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Sharon Cuneta Claims Nothing Wrong with Cybercrime Law

Abolish Cybercrime Law of the Philippines

Message To Senators Who Signed the Cyberlaw of the Philippines

mao na nga si Risa Hontiveros ra akong senador nga botaran. never will i vote or support all the senators who signed and approved the cybercrime law.

guot na kaayo ang prisohan.

Facebook Violation

welcome to TubagBohol.com, Votives. nalipay mi nia ka nakig-uban kanamo.

i can't imagine pia cayetano is as gullible as the rest of filipino senators.

Let's start a campaign: Boycott All Senators Who Signed the Cybercrime Law of the Philippines

Let's declare these senators as "persona non grata."

gapareha ni sila ni Chiz Escudero, mga balimbing. they signed and approved the law and now they want to amend it. mga walay baroganan.

mao diay lipay kaayo si Leila De Lima ani nga law kay naa diay P50 Million A Year nga budget ani to be "managed" by DOJ.

by pna

In view of the controversy on the implementation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 that took effect Wednesday, Malacanang has urged stakeholders to participate in the dialogue with the Department of Justice for the drafting of its implementing rules and regulation (IRR) of the law.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, in a press briefing, said the Cybercrime Prevention Act was enacted by Congress to address legitimate concerns about criminal behavior on the Internet and the effects of abusive behavior.

"Questions have been raised about the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Act. We recognize and respect efforts not only to raise these issues in court, but to propose amendments to the law in accordance with constitutional processes," he said.

"We believe there is an opportunity for reasonable discourse between concerned stakeholders and the Department of Justice. This dialogue can address stakeholder concerns as the implementing rules and regulations are drafted. We urge the fullest and widest participation of stakeholders in this process," he added.

Lacierda noted that a law passed by Congress cannot supplant Constitutional guarantees on civil liberties.

"Let us bear in mind the law that binds us all: the Constitution. Our Constitution is clear and uncompromising in the civil liberties it guarantees all our people. As the basic law, its guarantees cannot, and will not, be diminished or reduced by any law passed by Congress," he said.

The Palace official, however, assured netizens that civil liberties, including freedom of speech and of expression, would be protected.

"The administration is equally adamant in upholding these liberties, which were regained at such high cost by our people. As the President said on September 27, the vigorous exchange of ideas that is the hallmark of a vibrant democracy, requires those who disagree not to oppress others," he said.

Lacierda pointed out that "no government entity has moved to deprive anyone of access to the Internet or to suppress civil liberties as exercised online."

In fact, he said, "what has taken place is that hackers who claim to be aligned with critics of the Cybercrime Act are the ones who have engaged in online vandalism, depriving the broader public of access to much needed government information and services online."

Lacierda has called on critics of the Cybercrime Act "to speak out against online vandalism and bullying with as much vigor and passion as they have expressed in their objections to certain provisions of this law."

By Perfecto Raymundo

The Department of Justice Wednesday cautioned all to observe the rule of law specially with the effectivity of Republic Act No. 10175, otherwise known as the “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012”.

”Precisely the purpose of the law is to protect our citizens from unscrupulous and abusive actions of misfits and the wicked in society,” DOJ Secretary Leila M. De Lima said.

”We see massive cyber fraud, state-sponsored terrorism, telecommunications hacking, credit card scams and consumer schemes that the State is mandated to investigate and prosecute,” De Lima added.

She pointed out there is no doubt that cybercrime is a global crime that requires immediate and adequate response.

”Disagreeing with certain sections of the law or questioning the legislative intent is no excuse to commit crimes â€" defacing websites whether government or not, disrupting essential operations and services, and causing damage to scarce resources,” she pointed out.

Section 4(a) of R.A. No. 10175 punishes acts against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and systems. These include illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference, misuse of devices, and cyber-squatting.

The existing R.A. No. 8792, or the “E-Commerce Law”, penalizes hacking under Section 33(a).

The DOJ has secured two convictions under this provision.

”The number of incidents and the ease of hacking government websites only shows the vulnerability of our country’s ICT (information and communications technology) framework and proves the necessity of a cybercrime law to protect us against criminal syndicates and transnational organized crime,” DOJ Assistant Secretary Geronimo L. Sy said.

De Lima has designated Sy as head of the DOJ Office of Cybercrime.

The Office of Cybercrime is set to implement the law to ensure the continued development of the business processing outsourcing, to protect critical infrastructure and to encourage the use of technology and social media by netizens who report abuses and are victims of crimes over the internet.

by pna

Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn is seeking a senatorial seat in the 2013 mid-term elections after filing his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) on Wednesday at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila.

He said he just decided on Wednesday (today) to run for a higher office to be able to do something since he is in his last term as mayor of the lone city in Palawan.

“Today lang po. Wala na kasi akong lugar sa Puerto Princesa e, expired na yung term ko. Magpapahinga sana ako kaya lang parang nakakalungkot naman e,” said Hagedorn, who is running as an independent candidate.

Among his advocacy, if elected, would be protecting the environment just like what he has done in his province.

“Siguro po yung ginawa natin sa Puerto Princesa na mag-alaga sa kalikasan, may magagawa rin akong kaunti sa national,” he added.

Hagedorn said he wants to present himself to the electorate, on a national scope in case he plans to run again in the future.

”Ikako, baka later on, may plano tayo ng mas mataas na posisyon, magpakilala na ngayon,” he said.

He added that his wife, Elena Hagedorn, will be running for mayor of Puerto Princesa in next year’s polls.

by pna

Tropical storm “Marce” (international name: Gaemi) has intensified slightly while continuing to move southeastward slowly over the sea off Zambales, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

The state weather bureau said that as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, storm Marce was located at 270 kilometers west of Iba, Zambales (15.2°N, 117.2°E) with maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

PAGASA said that Marce is forecast to move southeast at seven kph and be at 455 km west of Ambulong, Batangas by Thursday morning. By Friday morning, it is expected to be at 650 km west of Metro Manila or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Weathermen said areas within its 400-km diameter are expected to experience rainfall of 10 to 25 millimeters per hour, which is classified as “moderate to intense.”

The weather agency added that Marce continues to enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring occasional moderate to heavy rains over Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), and Bicol region.

By Lilybeth G. Ison

President Benigno Aquino III expressed confidence Wednesday the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration will restore the Philippines' Category 1 status.

This is a rating that would certify that it had fully complied with the international air safety standards.

In his speech at the inauguration of the B/E Aerospace Inc. at the First Philippine Industrial Park in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, the President said that with incoming Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya at the helm, the country will be able to achieve a Category 1 status on air safety standards from the FAA.

"We are confident that we will be able to achieve regulatory approval to further expand our aviation sector, especially since we have recently chosen a very competent public servant as our new Secretary of Transportation and Communications: Congressman Jun Abaya," he said.

The President said under Abaya's leadership, "I am sure the Philippines will meet the international aviation standards required to pull us up from the FAA’s Category 2 classification."

In 2008, the FAA downgraded the Philippines to Category 2 status for failing to comply with international safety standards.

As a result, the country’s national carrier, Philippine Airlines, was unable to expand its operations in the United States.

In 2010, the European Union also banned Philippine aircraft from flying to Europe.

There are two concerns identified by the FAA as safety concerns remain unresolved by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

These were the lack of qualified safety personnel and the lack of an integrated electronic system to modernize the sector’s database.

CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss III earlier said it is preparing for an audit by a team from the International Civil Aviation Organization, which had tagged the Philippines as a "significant safety concern" in 2008.

Hotchkiss said that passing the ICAO audit would boost the CAAP’s chances at securing Category 1 status from the FAA.

Cybercrime Law in the Philippines Can Send Every Facebook User to 12 Years in Jail

No More Fun in the Philippines

October 2012 Cebu Pacific Promo

by pna

Education Secretary Armin Luistro has warned teachers who physically hurt students that cases filed against them would still be pursued by the agency even if parents withdraw the complaint.

"As soon as the complaint is heard, it takes the priority of investigation at 'di kami pumapayag na i-withdraw ang kaso," Luistro told reporters in an interview.

"Hindi kami pumapayag na magkaroon ng negotiations between the parents and the teacher involved," he added.

Luistro said all complaints received by the agency are under the child protection policy which covers measures to prevent abuses in children in schools and provides for processes to be followed when abuses are committed.

The involvement of school personnel in abusing students could result in administrative cases or dismissal from services.

Recently, a Cebu-based math teacher allegedly forced her students to eat paper as punishment for being noisy.

Another teacher from southern Cebu is also in hot water after allegedly slapping her student for not following instructions.

Both cases are already under investigation by the Department of Education (DepEd).

"Kung talagang nangyari 'yan, kelangan maresolve agad kasi mauulit ng mauulit 'yan," Luistro said.

The education chief however said teachers involved in physical abuse of students are assured of due process in hearing their cases.

pwede ba mopahulay namo mga trapo? from senator to governor? na-inspired ni sila ni erap ug gma. from president to congresswoman. from president to manila mayor.

pabagaay nalang ni ug nawong.

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara filed Monday his certificate of candidacy for governor in this province, becoming the first among aspirants for elective post to do on the first day of the official filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs).

Angara arrived at about 10:30 a.m. at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) at the provincial Capitol compound here together with his running mate and nephew, Rommel Angara and outgoing Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo and the entire slate for board members of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).

His COC was received by election assistant Eva Asuncion.

Asked why he filed his COC so early, Angara said that as the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. “When you file early, that means you are ready,” he told newsmen.

Angara-Castillo, who also filed her COC for Congress, said one who wants to win in a race should be the first in the starting gate.

“If you want to be number one, you have to be the first,” she said.

There was no word yet on when Angara’s gubernatorial rival, Vice Gov. Gerardo Noveras would file his COC.

