Comelec still hopeful on 2010 poll automation; election body meets with Smartmatic, TIM Tuesday
MANILA, June 30 - In a last-ditch effort to automate the 2010 national and local elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has scheduled a meeting with top officials of Smartmatic Corporation and Total Information Management (TIM) on Tuesday afternoon to discuss matters and issues surrounding what they described as a “forestalled” partnership.
According to Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, the parties are set to meet at 2:30 pm to "hopefully" iron things out on their differences, if any, and other issues regarding P11.3 billion poll automation project. TIM earlier announced its withdrawal on its partnership with the Netherlands-based Smartmatic.
“Makikinig kami (Comelec will listen to) know the facts and hopefully do something about it,” he said.
Asked if they have given up on poll automation, Sarmiento said: “We are not giving up on poll automation. As a matter of fact we received text messages by a lot of people that they are saddened by the news that’s why we have to be pro-active.”
The Comelec official did not answer directly when asked if there is a chance that TIM would change its mind regarding its withdrawal from the consortium.
“Well, hope springs eternal. We want to save the automation that’s why we are doing this pro active role,” he said.
Smartmatic and TIM are currently holding dialogue to reconcile their differences to push through the automation of the May 2010 polls.
The Comelec earlier issued an ultimatum to both companies to submit their incorporation documents before the Comelec until July 3.
“We’ve discussed that they are given until July 3 so why not between today and July 3 make the most out of it,” added the poll official.
RP improves governance, corruption control - WB study
MANILA, June 30 - The Philippines slightly improved in its governance and control corruption last year, the World Bank (WB) said.
In its Worldwide Governance Indicators 1996 to 2008, the Washington-based lender said the Philippines scored negative 0.75 in control of corruption last year from negative 0.79 in 2007.
In 1996, the country scored positive in controlling corruption.
The World Bank indicator measured broad dimensions of governance such as voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption:
The indicators cover 212 countries and territories for 1996, 1998, 2000 and annually for 2002 to 2008.
The indicators are based on several hundred individual variables measuring perceptions of governance, drawn from 35 separate data sources to capture the views of tens of thousands of survey respondents worldwide, as well as thousands of experts in the private, non-government organization and public sectors.
Other Asian countries like Thailand scored better in anti-corruption last year to -0.38; Malaysia, 0.14; Vietnam, Indonesia, -0.64 and Singapore, 2.34. The Philippines has better score compared to Vietnam at -0.76.
In terms of government effectiveness, the Philippines scored zero last year from 0.04 in 2007; political stability, -1.41 from -1.31; rule of law, -0.49 frin -0.54; regulatory quality, -0.05 from -0.13 and voice and accountability, -0.2 from -0.16.
The World Bank report said better governance helped in the fight against poverty and improved living standards.
"When governance is improved by one standard deviation, infant mortality declines by two-thirds and incomes rise about three-fold in the long run," the bank said.
The quality of governance around the world has not improved much over the past decade on the average, the World Bank said.
Aart Kraay, co-author of the report and lead economist in the Development Research Group of the World Bank said, however, that the good news was that some countries were recognizing and responding to governance challenges, and were showing strong improvements that reflected concerted efforts by political leaders, policymakers, civil society, and the private sector
The WGI is a research project initiated by Kaufmann and Kraay in the late 1990s, and is now coauthored with Massimo Mastruzzi of the World Bank Institute.
The authors define governance as the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised.
This includes how governments are selected, monitored and replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them.
Over 100 NPA rebels integrated to mainstream society
MANILA, June 30 - A new set of former New People's Army (NPA) rebels were assisted by the government to be incorporated to mainstream society.
The Army's 2nd Infantry Division said 109 were given cash assistance and remuneration of surrendered firearms Monday, at Sta. Cruz town in Laguna province.
2nd ID spokesman Lt. Celeste Frank Sayson said the former rebels belonged to the NPA operating in the provinces of CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon).
"They are now called KR (Kasama sa Reporma) and are incorporated to the Social Integration Program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process," said Sayson.
The immediate cash assistance was handed over by Laguna Governor Teresa Lazaro, Defense Undersecretary Alberto Valenzuela, acting 2nd ID commander Brig. Gen. Florante Martinez and local government unit representatives of Laguna and other representatives of various line government agencies.
"The former rebels are scheduled to undergo medical and physical check–up, psycho-social profiling interview by the DSWD and orientation seminars on the different socio-economic interventions of the government," said Sayson.
To date, there are already 210 former rebels who received assistance from Social Integration Program in the whole province of Laguna.
The Social Integration Program is a process whereby former rebels and their dependents are provided a set of interventions to facilitate their integration into mainstream society.
"To be able to achieve this objective, the program is guided by the principle of convergence and cooperation primarily between the different national and local agencies of the government, national and local government units, non-government institutions and organizations and the community as well. Each stakeholder plays a unique role in the integration process," said Sayson.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
PIA Dispatch - Monday, June 29, 2009
Palace cites importance of PGMA’s Hong Kong trip
MANILA, June 29 – Malacanang on Monday cited the importance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s side working trip to Hongkong, saying it is part of the Chief Executive's sincere efforts to look into the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers and to generate more investments.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said part of the President’s trip to Hong Kong is to interact with the Filipino community which he pointed, out is the administration’s “concrete way of finding our OFWs and showing them the concern.”
Remonde said it is the clamor of the OFWs for the President to make a stopover in Hong Kong from her working visit to Japan and state visit to Brazil.
He said the Chief Executive is giving much recognition to the OFWs considering that they are the modern day’s unsung heroes who make great contribution to the country’s economy.
The President will give awards to outstanding OFWs who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields in Hong Kong.
Aside from meeting with the Filipino community, Remonde said, the President’s trip in the former British colony is also an opportunity to entice more business groups to invest in the Philippines.
“In addition in her trip here, the President will have meeting with some business groups again to promote investments in the Philippines,” he said.
Remonde said the Chief Executive will discuss with the Kuok Group, from the Shangrila Group of resorts and hotels, its possible expansion plans and investments in the Philippines.
“In fact, there are talks that they (Kuok Group) are not only expanding business in hotels and resorts but also in palm oil and other investments,” he said.
He said the President is also scheduled to meet with the anti-graft consultant, Anthony Kwok, to review the government’s anti-corruption program in an effort to strengthen the anti-graft campaign.
Remonde said the President and her delegation will leave Hong Kong at 8 p.m. (Monday night) and arrive in Manila before 10 p.m.
BSP sees June ’09 inflation between 1.2%-2.1%
MANILA, June 29 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) continues to see further deceleration of price increases in the country with the June 2009 figure forecast to range between 1.2 percent to 2.1 percent.
BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., in a text message to reporters Monday, said the forecast “reflects our expectation for continued milder price increases and is consistent with our forecast for full-year 2009 and 2010 inflation rates that would both be within their corresponding target ranges.”
The government targets inflation between 2.5-4.5 percent this year and 3.5-5.5 percent in 2010.
BSP forecasts rate of price increases to average at 3.4 percent this year and 3.7 percent next year
“The continued decline in the inflation rate in June could have been due to lower electricity rates during the month and slower price increases in certain food items and in domestic pump prices,” Tetangco said.
BSP’s June 2009 inflation forecast is lower than the 3.3 percent actual inflation rate last May.
“The BSP will continue to monitor piece developments, both domestically and in international markets, to ensure that our policy stance remains appropriate and responsive,” Tetangco added.
DOF open to measure hiking discount for senior citizens
MANILA, June 29 – The Department of Finance (DOF) is amenable to the proposal to increase to 30 percent from 20 percent the discount to be granted for senior citizens.
No such thing as OPLAN:August Moon-Palace
By: Bradley de Leon
Shangri-la hotel chain plans to expand in the Philippines
By Bradley de Leon
The Kuok group, owner of Shangri-la hotel chains, plans on expanding their business in the Philippines This was laid during their meeting with president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Hongkong.
Press Secretary Cerge M. Remonde said the officals of Kuok group announced their plans in expanding their hotel and resort business that will help the tourism industry in Philippines.
Remonde also said that aside from their hotels and resorts, the Kuok group will also invest on the Philippine Palm oil industry.
MANILA, June 29 – Malacanang on Monday cited the importance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s side working trip to Hongkong, saying it is part of the Chief Executive's sincere efforts to look into the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers and to generate more investments.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said part of the President’s trip to Hong Kong is to interact with the Filipino community which he pointed, out is the administration’s “concrete way of finding our OFWs and showing them the concern.”
Remonde said it is the clamor of the OFWs for the President to make a stopover in Hong Kong from her working visit to Japan and state visit to Brazil.
He said the Chief Executive is giving much recognition to the OFWs considering that they are the modern day’s unsung heroes who make great contribution to the country’s economy.
The President will give awards to outstanding OFWs who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields in Hong Kong.
Aside from meeting with the Filipino community, Remonde said, the President’s trip in the former British colony is also an opportunity to entice more business groups to invest in the Philippines.
“In addition in her trip here, the President will have meeting with some business groups again to promote investments in the Philippines,” he said.
Remonde said the Chief Executive will discuss with the Kuok Group, from the Shangrila Group of resorts and hotels, its possible expansion plans and investments in the Philippines.
“In fact, there are talks that they (Kuok Group) are not only expanding business in hotels and resorts but also in palm oil and other investments,” he said.
He said the President is also scheduled to meet with the anti-graft consultant, Anthony Kwok, to review the government’s anti-corruption program in an effort to strengthen the anti-graft campaign.
Remonde said the President and her delegation will leave Hong Kong at 8 p.m. (Monday night) and arrive in Manila before 10 p.m.
BSP sees June ’09 inflation between 1.2%-2.1%
MANILA, June 29 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) continues to see further deceleration of price increases in the country with the June 2009 figure forecast to range between 1.2 percent to 2.1 percent.
BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., in a text message to reporters Monday, said the forecast “reflects our expectation for continued milder price increases and is consistent with our forecast for full-year 2009 and 2010 inflation rates that would both be within their corresponding target ranges.”
The government targets inflation between 2.5-4.5 percent this year and 3.5-5.5 percent in 2010.
BSP forecasts rate of price increases to average at 3.4 percent this year and 3.7 percent next year
“The continued decline in the inflation rate in June could have been due to lower electricity rates during the month and slower price increases in certain food items and in domestic pump prices,” Tetangco said.
BSP’s June 2009 inflation forecast is lower than the 3.3 percent actual inflation rate last May.
“The BSP will continue to monitor piece developments, both domestically and in international markets, to ensure that our policy stance remains appropriate and responsive,” Tetangco added.
DOF open to measure hiking discount for senior citizens
MANILA, June 29 – The Department of Finance (DOF) is amenable to the proposal to increase to 30 percent from 20 percent the discount to be granted for senior citizens.
In a position paper, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said they support the said provision of a Senate bill but cautioned lawmakers against giving the national government the responsibility of giving the sector a P1,500 monthly stipend.
Beltran explained that saving portion of the VAT proceeds for this endeavor means P4 billion monthly revenue loss for the NG or about P53 billion loss in a year.
Aside from increasing the discount for senior citizens stipulated under Republic Act 7432, otherwise known as the Senior Citizen Act, and granting 20 percent discount to services and goods not covered by VAT, the proposed measure also wants senior citizens to be exempted from the payment of individual income taxes if their annual taxable income is not over the latest poverty threshold in the country.
No such thing as OPLAN:August Moon-Palace
By: Bradley de Leon
There’s no such thing as Oplan: August moon, Malacanang said on Monday. Reports reaching the palace said that Oplan:August moon, inspired by a Chinese festival, is a coup plot aimed at perpetuating President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in power beyond 2010.
Deputy Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo belied such reports, she said that Oplan:August moon is just a figment of imagination of the opposition and destabilizers. The President, according to Fajardo, is focused on economic issues and managing the A(H1N1) crisis.
“The plotters target October as the finale of the three-month campaign wherein Bangit would replace General Ibrado…other key posts would be given to other members of the PMA Class of 1978,” a source said.
The AFP leadership said in a report that it had maintained that all promotions to key positions in the military go through the rigid selection process being conducted by the board of generals.
Shangri-la hotel chain plans to expand in the Philippines
By Bradley de Leon
The Kuok group, owner of Shangri-la hotel chains, plans on expanding their business in the Philippines This was laid during their meeting with president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Hongkong.
Press Secretary Cerge M. Remonde said the officals of Kuok group announced their plans in expanding their hotel and resort business that will help the tourism industry in Philippines.
Remonde also said that aside from their hotels and resorts, the Kuok group will also invest on the Philippine Palm oil industry.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
PIA Dispatch - Friday, June 26, 2009
PGMA global engagements enhance RP’s security and economic stability, says Remonde
750,000 will benefit from 4P- Palace
Palace adopts stringent precautionary measures vs. A(H1N1) influenza virus
MANILA, June 26 – Malacañang officials have adopted stringent preventive measures to ensure that the centuries-old official residence of the country's No. 1 citizen remains free from the A(H1N1) influenza virus.
