MikeLigalig.com

By: Michelle V. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The country registered a net inflow of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in October last year, recovering from the net withdrawal suffered during the same period in 2010, as Philippine growth prospects eased the impact of the bearish global economy on investor sentiment.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported Tuesday that FDI inflows to the country stood at a net inflow of $58 million last October, a swing from the net outflow of $32 million in the same month of the previous year.

Gross inflows for the month were recorded at $60 million, while the outflows stood at $2 million.

Officials said the reversal in October was due to the belief that the Philippines, like other emerging economies in Asia, would still grow despite the ill-effects of the debt crisis in the eurozone, as well as the sluggish growth of the US economy.

By: Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) plans to sell six government-owned power plants and two independent power producer administrator (Ippa) contracts this year, in a bid to help plug an expected P85-billion deficit.

In an e-mail to reporters, PSALM president and CEO Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. said the government was planning to bid out the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Pililla, Rizal; the decommissioned 225-MW Bataan thermal power plant; and Power Barges 101, 102, 103 and 104, which are moored in Visayas and Mindanao.

PSALM also targets to bid out the Ippa contracts for the 140-MW Casecnan multipurpose hydroelectric power plant in Luzon and the 640-MW Unified Leyte geothermal power complex.

by AFP

World oil prices rose on Tuesday, in line with gains across global stock markets as buoyant US consumer data and simmering tensions in crude producers Iran and Nigeria provided support, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in February, rallied $1.38 cents to $102.69 a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for February gained 82 cents to $113.27 in early afternoon trade.

European equities rose strongly on Tuesday as Chinese data and upbeat US figures and company results overshadowed fears over the stubborn eurozone debt crisis, dealers said.

Investor sentiment was boosted as slowing Chinese exports sparked fresh speculation over more monetary easing from Beijing.

By: Danny McCord
Agence France-Presse

Asian shares rose Tuesday, following a lead from Wall Street after more upbeat US data, although a Franco-German meeting on ramping up plans to save the euro received a tepid response.

Tokyo gained 0.38 percent, or 31.91 points, to 8,422.26, Sydney added 1.14 percent, or 46.8 points, to 4,152.2 and Seoul jumped 1.46 percent, or 26.73 points, to 1,853.22.

Hong Kong closed 0.73 percent, or 138.56 points, higher at 19,004.28 and Shanghai soared 2.69 percent, or 59.85 points, to 2,285.74.

In the United States, data showed a 9.9 percent surge in consumer credit in November, the biggest increase in a decade.

Credit card spending was up 8.5 percent, while non-revolving loans, including university and automobile loans, jumped 107 percent.

press release

Zest Air has reported a big improvement in the efficiency of its cargo operations due largely to the automation of its system.

Automation enabled the company to offer better and faster cargo services, airline president and CEO Alfredo M. Yao said in a statement.

Yao said Zest Air was able to ship about 15.2 million kilograms of cargo last year because of its more efficient cargo operations.

“Processing of airway bills is now faster and transaction time has been greatly reduced since we automated our cargo system,” said Yao.

By: Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Customers of power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) can look forward to a reduction in their electricity bills this month after the generation charge fell by 5 centavos per kilowatt-hour to P5.46 per kWh.

Households consuming 100 kWh a month can expect a decrease of P5 in their electric bills, while those that use 200 kWh a month will enjoy a P10 reduction for January. Households that consume 300 kWh and 400 kWh monthly can also expect decreases of P15 and P20, respectively.

Meralco attributed the decline to the reduction in the price of electricity purchased from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

“WESM prices fell by P1.85 per kWh to P 7.14 per kWh in the December supply month from P9 per kWh in November,” the power utility said.

By: Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The local governments units’ open pit mining ban ordinances and other issues plaguing the mining industry will be addressed this year, officials said.

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) said it was optimistic that the so-called minerals policy group drafting the country’s mining policy would recommend the continued promotion of “responsible” mining as allowed under the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

“We are hopeful that the government will consider our recommendations aimed at ensuring the stability of the business environment to enable the industry to further assist in the President’s programs of attracting investments that will generate direct and indirect employment and thereby reduce poverty particularly in the countryside where most of our poor countrymen live,” COMP spokesman Rocky Dimaculangan said.

By: Doris C. Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Most local stocks rallied on Monday, lifting the main index back to 4,500 and closer to an all-time high, as investors loaded up on blue chips given rosier prospects for the rest of 2012.

The main-share Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 58.24 points, or around 1.3 percent, to finish at 4,541.60.  Shrugging off the anemic week opening of some other markets in the region, the local stock barometer is now nearing its record-high close of 4,550 on Aug. 1, 2011.

“The beauty of the Philippines is shining through,” said Manny Lisbona, deputy chief of PNB Securities. “The market’s strong performance so far is evidence of growing optimism in Philippine fundamentals as well as that for emerging markets in general.”