Also filing their COCs for board members under the LDP slate are newsman Bernie Rada, former Dipaculao mayor Danilo Tolentino, ex-San Luis councilor Ian Abordo and reelectionist board members Delia Valin, Philip Butch Bautista, Cesar Pimentel, Oscar Padua and Ruben Alipio Jr.

by pna

The implementation of Republic Act No. 10175, otherwise known as the "Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012," will push through on Wednesday after the Supreme Court failed to act on Tuesday on the various petitions questioning its constitutionality.

President Benigno S. Aquino III signed into law R.A. No. 10175 on Sept. 12, 2012.

The SC has deferred the deliberation on the controversial law due to the absence of several justices. Associate Justices Lucas P. Bersamin, Diosdado M. Peralta and Mariano C. Del Castillo are abroad on official business.

Two other justices were absent during Tuesday's SC en banc session.

Seven separate petitions are set to be deliberated on Tuesday next week.

The seven petitions from various organizations told the SC that several provisions of R.A. No. 10175 allegedly violate the 1987 Constitution, specifically the provisions on freedom of speech, equal protection of the law, right to privacy, illegal searches and seizures, and double jeopardy.

by pna

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes expressed gratitude to President Benigno S.Aquino III for approving his request in appointing a lady commissioner.

“Apparently narinig nila at babae nga ang inappoint. I can always say na I’ve known her already. Her reputation is walang problema sa integrity so malaki ang maitutulong nya dito. We welcome her,”” Brillantes said.

On Tuesday, Malacanang announced the appointment of former Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca as the poll body's new commissioner, who will replace Augusto Lagman, who was not reappointed to the post.

She will be serving until Feb. 2, 2018.

Brillantes said Padaca be an asset and they will have a referee, since the en banc is dominated by men.

“Hindi ko pa alam paano siya makakatulong.She’s a former politician, former governor, babae ‘yun ang pinakamalaking asset sa amin. Ngayon meron na mag referee sa amin,” he said.

Brillantes noted that Padaca, who is not a lawyer, is not a disadvantage.

“Well, si Gus Lagman hindi lawyer so hindi naman deficiency ‘yun. He was an it,” he added.

sotto numero uno nga poncio pilato sa pilinas!

kabalo na ko ani sauna pa. kanang mga senador wala na kahibalo unsa ilang gipangpirmahan. hawod lang na sila mokobra sa P200 Million a Year nga Pork Barrel para sa ilang bulsa.

next election wala koy senador butaran. boycott tanan.

magkaengkwentro gyud ning tawhana sila ni Sotto kay mao-mao sila ug buot.

wa ba kaha mauwani ning tawhana?

by torrentfreak.com

Police have raided the Swedish hosting company PRQ today, possibly looking for servers connected to copyright infringement. PRQ was founded by Pirate Bay co-founders Gottfrid Svartholm and Fredrik Neij and is known to host or route many file-sharing sites. The target of the raid has not been confirmed by the authorities, but The Pirate Bay team informs TorrentFreak that they are no longer using PRQ’s services.

A raid against Swedish hosting company PRQ has been confirmed today. Due to the action by police many file-sharing and streaming sites are now down or inaccessible.

All sites hosted on the 80.88./19 net are currently unavailable, including but not limited to the torrent sites torrenthound.com, linkomanija.net and tankafetast.nu, release blog RLSLOG.net, and the sports streaming sites atdhenet.tv, hahasport.com, sportlemon.tv and stopstream.tv.

source: pna

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda accepted the resignations of all Cabinet ministers here on Monday, preparing the ground for a revamp later in the day, which will be his second reshuffle bid after assuming office last year.

Ten changes to the Cabinet are expected to be announced by Noda in a press conference afternoon.

Eight staff could remain in their current posts, according to local media reports.

source: pna

A twin-engine Cessna aircraft crashed in Tirol in western Austria on Sunday, killing six of eight passengers on board, the Austrian Press Agency reported.

The plane departed from Innsbruck Airport at 6:50 a.m. local time (0450 GMT) and was en route to Valencia in Spain when radio and radar contact with the plane was abruptly lost shortly after take-off.

The plane had not made a distress call, though at 7:12 a.m. the Innsbruck Airport reported to authorities that the plane had lost control.

Shortly thereafter a recreational hunter near the scene of the accident heard engine noise followed by a crash and went to investigate.

The plane burst into flames upon crashing, but one survivor managed to escape from the wreckage where he was met by the hunter, while the other survivor found with severe burns in a forested area.

Emergency services crew arrived at the scene at 7:42 a.m. where they discovered the six dead passengers in the wreckage. Despite poor visibility which forced helicopter aid to be cancelled, a 100-meter long swath that the aircraft had made through the forest was visible.

by pna

Windsurfers from various countries are expected to gather in Boracay Island this December for the "One World Championship."

Organizers said Monday the world championship event will sail on December 10-15 at the Bulabog beach.(

The Bulabog beach at the back area of this resort island is considered the Mecca for windsurfing and kite-surfing in Asia. Windsurfers expected December to be the perfect time for the international championship since water temperature is expected to reach 28 degree Celsius.

Air temperature meanwhile could reach 30 degree celsius in December because of the northeasterly wind locally known as 'Amihan.')

Every year windsurfers and kite-surfers gather here for a world championship competition here in the Central Philippines.

"The real advantage that Boracay has over other Asian destinations is the reliability of the north easterly wind. To organize major events, we need reliable conditions and this is what Boracay offers plus an exciting night life off the water!" said Neil Pryde, one of the founders of the said annual championship match.

by pna

The Iraqi oil exports brought in revenues of 8.4 billion U.S. dollars from selling 78 million barrels in September, the oil ministry said Monday.

The average of crude oil exports was 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) for the month with an average selling price of 107 dollars per barrel, the ministry said in a statement obtained by Xinhua.

Iraq exported 65.4 million barrels through the southern port of Basra, and 12.3 million barrels were exported via Turkey's port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea, the statement said.

Iraq also tracked 300,000 barrels of crude oil to neighboring Jordan during the month at discounted prices, in accordance with an agreement signed earlier between the two countries.

In August, Iraq exported a total of 79.5 million barrels of crude oil during the 31 days of the month, bringing in revenues of 8.442 billion dollars.

The country depends on oil revenues for nearly 95 percent of its budget.

In 2010, Iraq announced its proven oil reserves had increased to 143.1 billion barrels rising from the previous estimation of 115 billion barrels.

by pna

Due to heavy rains that pounded the metropolis at dawn Tuesday, classes have been suspended in several areas in the National Capital Region.

There are no classes from pre-school to high school in Malabon due to high tide, and Pasay City.

In Marikina City, only morning classes are suspended.

Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas has also suspended classes since areas in Sampaloc district are already submerged in floodwater.

The state weather bureau said the low pressure area at the West Philippine Sea has intensified into a tropical storm. Once it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the tropical storm will be known as "Marce".

by pna

Tuesday's early morning massive downpour has caused gutter to tire deep floods in some streets in Malabon and Caloocan.

These areas include Malabon's Letre and Catmon district, and Caloocan's Monumento Circle, Gen. Tinio and Sangandaan area.

The incident triggered traffic jams in said areas as drivers of light vehicles found it prudent to cross in shallower waters.

As this develops, the Malabon local government has ordered the suspension of classes in the elementary and high school levels, both in private and public schools.

As of this posting, the weather continues to improve in Malabon and Caloocan.

by pna

A low pressure area (LPA) off west Northern Luzon has developed into a tropical depression but is still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau said on Tuesday.

Weather Forecaster Nikos Peñaranda said that as of 2 a.m. Tuesday, the tropical depression was located 550 km west of Northern Luzon (17.2ºN, 114.7ºE) with maximum winds of 55kph near the center and expected to enter PAR by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

Peñaranda said it is forecast to move almost stationary and once it enters the Philippines territory, it will be named “Marce” â€" the 13th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year.

“Based on the model, the scenario is that the tropical depression will briefly enter the country as it continues to move to the West Philippine Sea, moving southeasterly and will affect the west of southern of Luzon which will bring rains over Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan, then will exit the country moving towards Vietnam,” he explained.

With its track, Peñaranda noted that the tropical depression has a slim chance of making a landfall but the weather agency continues to monitor.

However, Peñaranda said the tropical depression will affect Central and Northern Luzon. These areas will experience occasional moderate to heavy rains.

In its advisory, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that Metro Manila, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Central Luzon and Mimaropa will be cloudy with occasional moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms.

PAGASA said that Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas will have occasional light to moderate rains or thunderstorms while the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with brief rainshowers or thunderstorms.

The weather agency added that moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast to east will prevail over Northern Luzon, and coming from the southwest to south over Central Luzon.

Coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the southwest to west with slight to moderate seas.

naa man daw siya tree planting program? ambot asa na ang mga kahoy karon?

i will also vote for her. i've met her and i found her well-principled.

By PNA

President Benigno S. Aquino III attended Saturday evening the formal repatriation and the premiere showing of the newly restored internationally acclaimed Filipino film "Genghis Khan" by Manuel Conde.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the National Film Archive of the Philippines (NFAP), together with the La Biennale di Venezia led the restoration and repatriation of the movie to the Philippines. The Venice Film Festival is part of La Biennale di Venezia.

The prints of Genghis Khan, filmed in 1950, were turned over to the National Film Archive of the Philippines (NFAP) for the preservation. NFAP, which is under the auspices of FDCP, has been established to collect and conserve audiovisual materials as part of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.

After the formal turnover ceremony, the FDCP, together with its partners held the premiere screening of the newly-restored movie at the SM Mall of Asia’s Cinema One along Roxas Boulevard.

The restoration of Genghis Khan was conducted at the L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, a world-class laboratory recognized as one of the best in the field of film retrieval. Among the famous Hollywood personalities and entities that worked with L’Immagine Ritrovata included director and film archiving stalwart Martin Scorsese and the Film Foundation.