For one, posters announcing precautionary measures against the novel flu strain have been posted in strategic places within the Palace compound, which also serves as headquarters to some of the country's major state offices.
Hand sanitizers also have been installed in comfort rooms and other strategic places in various Malacañang offices.
An 8-inch by 11-inch flyer, posted on a wall at the New Executive Building (NEB), briefly states some key measures on how to avoid the A(H1N1) infection.
These are: 1. Observe proper hygiene; 2. Increase your body resistance; and, 3. Social distancing, such as avoiding crowded places and staying at home if you are sick.
”Of course, we will do the same thing that other government agencies have already done. We will see what happens and how the rank-and-file employees won’t get infected,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a recent press briefing.
Ermita assured that all Palace employees would be kept informed in case of any symptom which may need immediate medical attention.
Among the offices headquartered at the Malacañang complex are the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), OPS-News and Information Bureau (NIB), OPS-Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) and Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG).
Malacañang Palace is the official residence of the President of the Philippines. It is located along the northern bank of the Pasig River in Manila.
It is called "Palasyo ng Malakanyang" in Filipino, Malacañan Palace when referred to as the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and simply Malacañang when referred to as the Office of the President.
The term "Malacañang" is a metonym for the Philippine President's administration, or the Executive branch.
Malacañang Palace is depicted on the verso (back) side of the present-day P20 bill.
Today, the Malacanang Complex consists of Malacañang Palace itself, Bonifacio Hall (formerly the Premier Guest House used by the late President Ferdinand Marcos' successor Corazon C. Aquino as her office, and by Joseph Ejercito Estrada as his residence); Kalayaan Hall (the former Executive Building built under the American administration); Mabini Hall (the Administration Building), and the New Executive Building (built by President Aquino), among other smaller buildings.
Across the Pasig River is Malacañang Park, which contains a golf course, park, billets for the Presidential Security Group, as well as a Commonwealth-era presidential resthouse (Bahay Pangarap) and recreation hall.
Rallyists often congregate at the western end of nearby Mendiola Street to air their grievances against the government.
Duque: country’s mild A (H1N1) patients responding positively to treatment
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III today reported 134 more mild cases of A (H1N1), noting that all are responding positively to their treatments. These additional cases bring the total count of confirmed cases of the novel virus to 861.
The total sum, on the other hand, of fully recovered patients still stands at 634 or 74% of the total number of confirmed cases reported since May 21.
“The number of fully recovered patients is the same as the previous update because the present reported cases are still getting treatment and recuperating either in hospitals or their homes,” Duque explained.
The additional 134 cases involved 60 males and 74 females. The age range of these cases is 2-58 years old, with 16 as median age. One hundred eighteen (118) of the new cases are Filipinos, the remaining 16 are foreigners. Twenty (20) of these cases have a history of travel to a country affected by A (H1N1).
Meanwhile, as of June 24, the World Health Organization reported 55,867 cases with 238 deaths from 102 reporting countries.
ICS Renewables assumes ownership of Amlan power plant
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) yesterday turned over the 0.8-megawatt (MW) Amlan Hydroelectric Power Plant to its new owner, ICS Renewables Inc., in a simple affair held at the PSALM offices as part of the Corporation’s eighth anniversary celebration.
PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta and ICS Renewables President Juan Eugenio L. Roxas signed the Joint Certificate of Turnover and the Deed of Absolute Sale to formalize the privatization of the power facility located in Sitio Pasalan, Bgy. Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental.
PSALM also received from ICS Renewables USD230,000 as full payment for the Amlan power plant. The amount was the winning offer of the Filipino-owned company for the Visayas-based hydropower facility in a bidding conducted by PSALM last 10 December 2008. The amount exceeded the reserve price set by the PSALM Board for the generating asset.
On 08 January 2009, ICS Renewables was officially declared the winning bidder after it received from PSALM the Notice of Award and Certificate of Effectivity for the Amlan asset.
ICS Renewables, which expressed interest to participate in the bidding for the 55-MW Naga Land-Based Gas Turbine (LBGT) Power Plant, is a newly-incorporated company engaged in the manufacture of alternative fuels. The firm is also involved in acquiring, developing, owning, leasing, subleasing, operating and managing real and personal property of every kind and description, including but not limited to, properties using alternative fuels and other environment-friendly device or equipment.
The Amlan plant is the first power facility to be constructed in Negros Oriental. It is designed to operate as a base-load plant, supplying power to the town of Amlan and nearby villages.
Proceeds from the sale of the Amlan power plant will be deposited in the government’s coffers and will be used to pay a portion of the USD6.278-billion debt of the National Power Corporation.
PNOC’s biofuels unit signs a 1,000-hectare jatropha plantation development pact with 2 grower-partners in Negros Occidental
True to its mandate of promoting and accelerating the use of biofuels in the country to reduce dependence on imported fuel, the biofuels arm of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) - the PNOC Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC), has signed a pact with the Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Katilingban Sang Katawhan Sa Katayoyon Nga Kauswagan Sa Kabankalan, Inc. (5Ks) for the establishment of an aggregate area of 1,000-hectare jatropha plantation in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
“The partnership that we have forged separately with our grower-partners Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and 5Ks marks the beginning of our collaborative effort towards establishing a most viable and sustainable biofuel feedstock in the country. We all intend to pool and commit our resources together to attain our production target of jatropha to fast track the country’s biofuel initiative,” said Genaro Rafael K. Alvarez III, PNOC-AFC chairman.
Under the Memorandum of Agreements (MOA), the project that the PNOC-AFC will be funding involves an aggregate area of 500 hectares of jatropha plantation within the landholdings of Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and another 500 hectares with 5Ks.
"The funds for the project will be released to PNOC-AFC's grower-partners in accordance with the Work and Financial Plan. The market for the jatropha seeds that will be produced from the plantation will not be a problem since the PNOC-AFC will be the assured market," said Alvarez.
In addition, the PNOC-AFC shall supply the jatropha seedlings and other farm inputs as well as pay for the labor during the planting process. The Company will likewise provide technical assistance for the setting up of the plantation and help in its maintenance for 18 months.
Meantime, the grower-partner will manage the plantation together with PNOC-AFC. It will also provide the necessary labor inputs for the plantation establishment and maintenance while complying with all the permitting requirements from appropriate government agencies.
“Being the leading proponent of jatropha production in the country, we are not only keen on providing a cost-competitive alternative feedstock for our biofuels industry, but we are also opening alternative venues for business enterprise as well as creating new job opportunities for our marginalized farmers in the countryside,” noted Alvarez.
In line with the government’s policy of reducing dependence on imported oil and utilizing indigenous renewable energy sources, the PNOC-AFC has a mandate to explore, develop and accelerate the use of alternative energy to enhance the country’s energy security.
Bidding for selection of IPPAs fails as reserve price unmet
The bidding for the appointment of independent power producer administrators (IPPAs) to manage the contracted capacities of the National Power Corporation in the coal-fired Sual and Pagbilao power plants hit a bump as the two participating parties failed to meet the reserve price set by the Board of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM).
In the first bidding exercise for the selection of IPPAs conducted by PSALM yesterday (26 June 2009), the two participating bidders — San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC) and Therma Luzon Inc. — both passed the technical and financial requirements set by PSALM’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). Their offers for the contracted capacities of the Sual and Pagbilao power plants, however, came up short of the reserve price which the BAC did not disclose.
Despite the setback, PSALM remains confident that IPPAs will be appointed before the year ends as it begins preparations for a new round of bidding.
PSALM is also set to implement Phase II of its IPPA selection process, which will involve the IPP contracts of the Casecnan, Bakun, and San Roque hydropower plants. The contracted capacities of these power facilities are 140 MW, 70 MW, and 95 MW, respectively.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s global engagements have provided economic links that help shelter the Philippines from the full brunt of the present global economic meltdown.
“One key to keeping our economy strong has been a strong engagement with other countries,” the Press Secretary said.
Remonde pointed out that the President does not take vacations when she travels abroad but works tirelessly “to ensure the stability of our Philippine economy and that our allies and security partners understand our positions and interests.”
“The visits are international, but the beneficiaries are always the people of the Philippines,” Remonde stressed.
In Japan –
A Memorandum of Understanding was inked by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) President Hiroshi Watanabe for JBIC to guarantee up to 1 billion US dollars yen-dominated foreign (Samurai) bonds with the Department of Finance is going to float in the Japanese capital market in the next two years.
Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading companies, has committed 500 million dollars for the expansion of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2; and 100 million dollars for the Air Traffic Control Project Package 1 that will provide new communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management systems to Philippine airports.
Other commitments secured include the supply of high performance construction and machinery for large-scale infrastructure development and mining operations; supply of agricultural machinery for increased agricultural productivity and improvement of food self-sufficiency.
The corporation also committed 40 windmill units for Burgos, Ilocos Sur.
Aruze Corporation, the world leader in the manufacturing of gaming machines, has committed 4 billion dollars to 6 billion dollars for the construction of a hotel resort and convention complex in the Philippines.
Japan’s Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, in a meeting with President Arroyo, sought RP cooperation in the implementation of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) projects to have the Comprehensive Asian Development Plan as part of the stimulus plan of Japan for Asia. The plan includes infrastructure and industrial development.
Minister Nikai expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and said he is optimistic about its smooth implementation. He also said Japan will support the promotion of tourism exchange between Filipino and Japanese youths.
President Arroyo’s visit to Brazil, the first by a Philippine President, has provided an impetus for enhanced RP-Brazil relations.
The four-day, three-city trip to Brazil, netted five signed agreements and a joint statement between the Department of Agriculture and the Brazilian Association of Girlondo Breeders.
The President ended her nine-day trip to Japan and Brazil June 25 (Brazil time) after meeting with the officials of the Compania Vale da Rio Dose, a Brazilian mining firm that committed some P600 million for the exploration of gold and other mineral deposits in Masbate.
750,000 will benefit from 4P- Palace
More than 750,000 families will benefit from the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program”(4P) by next year, Malacanang announced on Friday.
Tungpalan also said that NEDA is negotiating with some multi-lateral banks to widen the scope or coverage of the 4Ps in an effort to provide financial assistance to more Filipino families.
While in Brazil, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked Congress to "institutionalize the 4Ps by passing a law establishing, regulating and funding it."
The President said a law institutionalizing the 4Ps, which was established two years ago by a mere administrative order, would bolster its effectiveness and widen its scope or coverage.
A household-beneficiary can receive as much as P1,400 for a maximum of three children, plus P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 per month per child with a maximum of three children per household for educational expenses.
The conditions are: parents must ensure that their children attend school at least 85 percent of the time, and receive vaccinations and health care.
Parents are also required to attend responsible parenthood seminars, mother's classes, and parent effectiveness seminars.
Palace adopts stringent precautionary measures vs. A(H1N1) influenza virus
MANILA, June 26 – Malacañang officials have adopted stringent preventive measures to ensure that the centuries-old official residence of the country's No. 1 citizen remains free from the A(H1N1) influenza virus.
For one, posters announcing precautionary measures against the novel flu strain have been posted in strategic places within the Palace compound, which also serves as headquarters to some of the country's major state offices.
Hand sanitizers also have been installed in comfort rooms and other strategic places in various Malacañang offices.
An 8-inch by 11-inch flyer, posted on a wall at the New Executive Building (NEB), briefly states some key measures on how to avoid the A(H1N1) infection.
These are: 1. Observe proper hygiene; 2. Increase your body resistance; and, 3. Social distancing, such as avoiding crowded places and staying at home if you are sick.
”Of course, we will do the same thing that other government agencies have already done. We will see what happens and how the rank-and-file employees won’t get infected,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a recent press briefing.
Ermita assured that all Palace employees would be kept informed in case of any symptom which may need immediate medical attention.
Among the offices headquartered at the Malacañang complex are the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), OPS-News and Information Bureau (NIB), OPS-Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) and Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG).
Malacañang Palace is the official residence of the President of the Philippines. It is located along the northern bank of the Pasig River in Manila.
It is called "Palasyo ng Malakanyang" in Filipino, Malacañan Palace when referred to as the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and simply Malacañang when referred to as the Office of the President.
The term "Malacañang" is a metonym for the Philippine President's administration, or the Executive branch.
Malacañang Palace is depicted on the verso (back) side of the present-day P20 bill.
Today, the Malacanang Complex consists of Malacañang Palace itself, Bonifacio Hall (formerly the Premier Guest House used by the late President Ferdinand Marcos' successor Corazon C. Aquino as her office, and by Joseph Ejercito Estrada as his residence); Kalayaan Hall (the former Executive Building built under the American administration); Mabini Hall (the Administration Building), and the New Executive Building (built by President Aquino), among other smaller buildings.
Across the Pasig River is Malacañang Park, which contains a golf course, park, billets for the Presidential Security Group, as well as a Commonwealth-era presidential resthouse (Bahay Pangarap) and recreation hall.
Rallyists often congregate at the western end of nearby Mendiola Street to air their grievances against the government.
