doherty, an economic counselor at the US Embassy. “This is because Filipinos are among heavy users of US dollar bills mainly because of overseas Filipino workers and their families,” Doherty explained.

Other heavy users of the US dollar bills identified were countries in South America, which frequently receive remittances from their citizens working in the United States, said Doherty. The $100 note is the highest denomination that the US government issues and that it is also the most widely circulated outside the United States.

Doherty said, “Although less than 1100th of one percent of the value of US currency in circulation is reported to be counterfeit, the $100 note is the most often counterfeited denomination outside the US.”

In another report, deputy governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Armando L. Suratos said the BSP cash department has confiscated and documented 17,253 pieces of counterfeit dollar notes of various denominations between 2005 and 2009. “The amount of these fake dollar bills total $219.7 million, with $100 notes representing 76 percent of total notes,” he said.

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Cebu Pacific to get 22 more new planes

Roy — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:40:19 +0000

The Cebu Pacific (CEB) Airline is investing on 22 new aircraft as part of the $1.4 billion expansion over a five-year period, in anticipation of a 50 percent increase in the number of passengers in 2013.CEB president Lance Gokongwei said the 22 brand-new Airbus 320 aircraft will be delivered from 2010 until 2014. These are on top of an existing order of 15 A320s. Gokongwei said they have an additional firm order of seven A320s.

Gokongwei pointed out that their aircraft expansion does not depend on the initial public offering (IPO). The airline’s planned IPO was deferred until after the May elections. The proceeds of the said IPO were partly intended to finance the pre-delivery payments, instead the new aircraft will be financed from internally generated funds, loans and export credit agencies.

The CEB expected 10 million total passengers to be flown this year, and this was forecasted to grow to 13 million passengers by 2012, and reaching 15.1 million by 2013. Gokongwei said, “We are expecting 28 percent more passengers for us in 2010 compared with 2009 in an industry that is growing at a rate of 15 to 20 percent.” He added that they expect their first quarter 2010 revenues to grow 35 percent to P7.2 billion compared to the same period last year.

Gokongwei also said that CEB’s revenue for the whole of 2009 grew by 30 percent compared to the previous year. “Operating earnings are expected to grow faster than that. We expect CEB to show very strong earnings and operating cash flow,” he said.

The first 180-seat aircraft is expected to arrive on October and will be used to add routes and frequencies on CEB’s network of 33 domestic and 14 international destinations. “This will enable us to have the largest fleet of Airbus 320 family in the Philippines, and the second largest in Southeast Asia, allowing us to offer our trademark low fares to even more Filipinos,” Gokongwei said.

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Globe gets BSP nod to expand GCash network

Roy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:52:48 +0000

The Globe Telecom’s mobile commerce subsidiary G-Xchange (GXI) request of using its parent’s sub-distribution as GCash outlets has been approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which brings the number of GCash remittance outlets to over 18,000 making it the largest remittance network in the Philippines.

“Our distribution system is one of our most valuable assets and combined with our current GCash network of partners will help us significantly expand our efforts towards providing a vehicle for financial inclusion to more Filipinos all over the country. We are truly grateful to the BSP for its foresight in seeing the potential and groundbreaking precedence that this opportunity brings to the financial services industry,” said Globe president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu.

“This is really a very important step for us as we move forward by using the pervasive Globe distribution network to further expand the GCash services with more outlets. BSP’s approval will allow us to improve our ability to truly bring remittance and micro-financial service points to more neighborhoods across the Philippines, and we are committed to continue fully complying with regulations that will ensure financial integrity and the protection of consumers,” said GXI president Rizza Maniego-Eala, who said the their efforts in expanding the GCash outlet network will help lower the delivery cost of remittance and access to various financial services.

With the Philippines geographically fragmented with 70 to 80 percent of the population still unbanked or underbanked, Globe’s GCash network allows people, especially those in the rural areas the chance to gain access to financial services. At present, GCash has are about 1.2 million users and has an average transaction value of P5 billion a month.

With GCash, receiving international remittances is made easy and affordable for the beneficiaries of OFWs. And from the traditional GCash outlets – Globe Business Centers, rural banks, pawnshops and other remittances partners, beneficiaries would be able to go to their neighborhood sari-sari stores, gift shops, pharmacies, Internet cafes, boutiques, bakeshops, and various stores nationwide.

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PAL flights to Riyadh resume in March

Roy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:48:34 +0000

The Philippine flag-carrier, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) will be resuming its service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 28, 2010, after four years its absence in the said city. The PAL decided to bring back its flight to Riyadh in response to the clamor of more than two million Filipino Overseas Worker (OFW) communities in the Middle East.

The flight will be a non-stop service which will have a schedule of four times a week. Flight PR 658 will be departing from Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 6:20 p.m. and it will arrive in the Saudi capital at 11:00 p.m. (Riyadh time), the airline said.

On the trip back home, it will be flight PR 659 which will departs Riyadh at 12:30 a.m. every Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Monday, and arriving in Manila at 3:00 p.m., Manila time. Deployed on the service will be Boeing 747-400 aircraft, which seat 50 passengers in Mabuhay Class (business) and 383 in Fiesta Class (economy).