Genghis Khan, which was shown in Philippine theaters 60 years ago, had long been considered lost until a copy surfaced recently in the Venice film vaults. After the restoration, the movie was screened during the Archivio Storico delle Arti Contemporanee (ASAC) retrospective of 10 rare restored films in the recent Venice Film Festival.

With the repatriation of Genghis Khan, FDCP chairman Briccio Santos said it could send a strong signal to the international archivists to turn over Filipino films that remained in their collection.

Also present during the event were Venice Film Festival retrospective curator Stefano Francia di Celle; L’Immagine Ritrovata director Davide Pozzi; NFAP head Benedict Salazar Olgado; the Urbano/Conde family representative Jun Urbano;National Artist for Films Eddie Romero; and National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao.

The low-budget movie was filmed in the mountains of Angono, Rizal. It was about the adventures of the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan prior to his assumption to the throne.

Among those who also worked with Conde in making the film was the Angono painter Carlos “Botong” Francisco, as production designer, who eventually became a National Artist for visual arts in the Philippines.

Manuel Urbano, who used the screen name Manuel Conde, was born in Daet, Camarines Norte on Oct. 15, 1915. During his stint as a producer, actor and director, he made classic films such as the Juan Tamad series (1947), Vende Cristo (1948), Prinsipe Paris (1949), Krus na Kawayan (1956), Siete Infantes de Lara (1950), Molave (1961) and Genghis Khan (1950).

By PNA

Police seized a cache of high-powered firearms from the house of a fake National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent.

The police Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) has ordered the revocation of the licenses and permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR) of Victor Arcilla Murillo, a “scrapper” from Tanza, Cavite , who was charged with estafa thru falsification of commercial documents and for allegedly threatening to kill a provincial prosecutor of Cavite.

In Resolution No. 2012-093 dated Sept. 27, Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta ordered the immediate seizure of 10 high-powered firearms registered under Murillo's name, a “scrapper” from Tanza, Cavite .

Cavite Provincial Police Office (PPO) director Senior Supt. John Bulalacao, upon receipt of the order on the same day, immediately sent policemen at Murillo’s residence and implemented the order.

Seized from Murillo were a .45 caliber pistol, one AK 47 rifle, two Armalite rifles, two shotguns, one .357 revolver and three .40 caliber pistols.

Cavite Provincial Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco earlier wrote Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Nicanor Bartolome and NBI Director Nonatus Rojas requesting that Murillo’s gun licenses be revoked after he falsely introduced himself as NBI agent.

The prosecutor also accused Murillo of using his (Velasco’s) name in his alleged illegal activities such as gunrunning and illegal disposal of waste products in Cavite.

Velasco also said that Murillo had sent text messages to him threatening him and even dared him to have his house raided.

by pna

The Philippine Coast Guard is planning to acquire five to seven brand-new helicopters to boost its search-and-rescue (SAR) capability.

Vice Admiral Edmund Tan, PCG commandant, said that this is part of their efforts to modernize the maritime agency's equipment.

He declined to give the exact time frame for the acquisition of the new helicopters but stressed that studies are now underway to determine the most capable and cost efficient air platform for the PCG.

Observers said that the helicopters that might fit the PCG's SAR requirement might be European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company (EADS)'s Eurocopter 145.

The Eurocopter 145 is a twin-engine aircraft and can carry up to nine passengers along with two crew, depending on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for passenger transport, corporate transport, emergency medical services, search and rescue, parapublic and utility roles.

It has top speed of 167 miles per hour (equivalent to 268 kilometers) and has a payload of 3,953 pounds (1,793 kilograms).

The PCG earlier said that the flight deck capacity of the country's SAR vessels will determine what specific airframe will be acquired.

"The flight decks of our four SAR vessels are only capable of supporting light- to medium-sized helicopters which are capable of carrying from four to eight people, aside from its rescue equipment," the agency said in a statement.

The PCG currently has four SAR vessels in its fleet.

These are the BRP San Juan (SAR-001), BRP EDSA DOS II (SAR-002), BRP Pampanga (SAR-003), and BRP Batangas (SAR-004).

The ship, weighing around 275 deadweight tons, is 56 meters long and 10.55 meters wide, and equipped with two Caterpillar diesel engines, giving it a maximum speed of 26 knots.

It has a complement of 13 officers and 24 rating and is capable of transporting 300 persons during an emergency.

by pna

The Philippine National Police is working closely with the United States Embassy following its issuance of security warning to American nationals in Metro Manila on Friday.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo said that the PNP leadership has ordered intensified intelligence operations, particularly the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), and coordinated with the embassy to address the concern.

”We have instructed concerned units in the PNP, the intelligence units, the NCRPO to coordinate closely with our counterparts from the U.S. Embassy to determine their specific security concern and at the same time so we could address it,” said Cerbo.

Cerbo, however, stressed that the police organization has not monitored specific threat.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy warned all American citizens in the country against a threat in Metro Manila, specifically in Pasay City neighborhood, where a housing facility for U.S. Embassy personnel is located.

Immediately after the U.S. Embassy’s warning, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom issued similar advisories to their nationals.

The U.S. Embassy urged American citizens at this time to exercise extreme caution in their daily routine and to maintain extra awareness regarding their own security; as much as possible, maintain a low profile; vary travel routes and social routines; consider cancelling any American gatherings, celebrations or observations that may be construed as American events, and report any perceived security concern to Philippine authorities.

by pna

Troopers from the Philippine Army's 27th Infantry Battalion shot and killed two New People's Army (NPA) fighters and captured another one during an encounter in Sitio Tiruray, Barangay Telafas, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat before dawn Saturday.

Lt. Col. Alexis Noel Bravo, 27th IB commander, said that they were patrolling in the area when residents told them about the presence of the rebels who were extorting food and money from farmers at around 3:20 a.m.

The soldiers, together with a police team, engaged the rebel band in a 45-minute firefight which left two of the NPA fighters dead and another one captured.

Bravo said one soldier was wounded in the encounter. He was identified as Cpl. Hajimanor Amino, who was hit in his right ankle.

He added that the slain NPA fighters are still to be identified. Their captured companion, identified as Renato Arema, was turned over to the police authorities.

Will You Vote for Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Jackie Enrile?

Will You Vote for Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay?

To Vote or Not to Vote for Richard Gordon?

To Vote or not to vote for Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito?

To Vote or Not to Vote for Senator Gregorio Honasan II?

To Vote or Not to Vote for Juan Miguel Zubiri

Will You Vote for Ernesto Maceda?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III?

Will You Vote for Grace Poe-Llamanzares?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Chiz Escudero?

Will You Vote for Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara?

Will You Vote for Alan Peter Cayetano?

Will You Vote for Risa Hontiveros?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Antonio Trillanes IV?

Will You Vote for Cynthia Villar?

Will You Vote for Jamby Madrigal?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV?
position: senator

Will You Vote for Ramon Magsaysay Jr?
position: Senator

by pna

Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, a Cebu priest named in a National Geographic magazine article on “blood ivory” smuggling, claimed he was not the one who gave the “advice” on how to smuggle ivory into the United States.

Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said Garcia, during a recent trip to Manila, told him that another person gave the statement and it was just attributed to him.

”He (Garcia) said it was another person, a woman, who said it,” Vidal said, adding that Garcia could not have known about smuggling ivory to the US.

”Garcia could not go to the US because of a decades-old child abuse case,” the prelate said.

Vidal was referring to the article written by Bryan Christy titled ”Ivory Worship,” which is the cover story of National Geographic magazine’s October issue.

Christy writes that Garcia told him that if he wanted to have an ivory Santo Nino he would have to smuggle it to the US.

Garcia was quoted as advising Christy to “wrap it in old, stinky underwear and pour ketchup on it.”

Since the article was posted online, teams from the Catholic church and government agencies have started to investigate on the alleged ivory trade in the country and the trade of religious artifacts made of ivory.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) met again last Saturday and announced that statements would be limited.

”We will limit issuing statements on the ivory controversy until such time that the NBI, which leads the investigation with DENR providing technical support, concludes the probe,” the team said.

”This is to give them a more focused, thorough and exhaustive investigation. For now, we want to maintain the integrity of the probe as it continues to conduct or invite certain individuals to shed light on this pressing issue,” they added.

DENR Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo on Friday said they would include the residence of Garcia in Cansojong, Talisay City as well as other collectors of religious artifacts.

A team led by Al Orolfo, Protected Area, Wildlife Conservation Zone and Management Services (PAWCZMS) regional director, went to Cansojong on the same day, but were denied entry at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene.

Will You Donate Your Kidney? Are you willing?

by pna

The first kidney transplant at the government-owned Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) here on Sunday was successful with the kidney donor and recipient now doing well.

This was disclosed by Dr. Roland Mejia, R1MC chief, who identified the donor as Isagani Patongan, 32, of Malasiqui town who donated his kidney to his second cousin, Maria Onrovia, 28, a nurse at R1MC and a native of Bonuan, Dagupan City.

Patongan is set to be discharged from the hospital in two to three days while Onrovia will remain in the hospital for a week for further observation.

Mejia told newsmen that Patongan, as the first kidney donor, will enjoy free lifetime consultation and treatment at R1MC. Onrovia, on the other hand, will be accorded the same benefits for a lifetime for being the first recipient of kidney from a living donor performed for the first time by R1MC.

After the breakthrough, Mejia announced that kidney transplant for an indigent patient will probably cost P300,000 at R1MC. The amount is lower than when the procedure is done in a Manila hospital which will cost from P900,000 to P1.5 million.