Duque: country’s mild A (H1N1) patients responding positively to treatment
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III today reported 134 more mild cases of A (H1N1), noting that all are responding positively to their treatments. These additional cases bring the total count of confirmed cases of the novel virus to 861.
The total sum, on the other hand, of fully recovered patients still stands at 634 or 74% of the total number of confirmed cases reported since May 21.
“The number of fully recovered patients is the same as the previous update because the present reported cases are still getting treatment and recuperating either in hospitals or their homes,” Duque explained.
The additional 134 cases involved 60 males and 74 females. The age range of these cases is 2-58 years old, with 16 as median age. One hundred eighteen (118) of the new cases are Filipinos, the remaining 16 are foreigners. Twenty (20) of these cases have a history of travel to a country affected by A (H1N1).
Meanwhile, as of June 24, the World Health Organization reported 55,867 cases with 238 deaths from 102 reporting countries.
ICS Renewables assumes ownership of Amlan power plant
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) yesterday turned over the 0.8-megawatt (MW) Amlan Hydroelectric Power Plant to its new owner, ICS Renewables Inc., in a simple affair held at the PSALM offices as part of the Corporation’s eighth anniversary celebration.
PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta and ICS Renewables President Juan Eugenio L. Roxas signed the Joint Certificate of Turnover and the Deed of Absolute Sale to formalize the privatization of the power facility located in Sitio Pasalan, Bgy. Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental.
PSALM also received from ICS Renewables USD230,000 as full payment for the Amlan power plant. The amount was the winning offer of the Filipino-owned company for the Visayas-based hydropower facility in a bidding conducted by PSALM last 10 December 2008. The amount exceeded the reserve price set by the PSALM Board for the generating asset.
On 08 January 2009, ICS Renewables was officially declared the winning bidder after it received from PSALM the Notice of Award and Certificate of Effectivity for the Amlan asset.
ICS Renewables, which expressed interest to participate in the bidding for the 55-MW Naga Land-Based Gas Turbine (LBGT) Power Plant, is a newly-incorporated company engaged in the manufacture of alternative fuels. The firm is also involved in acquiring, developing, owning, leasing, subleasing, operating and managing real and personal property of every kind and description, including but not limited to, properties using alternative fuels and other environment-friendly device or equipment.
The Amlan plant is the first power facility to be constructed in Negros Oriental. It is designed to operate as a base-load plant, supplying power to the town of Amlan and nearby villages.
Proceeds from the sale of the Amlan power plant will be deposited in the government’s coffers and will be used to pay a portion of the USD6.278-billion debt of the National Power Corporation.
PNOC’s biofuels unit signs a 1,000-hectare jatropha plantation development pact with 2 grower-partners in Negros Occidental
True to its mandate of promoting and accelerating the use of biofuels in the country to reduce dependence on imported fuel, the biofuels arm of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) - the PNOC Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC), has signed a pact with the Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Katilingban Sang Katawhan Sa Katayoyon Nga Kauswagan Sa Kabankalan, Inc. (5Ks) for the establishment of an aggregate area of 1,000-hectare jatropha plantation in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
“The partnership that we have forged separately with our grower-partners Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and 5Ks marks the beginning of our collaborative effort towards establishing a most viable and sustainable biofuel feedstock in the country. We all intend to pool and commit our resources together to attain our production target of jatropha to fast track the country’s biofuel initiative,” said Genaro Rafael K. Alvarez III, PNOC-AFC chairman.
Under the Memorandum of Agreements (MOA), the project that the PNOC-AFC will be funding involves an aggregate area of 500 hectares of jatropha plantation within the landholdings of Ilog Diversified Multi-Purpose Cooperative and another 500 hectares with 5Ks.
"The funds for the project will be released to PNOC-AFC's grower-partners in accordance with the Work and Financial Plan. The market for the jatropha seeds that will be produced from the plantation will not be a problem since the PNOC-AFC will be the assured market," said Alvarez.
In addition, the PNOC-AFC shall supply the jatropha seedlings and other farm inputs as well as pay for the labor during the planting process. The Company will likewise provide technical assistance for the setting up of the plantation and help in its maintenance for 18 months.
Meantime, the grower-partner will manage the plantation together with PNOC-AFC. It will also provide the necessary labor inputs for the plantation establishment and maintenance while complying with all the permitting requirements from appropriate government agencies.
“Being the leading proponent of jatropha production in the country, we are not only keen on providing a cost-competitive alternative feedstock for our biofuels industry, but we are also opening alternative venues for business enterprise as well as creating new job opportunities for our marginalized farmers in the countryside,” noted Alvarez.
In line with the government’s policy of reducing dependence on imported oil and utilizing indigenous renewable energy sources, the PNOC-AFC has a mandate to explore, develop and accelerate the use of alternative energy to enhance the country’s energy security.
Bidding for selection of IPPAs fails as reserve price unmet
The bidding for the appointment of independent power producer administrators (IPPAs) to manage the contracted capacities of the National Power Corporation in the coal-fired Sual and Pagbilao power plants hit a bump as the two participating parties failed to meet the reserve price set by the Board of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM).
In the first bidding exercise for the selection of IPPAs conducted by PSALM yesterday (26 June 2009), the two participating bidders — San Miguel Energy Corporation (SMEC) and Therma Luzon Inc. — both passed the technical and financial requirements set by PSALM’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). Their offers for the contracted capacities of the Sual and Pagbilao power plants, however, came up short of the reserve price which the BAC did not disclose.
Despite the setback, PSALM remains confident that IPPAs will be appointed before the year ends as it begins preparations for a new round of bidding.
PSALM is also set to implement Phase II of its IPPA selection process, which will involve the IPP contracts of the Casecnan, Bakun, and San Roque hydropower plants. The contracted capacities of these power facilities are 140 MW, 70 MW, and 95 MW, respectively.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
PIA Dispatch - Thursday, June 25, 2009
PGMA state visit to Brazil yields wider RP-Brazil cooperation with 5 bilateral agreements sealed
BRASILIA, Brazil - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva witnessed Wednesday the signing of five bilateral agreements between the Philippines and Brazil aimed at expanding the two countries’ cooperation in several fields, including energy and agricultural development.
One of the agreements was on Bioenergy Cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil. It aims to facilitate technical cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil in bioenergy, including the production and use of biofuels, particularly ethanol, and promote the expansion of bilateral trade and investment the biofuel.
The areas of cooperation include projects and activities of mutual interest such as information exchange on the sustainable production and use of biofuels, including large-scale production technology, best practices in policy and regulatory infrastructure, joint undertakings, including research and development exchange of experts, training seminars, conferences and other cooperative activities promoting the efficient production and use of biofuels, and other areas in the bioenergy sector.
Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap signed the accord in behalf of the Philippine government.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo and his Brazilian counterpart signed in behalf of their respective countries, an Agreement on Remunerated Employment of Dependents of Diplomats, Consular, Administrative and Technical Personnel.
The agreement allows dependents of Filipino and Brazilian personnel in the two countries’ diplomatic and consular missions to engage in gainful employment in the host countries.
The Philippines has similar agreements with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Spain and the Netherlands.
Also signed was the agreement between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry that seeks to expand business linkages and promote cooperative activities between their members.
The two MOUs on agricultural cooperation between Brazil and the Philippines were the Cooperation on Agriculture between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply; and between the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation (PADCC) and the Empresa Brasiliera de Pesquisa Agropecuaria or the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).
The MOU on Cooperation on Agriculture involves collaboration in livestock and animal health, biofuel feedstock and development, dairy, horticulture, food safety, agribusiness management, sustainable land management, genetics and biotechnology, processing and post-harvest technologies and agricultural machineries, and plant and animal science.
Under the plant and animal science, the Philippines and Brazil will look into the areas of disease control, quarantine, pest surveillance, pest risk analysis, and cooperation in inspection procedures for international transit of animals, plants and agricultural inputs.
With the MOU, the Philippines and Brazil will be able to share experiences and best practices in enhancing agricultural productivity and promote trade and investment in agriculture.
The MOU between PADCC and EMBRAPA will allow the Philippines and Brazil to cooperate in science and technology through joint projects in agriculture and natural resources and thus broaden the existing knowledge base on agricultural development and institutional strengthening.
The PADCC and EMBRAPA will also closely cooperate in joint research, information exchange and technology transfer in high value crops, fisheries, livestock, biofuels, and other agricultural crops.
The Philippines and Brazil will also commit to an exchange of scientists, experts and trainees, the organization of symposia and conferences, the joint publication of studies and papers, conduct of agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions, joint ventures and other means as may be mutually agreed upon.
The MOU also include training, technical assistance, germplasm exchange, provision of equipment ,bibliography and technology commercialization.
Malacanang calls on Filipinos not to panic over influenza AH1N1
Malacanang said there is no need to panic in the wake of the AH1N1 outbreak because health authorities are on top of the situation.
Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo told Palace reporters that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has also allayed people’s fears that the spread of the virus might cause a slowdown of consumer spending and lead to a contraction of the country’s economic growth.
Fajardo said “precisely in all our press briefings we make it a point to have health authorities update us and brief us on what is really happening so there is no need for the people to panic and speculate further on the virus.”
The DOH had reported that most of the reported AH1N1 cases turned out to be mild.
Deputy Spokesperson for the economy Dr. Gary Olivar said “we have nothing to fear but fear.”
Health authorities said there is no need to close down schools with confirmed AH1N1 cases as this would only stop students from attending their classes.
If there is a low level of contamination there is no need for the schools to shut down as the students, who go home to their respective areas, will also come in contact with the virus. In effect, the move to close down schools is self- defeating, Fajardo said.
People’s awareness of the virus through the continuing public information campaign, has made reporting of the virus spread somewhat more threatening, but this does not mean that the situation is out of hand, DoH doctors said.
Fajardo said that as long as people heed the advice of health officials the problem will be contained faster.
The DOH has medicines good for 500,000 patients and “I doubt if we will need that much medicines,” she added.
For DOH officials to have a baseline data or socio-demographic projection of the virus, they need to have two to three-month observation period of the movement of the virus.
“The virus is treatable. We have enough medicines. Health officials are handling it very well and we have the cooperation of the people,” Fajardo said. (PNA)
DOH, Deped revise guidelines for suspending classes, work for A(H1N1) alert
The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (Deped) on Thursday issued the revised rules for the suspension of classes or offices that have influenza A(H1N1) alert.
The agencies said this will prevent the practice of schools and offices who suspend their operations even when their students or personnel are not even infected with the A(H1N1) virus.
The DOH said under the revised guidelines, classes will no longer be called off should new cases be reported in the same schools.
The DOH and Deped also revised the alert system on schools.Whereas now under the new Alert Level Response 3, classes will only be called off for ten days after the first confirmed case is reported, to assess the medical situation of the patient and those in close contact with the patient.
The new guidelines said the suspension of classes will also be done to enhance the campaign for cleanliness, hygiene and readiness in the school, and to disinfect the school. Subsequent cases in the same school will only be made to go home, along those in direct contact with them, for medical observation at home or in a medical facility.
The DOH said only high-risk cases, such as those with chronic illnesses before contracting the A(H1N1) virus infection, will be hospitalized.
Based on the revised Alert Level Response 4, classes will no longer be suspended in schools in communities with a low-level community outbreak.
The DOH and Deped said it would be pointless to cancel classes in areas where students would be going home to a community already beset with many A(H1N1) cases.
The agencies said classes will go on communities with presence of A(H1N1) cases and only hose who are sick and those suspected to have close contact with positive cases will be subjected to stay at home.
The guidelines also said for schools with many buildings or large campuses, classes will only be called off in units or buildings where the patient stayed.
Authorities said the new guidelines is in line with the government’s campaign against the disease which now focuses on mitigation strategy and not containment.
There are now 42 schools that have suspended classes due to the spread of the illness. (PNA)
Feria leaves 8 people dead, 11 others missing -- NDCC
Eight people perished while 11 others are still missing and five others injured as tropical storm Feria continue to batter some parts of the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported Thursday.
Citing reports from the field, Glenn Rabonza, NDCC executive officer and concurrent administrator of the Office of the Civil Defense, said four of the fatalities were hit by a tornado in Perez town in Quezon last Tuesday night.
In Bantayan town in Cebu, two people died due to drowning. The other fatalities were victims of landslides in Cagagayan de Oro City.
According to Rabonza, 37 houses have been recorded destroyed and 551 more have been damaged as Feria wreck havoc in several regions, including Southern Tagalog.
Rabonza said at least 10,228 families or 44,401 persons have been affected by the weather disturbance and they are being attended to by workers from the NDCC, OCD, Department of Social Welfare and Development and local government units, among other agencies.
Rabonza said they have recorded nearly 10,000 passengers who have been stranded at various ports as authorities suspended sea travel to avoid potential mishaps at sea.
Also, he said that the estimated damage to property had been initially placed at P2.5 million but the figure is expected to rise as reports from the field begin to trickle up to the NDCC office in Camp Aguinaldo.
DOST to lead 51st National Science and Technology Week
The Department of Science and Technology will lead the celebration of the 51st National Science and Technology Week that starts July 20.