It was in March 2, 2006 where PAL served it last flight in Riyadh, its final destination in the Middle East. The airline company suspended the service for commercial reason. Now that PAL had resumed the service in Riyadh, OFWs who account for one of the largest foreign communities living in the Middle East, lauded the flag carriers for its decision.

Filipinos in the Middle East still preferred PAL over other airlines, because of its direct service to Manila, which means they can get home faster as compared with other carriers. Most of those flights can involve up to two stops in intermediate cities before finally proceeding to Manila.

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POEA announces job opportunities in Japan and South Korea

Roy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:59:07 +0000

More jobs await Filipinos overseas this year. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said that Filipinos, particularly nurses, caregivers and factory workers, can look forward to more jobs in Japan and South Korea.

Jennifer Manalili, POEA administrator, said that they hoping to deploy more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Japan and South Korea this 2010. “The number of those to be hired will depend on the need of hospitals in Japan, but we hope to capture the remaining 700 slots,” she said.

Medical facilities in the said countries, said Manalili, have given positive assessment on the first batch of health workers deployed. She also noted that the Philippines last year deployed 283 Filipino nurses and caregivers to Japan.

According to POEA, six of those were deployed last year were not able to finish their contract. The agency said they are now undertaking efforts to avoid similar incidences from occurring, by improving their screening process.

The Philippine government entered into an agreement with Japan to facilitate the hiring of at least 1,000 Filipino nurses and caregivers.

Manalili announced that their office would soon be starting the pre-employment orientation for the second batch of Filipino nurses and caregivers to be deployed in Japan. The POEA official said applicants who have registered online and maintained their active status through the POEA e-registration system will go through the orientation.

January 15 is the deadline for qualified applicants to register online. Those who will be able to complete their documents early will be given priority.

Meanwhile, Manalili said that South Korea is looking to hire about 6,000 factory workers. She advised those who wish to work in South Korea to register for the Korean Language Test (KLT). Applicants may register online and POEA will notify the pre-qualified applicants in early January.

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Locally developed online games pushed by game developers

Roy — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:57:08 +0000

Online games always a ready audience in the Filipino market. There is a big market for Filipino online gamers, although most the games were created outside the country. A group of Filipinos with entrepreneurial mindset is eyeing to cash in on this online gaming craze capturing Filipinos from all walks of like.

The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), together with its partner the I-Café Pilipinas, is exploring the possibility of developing and marketing locally made online games.

GDAP executive director Cesar Tolentino said the organizations partnership with I-Café was expected to pave the way for a sustainable growth for both the game development and Internet café industries.

An early product of the collaboration was Bangu-Bang, the country’s first locally developed online game, was introduced to the members of I-Café Pilipinas recently. This new local online games could provide additional revenue streams to Internet cafes.

Bangu-Bang Mania was developed and published by Virtual Titania Amusement Software (ViTas). Raineir Umali, president of ViTas said the market is now looking for more diverse content than what was being offered by traditional online game bigwigs China and Korea.

The Bangu-Bang is now being studied and evaluated by member of I-Café Pilipinas and will be deployed to the local market.

Aside from the development of local online games, GDAP also supports I-Café Pilipinas’ project called the “Ligtas na Digital Batang Pinoy.” This advocacy sought to create materials that would teach local communities how to properly use Internet-based technologies and Internet access. It’s main goal is to promote the responsible use of Internet and Internet access.

I-Café aims to publish the materials for the program in the vernacular to ensure better understanding by the audience it wants to reach.

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Peso pegged at P46 on Friday’s closing

Roy — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:14:40 +0000

For the last 15 months, the peso was pegged at its strongest level after the closing at 46 to $1 on Friday. This was mainly attributed to steady growth of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remittances and stable consumer prices.

Last Thursday, the peso gained 25 centavos after settling at 46.25 to $1, which was the peso’s strongest level since closing at 49.925 to $1 in August 29 this year. It opened at 46.35 on Friday before appreciating and closing at 46 to $1. The volume of transacted dollars ballooned to $1 billion from $633.36 billion on Thursday.

Financial experts acknowledge the growth of OFW remittances, especially this coming Christmas season, as the main reason for the steady appreciation of the Philippine peso against the US dollar. A currency trader said more dollars will continue to flow into the emerging markets, including the Philippines.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it see the amount of remittances by Filipinos abroad to grow by 4% to a record $17.1 billion this year from $16.4 billion in 2008.

From January to September, the money sent home by OFWs inched up by 4.2 percent to $12.789 billion, compared to $12.273 billion registered for the same period last year. In September alone, remittances jumped by 8.6 percent to $1.446 billion from $1.332 billion in the same month last year.

Inflation, on the other hand, climbed to a six-month high of 2.8 percent in November from its previous level of 1.6 percent in October. This was due to high food and oil prices. But the BSP said it is still well within the target they set. The agency sees inflation averaging between 2.5 percent and 4.5 percent this year, but emerging figures show that consumer prices is likely to average 3.23 percent this year.