Mejia said the successful kidney transplant was performed by a team of doctors of R1MC led by Dr. Adolfo Parayno, a native of Calasiao, Pangasinan. Members of his team included Dr. Abelardo Coquia, Beth Dr. Estuesta, Dr. Francisco Untalan and Dr. Angelica Asuncion, all nephrologists.

They were assisted by resident physicians and nurses of R1MC.

Another team led by Dr. Paquito Fuentes retrieved the kidney from the donor.

"I am happy that we were able to set up a team of doctors here at R1MC. We are hoping that we will be able to cater to patients not only from Pangasinan but in the entire Northern Luzon Area," Parayno said.

He said the team is capable of performing kidney transplant initially once a week but soon three times weekly, like at National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) where he trained.

Parayno said those who need kidney transplant from a healthy person are those undergoing hemo-dialysis procedures regularly, pointing out that when one has a new kidney, he or she no longer needs dialysis but only medication.

He said the kidney transplant was done from 7 a.m. up to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

After 24 hours, he said the new kidney on the recipient is now functioning normally as indicated by the level of creatinine in the patient's blood.

Parayno said he did his first several kidney transplants during his training at NKTI and all the recipients are now living as normal persons.

He said after his training, he went back to Pangasinan to help his provincemates who are in need of kidney transplant.

balong, what do you mean by "please post no replies?"

Will You Vote for Loren Legarda? and why?
This is our own SWS survey.

Discount Sale for Trip to China

makuyawan man pud ta sa title sa post ani.

by pna

The Court of Appeals has decided in favor of a man from Minglanilla town, Cebu who was accused of selling illegal drugs in 2005.

Associate Justice Pamela Ann Maxino overturned the ruling of the trial court and acquitted Samuel Calinawan of drug charges, sparing him from life imprisonment.

”The guilt of accused-appellant was not proven beyond reasonable doubt as the circumstances availing make the existence of the buy-bust operation suspect,” the 16-page ruling Justice Maxino penned for the CA’s special 19th Division read.

The CA ordered the immediate release of Calinawan from detention.

Police arrested and charged Calinawan with illegal possession and sale of shabu, penalized under Sections 5 and 11 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Armed with a search warrant, police officers Ernesto Navales and Roland Camello and members of the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch swooped down on two houses of suspected drug dealers in Barangay Tunghaan, Minglanilla, Cebu.

The anti-drug operation, carried out on Aug. 14, 2005, was also designed to “apprehended any drug pusher caught in the act of peddling drugs.”

While the police were serving the warrant, Calinawan entered the gate of a suspected drug dealer’s house and bought a cigarette from a nearby store, oblivious to the ongoing operation.

On his way out, Calinawan was approached by a police officer and asked if he was a drug pusher, which he denied.

The police reportedly recovered illegal drugs from the houses covered by the search warrant.

Authorities later brought Calinawan to Minglanilla Police Station.

Calinawan said a police officer, whom he did not identify, went to his mother and asked for P50,000 in exchange for his release.

When he failed to produce the amount, the police allegedly filed drug charges against him before the prosecutor’s office.

The police, however, insisted that the operation and the arrest of Calinawan were regular.

The police said Calinawan was arrested after he handed over a small sachet of suspected shabu to a poseur-buyer in exchange for P100 marked money.

In its decision, the Cebu City Regional Trial Court found Calinawan guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court also fined him P800,000.

The defense appealed the verdict before the appellate court and argued that the lower court erred in establishing his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The defense also argued that Calinawan’s guilt was anchored on mere speculation that he sold and possessed shabu.

In reversing the lower court’s ruling, the appellate court held that the search and retrieval of suspected shabu and Calinawan’s arrest were illegal.

The police nabbed Calinawan on his way out of the suspected drug dealer’s house on suspicion that he was also a drug pusher, the appellate court pointed out.

But the circumstances do not justify Calinawan’s arrest, the CA ruled, since he was not committing a crime or had not committed a crime during the operation.

”These were done in violation of his rights. The Constitution guards the rights of individuals against illegal search and seizure,” the CA said.

by pna

The Lapu-Lapu City government will spend P2 million to form a team of technical divers.

Andy Berame, deputy action officer of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the amount will cover training and diving equipment.

Berame said technical divers will be part of the Disaster Action Response Team, which the city hopes to form by October.

”We are now in the recruitment process,” he said.

The CDRRMO is recruiting City Hall employees to be part of the action team.

Members will undergo first-aid training, basic disaster management course, water safety and rescue course, basic ambulance and vehicle operations, among others.

Berame said the city needs technical divers, who can dive deeper than 18 meters, because the city is surrounded by sea.

He said the plane crash in Masbate, which killed Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, highlighted the need to train technical divers.

If Lapu-Lapu City encounters a similar incident, the city can immediately dispatch technical divers, Berame said.

Forming an action team is part of the city’s disaster and risk reduction management plan, he added.

Once formed, the team will coordinate with existing response teams, such as the Emergency Response Unit Foundation (Eruf) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

”The action team will not compete with the existing response units,” Berame said.

He said they cannot just rely on the Eruf and PRC because the city is getting more urbanized.

The action team is open to regular, casual and job-order employees, who are at least 21 years old but not older than 40.

Applicants will be screened, as they will only accept 24 members. Training of the members will be done after office hours.

by pna

The blue jeep-type police vehicle that fell off a cliff in Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu, killing two policemen and a civilian driver last week, had a recent maintenance checkup, but the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) will still look into the possibility that the incident was caused by a mechanical problem.

CPPO Director Patrocinio Comendador also reminded police station chiefs to inspect their patrol cars before hitting the road.

Two policemen and a municipal driver were killed after the patrol jeep they were riding fell into a 60-foot ravine in Mantalongon, Dalaguete in southern Cebu at dawn Thursday. They were driving back to the police station after securing a benefit dance when the accident occurred.

Investigators are looking at human error, a mechanical problem or bad weather as probable cause of the accident.

A liquor test showed that the policemen were not drunk.

by pna

Two persons died on the spot when the single motorcycle they were riding slammed a trailer truck stuck on an under repair portion of the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Nieves, this town, Saturday night.

Chief Inspector Renato Morales, town police chief, said the fatalities were the motorcycle driver, Reynante Pascual, 39, of Mayapyap Norte, Cabanatuan City, and a still unidentified male companion.

Investigation showed the Isuzu trailer truck (RER-938) driven by Moises Pineda, 32, of Barangay District 2, San Manuel, Isabela, was halted by the ongoing construction when the motorcycle bumped on its rear portion.

The dead were brought to a local funeral parlor for autopsy examination, while Pineda was held at the police station for investigation, Morales said.

The accident happened four days after nine people died on the spot in a smash-up among a passenger bus, a fuel tanker and a motorcycle along the Maharlika Highway last Wednesday in Barangay Bantug, Science City of Muñoz, this province.

by pna

Davao City’s 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab has been recognized as this year’s Best Reservist Field Grade Officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Ungab is a battalion commander with a rank of lieutenant colonel under the 22nd Ready Reserve Infantry Division based in Almendras Gym Compound, Trading Boulevard, this city.

He was honored by his fellow reservists in a simple ceremony Sunday morning in front of the Almendras Gym. The award was given by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin last Sept. 8 during the celebration of the 33rd AFP Reservists Week at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

In his message, Ungab said the recognition is not really for him alone but the entire battalion that works hard to go beyond than of what are expected from plain civilians.

“This is the result of our team efforts. We were there to help victims of disasters like floodings in Bangkal and the typhoon Sendong in Iligan,” he said.

He said it was a tall order when he rose above the challenge to head the battalion when he was also busy in many other things.

Aside from attending his constituents in the city’s third district, he was also appointed in December 2011 as the chairman of the House of Representatives' committee on ways and means, aside from enrolling for his master's of Development Management (MDM) at the Development Academy of the Philippines and at the General Staff Corps (GSC), the highest military career course.

Among Ungab’s classmates in MDM and GSC is Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is herself a reservist with a rank of lieutenant colonel.

In getting the GSC, one has to complete a 10-month AFP Command and General Staff Course at the AFPCGSC College. This is a prerequisite to be a full-fledged colonel.

From just one battalion, the 22nd Ready Reserve Infantry Division has already three battalions.

by pna

A religious organization based in the municipality of Dingalan in southern Aurora, which is long known for its humanitarian outreach program, has emerged as the cleanest and greenest church in the annual Gawad Punong Lalawigan para sa Kapaligiran (GPLK) Clean and Green search.

The Holy Place Pentecost Church Tabernacle Inc., (HPPCTI) led by its president, Mrs. Ruth G. Sanchez, was bestowed the award in the non-Catholic category during awarding ceremonies at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall at the provincial Capitol grounds recently.

A plaque and a cash prize went with the award which was handed by Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, assisted by Vice Gov. Gerardo Noveras, Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ma. Teresa de Luna and Philippine League of Local Environment Officers representatives Erlinda Creencia, Oliver Gonzales and Raquel Naciongayo.

Established in 1976 by Mrs. Sanchez’s late husband, Rev. Eustaquio G. Sanchez, the HPPCTI has congregations in Guiguinto, Bulacan; Project 8 in Quezon City; Sto. Tomas in Pampanga; Olongapo City; Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija; Davao City; Barangay Caragsacan, Dingalan, and in Hong Kong.

It also has outreaches in Marikina City; San Miguel, Baliuag, San Rafael and Bustos in Bulacan; Candaba in Pampanga; Binangonan, Rizal; Barangays Camp Tinio and Kalikid in Cabanatuan City; Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija; and in Barangays Umiray and Dikapanikian in Dingalan.

One of its notable projects was the “Operation Tulungan” gift-giving project which reached out to thousands of families in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and in Mindanao.

In Dingalan, the program has been providing relief to impoverished families since 1983.