Various activities that showcase recent developments and achievements in domestic science and technology along with technology fairs and scientific fora are lined up for this year’s celebration.
The annual event also aims to raise public understanding of science and technology as well as DOST’s role and contributions to national development.
This year’s NSTW keeps in step with current global challenges through the theme “Science and Technology, Responding to Global Challenges.”
Various symposia related to climate change and business fora will be held to try to provide a venue for discussions on prevailing world climate change scenarios, and encourage Filipino technopreneurship.
Meanwhile, the science communities in Quezon City, Manila, Bicutan, and in Los Baños, Laguna will hold separate celebrations within the weeklong NSTW while regional celebration schedules are spread throughout July.
The Quezon City and Metro Manila Science Communities will focus on disaster mitigation and health issues, respectively. The Los Baños science community will present lectures mainly on agriculture and aquaculture sciences.
The Bicutan science cluster will offer several livelihood seminars at SM City in Bicutan.
The NSTW, previously called as the Philippine National Science Week in the 50s, was instituted by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 2214 in 1982. It was later amended through Republic Act 169 on April 23, 1993 which declared the third week of July of every year as the National Science and Technology Week.
NSTW has since become the platform for informed exchanges on important S&T issues, developments, and locally developed technologies. [S&T Media Service]
ITDI researchers develops solar wastewater detoxification
Researchers at the Industrial Technology Development Institute, an agency of the Department of Science and Technology trying to develop a technology using sunlight and ordinary cosmetic ingredient to clean industrial wastewater of pollutants, have successfully eliminated pesticides in contaminated water during initial tests.
Trial runs are onstream to treat wastewater contaminated with dyes used in handicraft industry. They hope to help cottage dyeing industries comply with strict regulations imposed by countries that rigorously monitor the environmental impact of exporters and their manufacturing activities.
“Eventually, we intend to design and build a simple and inexpensive technology that runs using sunlight and, when that is not available, by using ultraviolet lamps as backup,” explains Dr. Christopher M. Silverio, chief of ITDI’s Environmental Division.
The technology is called solar photocatalysis, a promising technique that uses sunlight and titanium dioxide, a non-toxic chemical commonly used as white pigment in paints and cosmetics to break down toxic and hard-to-remove pollutants.
Photocatalysis occurs when a relatively small amount of light-absorbing material, called photocatalyst, chemically reacts with pollutants without itself being consumed. In this case, the photocatalyst used is titanium dioxide.
In standard photocatalysis, ultraviolet lamps driven by electricity are used. In contrast, solar photocatalyis uses sunlight, which is abundant in tropical Philippines.
“Wastewater, especially those containing harmful chemicals, need to be treated before disposal. Various wastewater treatment processes like filtration, microbial degradation and chemical decomposition are available.”
“However, these systems may be cheap but inefficient, effective but costly or the contaminants basically remain as pollutants,” says Dr. Silverio.
Solar photocatalysis can completely destroy toxic pollutants into harmless end products without leaving solid residues”,
“Our technology is also designed so that it will be cheap, easy to operate, and does not need filtration process that limits its commercial feasibility in the past,” Dr. Silverio added. “It simply involves passing of wastewater through glass tubes packed with titanium dioxide under sunlight.”
Different designs have seen successful applications in countries such as the United States and Japan. In Spain, they call it “solar water detoxification.”
Solar photocatalysis is virtually unheard of domestically until ITDI researchers thought of ways to use sunlight to remove difficult-to-treat pollutants in wastewater.
ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) marked another milestone in its young existence as it recently received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for its business processes, which now adhere to internationally-recognized standards of management.
As a highlight of its eighth anniversary celebration, PSALM received the validation for its Quality Management System (QMS) from the Certification International Philippines Inc., the Corporation’s third party certifying body, after successfully meeting all the requirements for ISO certification.
The QMS broadly consists of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management. These include the objectives and processes of a company designed to focus on quality and customer satisfaction.
The ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations, having raised the caliber of its business processes to an internationally-recognized standard and having firmed up its commitment to assure the world’s investment community and its stakeholders of the integrity and transparency of the government’s power privatization program.
“The ISO certification is a legacy that PSALM leaves to its employees,” said PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta. “It not only boosts our stock as world-class workers, it also signifies that we can relate and work with similarly certified organizations.”
Aside from boosting the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders to do business with PSALM, the ISO certification will result in increased savings for the Corporation as business processes are systematized and are repeated through time, according to Helen E. V. San Pedro, PSALM’s Quality Management Representative and manager of the Information Technology and Communication Department.
The impact of the ISO certification on PSALM’s operations would be in terms of reduced waste and fewer delays, increased employee and customer satisfaction, and continual improvement of the QMS, she said.
PSALM’s managers, for their part, will find it easier to run the Corporation as a system of interlinked processes where the employees will realize their relevance to the whole organization.
Management responsibility, Ms. San Pedro pointed out, is enshrined in the system with respect to the periodic review of the QMS. This will enable PSALM managers to regularly review the variances between the set business process and service delivery. Thus, they will be able to assess opportunities and address any need for change in meeting customer demands and requirements.
The QMS will also be able to show that corporate policies trickle down to the lowest employee level possible.
PSALM’s certification program, however, does not end with the attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Two more surveillance audits will be conducted in the next two years that will involve improvements in the ISO standard based on the new version, the ISO 9001:2008. This means that PSALM will have to undertake and accomplish a number of activities to bolster its current certificate.
28 FRs received family packs from Surigao del Sur PSWDO
Tandag, Surigao del Sur (June 23) – The 28 Former Rebel (FR) who denoted to go back to the government received 50 family packs from the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) thru the Provincial Social Welfare Development (PSWD) officer May Navidad G. Salinas on June 22, 2009.
Each family pack contained 3 kilos of rice, 3 tins sardines, 2 tins corned beefed and 3 packs of noodles.
Present during the distribution of goods is 58th IB Executive Officer Lt. Col. Erwin Rommel Lamzon.
It can be recalled that the 21 Former Rebels surrendered on May 24 and 7 FRs on June 9 to Lt. Col Benjamin Pedralvez, Jr. They are still housed at the custody of the Philippine Army for validation and were forwarded to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPPAP) prior to the effectivity of the Administrative Order 172 which take effect on March 23, 2007.
BRASILIA, Brazil - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva witnessed Wednesday the signing of five bilateral agreements between the Philippines and Brazil aimed at expanding the two countries’ cooperation in several fields, including energy and agricultural development.
One of the agreements was on Bioenergy Cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil. It aims to facilitate technical cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil in bioenergy, including the production and use of biofuels, particularly ethanol, and promote the expansion of bilateral trade and investment the biofuel.
The areas of cooperation include projects and activities of mutual interest such as information exchange on the sustainable production and use of biofuels, including large-scale production technology, best practices in policy and regulatory infrastructure, joint undertakings, including research and development exchange of experts, training seminars, conferences and other cooperative activities promoting the efficient production and use of biofuels, and other areas in the bioenergy sector.
Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap signed the accord in behalf of the Philippine government.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo and his Brazilian counterpart signed in behalf of their respective countries, an Agreement on Remunerated Employment of Dependents of Diplomats, Consular, Administrative and Technical Personnel.
The agreement allows dependents of Filipino and Brazilian personnel in the two countries’ diplomatic and consular missions to engage in gainful employment in the host countries.
The Philippines has similar agreements with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Spain and the Netherlands.
Also signed was the agreement between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry that seeks to expand business linkages and promote cooperative activities between their members.
The two MOUs on agricultural cooperation between Brazil and the Philippines were the Cooperation on Agriculture between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply; and between the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation (PADCC) and the Empresa Brasiliera de Pesquisa Agropecuaria or the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).
The MOU on Cooperation on Agriculture involves collaboration in livestock and animal health, biofuel feedstock and development, dairy, horticulture, food safety, agribusiness management, sustainable land management, genetics and biotechnology, processing and post-harvest technologies and agricultural machineries, and plant and animal science.
Under the plant and animal science, the Philippines and Brazil will look into the areas of disease control, quarantine, pest surveillance, pest risk analysis, and cooperation in inspection procedures for international transit of animals, plants and agricultural inputs.
With the MOU, the Philippines and Brazil will be able to share experiences and best practices in enhancing agricultural productivity and promote trade and investment in agriculture.
The MOU between PADCC and EMBRAPA will allow the Philippines and Brazil to cooperate in science and technology through joint projects in agriculture and natural resources and thus broaden the existing knowledge base on agricultural development and institutional strengthening.
The PADCC and EMBRAPA will also closely cooperate in joint research, information exchange and technology transfer in high value crops, fisheries, livestock, biofuels, and other agricultural crops.
The Philippines and Brazil will also commit to an exchange of scientists, experts and trainees, the organization of symposia and conferences, the joint publication of studies and papers, conduct of agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions, joint ventures and other means as may be mutually agreed upon.
The MOU also include training, technical assistance, germplasm exchange, provision of equipment ,bibliography and technology commercialization.
Malacanang calls on Filipinos not to panic over influenza AH1N1
Malacanang said there is no need to panic in the wake of the AH1N1 outbreak because health authorities are on top of the situation.
Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo told Palace reporters that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has also allayed people’s fears that the spread of the virus might cause a slowdown of consumer spending and lead to a contraction of the country’s economic growth.
Fajardo said “precisely in all our press briefings we make it a point to have health authorities update us and brief us on what is really happening so there is no need for the people to panic and speculate further on the virus.”
The DOH had reported that most of the reported AH1N1 cases turned out to be mild.
Deputy Spokesperson for the economy Dr. Gary Olivar said “we have nothing to fear but fear.”
Health authorities said there is no need to close down schools with confirmed AH1N1 cases as this would only stop students from attending their classes.
If there is a low level of contamination there is no need for the schools to shut down as the students, who go home to their respective areas, will also come in contact with the virus. In effect, the move to close down schools is self- defeating, Fajardo said.
People’s awareness of the virus through the continuing public information campaign, has made reporting of the virus spread somewhat more threatening, but this does not mean that the situation is out of hand, DoH doctors said.
Fajardo said that as long as people heed the advice of health officials the problem will be contained faster.
The DOH has medicines good for 500,000 patients and “I doubt if we will need that much medicines,” she added.
For DOH officials to have a baseline data or socio-demographic projection of the virus, they need to have two to three-month observation period of the movement of the virus.
“The virus is treatable. We have enough medicines. Health officials are handling it very well and we have the cooperation of the people,” Fajardo said. (PNA)
DOH, Deped revise guidelines for suspending classes, work for A(H1N1) alert
The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (Deped) on Thursday issued the revised rules for the suspension of classes or offices that have influenza A(H1N1) alert.
The agencies said this will prevent the practice of schools and offices who suspend their operations even when their students or personnel are not even infected with the A(H1N1) virus.
The DOH said under the revised guidelines, classes will no longer be called off should new cases be reported in the same schools.
The DOH and Deped also revised the alert system on schools.Whereas now under the new Alert Level Response 3, classes will only be called off for ten days after the first confirmed case is reported, to assess the medical situation of the patient and those in close contact with the patient.
The new guidelines said the suspension of classes will also be done to enhance the campaign for cleanliness, hygiene and readiness in the school, and to disinfect the school. Subsequent cases in the same school will only be made to go home, along those in direct contact with them, for medical observation at home or in a medical facility.
The DOH said only high-risk cases, such as those with chronic illnesses before contracting the A(H1N1) virus infection, will be hospitalized.
Based on the revised Alert Level Response 4, classes will no longer be suspended in schools in communities with a low-level community outbreak.
The DOH and Deped said it would be pointless to cancel classes in areas where students would be going home to a community already beset with many A(H1N1) cases.
The agencies said classes will go on communities with presence of A(H1N1) cases and only hose who are sick and those suspected to have close contact with positive cases will be subjected to stay at home.
The guidelines also said for schools with many buildings or large campuses, classes will only be called off in units or buildings where the patient stayed.
Authorities said the new guidelines is in line with the government’s campaign against the disease which now focuses on mitigation strategy and not containment.
There are now 42 schools that have suspended classes due to the spread of the illness. (PNA)
Feria leaves 8 people dead, 11 others missing -- NDCC
Eight people perished while 11 others are still missing and five others injured as tropical storm Feria continue to batter some parts of the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported Thursday.
Citing reports from the field, Glenn Rabonza, NDCC executive officer and concurrent administrator of the Office of the Civil Defense, said four of the fatalities were hit by a tornado in Perez town in Quezon last Tuesday night.
In Bantayan town in Cebu, two people died due to drowning. The other fatalities were victims of landslides in Cagagayan de Oro City.
According to Rabonza, 37 houses have been recorded destroyed and 551 more have been damaged as Feria wreck havoc in several regions, including Southern Tagalog.
Rabonza said at least 10,228 families or 44,401 persons have been affected by the weather disturbance and they are being attended to by workers from the NDCC, OCD, Department of Social Welfare and Development and local government units, among other agencies.
Rabonza said they have recorded nearly 10,000 passengers who have been stranded at various ports as authorities suspended sea travel to avoid potential mishaps at sea.