The GPLK is a pet project of Angara-Castillo in line with a provincewide search she launched in 2005 for the cleanest and greenest municipality, barangay, school, church, store/food establishment, hotel, recreation center and best Capitol implementer of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Program (ESWMP).

She also issued Executive Order 1-2005 creating the provincial search committee.

Meanwhile, the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church in Ma. Aurora stood out as cleanest and greenest church in the Catholic category.

Adjudged as the cleanest and greenest municipalities were Ma. Aurora, San Luis, Casiguran and this capital town in the urban category while Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Dingalan and Dilasag won in the rural category.

Standing out as the cleanest and greenest barangay was Calabuanan, Baler (urban category) and Barangays Zone 1 (Dinalungan) and Puangi (Dipaculao).

The Punta Sierra Verde in Dinalungan and the La Cez Food House won as cleanest and greenest hotel/recreation center and store/food establishment, respectively.

The provincial tourism office, provincial social welfare and development office and the provincial cooperative office stood out as best office implementer of the ESWMP (without compound category) while the provincial veterinary office and the provincial empowerment and advancement center for employment won in the with compound category.

Special awards were also handed out to Dinalungan Mayor Tito Tubigan (most environment-friendly mayor), Dinalungan Environment and Natural Resources Office (most environment-friendly municipal office), Umiray Elementary School (small elementary), Ditumabo Elementary School (big elementary) and Canili National High School (high school) as most environment-friendly schools and the members of the Provincial Task Force Sagip Kalikasan (PTFSK).

by pna

Gov. Lilia Pineda clarified on Sunday that the PhilHealth cards known as “yellow cards” distributed under the National Household Targeting System-Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) program came from the national government through President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Pineda said it was only the provincial government which was tasked to distribute the yellow cards to the identified beneficiaries who belong to the poorest of the poor based on the recent census.

Earlier, Pineda distributed 43,612 PhilHealth yellow cards to the marginalized Kapampangan families in all the municipalities in the province under NHTS-PR program.

The national government, with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has also provided an additional 6,242 yellow cards to the province which the governor is currently distributing to the remaining beneficiaries.

In sum, a total of 49,854 PhilHealth yellow cards have been provided to the province under the program.

With this, the governor thanked President Aquino for continuously supporting her health programs as manifested in the provision of the PhilHealth cards to the poor Kapampangans.

The provincial government, for its part, also subsidized the PhilHealth cards intended for the benefit of at least 4,897 barangay tanods who have no existing health insurance.

Pineda said that barangay tanods deserved to enjoy the benefits of free health care through the PhilHealth cards as they have been active partners of the local police in maintaining peace and order in their respective localities.

PhilHealth cards will give the beneficiaries free access to health care services in all government hospitals and discounts on private hospitals.

by pna

The two-year Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant on dog population control has ended but Cebu City failed to achieve its goal to eliminate rabies in the city this year.

”We did our best but our best wasn’t good enough,” said Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) chief Dr. Alice Utlang.

Utlang said JICA’s estimated P2-million grant for dog population control through spaying and neutering, which started in 2010, ended last Thursday.

But Utlang said JICA cannot declare Cebu City “rabies-free” because of the 11 rabies cases in the city this year.

The cases were reported in Barangays Apas, Bulacao, Basak Pardo, Sambag 2, Guadalupe, Mabolo, Hipodromo, Paril and Kamputhaw. All of these barangays have one case each, except Bulacao and Sambag 2, which have two cases each.

Utlang said the rabies problem in the city is due to lack of cooperation of pet owners.

”Some do not care. They refused to have their dogs vaccinated, even if the vaccine is free,” she said.

Utlang said Cebu City is among the four areas in the country that was given a grant by JICA for dog population control.

Other beneficiaries of the program include Marinduque, Camiguin and Catanduanes. Both Marinduque and Camiguin have been declared rabies-free.

Although the grant has ended, Utlang assured JICA that the city government will continue its program to reduce the incidence of rabies in the city.

She said DVMF will implement measures to reduce rabies cases, like issuing citation tickets to pet owners who do not register and have their dogs vaccinated.

DVMF will also conduct house-to-house visits in the barangays to check for unregistered pets.

DVMF has given recognition to 10 barangays which have zero rabies cases in the past five years.

by pna

Maguindanao and Cotabato City Representative Bai Sandra Sema said on Monday she has the Senate's assurance for the passage of her bill to convert Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC) into a state university.

Sema said Senator Edgardo Angara has vowed to have his similar bill put into public hearings and eventual deliberations before the year ends.

"It was a long-time dream for Muslims, Lumad and Christians here," Rep. Sema said.

Sema, author of House Bill 5914, said Angara's committee on education will be conducting a public hearing on October 9.

Her bill aims to enable CCSP to provide better and low-cost education to poor students in Maguindanao City and other surrounding areas.

by pna

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Regional Dir. Dennis Ausan announced that all systems go with the Comelec as the filing of Certificates of Candidacies (COCs) started Monday.

Ausan said the Comelec office opened early Monday and "everything went smoothly and peacefully."

"There were no major hitches that happened except for some several queries and clarification from the candidates whether they could file their COCs while still waiting for their Certificates of Nominations, among others," he said.

Ausan explained that the Comelec ruled that the submission of COCs must be simultaneous with the issuance of Certificates of Nominations.

He also clarified that candidates have the option to use their maiden name or surname of their husbands and that there should only be one nickname to be used except if the nickname is constituted by two or three words.

by pna

A Special Action Force (SAF) unit will be opened in Capiz to curb criminality and illegalities in the city, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Mar Roxas announced during the weekend.

"Gen. Cipriano Querol will man the SAF uni," Roxas said adding that “I already gave the mandate to PNP Regional Director Gen. Agrimero Cruz, Jr. and Capiz PNP Director Domingo Cabillan to maintain the peace and order in Capiz”, Roxas said in a press conference held on Sunday.

According to him, there is a fund to finance the SAF building to be constructed in Dao, Capiz. He also said that some P 4 million will also be earmarked to finish the police station in the city.

The DILG secretary said that two vehicles will be provided by the city government under the leadership of City Mayor Angel Alan Celino.

by pna

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile recognized the need to fine tune the law on party-list to make sure that it is truly representative of the marginalized sectors.

Enrile, who was here during the weekend, said this was in reaction to the report that many party-list representatives seeking seats this coming 2013 elections actually belong to the rich instead of the marginalized sectors.

“We’ll have to review the party-list law again,” Enrile said adding that "upon the review of the party-list regulations, necessary amendment will have to be done if it warrants."

Meanwhile, AAMBIS-OWA party-list representative Sharon Garin, who is seeking reelection, said on Sunday that she hopes her belonging to the political clan of the Garins of Iloilo First District would not disqualify her.

“I am not the poorest party-list representative but I already passed a lot of bills on agriculture. I hope I would not be discriminated as a representative and advocate for farmers,” Garin said.

She was hopeful that her status in life would not deter her from representing the farmer sector.

She said "it is not a problem if the party-list representative is poor or not, what is important is the performance and what has been done to the marginalized sector he/she represents."

Meanwhile,Iloilo Fifth District Board Member Shalene Palmares Hidalgo said that the party-list should really represent the marginalized sector so they could be given voice and attention by the national government.

by pna

Filipinos are very talented when it comes to information technology (IT) that they are accomplishing things for multi-national companies without knowing it, a Microsoft executive said.

Alvin Gendrano, director of Microsoft Philippines’ developer and platform group and a board director of the Philippine Software Industry Association, noted that social gaming service Zynga has outsourced some of its development to the Philippines.

“That would give you a sense of what our talent here does. There is a demand for Filipino development,” he said.

Gendrano said software development in the country currently is services-based, where services are exported to other countries.

He hopes that by encouraging the young talents, they will be inspired to shift from providing software services to actually creating software products.

”It is in software products where there is the most potential for growth and profitability,” he said, adding that services required more people to run it, whereas a good product can be sold many times over.

He cited as an example a Manila-based team of three that developed a web-based point-of-sale system and charged a minimum fee for its use.

Gendrano said about 30,000 small and medium enterprises use their system while they currently have just a few employees the founder, someone to answer calls and part time marketing staff.

Exist Software chief executive officer Jerry Rapes said Filipinos can be known as creator of technology rather than just being among the top users of social media.

He lamented that students these days are educated to become employees and are “blinded” by the vision into joining big companies.

He said there is nothing wrong with this, but hopes that students will also be taught to envision the possibility of creating something on their own.

Genrado hopes that the industry can help take away the bias toward employment and also see potential in creating their own products.

Rapes said startup companies need to be supported and to shown what could happen if they keep at it.

Both also cited the need for the industry and the academe to come together and collaborate.

Rapes said with both sectors now talking through the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedfit), it is a good start. “It’s difficult to change a curriculum overnight.”

He said is easier done here than in Manila because of the compact nature of Cebu.

Gendrano also noted that out of some 50,000 IT graduates each year, only between eight and 10 percent are employable according to industry standards.

“They are not taught the right things. Educational institutions need to impart the skills needed by the industry,” he said.

He worries that many students take up IT course because it is popular these days but some programs offer no substance” and they will have wasted four years and their parents’ money.

by pna

The cross section of the society are appealing to President Benigno Simeon Aquino, III, to anoint Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Officer in-charge Gov. Mujiv Hataman as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party (LP) in ARMM for the 2013 synchronize elections.

The appeal came as the President has not yet publicly and officially announced on who will be the LP standard bearer in ARMM although three of the five provincial governors have revealed earlier this week that the President’s choice is Hataman.

The revelation about the President’s choice were made by Sulu Gov. Abusakur Tan, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu.

“In the interest of public trust and confidence, in the exigency of quality service, and foremost of all for peace and development in Mindanao, we appeal to you Your Excellency, and call upon our constituents to allow OIC Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman to continue the integrity of leadership in the ARMM by making him the Standard Bearer of your Party Your Excellency to run for the Regional Governorship in the ARMM this forthcoming 2013 synchronize elections,” they said in an open letter to the President.

A copy of the open letter was furnished on Sunday to reporters in this city, a day before the start of the five-day period set for the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the 2013 synchronize elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has designated the period from Oct. 1 to 5 as the date for the filing of COC for the 2013 elections.

The signatories of the open letter were: Sheikh Abdulwakil Tanjilil, Darul Ifta, Region IX and Palawan; Dr. Aboulkhair Tarason, National Ulama Conference of the Philippines; Sheikh Jamal Sakaluran Munib, Ulama and Muslim Professionals Association of the Philippines; Sheikh Abdulmuhmin Mujahid, ZamBaSulTa Ulama Supreme Council; Ustanza Mona Aiyub, Al-Muhminat (Women) Organization; Raisa Ismael, United Youth of the Philippines; Meriam Abba, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society; and, Atty. Hasan Kiram, Kasajahitraan sin Kawman Bangsa Movement.

They declared that they have bind together to convey to the President “our firm commitment to continuously support the reform” in ARMM being initiated by Hataman “for open governance, integrity of leadership, quality delivery of services, and for peace and development in the region.”

“We are confident that, with your support Your Excellency, the fight against corruption, to regain the trust and confidence of our people to support their leaders as public servants not as warlords or landlords, and for moral recovery, and to continue our efforts in peacemaking and peacekeeping in Mindanao to make our people and communities free from fear and free from want, the continuation of the leadership of Hataman would pave the way to make all these a reality,” they stated in the open letter.

by pna

Multi-awarded inventor Edgar Delibo is pushing for the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) 7459, or the Inventors and Invention Incentives Act, that provides tax incentives for Filipino inventors and inventions.

Delibo, who owns the Dok Alternatibo Group of Companies, is a recipient of various awards for his inventions of herbal medicines, food supplements and natural cosmetics products.

He said the intent of the law is to recognize and grant incentives to inventors, particularly extending tax exemptions for every invention.

“But sad to say it was not implemented. Unfortunately, I was not given the privilege for said tax exemptions by the Bureau of Internal Revenue based on the said law despite effort on my part,” he said.

Delibo said the BIR only granted him income tax exemptions, which according to him runs counter to the intent and purpose of the law.

“In fact, the BIR billed me with millions tax payable before the conduct of actual investigations on their level,” he said.

Delibo said the entrapment operation that resulted in the arrest of BIR regional legal officer Roderick Orallo was the sad effect of the failure of BIR to fully implement the said law in as far as tax policies are concerned which he was persistently asking them ever since.

On Sept. 27, 2012, elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11 arrested Orallo for allegedly extorting P50,000 cash from Delibo.

Delibo said some personnel of BIR XI earlier asked compromise money of P20,000 to settle the case they filed against him plus the “for the boys” money of P30,000.

“It was so malicious because the government will only earn P20,000.00 while the people trusted to implement the law gained P30,000.00. Said scenario really lost my trust and confidence as inventor, businessman and taxpayer. I was made a victim of robbery extortion by the BIR despite the fact that I am supposedly clothed with inventions act privilege which was not granted in the guise of blurred implementing policy of the law, how much more the small, neophyte inventors, investors and taxpayers,” he said.

by pna

Newly-installed Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of interior and Local Government (DILG) is going on leave as the Liberal Party president effective Monday.

Roxas, who took his oath of office as the new DILG Secretary Saturday, said that effective Monday he would already take a leave from their political party so he could truly and impartially fulfill his duty as head of the DILG.

Roxas, who is here to lead the reaffirmation of about seven original LP local members and the mass oath-taking of other new local candidates of Iloilo province, led by former Lakas-NUCD stalwart and reelectionist Gov. Arthur Defensor, Sr. at the Hotel del Rio, said that “today is my last act as party president.”

He also urged his partymates to continue on in unity in supporting the programs and plans of Pres. Benigno Aquino III.

“Let this not be a unity of convenience, but we are all together to help and move towards one direction and vision with PNoy for the progress of Iloilo,” Roxas said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Franklin M. Drilon, who was also present during the LP oath-taking, said in an interview Sunday morning that Roxas took a leave of absence from the party with Cong. Jun Abaya as the most probable person to momentarily take over the helm of LP.

by pna

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants the Tourist Police Unit (TPU) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to explain why they failed to stop a man from setting himself on fire in front of the Magellan’s Cross last Thursday.

Rama said he wanted to know if there were policemen deployed in the vicinity which is frequented by local and foreign tourists.

A police official said personnel are normally deployed in the area but there were none at the time when Exequiel Geneston, 77, set himself on fire.

Geneston was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center, where he may have to stay for weeks as he is still unconscious.

”There should be a policeman patrolling the area. Sometimes I see a policeman, sometimes there is none, so I want to know if there was a policeman at that time,” Rama said.

If there was none, Rama said he would recommend for the transfer of the current TPU head. He would also ask CCPO Director Ramon Melvin Buenafe to justify such lapse.

”Because I have never been remiss in reminding them (CCPO and TPU) that police personnel should be deployed in the area. There are many tourists there,” he said.

TPU Office-in-Charge Bernard Villarin said there were no police personnel deployed at Magellan’s Cross when Geneston poured gasoline on himself and lit a lighter around 7 a.m. last Thursday.

Villarin said the police personnel are only stationed around the area from 8 a.m. when local and foreign tourists usually arrive until 8 p.m. when the influx of tourists have subsided.

”That time a policeman arrived, but by that time, it was too late,” he said.

Villarin said it was his police personnel who called and informed CCPO’s mobile patrol group (MPG) about the incident. The MPG then called the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

by pna

MassKara Festival kicked off Monday with a grand ceremonies at the Bacolod public plaza and carnival rides at SM City Bacolod, a festival co-presenter capped by display of fireworks.

The elimination round of the 2nd GMA DanssKara: The MassKara Dance Showdown, featuring 20 dance groups highlighted the opening, Festival director Eli F. J. Tajanlangit said.

DanssKara aimed to highlight another breed of dancers who wore low-tech masks.

Now on its 33rd year,this year's theme “Life’s Good in Bacolod,” the event will run from Oct. 1 - 22.

Among the highlights of the celebration are the street dancing competitions on Oct. 20 and 21, Electric MassKara on Oct. 19 to 21, MassKara Art Weekend on Oct. 5 to 7, MassKara Queen coronation night on Oct. 18, Majica MassKara on Oct. 5, DanssKara on Oct. 1 and 22, and Tanda! Sing na, Dance Pa! The Inter-Barangay Talent Competition on Oct. 1 to 22.

For the first time, this year’s Electric MassKara will be held for three nights â€" Oct. 19, 20, and 21, at the Tourism Strip along Lacson Street that will be converted into one giant street party to encourage revelers to dance, instead of just watching people dance or sing, Tajanlangit said.

On Oct. 5, the ninth installation of Majica MassKara dubbed “Ang Bukid kag Baybay sa Bacolod (The Mountain and The Sea in Bacolod) will be unveiled at the public plaza at 7 p.m.

Two lighted floats carrying figures and forms, creatures and characters from the seas on the one hand and the mountains on the other will meet at the plaza.

The artworks were done by Charlotte Rodriguez and Neil Benevante and their team of artists, under the direction of Charlie Co, from the concept of Peque Gallaga.

This year’s festival will highlight the rich artistic culture of Bacolod, Tajanlangit said, and will be showcased during the MassKara Art Weekend on Oct. 5 to 7.

Likewise, other activities lined-up at the public plaza include Living Rosary every 6 p.m. from Oct. 7 to 11, Nights of Mardi Gras every 8:30 p.m. from Oct. 9 to 11, MassKara Preview on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m., Parade of Masks and Drumbeaters every night at 8:30, and SMB Music Night every night starting 7:30.

Ordinary folks from 61 Bacolod barangays will get a chance to participate in the festival through a contest dubbed “Tandậ! Sing Na, Dance Pa!The MassKara Inter-Barangay Talent Competition.”

The first-ever inter-barangay competition in partnership with the Liga ng mga Barangay will be conducted in two categories â€" vocal solo and solo dance, to be held every night from Oct. 2 to 22 at the plaza.

From October 2 to 19, five contestants will compete in the vocal solo and five contestants for solo dance at San Juan, Gonzaga, and Gatuslao Sts. starting at 7 p.m. nightly. Weekly semi-finals will be on Oct. 7, 13, 19, while the grand finals is on Oct. 22 at the streets around the plaza: San Juan, Gonzaga, Gatuslao.

by pna
By Xinhua writers Yang Jingzhong, Devapriyo Das

Innovation and tailor-made medical solutions that suit the purchasing power of a variety of customers, could see Denmark's biggest pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk meet the challenges of a weakened world economy and expiring patents on drugs.

Novo Nordisk, a flagship Danish pharmaceutical company, believes investing in innovation and meeting the price expectations of different customers will help it grow in a sustained way for decades to come.

"Our strategy is one of making a full portfolio of insulin and other diabetes medications available. Some at low cost, some at higher cost," said Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Rebien Soerensen in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"We have the low end of the generic range to make sure we can live up to our social responsibility and the demand for patients who have little income. Meanwhile, we make the bulk of our earnings and incomes from innovative, patent-protected products," he said.

Whereas the company has historically driven development of innovative medicines, it now employs a so-called 'full-portfolio strategy,' which guarantees that diabetes patients of low income have access to its generic products.

Moreover, as Soerensen said, "disease is not influenced by economic up or down turns", which makes the company financially counter-cyclical and shielded from economic downturns, like those created by the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe.