Also, he said that the estimated damage to property had been initially placed at P2.5 million but the figure is expected to rise as reports from the field begin to trickle up to the NDCC office in Camp Aguinaldo.
DOST to lead 51st National Science and Technology Week
The Department of Science and Technology will lead the celebration of the 51st National Science and Technology Week that starts July 20.
Various activities that showcase recent developments and achievements in domestic science and technology along with technology fairs and scientific fora are lined up for this year’s celebration.
The annual event also aims to raise public understanding of science and technology as well as DOST’s role and contributions to national development.
This year’s NSTW keeps in step with current global challenges through the theme “Science and Technology, Responding to Global Challenges.”
Various symposia related to climate change and business fora will be held to try to provide a venue for discussions on prevailing world climate change scenarios, and encourage Filipino technopreneurship.
Meanwhile, the science communities in Quezon City, Manila, Bicutan, and in Los Baños, Laguna will hold separate celebrations within the weeklong NSTW while regional celebration schedules are spread throughout July.
The Quezon City and Metro Manila Science Communities will focus on disaster mitigation and health issues, respectively. The Los Baños science community will present lectures mainly on agriculture and aquaculture sciences.
The Bicutan science cluster will offer several livelihood seminars at SM City in Bicutan.
The NSTW, previously called as the Philippine National Science Week in the 50s, was instituted by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 2214 in 1982. It was later amended through Republic Act 169 on April 23, 1993 which declared the third week of July of every year as the National Science and Technology Week.
NSTW has since become the platform for informed exchanges on important S&T issues, developments, and locally developed technologies. [S&T Media Service]
ITDI researchers develops solar wastewater detoxification
Researchers at the Industrial Technology Development Institute, an agency of the Department of Science and Technology trying to develop a technology using sunlight and ordinary cosmetic ingredient to clean industrial wastewater of pollutants, have successfully eliminated pesticides in contaminated water during initial tests.
Trial runs are onstream to treat wastewater contaminated with dyes used in handicraft industry. They hope to help cottage dyeing industries comply with strict regulations imposed by countries that rigorously monitor the environmental impact of exporters and their manufacturing activities.
“Eventually, we intend to design and build a simple and inexpensive technology that runs using sunlight and, when that is not available, by using ultraviolet lamps as backup,” explains Dr. Christopher M. Silverio, chief of ITDI’s Environmental Division.
The technology is called solar photocatalysis, a promising technique that uses sunlight and titanium dioxide, a non-toxic chemical commonly used as white pigment in paints and cosmetics to break down toxic and hard-to-remove pollutants.
Photocatalysis occurs when a relatively small amount of light-absorbing material, called photocatalyst, chemically reacts with pollutants without itself being consumed. In this case, the photocatalyst used is titanium dioxide.
In standard photocatalysis, ultraviolet lamps driven by electricity are used. In contrast, solar photocatalyis uses sunlight, which is abundant in tropical Philippines.
“Wastewater, especially those containing harmful chemicals, need to be treated before disposal. Various wastewater treatment processes like filtration, microbial degradation and chemical decomposition are available.”
“However, these systems may be cheap but inefficient, effective but costly or the contaminants basically remain as pollutants,” says Dr. Silverio.
Solar photocatalysis can completely destroy toxic pollutants into harmless end products without leaving solid residues”,
“Our technology is also designed so that it will be cheap, easy to operate, and does not need filtration process that limits its commercial feasibility in the past,” Dr. Silverio added. “It simply involves passing of wastewater through glass tubes packed with titanium dioxide under sunlight.”
Different designs have seen successful applications in countries such as the United States and Japan. In Spain, they call it “solar water detoxification.”
Solar photocatalysis is virtually unheard of domestically until ITDI researchers thought of ways to use sunlight to remove difficult-to-treat pollutants in wastewater.
ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) marked another milestone in its young existence as it recently received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for its business processes, which now adhere to internationally-recognized standards of management.
As a highlight of its eighth anniversary celebration, PSALM received the validation for its Quality Management System (QMS) from the Certification International Philippines Inc., the Corporation’s third party certifying body, after successfully meeting all the requirements for ISO certification.
The QMS broadly consists of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management. These include the objectives and processes of a company designed to focus on quality and customer satisfaction.
The ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations, having raised the caliber of its business processes to an internationally-recognized standard and having firmed up its commitment to assure the world’s investment community and its stakeholders of the integrity and transparency of the government’s power privatization program.
“The ISO certification is a legacy that PSALM leaves to its employees,” said PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta. “It not only boosts our stock as world-class workers, it also signifies that we can relate and work with similarly certified organizations.”
Aside from boosting the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders to do business with PSALM, the ISO certification will result in increased savings for the Corporation as business processes are systematized and are repeated through time, according to Helen E. V. San Pedro, PSALM’s Quality Management Representative and manager of the Information Technology and Communication Department.
The impact of the ISO certification on PSALM’s operations would be in terms of reduced waste and fewer delays, increased employee and customer satisfaction, and continual improvement of the QMS, she said.
PSALM’s managers, for their part, will find it easier to run the Corporation as a system of interlinked processes where the employees will realize their relevance to the whole organization.
Management responsibility, Ms. San Pedro pointed out, is enshrined in the system with respect to the periodic review of the QMS. This will enable PSALM managers to regularly review the variances between the set business process and service delivery. Thus, they will be able to assess opportunities and address any need for change in meeting customer demands and requirements.
The QMS will also be able to show that corporate policies trickle down to the lowest employee level possible.
PSALM’s certification program, however, does not end with the attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Two more surveillance audits will be conducted in the next two years that will involve improvements in the ISO standard based on the new version, the ISO 9001:2008. This means that PSALM will have to undertake and accomplish a number of activities to bolster its current certificate.
28 FRs received family packs from Surigao del Sur PSWDO
Tandag, Surigao del Sur (June 23) – The 28 Former Rebel (FR) who denoted to go back to the government received 50 family packs from the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) thru the Provincial Social Welfare Development (PSWD) officer May Navidad G. Salinas on June 22, 2009.
Each family pack contained 3 kilos of rice, 3 tins sardines, 2 tins corned beefed and 3 packs of noodles.
Present during the distribution of goods is 58th IB Executive Officer Lt. Col. Erwin Rommel Lamzon.
It can be recalled that the 21 Former Rebels surrendered on May 24 and 7 FRs on June 9 to Lt. Col Benjamin Pedralvez, Jr. They are still housed at the custody of the Philippine Army for validation and were forwarded to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPPAP) prior to the effectivity of the Administrative Order 172 which take effect on March 23, 2007.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
PIA Dispatch - Wednesday, June 24, 2009
PGMA gets warm welcome from Filcom in Brasilia
BRASILIA, Brazil – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived at the Brasilia Military Airbase here on Wednesday as part of her four-day, three-city state visit to Brazil to further strengthen 49 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil.
The President’s chartered Philippine Air Lines flight, which came from Recife City, the jump-off point of her visit to Brazil from June 22 to 26, landed shortly after 4 p.m. (Brasilia time).
Upon deplaning, the President was accorded full military honors, including a 21-gun salute by the Brasilia honor guards.
She was welcomed by Minister for Institutional Security General Jorge Armando Felix and chief of Brasilia protocol from the Itamaraty (Ministry of External Relations) Ambassador George Prata.
The President was joined by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and members of her Cabinet -- Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes.
After being treated to a display of Brasilian military marching precision, the President and her party left for the Salao Presidencial (Presidential Lounge).
From there the presidential delegation proceeded to the Brasilia Alvorada Park Hotel, the President’s official residence during her stay here.
She met members of the Filipino community who came out to welcome her at the Brasilia Alvorada Park Hotel.
The Philippine Embassy in Brasilia reported that as of Dec. 31, last year, there were about 379 Filipinos in Brazil, 98 of them missionaries. Some 20 Filipino seafarers have settled permanently in Brazil’s port cities.
The rest of the Filipinos in Brazil are businessmen, self-employed entrepreneurs, domestic helpers, students, and overseas workers on contract with telecommunications, oil drilling and other transnational companies.
The President shook hands, posed for souvenir photographs and listened to the OFWs recount their experiences in Brazil. In all more than 50 Filipinos have made Brazil, particularly Brasilia, their second home.
The President appeared overwhelmed by the warm welcome her fellow countrymen extended to her, and thanked them for their support and for meeting her.
Press Secretary Remonde earlier said that the highlight of President Arroyo’s state visit would be the signing of six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the two countries in the fields of agriculture and bio-energy that would further develop stronger and better linkages between the Philippines and Brazilian business communities.
Tropical storm Feria maroons close to 3,000 people in Bicol ports
LEGAZPI CITY, June 24 - Close to 3,000 passengers were marooned in various ports across the Bicol peninsula for the past two days, as tropical storm Feria slowed down while passing Masbate province and moving towards Batangas and Mindoro, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol told the Philippines News Agency, Wednesday.
Bernardo Alejandro, OCD regional director, said the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in Bicol suspended maritime operation after the weather bureau hoisted signal number 2 in Bicol on Tuesday.
MARINA report said the suspension stranded some 2,619 passengers, 48 trucks, 49 cars, 44 buses, and 13 sea vessels in major ports across the region.
Affected by the suspensions were 2,051 passengers bound for the Visayas who were stranded in Matnog port while the rest were passengers bound for the island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate stuck at the ports of Tabaco City and the towns of Pilar, Bulan in Sorsogon.
OCD said power outages were reported in the second District of Sorsogon, Masbate and Ticao island in Masbate.
The report said all major roads and bridges across Bicol were passable to all types of vehicles.
Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda said disaster councils were activated as public storm signal number 2 was hoisted in Albay, suspending classes in the elementary and high school levels in all schools across the province.
Salceda said he directed municipal disaster councils to initiate evacuation of residents living in low lying areas in case water in rivers channels swells due to rains.
Salceda said as a precautionary measure to prevent loss of lives he directed the various town disaster councils affected by flooding to set up holding areas as temporary evacuation sites for residents affected by flooding and landslide.
DOH: No reason to panic on low-level outbreak
By: Bradley De Leon
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday told the public that there is no reason to panic despite the declaration of low-level community outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in Metro Manila.
Duque reiterated that the A(H1N1) virus in the Philippines is only mild in nature manifested by the improving recovery rate of hundreds who contracted the said virus.
On Tuesday, the DOH declared a low-level outbreak of A(H1N1) virus to areas with schools that have confirmed cases and those that have third level transmission.
Duque also noted that schools located in Quezon City, Manila and Paranaque have low-level transmission of the A(H1N1)
Duque said that he has no choice but to declare a low level outbreak because the A(H1N1) virus can now be contracted from anywhere. He also advised the public to take extra precautionary measures.
As the government’s continuing effort to battle A(H1N1) virus, the DOH launched the hotline called SMART Health Watch 155. It can be used by the public to access the most recent information and updates on the novel virus.
DOH reports 43 More A(H1N1) Patients have fully recovered
By: Bradley de Leon
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III announced on Wednesday that 43 more A(H1N1) confirmed cases have fully recovered, bringing the sum of recovered patients to 464 representing 77% of the total number of confirmed cases since May 21 .
Duque also reported that there are 131 more confirmed cases, all of which are mild in nature. These new cases involved 66 females and 65 males with age ranging from 2 to 67 years old with 16 as median age. One hundred seventeen (117) of these cases are Filipinos, the remaining 14 are foreigners. Nineteen (19) of said cases have a history of travel to a country affected with the novel virus. These new cases bring the total number of confirmed A(H1N1) cases to 604.
Duque reiterated to the public that the safest way to avoid getting the flu are through thorough hand washing and covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
Most in the community are spouses and children of Filipino-Iranian marriages.
In a statement this morning, DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo said “the Philippine Embassy in Tehran is in touch with Filipinos in the area and is prepared to activate and carry out its contingency plan, if needed.”
The DFA did not indicate its contingencies, while no reaction to the statement has come yet from Iran's ambassador to Manila, Ali Mojitaba Rouzbehani.
He said that through a network of Filipino community organizations in the area, they were advised ”to take the necessary precautionary measures at home and at work to ensure that no harm will come their way…make themselves accessible at all times and to constantly coordinate with the Embassy to facilitate the exchange of information.”
Riots and protest demonstrations occur daily in Iran since official elections results were known around June 14, some of them leading to serious injuries and arrests. The incumbent conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejah is the reported winner over closest rival, former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
The results are still contested by supporters of Mousavi, though the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Al-Khameini has reportedly leaned toward the incumbent President.
Of the elections, Romulo said “the Philippine Government is actively monitoring the ongoing political developments in Tehran and hopes that concerned parties would be able to explore ways towards a peaceful and amicable resolution to the crisis.
ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) marked another milestone in its young existence as it recently received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for its business processes, which now adhere to internationally-recognized standards of management.
As a highlight of its eighth anniversary celebration, PSALM received the validation for its Quality Management System (QMS) from the Certification International Philippines Inc., the Corporation’s third party certifying body, after successfully meeting all the requirements for ISO certification.