In fact, Novo Nordisk made operating profit of 3.95 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, representing an 18 percent rises from the previous year, and is forecasting full year operating profit of around 15 percent for 2012. It remains the best-capitalized company on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, beating industrial manufacturers involved in such activities as shipping, wind-turbine production and beer brewing.

Headquartered in Bagsvaerd, some 10 kilometers north of Copenhagen, the company has pioneered global diabetes research and drug development since 1923. It is the world's biggest insulin producer, while diabetes care constitutes its largest business segment.

Hiring about 32,700 employees in 190 countries, the company realized a total of 11.5 billion U.S. dollar sales globally in 2011.

MARKET STRATEGIES

The company's success is pegged both on its robust research and development (R&D) pipeline, which produces a steady flow of market-leading treatments, as well as a growing diabetes problem in developing countries. These countries are also offering healthcare services to more and more of their citizens, which in turn is boosting demand for diabetes and other treatments.

Yet, Novo Nordisk is shaping its future policies in line with market developments, for instance, by curbing operations in Europe. Here, demand for pharmaceutical products has contracted owing to smaller healthcare budgets of national governments, particularly in heavily-indebted, slow-growing southern European economies.

"What we anticipate to see in Europe over the next years is a divide between northern and southern Europe. People in southern Europe increasingly will be using old types of medication while the new, elevated drugs we intend to launch, will primarily find reimbursement and launch in northern European countries," Soerensen said.

This will make it difficult to access new medicines in Europe, even as patents are set to expire on a number of well-selling drugs, worsening incentives and resources with which to innovate.

"The global pharmaceutical industry is not being able to develop its top line (revenues) at the moment not necessarily because of the European Union debt crisis, but because the pharmaceutical companies find it difficult to innovate and come up with new products when they lose very big products to patent expiration," he said.

But the debt crisis has meant delays in drug approvals by European authorities, and longer waiting times for payments for drug deliveries.

Novo Nordisk's response has been to cut its costs in Europe, and invest instead in its growth regions, namely the U.S. and emerging markets like China, Soerensen said.

The company will also focus on developing new drugs which offer better therapy, command premium prices, and thereby offset sales lost to cheaper generic versions, even as it continues to manufacture generic medicine.

INNOVATIVE DRUGS

Diabetes, a chronic disease, currently has no cure. But treatments, including using protein therapies such as those pioneered by Novo Nordisk, can successfully stabilize blood sugar levels.

"What you want to do with protein drugs is to make them work in the body on the cells and tissues where insulin should normally have been working, except that the patient is lacking these proteins," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Novo Nordisk's Chief Science Officer.

"What we are doing is adding back to the patient these proteins in the most optimal way. We do that through protein design, and we inject them, typically once or twice a day into the body, and then you get back the function of the protein that you are lacking owing to diabetes," he told Xinhua in an interview.

Now, the company is trying to develop oral insulin, where insulin is ingested through the mouth in tablet form. If and when it arrives, this product would revolutionize treatment of diabetes as it would make it easier to take the product, and thereby allow patients intensify their therapy more easily and quickly. However, it is notoriously difficult to make as the insulin tablet would have to survive stomach acids before being absorbed into the blood stream.

Commenting on how far Novo Nordisk researchers have got with this product, Soerensen said that the technologies they have developed "makes it reasonable to assume that we can deliver an insulin tablet within the next six to eight years."

He added the product is an insulin analogue, or variation of the insulin molecule, which is combined with a formulation technology to provide a long-lasting insulin.

Meanwhile, the company in concentrating on development of 'therapeutic proteins,' such as insulin, and has phased out development of 'small molecule drugs,' which refer to active substances that make up most commercially-available drugs.

CHINA BLUEPRINT

Soerensen said the company's main growth drivers are the U.S., China and other emerging markets, with business expected to grow annually at between 10-15 percent, 15 percent and 15 percent or more, respectively, in those markets. The emerging markets in particular will see growth "primarily based on generic insulin and low cost versions of new insulin."

China is of "strategic importance", given that Novo Nordisk held 63 percent of China's total insulin market measured by volume, in 2011. The company has been present in China since the 1960s, and set up Novo Nordisk (China) Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. in 1994. It opened a packaging plant in Tianjin, in 1995, and later invested 400 million dollars to establish an insulin filling plant in the city, in 2008.

Its biggest R&D center outside Denmark employees 130 scientists and was opened in Beijing in 2002. This September, the center was expanded through an investment of 100 million dollars making it possible to increase the number of scientists to 200 while still having room for future growth, the company said.

"We are manufacturing all our devices, also for exports, in China, and we have built the world's largest filling factory there. So China is of utmost importance to us," Soerensen said.

Strong growth from China is predicated on some worrying numbers: 9.7 percent of China's 1.3 billion-strong population is believed to suffer from diabetes, according to data released by the Chinese Medical Association's Diabetes Society in Nov. 2011.

In future, Novo Nordisk expects to implement a program in collaboration with China's Ministry of Health, where it will target China's rural population, so as to educate Chinese health professionals to identify, diagnose and treat people with diabetes.

The company sees this program as being in step with the Chinese government's objective of extending public health care services to a broad swathe of the population and builds on the long experience Novo Nordisk has with similar programs in more densely populated areas.

This will mean an expansion of the company's staff and operations in China, as well as developing a special, educational curriculum for heath professionals there, to deliver the correct care to diabetes patients.

On the company level, Soerensen expects Novo Nordisk to achieve "double digit growth rates on the top line", to introduce new products, and to undertake no major acquisitions, in the next five years.

That will translate into improved margins and an operating profit that "is likely to grow more than the top line," he added. By not making acquisitions, the company will have surplus liquidity which will allow it to continue to buy back equities.

by pna

Iran's currency further lost its value against foreign currency on Saturday.

One U.S. dollar was traded for about 28,800 rials Saturday in Tehran's street market compared with Sunday's rates when one dollar was exchanged for about 24,800 rials.

Iran announced Monday that it had opened a center under the supervision of the central bank to stabilize the depreciating value of its currency.

The center started with 24,040 rials as a base value for one dollar on Monday -- the rate was set to be 2 percent below the street market deals. Dollar at the designated value was supposed to be only offered to the import of the country's needed goods.

Since 2012, Iran's currency value has significantly slumped against foreign currencies due to heavy pressure in January brought by the U.S. sanctions on Iran's central bank.

Earlier this month, Iran's currency value depreciated further against foreign currencies in the street market of Tehran as one dollar was exchanged for about 26,000 rials, the lowest since the beginning of the new Iranian year which started on March 20, whereas a year ago the same amount was traded for 13,000 rials.

by pna

U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to pass a refinancing bill to help the nation's distressed homeowners reduce their mortgage burden, as the recovery of the housing sector was critical to the overall economic growth.

"There are still millions of Americans who are struggling with their mortgages, even at a time of historically low rates," Obama said in his weekly address.

When folks are spending less on mortgage payments, they're spending more at local businesses. And when those businesses have more customers, they start hiring more workers, Obama added.

"Back in February I sent Congress a plan to give every responsible homeowner the chance to save about 3,000 U.S. dollars a year on their mortgages by refinancing at lower rates," Obama noted.

However, the bill went nowhere in the Republican-led House of Representatives, the lower chamber, as lawmakers from both Democratic and Republican Parties were all in the campaign mode in this presidential and congressional election year.

by pna

The value of construction projects in the second quarter of the year amounted to P60.9 billion, up 9.4 percent from P55.7 billion posted during the same quarter last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said the value of construction for residential-type building went up by 18.2 percent to P27.5 billion from P23.3 billion during the same quarter of 2011.

Similarly, non-residential-type building value of construction climbed 2.6 percent to P28.7 billion from P27.9 billion registered during the same period of 2011.

Moreover, combined value of construction for additions, alterations and repairs of existing structures, estimated at P4.7 billion, rose 6.1 percent from P4.5 billion registered during the same period of 2011.

The total value of construction for residential buildings was P27.5 billion with a total floor area of 3.1 million square meters, translating to an average cost of P8,764 per square meter.

This figure represents an increase of 7.8 percent compared with the average cost of P8,126 per square meter of the previous quarter in 2011.

Total value of non-residential building construction reached P28.7 billion with a total floor area of 2.8 million square meters. This translates to an average cost of P10,351 per square meter.

Commercial-type building with 2,307 projects, accounted for more than half or 58.6 percent of the total non-residential constructions.

Value of construction for this type was estimated at P15.4 billion covering a total floor area of 1.6 million square meters yielding an average cost of P9,467 per square meter.

Institutional-type building reported a total of 648 projects or 16.5 percent with construction value of P5.5 billion and a total floor area of 412.8 thousand square meters or an average cost of P13,426 per square meter.

The total number of new construction projects from approved building permits nationwide reached 30,614 during the second quarter of 2012.

This number registered an increase of 11.2 percent compared to 27,525 construction projects during the same quarter in 2011.

Of the said figure, residential-type building recorded a total of 21,118 construction projects, up by 10.6 percent from previous year's total residential construction of 19,995.

Non-residential construction also grew by 15.5 percent to 3,937 from 3,409 during the same quarter of 2011.

by pna

China's economic slowdown has led to weak demand for coal from the domestic market and eroded the profitability of coal producers, the country's top economic planner has said.

"Weakened demand, falling prices and rising costs have squeezed profit margins in the coal sector and increased enterprises' financial pressures," according to a statement issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The prices of power-coal at Qinghuangdao Port, China's largest coal shipment center where prices are considered a benchmark, hovered between 625 yuan (98.58 U.S. dollars) and 635 yuan per tonne in August, down over 20 percent from the corresponding period in 2011, the NDRC said.

Prices were further depressed by a massive increase in overseas purchases.

According to customs figures, China imported 185 million tonnes of coal in the first eight months of 2012, up 46.3 percent from the same period last year and surpassing the whole-year imports of 2011.