The QMS broadly consists of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management. These include the objectives and processes of a company designed to focus on quality and customer satisfaction.
The ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations, having raised the caliber of its business processes to an internationally-recognized standard and having firmed up its commitment to assure the world’s investment community and its stakeholders of the integrity and transparency of the government’s power privatization program.
“The ISO certification is a legacy that PSALM leaves to its employees,” said PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta. “It not only boosts our stock as world-class workers, it also signifies that we can relate and work with similarly certified organizations.”
Aside from boosting the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders to do business with PSALM, the ISO certification will result in increased savings for the Corporation as business processes are systematized and are repeated through time, according to Helen E. V. San Pedro, PSALM’s Quality Management Representative and manager of the Information Technology and Communication Department.
The impact of the ISO certification on PSALM’s operations would be in terms of reduced waste and fewer delays, increased employee and customer satisfaction, and continual improvement of the QMS, she said.
PSALM’s managers, for their part, will find it easier to run the Corporation as a system of interlinked processes where the employees will realize their relevance to the whole organization.
Management responsibility, Ms. San Pedro pointed out, is enshrined in the system with respect to the periodic review of the QMS. This will enable PSALM managers to regularly review the variances between the set business process and service delivery. Thus, they will be able to assess opportunities and address any need for change in meeting customer demands and requirements.
The QMS will also be able to show that corporate policies trickle down to the lowest employee level possible.
PSALM’s certification program, however, does not end with the attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Two more surveillance audits will be conducted in the next two years that will involve improvements in the ISO standard based on the new version, the ISO 9001:2008. This means that PSALM will have to undertake and accomplish a number of activities to bolster its current certificate.
BRASILIA, Brazil – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived at the Brasilia Military Airbase here on Wednesday as part of her four-day, three-city state visit to Brazil to further strengthen 49 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil.
The President’s chartered Philippine Air Lines flight, which came from Recife City, the jump-off point of her visit to Brazil from June 22 to 26, landed shortly after 4 p.m. (Brasilia time).
Upon deplaning, the President was accorded full military honors, including a 21-gun salute by the Brasilia honor guards.
She was welcomed by Minister for Institutional Security General Jorge Armando Felix and chief of Brasilia protocol from the Itamaraty (Ministry of External Relations) Ambassador George Prata.
The President was joined by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and members of her Cabinet -- Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes.
After being treated to a display of Brasilian military marching precision, the President and her party left for the Salao Presidencial (Presidential Lounge).
From there the presidential delegation proceeded to the Brasilia Alvorada Park Hotel, the President’s official residence during her stay here.
She met members of the Filipino community who came out to welcome her at the Brasilia Alvorada Park Hotel.
The Philippine Embassy in Brasilia reported that as of Dec. 31, last year, there were about 379 Filipinos in Brazil, 98 of them missionaries. Some 20 Filipino seafarers have settled permanently in Brazil’s port cities.
The rest of the Filipinos in Brazil are businessmen, self-employed entrepreneurs, domestic helpers, students, and overseas workers on contract with telecommunications, oil drilling and other transnational companies.
The President shook hands, posed for souvenir photographs and listened to the OFWs recount their experiences in Brazil. In all more than 50 Filipinos have made Brazil, particularly Brasilia, their second home.
The President appeared overwhelmed by the warm welcome her fellow countrymen extended to her, and thanked them for their support and for meeting her.
Press Secretary Remonde earlier said that the highlight of President Arroyo’s state visit would be the signing of six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the two countries in the fields of agriculture and bio-energy that would further develop stronger and better linkages between the Philippines and Brazilian business communities.
Tropical storm Feria maroons close to 3,000 people in Bicol ports
LEGAZPI CITY, June 24 - Close to 3,000 passengers were marooned in various ports across the Bicol peninsula for the past two days, as tropical storm Feria slowed down while passing Masbate province and moving towards Batangas and Mindoro, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol told the Philippines News Agency, Wednesday.
Bernardo Alejandro, OCD regional director, said the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in Bicol suspended maritime operation after the weather bureau hoisted signal number 2 in Bicol on Tuesday.
MARINA report said the suspension stranded some 2,619 passengers, 48 trucks, 49 cars, 44 buses, and 13 sea vessels in major ports across the region.
Affected by the suspensions were 2,051 passengers bound for the Visayas who were stranded in Matnog port while the rest were passengers bound for the island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate stuck at the ports of Tabaco City and the towns of Pilar, Bulan in Sorsogon.
OCD said power outages were reported in the second District of Sorsogon, Masbate and Ticao island in Masbate.
The report said all major roads and bridges across Bicol were passable to all types of vehicles.
Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda said disaster councils were activated as public storm signal number 2 was hoisted in Albay, suspending classes in the elementary and high school levels in all schools across the province.
Salceda said he directed municipal disaster councils to initiate evacuation of residents living in low lying areas in case water in rivers channels swells due to rains.
Salceda said as a precautionary measure to prevent loss of lives he directed the various town disaster councils affected by flooding to set up holding areas as temporary evacuation sites for residents affected by flooding and landslide.
DOH: No reason to panic on low-level outbreak
By: Bradley De Leon
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday told the public that there is no reason to panic despite the declaration of low-level community outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in Metro Manila.
Duque reiterated that the A(H1N1) virus in the Philippines is only mild in nature manifested by the improving recovery rate of hundreds who contracted the said virus.
On Tuesday, the DOH declared a low-level outbreak of A(H1N1) virus to areas with schools that have confirmed cases and those that have third level transmission.
Duque also noted that schools located in Quezon City, Manila and Paranaque have low-level transmission of the A(H1N1)
Duque said that he has no choice but to declare a low level outbreak because the A(H1N1) virus can now be contracted from anywhere. He also advised the public to take extra precautionary measures.
As the government’s continuing effort to battle A(H1N1) virus, the DOH launched the hotline called SMART Health Watch 155. It can be used by the public to access the most recent information and updates on the novel virus.
DOH reports 43 More A(H1N1) Patients have fully recovered
By: Bradley de Leon
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III announced on Wednesday that 43 more A(H1N1) confirmed cases have fully recovered, bringing the sum of recovered patients to 464 representing 77% of the total number of confirmed cases since May 21 .
Duque also reported that there are 131 more confirmed cases, all of which are mild in nature. These new cases involved 66 females and 65 males with age ranging from 2 to 67 years old with 16 as median age. One hundred seventeen (117) of these cases are Filipinos, the remaining 14 are foreigners. Nineteen (19) of said cases have a history of travel to a country affected with the novel virus. These new cases bring the total number of confirmed A(H1N1) cases to 604.
Duque reiterated to the public that the safest way to avoid getting the flu are through thorough hand washing and covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
Steps to meet recession now in place - Esperon
Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., chief of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), reported the President's move in the face of the prediction of world bodies that the economy of the country would contract by one percent this year, resulting in recession or zero growth rate.
Esperon talked with newsmen Wednesday at Lenox Hotel in Dagupan City during a press conference put up by the Pangasiman Press Club.
The President ordered the front-loading of infrastructure development projects with a specific directive that all infrastructure programs must be bid out during the first semester of the current year, he disclosed.
He said that while the government undertook pump-priming and front-loading, it at the same time asked the private sector to contribute to what is called the stimulus fund of P100 billion on a 50-50 sharing basis with the government.
The CLEEP, he said, was meant to employ or re-employ those who had been laid off from jobs here and abroad when employers reduced their workers due to the heightening global economic crisis.
He told newsmen that all these strategies were designed specifically to push or get more investments into the country, among them business processing and outsourcing.
DFA assures safety of Filipinos in Iran
Most in the community are spouses and children of Filipino-Iranian marriages.
In a statement this morning, DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo said “the Philippine Embassy in Tehran is in touch with Filipinos in the area and is prepared to activate and carry out its contingency plan, if needed.”
The DFA did not indicate its contingencies, while no reaction to the statement has come yet from Iran's ambassador to Manila, Ali Mojitaba Rouzbehani.
He said that through a network of Filipino community organizations in the area, they were advised ”to take the necessary precautionary measures at home and at work to ensure that no harm will come their way…make themselves accessible at all times and to constantly coordinate with the Embassy to facilitate the exchange of information.”
Riots and protest demonstrations occur daily in Iran since official elections results were known around June 14, some of them leading to serious injuries and arrests. The incumbent conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejah is the reported winner over closest rival, former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
The results are still contested by supporters of Mousavi, though the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Al-Khameini has reportedly leaned toward the incumbent President.
Of the elections, Romulo said “the Philippine Government is actively monitoring the ongoing political developments in Tehran and hopes that concerned parties would be able to explore ways towards a peaceful and amicable resolution to the crisis.
ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations
The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) marked another milestone in its young existence as it recently received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for its business processes, which now adhere to internationally-recognized standards of management.
As a highlight of its eighth anniversary celebration, PSALM received the validation for its Quality Management System (QMS) from the Certification International Philippines Inc., the Corporation’s third party certifying body, after successfully meeting all the requirements for ISO certification.
The QMS broadly consists of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management. These include the objectives and processes of a company designed to focus on quality and customer satisfaction.
The ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations, having raised the caliber of its business processes to an internationally-recognized standard and having firmed up its commitment to assure the world’s investment community and its stakeholders of the integrity and transparency of the government’s power privatization program.
“The ISO certification is a legacy that PSALM leaves to its employees,” said PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta. “It not only boosts our stock as world-class workers, it also signifies that we can relate and work with similarly certified organizations.”
Aside from boosting the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders to do business with PSALM, the ISO certification will result in increased savings for the Corporation as business processes are systematized and are repeated through time, according to Helen E. V. San Pedro, PSALM’s Quality Management Representative and manager of the Information Technology and Communication Department.
The impact of the ISO certification on PSALM’s operations would be in terms of reduced waste and fewer delays, increased employee and customer satisfaction, and continual improvement of the QMS, she said.
PSALM’s managers, for their part, will find it easier to run the Corporation as a system of interlinked processes where the employees will realize their relevance to the whole organization.
Management responsibility, Ms. San Pedro pointed out, is enshrined in the system with respect to the periodic review of the QMS. This will enable PSALM managers to regularly review the variances between the set business process and service delivery. Thus, they will be able to assess opportunities and address any need for change in meeting customer demands and requirements.
The QMS will also be able to show that corporate policies trickle down to the lowest employee level possible.
PSALM’s certification program, however, does not end with the attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Two more surveillance audits will be conducted in the next two years that will involve improvements in the ISO standard based on the new version, the ISO 9001:2008. This means that PSALM will have to undertake and accomplish a number of activities to bolster its current certificate.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
PIA Dispatch - Tuesday, June 23, 2009
PGMA braves heavy rains in Brazil
MANILA, June 23 – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo braved heavy rains in Brazil and is set to begin negotiating for the signing of agreements with Brazilian business sector on agricultural development, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman for Economic Affairs Gary Olivar said President Arroyo expressed hopes that her visit in Brazil would “provide impetus for enhanced relations with Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America and an emerging major global player.”
Olivar said the President’s mission to Brazil - one of the four new economic giants after Russia, India and China -- “represents the full breadth of our nation’s interests in the world.”
“Brazil is a developing nation that has burst onto the international scene the last decade. Brazil has become a voice for the special challenges of a developing nation as well as an innovator in biofuels,” Olivar quoted the President as saying in her earlier statements.
”Brazil also faces many of the same challenges experienced by the Philippines,
so developing a closer relationship with this South American powerhouse affords our two nations a chance to learn from each other’s experiences,” Olivar said.
Olivar said the President hoped to establish greater alliances with Brazil in the areas of bio-fuel production and agri-business during her visit.
”On Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), the President will visit what is touted to be the biggest Filipino investment in Brazil -- the Tecon Suape, S.A. (TSSA), the Brazilian subsidiary of Filipino company International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI),” Olivar said.
In May 2000, ICTSI won the bid to manage and operate the container terminal at the Suape Industrial Complex in Ipojuca, Pernambuco at the northernmost tip of Brazil, for a period of 30 years.
TSSA officially took over the operations of the SCT in april 2002.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said early Tuesday morning over radio station RMN-DZXL that “there’s a downpour here in Recife, Northeastern Brazil. We are on our way to the Governor’s Palace for a state dinner by government officials.”
Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Recife means "reef" in Portuguese, in allusion to the coral reefs that are present by the city's shores.
Remonde said President Arroyo and party arrived Monday night (7p.m. Brazil time) in that northeastern city of Brazil, on the first leg of her four-day, three-city visit to the world’s 10th largest economy.
”The President will also visit Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. The President’s state visit is expected to deepen further 49 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1960,” Remonde said in the radio interview by broadcast journalist Ely Saludar.
The Philippines and Brazil will sign two agreements on agricultural development during the President's state visit this week, Olivar said.
Olivar said the first agreement would be a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Agriculture between the Department of Agriculture and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, that hoped to promote trade and investments in livestock and agribusiness development.
”The two countries will share experiences and best practices in enhancing agricultural productivity in biofuel feedstock, dairy, horticulture, food safety, agribusiness management, sustainable land management, genetics and biotechnology, processing and post-harvest technologies and agricultural machinery,” Olivar said.
The agreement would also cover exchanges in plant and animal science and cooperation in inspection procedures for international transit of animal and plant products.
The second agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. (PADCC) and the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria or the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. (Embrapa), will allow the two countries to cooperate in agricultural science and technology through joint projects.
“The Philippines and Brazil will commit to an exchange of scientists, experts and trainees, the organization of symposia and conferences, the joint publication of studies and papers, conduct of agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions, joint ventures and other means as may be mutually agreed upon,” Olivar said.
PGMA reiterates order to Health Dep’t on flu virus
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today reiterated her order to the Department of Health (DOH) and other concerned agencies to do everything possible to protect the people from the influenza AH1N1 virus.
In a radio interview over RMN-DZXL, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was informed about the AH1N1-related death of a 49-year-old woman in Metro Manila.
The DOH said the woman died of “congestive heart failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction” and other complications, including the A H1N1 virus.
Remonde is with the President who is now in Brazil on a state visit upon the invitation of Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula de Silva.
He said the virus reported in the country is not the virulent type. He added that the President is calling on the public and private health sectors to team up in the fight against the virus.
Filipinos consumers 'better prepared' to weather financial crisis
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) – Times are harder but Filipinos are better prepared for weathering an economic crisis than consumers from other countries, a study revealed.
This was the conclusion of a new study called "Trading Up/Trading Down" recently completed by BBDO /Guerrero Proximity Philippines to gauge how the spending habits of Filipino consumers are being affected by the global economic crisis.
This finding become more relevant as the World Bank sees the local economy slipping into recession this year. Economic recession is characterized by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
The economy shrank 2.3 percent in the first three months this year from the previous quarter, the worst in two decades, bringing annual first quarter growth to 0.4 percent. The National Economic and Development Authority, however, gave a different perspective on the World Bank projection, saying the Philippines will avoid a recession with second quarter growth expected to outperform the performance in the first quarter.
Agnes Acasio-Martinez, Strategic Planning Director of Proximity Philippines, said that since news of the crisis broke, 72 percent of respondents were looking for other means to augment their income and 71 percent were spending more time looking for the best deals before making a purchase.
The study also revealed that more consumers were looking for leisure activities at home as opposed to going out versus six months ago, and that 75 percent of consumers were resistant to compromising quality for price, all behaviors adopted to help them cope with the uncertainty of the current financial crisis.
Arlene Aquino, Brand Planning Director of BBDO/Guerrero said that since consumer debt-related spending is not really an option for most Filipinos, they have not experienced a ‘shock to the system’ in the same way that consumers in developed markets have.
This crisis is viewed by many as just another in a long line of financial challenges.
Martinez pointed out that this conclusion was supported by recent consumer data from Nielsen showing that consumer confidence has dropped by 12 percent in Great Britain and 13% in Singapore, while it has only dropped by 6 percent in The Philippines since the start of the crisis.
The study, which has also been conducted in other markets around the world by BBDO Proximity, shows that Filipino consumers are not only more resilient, but they adapt their behavior quicker to deal with changing conditions than consumers in other markets.
Thirty six percent of Singaporeans decreased spending on social outings and meals with friends when the crisis hit versus 61 percent of Filipinos, or almost double the number of Singaporean consumers.
"Filipino consumers have become well equipped at adapting to hanging economic conditions quicker than in other markets due to the hardships they have gone through in the past," said Paul Roebuck, CEO of BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines.
“Liquidity means security to Filipino households,” Aquino added noting that as a result Filipinos spend only when needed even for the upscale sector.
Since consumer debt-related spending is not really an option for most Filipinos, they have not experienced a "shock to the system" in the same way that consumers in developed markets have.
"The consumers we spoke to and spent time with indicated that the hardships of life in our country have left them feeling more resilient to the vagaries of the economy and better prepared to deal with the implications of a downturn. Many said they felt that they had "one up" on consumers in developed countries in helping them deal with the downturn because they had more experience of challenging economic conditions. This crisis is viewed by many as just another in a long line of financial challenges," Aquino said.
The most notable portion in the survey is that most Filipinos are saying goodbye to the “Bahala Na” attitude.
“We are seeing that more people are thinking twice even thrice of their actions. They still stick to branded and quality products but that does not mean they are not going to scout for the best deal. Consumers are becoming wise,” she said.
“Consumers are unwilling to incur debt as they look at credit like as a quick sand,” said Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO of BBDO/Proximity Asia.
Thomas noted that the different crisis in the country may it be political, social and economic has more or less prepared the Filipino consumer to any crisis that may come their way.
In other words, Filipino consumers have become wiser and more informed as they decide what to expense to cutback, scrutinize each purchase and view them as investments no matter how mundane and less personal indulgences but rather chose shared rewards by staying at home with loved ones.
“The value for money” concept is being redefined by Filipino consumers junked the cheap price as the lone determinant for value.
Because of the crisis, Filipinos find more time at home and family. It is finding more value with family and relationships.
The study, however, did not include if the change in consumer behavior is a lasting one or is good only until the crisis is over.
But Thomas said that abstinence is not a natural human state.
“People want to enjoy more of life but here it has a ...shift that could have a long time change in people,” Thomas said.
DOH and Smart join forces against A (H1N1); 85% of reported cases fully recovered
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III welcomed the support of SMART Communications, Inc. in the government’s continuing efforts to fight influenza A (H1N1). SMART represented by its Public Affairs Group Head, Mr. Ramon R. Isberto, unveiled the company’s SMART Health Watch Hotline 155 which can be used by the public to access the most recent information and updates on the novel virus A (H1N1).
“We welcome SMART’s move to strengthen government efforts against A (H1N1) through a better informed, educated and empowered Filipino public. By hitting 155 on their Smart and Talk ‘N Text-powered mobile phones, subscribers can easily access information on A(H1N1). This is good for the A (H1N1) information campaign. We, at the Department of Health (DOH), are glad that we have this partnership,” Duque said
Hotline 155 will be available starting today from Mondays to Fridays, from 8am-5pm. Duque said that the DOH will be providing the contents that Smart will be giving its subscribers.
“We have given them all relevant information on the novel virus that they will need because they would be manning the hotline. However, when tougher questions come up, they will be referring the callers to the DOH-Health Emergency Management Service Operations Center,” Duque said.
Duque said that apart from the hotline, there will also be a Smart Infoboard Service, a text messaging solution that will provide a more effective and efficient communication service.
“This means that information on A(H1N1) can soon be accessible through text messaging,” Duque said.
Meanwhile, Duque announced that 26 more A(H1N1) patients have already fully recovered, thus bringing the total count of those who have fully recovered to 400. This figure represents 85% of all the confirmed cases reported since May 21.
Duque also disclosed today that there are 28 more confirmed (mild) cases of the novel virus in the country. This new number brings the total sum of confirmed cases to 473.
The 28 new cases involved 16 males and 12 females. Their age range is from 7 months to 49 years old, with 19 as median age. All of the cases are Filipinos with no history of travel to any affected country.
“There is only one reported A(H1N1)-related death in the country,” Duque said. “All close contacts in the household and in the workplace of this particular patient are being monitored and are now in quarantine,” he added.
Duque said that globally the World Health Organization has reported 52,160 cases with 231 deaths from 94 reporting countries. Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam and Fiji are the new countries that reported A(H1N1) cases.
Smartmatic assures of enough spare voting machines for 2010 automated polls
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) – The consortium of Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp. assured on Tuesday it will provide 2,000 additional precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines to replace voting machines which will break down during the first computerized elections next year.
”We have 2,000 spare voting machines and we can guarantee the quality of our machines,” Smartmatic spokesman Cesar Flores told the Senate consultative meeting conducted by the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws.
Flores said the voting machines will be supplied by Jarltech, a Taiwan-based company which has ISO certification.
”We are assuring the Filipino people that we can deliver good results in the next year election because our voting machines have passed international standard,” Flores, who was joined by TIM chairman of the board Jose Marie Antunez in the Senate hearing, said.
During the power point presentation, Commission on Elections (Comelec) executive director Jose Tolentino informed the panel that voting machines have built-in batteries which can last up to 12 hours.
”The batteries will be used in the event of power failures or in the areas where there is no supply of electricity while the Smarmatic assured that cellphones, landlines and satellites will be used in the transmission of the election results,” Tolentino said.
Despite the assurance, Senator Chiz Escudero expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the Comelec to answer questions regarding its preparedness as well as the capability of the winning bidder Smartmatic-TIM to conduct automated elections in 2010.
"I am still waiting to be convinced by Smartmatic and the Comelec that they can conduct a credible and fail-safe automated election next year," Escudero, head of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes and laws, said.
"I am not against poll automation. I just want to be sure that there will be no failure of elections. The future of our democracy rests on this exercise," Escudero said.
In the same hearing, Escudero asked the Comelec to submit all necessary papers, including the proposed contract with Smartmatic-TIM for review by the committee.
The committee also asked the Smartmatic-TIM for 24 hours during which the Senate general counsel will review the papers.
"We want to make sure that there is nothing illegal, unconstitutional, and uncalled for in the contract," Escudero said. "We don't want a repeat of the Mega-Pacific deal."
Comelec chairman Jose Melo said the Comelec’s contract with Smartmatic was supposed to be signed on Friday but “we might postpone it” to give way to the Senate’s queries.
Escudero scored the Comelec for not checking the validity of the secretary certificate of the Smartmatic-TIM joint venture. The certificate was authenticated by the Philippine embassy in Washington DC instead of the RP consulate in Caracas, Venezuela which has jurisdiction over Barbados where Smartmatic is based.
Escudero, who was joined by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Richard Gordon in the hearing, said that the next hearing on the poll automation process will include their counterparts in the Lower House.
The Smartmatic-TIM consortium is the winning bidder for the P11.2-billion automation project for the 2010 elections.
PAGASA warns E Visayas, Bicol to brace for storm Feria
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) - The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) urged the provinces in eastern Visayas and Bicol region to brace for inclement weather as tropical storm Feria makes a landfall and hit these areas in the coming days.
"Feria has intensified into a Tropical Storm and signal number 2 has been raised over Masbate, the nearby Ticao Island, Sorsogon and Albay," latest weather advisory issued by the state weather bureau stated.
As of 10 am Tuesday, the eye of Feria was spotted 100 kms East of Borongan, Samar packing winds of 65 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 22 kph.
Feria continues to move closer to Eastern Visayas. It is seen to make a landfall over Eastern Samar this afternoon.
Signal number 2 is also hoisted over Samar Provinces, Leyte and Biliran Island.
The Pagasa reiterated its warnings to people living around the slopes of Mayon Volcano in Albay and of Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon - especially along the areas where possible lahar flows are located - to be alert due on possible landslides and flashfloods due to to heavy rains in the coming days, the Pagasa said.
In 2006, typhoon Reming incurred more than 1,000 fatalities due to lahar flow from Mount Mayon, part of the government's effort to mitigate disasters is to alert people of effects of imminent dangers caused by natural disasters.
Feria was spotted as an active low pressure area Monday afternoon. It moved rapidly and intensified into a tropical depression overnight.
Signal number 1 is raised over Camarines Provinces, Southern Quezon, Catanduanes, Burias Island, Romblon, Marinduque, Southern Leyte, Camotes Is., Cebu, Bohol Northern Negros, Capiz, Iloilo, Aklan, Dinagat Is. Siargao, Surigao del Norte and Camiguin.
Feria is expected to reach 100 kms Southeast of Tayabas, Quezon Wednesday morning; and about 200 kms Northwest of Iba, Zambales Thursday morning.
MANILA, June 23 – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo braved heavy rains in Brazil and is set to begin negotiating for the signing of agreements with Brazilian business sector on agricultural development, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman for Economic Affairs Gary Olivar said President Arroyo expressed hopes that her visit in Brazil would “provide impetus for enhanced relations with Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America and an emerging major global player.”
Olivar said the President’s mission to Brazil - one of the four new economic giants after Russia, India and China -- “represents the full breadth of our nation’s interests in the world.”
“Brazil is a developing nation that has burst onto the international scene the last decade. Brazil has become a voice for the special challenges of a developing nation as well as an innovator in biofuels,” Olivar quoted the President as saying in her earlier statements.
”Brazil also faces many of the same challenges experienced by the Philippines,
so developing a closer relationship with this South American powerhouse affords our two nations a chance to learn from each other’s experiences,” Olivar said.
Olivar said the President hoped to establish greater alliances with Brazil in the areas of bio-fuel production and agri-business during her visit.
”On Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), the President will visit what is touted to be the biggest Filipino investment in Brazil -- the Tecon Suape, S.A. (TSSA), the Brazilian subsidiary of Filipino company International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI),” Olivar said.
In May 2000, ICTSI won the bid to manage and operate the container terminal at the Suape Industrial Complex in Ipojuca, Pernambuco at the northernmost tip of Brazil, for a period of 30 years.