In August alone, however, coal imports fell 0.7 percent from one year earlier, the first drop this year, as domestic demand waned amid the economic slowdown.

With the country's economy cooling since the beginning of the year, thermal power generation, as well as metals and chemical manufacturing, have slowed down significantly, leading to flagging coal demand.

China's economy rose 7.6 percent in the second quarter of the year, the lowest rate in more than three years.

by pna

An upcoming release of national economic statistics is likely to show that China's inflation fell below two percent in September on easing vegetable prices, Chinese analysts have predicted.

Both Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at the Industrial Bank, and Li Huiyong, an analyst at Shenyin & Wanguo Securities, have forecast that the consumer price index (CPI), a major gauge of inflation, will be shown to have grown by 1.9 percent year on year in September.

The rate, which will be confirmed when CPI data for September is released on October 9, will be lower than the two-percent growth seen in August, which rebounded from a 30-month low of 1.8 percent in July.

The drop is attributable to falling agricultural produce prices since the beginning of the month, which ended an enduring rebound in August due to extreme weather conditions.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture showed that the wholesale price index of farm produce has declined to 191.44 points as of Sept. 27, down 11.89 percent from the end of August.

However, many in the market are expecting renewed inflation pressure after major economies, including the United States and Japan, recently issued stimulus measures to shore up growth.

Attention should be paid to the inflation pressure caused by imported factors, improving investment demand and rebounds in pork prices, said Lian Ping, chief economist at the Bank of Communications.

Although the new stimuli will help stabilize market expectation and drive the global recovery, they will also push up prices for major global commodities and devalue the U.S. dollar, Lian said.

Most institutions predicted that the full-year CPI for 2012 is likely to fall under the four-percent government target set earlier this year.

A report released by the National Center for Economic Research at Tsinghua University projected the CPI to grow 2.9 percent for the first three quarters of 2012 and 2.8 percent for the whole year.

The Bank of China forecast a 2.7-percent growth for 2012.

The U.S. Fed said that it will buy 40 billion U.S. dollars in mortgage securities each month until the economy improves.

by pna

An Iranian energy official said Iran will start supplying natural gas to neighboring Iraq by the summer of 2013, semi-official Fars news agency reported Sunday.

Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Co. Javad Oji said Iran has completed more than 25 percent of a pipeline to Iraq that could carry up to 25 million cubic meters per day of its natural gas to Iraq, according to the report.

"Currently more than 25 percent of this 48-inch (in diameter) gas transmission pipe has been completed," Oji said, adding that Iranian contractors would help build the Iraqi section of the pipeline.

With the progress in the construction of the gas pipeline in the two countries, it is expected that gas injection and the launch of the pipeline could be inaugurated by the next summer, Oji was quoted as saying.

He said gas extracted from Iran's offshore South Pars gas field would help feed the pipeline.

In May, Director of Iran Gas Engineering and Development Co. Alireza Gharibi said Iranian contractors would build a 220-km natural gas pipeline to Iraq.

A total of 450 million U.S. dollars would be invested in the construction of the pipeline to transport Iran's natural gas to Iraq, Gharibi told semi-official Mehr news agency.

The pipeline would transfer about 25 million cubic meters of Iranian natural gas per day for five years, he said, adding that the gas would be used to operate the Baghdad and Mansourieh power plants in Iraq.

by pna

Amid ongoing global economic uncertainty, the civil aviation industry in the Gulf Arab region shall grow in the future by partnering up with other airlines rather than buying planes in masses, said Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

Delivering his keynote speech on the first day of the 18th civil aviation congress "World Routes Strategy Forum", Hogan said that "global civil aviation is challenged by the rising fuel costs, global economic volatility and consolidation. This is why the future belongs to those who seek partnerships rather than rivalry, " said Hogan.

The Gulf Arab region has planes for 119 billion U. S. dollars on order, representing a quarter of the global order volume. But Hogan believes partnerships is the key for future growth.

"Our partnerships with Germany's Air Berlin, Virgin Australia, Aer Lingus in Ireland and Air Seychelles demonstrate that the global aviation industry still offers chances for partnerships across the globe, despite many mergers and bankruptcies having occurred in recent years," said Hogan, who has been leading Etihad as CEO since 2006 after he stepped down from Bahrain's Gulf Air.

Etihad, which flies with 67 planes from its home airport Abu Dhabi to 86 direct destinations globally, bought 29 percent stake in loss-making low-budget carrier Air Berlin in December 2011.

At Etihad Airways, managers and pilots know how tricky the way to green figures can be. In 2011, Etihad (the Arabic word means unity) swung into profitability for the first time since its inception ten year ago, reporting a net profit of 14 million U. S. dollars amid revenues of 4.1 billion U. S. dollars." A fifth of our revenues are generated today through partnerships with other airlines," said Hogan.

In total, Etihad, owned 100 percent by the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi, so far entered into code-sharing agreements with 36 airlines worldwide, creating a network of virtually 315 destinations.

Etihad's domestic rival Emirates Airline from Dubai, the fastest growing airline in the world, opted likewise for a partnership, when the Dubai government-owned carrier announced on September 6 to join forces with Australia's largest carrier Qantas. Both carriers will start code-sharing from April 2013 on, but refrained from buying into each other.

In May this year, Emirates reported in June a 72 percent drop in profits for the fiscal year 2011/2012 and blamed rising jet fuel costs for the sharp decline.

Nevertheless, regarding inter-regional competition, Hogan said he was convinced that the Gulf Arab region and the Middle East will continue to outperform other regions in the world. According to the latest monthly figures released by the International Air Transport Association, known as IATA, the Middle East achieved the highest passenger growth in August, up 16.7 percent year-on-year. But analysts said that the growth was the result of the Islamic fasting month Ramadan, which usually witnesses more travelling activity in Muslim countries.

by pna

South Korea's trade surplus widened from a year earlier last month as its imports shrank at a faster rate than exports, the government said Monday.

The country's trade surplus reached an estimated US$ 3.15 billion in September, compared with a $ 1.6 billion surplus the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

The figure also marks a growth from $ 2.04 billion in August.

Exports dropped 1.8 percent on-year to an estimated $ 45.66 billion with imports shrinking at a faster rate of 6.1 percent from the same period last year to $ 42.51 billion.

by pna

The South Korean government has been conducting a survey of South Korean firms operating in North Korea for possible financial aid to the firms struggling from chilled inter-Korean relations, officials said Monday.

More than 50,000 North Koreans work at 123 South Korean firms at the Kaesong Industrial Complex situated near the border between the countries with South Koreans benefiting from cheap labor costs and North Koreans getting hard currency amid tough international sanctions.

Inter-Korean ties have worsened since the launch of the hard-line Lee Myung-bak administration in 2008 unlike his liberal predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun who provided massive economic assistance to the North and established the inter-Korean industrial park.

"We are conducting a survey on the financial status of the 123 South Korean firms in the Kaesong Industrial Complex," an official said, asking anonymity. "We expect to conclude the process by mid-October."

Relevant authorities are writing a report on the sales, net profits, debts and other statistics of the firms, the official said.

The survey was prompted by a visit to Kaesong by a group of National Assembly members in February, when the companies in Kaesong complained about difficulties stemming from sour relations between the two Koreas, another official said.

"We may have to consider providing financial aid to the firms in Kaesong if we find them suffering from financial difficulties," the official said.

The Unification Ministry provided financial aid to some firms in Kaesong in December 2008 when they suffered greatly from North Korea's decision to cut off the border between the Koreas due to worsening ties.

by pna.gov.ph

South Korea's tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to solidify its market prowess further over its homegrown rival LG Electronics Inc. during the third quarter, a financial information provider said Monday.

According to FnGuide Inc., which averaged the business performance outlooks by more than three brokerages, Samsung Electronics will post 51.5 trillion won (US$ 46.4 billion) in sales and 7.5 trillion won in operating profit during the July-September period.

During the same period, LG Electronics is expected to register 12.9 trillion won in sales and 250 billion won in operating profit, respectively.

Based on the figures, Samsung Electronics' sales will be 3.99 times higher than those of LG Electronics, up from the corresponding figure of 3.7 in the second quarter.

Its operating profit will also be 30 times larger than that of the hometown rival, which is up from 19 tallied in the previous quarter, the market watcher said.

LG Electronics posted an operating loss of 31.9 billion won in the third quarter of last year, but it is expected to turn that around this year on the back of increased competitiveness in the smartphone market.

by pna

The number of companies newly listed on stock markets in South Korea has declined so far this year as many delay going public amid uncertain economic conditions, the market operator said Monday.

According to the Korea Exchange, the number of newly listed firms came to 19 --five on the main bourse and 14 on the secondary tech-heavy market-- as of the end of last month, down 61.2 percent from the same time a year earlier.

By the same time last year, a total of 49 companies were newly listed on the stock markets, with 15 on the main bourse and 34 on the KOSDAQ, respectively, the operator said.

The decline is attributable to a growing number of businesses that delay going public discouraged by uncertain economic conditions.

As a result, the amount of capital raised through stock issuance also plunged this year.

by PNA

Profitability among farmers in South Korea worsened in the second quarter as rising pesticide and fertilizer prices drove up the overall production costs, government data showed Monday.

The data by Statistics Korea showed that the so-called "farming household trade condition index" fell to 94.8 during the April-June period from 95.5 tallied in the previous quarter.

The index is calculated broadly by dividing farmhouses' sales by their expenditures and costs for equipment and materials. If the index falls below 100, a farming household spends more than what it earns from selling its products.

The index has been under the 100 mark for the past six years since it fell below the benchmark in the second quarter of 2007. It showed some signs of slightly improving recently, thanks to price hikes for some major farming products.

The index, however, worsened again in the second quarter partly due to higher pesticide and fertilizer prices, which drove up the overall production costs.

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