TSSA officially took over the operations of the SCT in april 2002.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said early Tuesday morning over radio station RMN-DZXL that “there’s a downpour here in Recife, Northeastern Brazil. We are on our way to the Governor’s Palace for a state dinner by government officials.”
Pernambuco Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly Campos hosted a dinner for the President at the Governor’s Palace upon her arrival there Monday night (Tuesday morning in Manila).
Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Recife means "reef" in Portuguese, in allusion to the coral reefs that are present by the city's shores.
Remonde said President Arroyo and party arrived Monday night (7p.m. Brazil time) in that northeastern city of Brazil, on the first leg of her four-day, three-city visit to the world’s 10th largest economy.
”The President will also visit Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. The President’s state visit is expected to deepen further 49 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Brazil. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1960,” Remonde said in the radio interview by broadcast journalist Ely Saludar.
The Philippines and Brazil will sign two agreements on agricultural development during the President's state visit this week, Olivar said.
Olivar said the first agreement would be a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Agriculture between the Department of Agriculture and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, that hoped to promote trade and investments in livestock and agribusiness development.
”The two countries will share experiences and best practices in enhancing agricultural productivity in biofuel feedstock, dairy, horticulture, food safety, agribusiness management, sustainable land management, genetics and biotechnology, processing and post-harvest technologies and agricultural machinery,” Olivar said.
The agreement would also cover exchanges in plant and animal science and cooperation in inspection procedures for international transit of animal and plant products.
The second agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp. (PADCC) and the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria or the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. (Embrapa), will allow the two countries to cooperate in agricultural science and technology through joint projects.
“The Philippines and Brazil will commit to an exchange of scientists, experts and trainees, the organization of symposia and conferences, the joint publication of studies and papers, conduct of agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions, joint ventures and other means as may be mutually agreed upon,” Olivar said.
PGMA reiterates order to Health Dep’t on flu virus
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today reiterated her order to the Department of Health (DOH) and other concerned agencies to do everything possible to protect the people from the influenza AH1N1 virus.
In a radio interview over RMN-DZXL, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was informed about the AH1N1-related death of a 49-year-old woman in Metro Manila.
The DOH said the woman died of “congestive heart failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction” and other complications, including the A H1N1 virus.
Remonde is with the President who is now in Brazil on a state visit upon the invitation of Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula de Silva.
He said the virus reported in the country is not the virulent type. He added that the President is calling on the public and private health sectors to team up in the fight against the virus.
Filipinos consumers 'better prepared' to weather financial crisis
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) – Times are harder but Filipinos are better prepared for weathering an economic crisis than consumers from other countries, a study revealed.
This was the conclusion of a new study called "Trading Up/Trading Down" recently completed by BBDO /Guerrero Proximity Philippines to gauge how the spending habits of Filipino consumers are being affected by the global economic crisis.
This finding become more relevant as the World Bank sees the local economy slipping into recession this year. Economic recession is characterized by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
The economy shrank 2.3 percent in the first three months this year from the previous quarter, the worst in two decades, bringing annual first quarter growth to 0.4 percent. The National Economic and Development Authority, however, gave a different perspective on the World Bank projection, saying the Philippines will avoid a recession with second quarter growth expected to outperform the performance in the first quarter.
Agnes Acasio-Martinez, Strategic Planning Director of Proximity Philippines, said that since news of the crisis broke, 72 percent of respondents were looking for other means to augment their income and 71 percent were spending more time looking for the best deals before making a purchase.
The study also revealed that more consumers were looking for leisure activities at home as opposed to going out versus six months ago, and that 75 percent of consumers were resistant to compromising quality for price, all behaviors adopted to help them cope with the uncertainty of the current financial crisis.
Arlene Aquino, Brand Planning Director of BBDO/Guerrero said that since consumer debt-related spending is not really an option for most Filipinos, they have not experienced a ‘shock to the system’ in the same way that consumers in developed markets have.
“The consumers we spoke to and spent time with indicated that the hardships of life in our country have left them feeling more resilient to the vagaries of the economy and better prepared to deal with the implications of a downturn.
This crisis is viewed by many as just another in a long line of financial challenges.
Martinez pointed out that this conclusion was supported by recent consumer data from Nielsen showing that consumer confidence has dropped by 12 percent in Great Britain and 13% in Singapore, while it has only dropped by 6 percent in The Philippines since the start of the crisis.
The study, which has also been conducted in other markets around the world by BBDO Proximity, shows that Filipino consumers are not only more resilient, but they adapt their behavior quicker to deal with changing conditions than consumers in other markets.
Thirty six percent of Singaporeans decreased spending on social outings and meals with friends when the crisis hit versus 61 percent of Filipinos, or almost double the number of Singaporean consumers.
"Filipino consumers have become well equipped at adapting to hanging economic conditions quicker than in other markets due to the hardships they have gone through in the past," said Paul Roebuck, CEO of BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines.
“Liquidity means security to Filipino households,” Aquino added noting that as a result Filipinos spend only when needed even for the upscale sector.
Since consumer debt-related spending is not really an option for most Filipinos, they have not experienced a "shock to the system" in the same way that consumers in developed markets have.
"The consumers we spoke to and spent time with indicated that the hardships of life in our country have left them feeling more resilient to the vagaries of the economy and better prepared to deal with the implications of a downturn. Many said they felt that they had "one up" on consumers in developed countries in helping them deal with the downturn because they had more experience of challenging economic conditions. This crisis is viewed by many as just another in a long line of financial challenges," Aquino said.
The most notable portion in the survey is that most Filipinos are saying goodbye to the “Bahala Na” attitude.
“We are seeing that more people are thinking twice even thrice of their actions. They still stick to branded and quality products but that does not mean they are not going to scout for the best deal. Consumers are becoming wise,” she said.
“Consumers are unwilling to incur debt as they look at credit like as a quick sand,” said Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO of BBDO/Proximity Asia.
Thomas noted that the different crisis in the country may it be political, social and economic has more or less prepared the Filipino consumer to any crisis that may come their way.
In other words, Filipino consumers have become wiser and more informed as they decide what to expense to cutback, scrutinize each purchase and view them as investments no matter how mundane and less personal indulgences but rather chose shared rewards by staying at home with loved ones.
“The value for money” concept is being redefined by Filipino consumers junked the cheap price as the lone determinant for value.
Because of the crisis, Filipinos find more time at home and family. It is finding more value with family and relationships.
The study, however, did not include if the change in consumer behavior is a lasting one or is good only until the crisis is over.
But Thomas said that abstinence is not a natural human state.
“People want to enjoy more of life but here it has a ...shift that could have a long time change in people,” Thomas said.
DOH and Smart join forces against A (H1N1); 85% of reported cases fully recovered
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III welcomed the support of SMART Communications, Inc. in the government’s continuing efforts to fight influenza A (H1N1). SMART represented by its Public Affairs Group Head, Mr. Ramon R. Isberto, unveiled the company’s SMART Health Watch Hotline 155 which can be used by the public to access the most recent information and updates on the novel virus A (H1N1).
“We welcome SMART’s move to strengthen government efforts against A (H1N1) through a better informed, educated and empowered Filipino public. By hitting 155 on their Smart and Talk ‘N Text-powered mobile phones, subscribers can easily access information on A(H1N1). This is good for the A (H1N1) information campaign. We, at the Department of Health (DOH), are glad that we have this partnership,” Duque said
Hotline 155 will be available starting today from Mondays to Fridays, from 8am-5pm. Duque said that the DOH will be providing the contents that Smart will be giving its subscribers.
“We have given them all relevant information on the novel virus that they will need because they would be manning the hotline. However, when tougher questions come up, they will be referring the callers to the DOH-Health Emergency Management Service Operations Center,” Duque said.
Duque said that apart from the hotline, there will also be a Smart Infoboard Service, a text messaging solution that will provide a more effective and efficient communication service.
“This means that information on A(H1N1) can soon be accessible through text messaging,” Duque said.
Meanwhile, Duque announced that 26 more A(H1N1) patients have already fully recovered, thus bringing the total count of those who have fully recovered to 400. This figure represents 85% of all the confirmed cases reported since May 21.
Duque also disclosed today that there are 28 more confirmed (mild) cases of the novel virus in the country. This new number brings the total sum of confirmed cases to 473.
The 28 new cases involved 16 males and 12 females. Their age range is from 7 months to 49 years old, with 19 as median age. All of the cases are Filipinos with no history of travel to any affected country.
“There is only one reported A(H1N1)-related death in the country,” Duque said. “All close contacts in the household and in the workplace of this particular patient are being monitored and are now in quarantine,” he added.
Duque said that globally the World Health Organization has reported 52,160 cases with 231 deaths from 94 reporting countries. Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam and Fiji are the new countries that reported A(H1N1) cases.
Smartmatic assures of enough spare voting machines for 2010 automated polls
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) – The consortium of Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp. assured on Tuesday it will provide 2,000 additional precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines to replace voting machines which will break down during the first computerized elections next year.
”We have 2,000 spare voting machines and we can guarantee the quality of our machines,” Smartmatic spokesman Cesar Flores told the Senate consultative meeting conducted by the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws.
Flores said the voting machines will be supplied by Jarltech, a Taiwan-based company which has ISO certification.
”We are assuring the Filipino people that we can deliver good results in the next year election because our voting machines have passed international standard,” Flores, who was joined by TIM chairman of the board Jose Marie Antunez in the Senate hearing, said.
During the power point presentation, Commission on Elections (Comelec) executive director Jose Tolentino informed the panel that voting machines have built-in batteries which can last up to 12 hours.
”The batteries will be used in the event of power failures or in the areas where there is no supply of electricity while the Smarmatic assured that cellphones, landlines and satellites will be used in the transmission of the election results,” Tolentino said.
Despite the assurance, Senator Chiz Escudero expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the Comelec to answer questions regarding its preparedness as well as the capability of the winning bidder Smartmatic-TIM to conduct automated elections in 2010.
"I am still waiting to be convinced by Smartmatic and the Comelec that they can conduct a credible and fail-safe automated election next year," Escudero, head of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes and laws, said.
"I am not against poll automation. I just want to be sure that there will be no failure of elections. The future of our democracy rests on this exercise," Escudero said.
In the same hearing, Escudero asked the Comelec to submit all necessary papers, including the proposed contract with Smartmatic-TIM for review by the committee.
The committee also asked the Smartmatic-TIM for 24 hours during which the Senate general counsel will review the papers.
"We want to make sure that there is nothing illegal, unconstitutional, and uncalled for in the contract," Escudero said. "We don't want a repeat of the Mega-Pacific deal."
Comelec chairman Jose Melo said the Comelec’s contract with Smartmatic was supposed to be signed on Friday but “we might postpone it” to give way to the Senate’s queries.
Escudero scored the Comelec for not checking the validity of the secretary certificate of the Smartmatic-TIM joint venture. The certificate was authenticated by the Philippine embassy in Washington DC instead of the RP consulate in Caracas, Venezuela which has jurisdiction over Barbados where Smartmatic is based.
Escudero, who was joined by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Richard Gordon in the hearing, said that the next hearing on the poll automation process will include their counterparts in the Lower House.
The Smartmatic-TIM consortium is the winning bidder for the P11.2-billion automation project for the 2010 elections.
PAGASA warns E Visayas, Bicol to brace for storm Feria
MANILA, June 23 (PNA) - The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) urged the provinces in eastern Visayas and Bicol region to brace for inclement weather as tropical storm Feria makes a landfall and hit these areas in the coming days.
"Feria has intensified into a Tropical Storm and signal number 2 has been raised over Masbate, the nearby Ticao Island, Sorsogon and Albay," latest weather advisory issued by the state weather bureau stated.
As of 10 am Tuesday, the eye of Feria was spotted 100 kms East of Borongan, Samar packing winds of 65 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 22 kph.
Feria continues to move closer to Eastern Visayas. It is seen to make a landfall over Eastern Samar this afternoon.
Signal number 2 is also hoisted over Samar Provinces, Leyte and Biliran Island.
The Pagasa reiterated its warnings to people living around the slopes of Mayon Volcano in Albay and of Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon - especially along the areas where possible lahar flows are located - to be alert due on possible landslides and flashfloods due to to heavy rains in the coming days, the Pagasa said.
In 2006, typhoon Reming incurred more than 1,000 fatalities due to lahar flow from Mount Mayon, part of the government's effort to mitigate disasters is to alert people of effects of imminent dangers caused by natural disasters.
Feria was spotted as an active low pressure area Monday afternoon. It moved rapidly and intensified into a tropical depression overnight.
Signal number 1 is raised over Camarines Provinces, Southern Quezon, Catanduanes, Burias Island, Romblon, Marinduque, Southern Leyte, Camotes Is., Cebu, Bohol Northern Negros, Capiz, Iloilo, Aklan, Dinagat Is. Siargao, Surigao del Norte and Camiguin.
Feria is expected to reach 100 kms Southeast of Tayabas, Quezon Wednesday morning; and about 200 kms Northwest of Iba, Zambales Thursday morning.
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