Fare Promo of PAL - Philippine Airlines
As part of its year-long 70th anniversary celebration, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is offering a special deal for domestic travelers: buy a one-way, economy-class ticket for P770 to any Luzon or Visayas destination, or P1,070 to any Mindanao point, and get a second domestic ticket for only P70.

Dubbed “You’re my PAL,” the two-in-one treat also allows domestic passengers to enjoy business class for only P3,970 to any Luzon or Visayas destination and P4,970 to Mindanao.

By presenting the discounted ticket (used or unused) at any PAL ticket office, another ticket may be bought to any of PAL’s 20 domestic destination for the giveaway price of just P70 (one-way, economy).

The discounted tickets are available only from January 6 to 11, 2012. These tickets are valid for travel from June 16 to September 30, 2012.
The P70 promo ticket must be ticketed from January 6 to 9, 2012 and valid for travel from January 16 to March 21, 2012.

By: Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Philippine government must address its steep electricity rates and come up with more incentives for companies to set up manufacturing hubs, if it wants to step up as the next favored destination in the Asean region.

Anand Kumar, Synovate’s business consulting head for the Philippines, said these moves will allow the country to immediately seize upcoming business opportunities, particularly the full advantages that are expected to come with the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) agreement.

In a paper entitled “Developments in Asean marketsâ€"Assessing the risks and Opportunities,” Anand identified the Philippines as one of the most promising emerging growth markets next to the giants of India and China.

By: Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Economists warned on Monday that the Philippines’ outsourcing sector should develop and market higher-value services to cope with the United States’ moves to “insource” more jobs, which could signal a long-term curb in demand for outsourcing services.

That is, unless Manila-based companies differentiate their services from those that can be obtained in the US and from other outsourcing destinations such as India.

About 70 percent of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms in the Philippines rely heavily on US clients, although demand for outsourcing jobs is growing in Europe and Australia.

Since BPO firms, knowledge process outsourcing companies, and similar entities contribute greatly to employment and foreign exchange earnings, US insourcing “could lead to a decline in both (jobs and dollar revenue),” Dr. Cid L. Terosa of the University of Asia and the Pacific said via text message.

By: Theresa S. Samaniego
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Believing that a strong science education in this country can help propel the growth of its economy, the Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. (Bafi) has recently unveiled the country’s first world-class science museum.

Dubbed as The Mind Museum, this ambitious project is targeted to be at par with other world-class museums, from its sleek futuristic building design down to the numerous interactive exhibits that will be made available to the public by summer of 2012.

Sitting on a 12,500-square-meter prime lot of the JY Campos Park on 3rd Avenue in Bonifacio Global City, the P1-billion project was conceived as early as 2006 by Bafi, the group in charge of Bonifacio Global City’s public art program.

by PhilStar

Millions of Roman Catholic devotees paraded with a statue of Christ through the Philippine capital under a massive police cordon yesterday after the president warned that terrorists might target the raucous annual procession.

The government did not have specific intelligence on a terrorist plot. Still, about 15,000 policemen, backed by hundreds of army troops, secured the three-mile (five-kilometer) procession route for the charred wooden Black Nazarene statue from seaside Rizal Park to a popular church in Manila's congested Quiapo district.

Air force helicopters stood by and cellphone service was blocked in procession areas to prevent its use to trigger bombs. Despite the president's warning, huge crowds of devotees wearing maroon shirts surged near the statue, believed to have healing powers.

"It's a choice between faith and fear," said Rodolfo Uy, 45, a polio victim whose 12-year-old son pushed him on a wheelchair to see the Black Nazarene. "I got nervous last night when I heard the news but my devotion was stronger."

Uy said he prayed for metal braces so he could walk and work again for his children.

President Benigno Aquino III announced in a hastily called news conference Sunday that several terrorists had been reported in the capital with plans to disrupt the procession, but that the threat was not high enough to cancel the procession and that police would work to keep it safe.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the threat, involving possible bombings by two groups of Muslim militants from the country's volatile south, prompted police to raid several suspected terrorist hideouts in the Manila area, but without any results.

Gazmin defended Aquino's decision to announce the threat on the eve of the procession despite the absence of a specific threat, saying it underscored the president's concern for public safety and racheted up massive security preparations.

by DFA News

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that five high school teachers from different parts of the Philippines were selected to participate in the 2012 International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP).

ILEP is an exchange program funded by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the International Research Exchange Board (IREX).

The Filipino teachers join 60 other teachers from 15 countries who will participate in a semester-long academic program at a U.S. university.  The program will include course work in teaching methodologies, lesson planning, teaching strategies for home classroom environment, teacher leadership and instructional technology. They will also complete an internship at a U.S. secondary school.

Upon completion of the program, the participants become eligible to apply for small grants to implement projects that share their U.S. experiences and contribute to the growth of their communities.

The participants were welcomed on January 5 at the Washington Plaza Hotel by Teacher Exchange Branch Chief Jennifer Gibson of the Department of State and IREX President Ambassador Robert Pearson.

ILEP began in 2006 and has trained 332 teachers from 19 countries. The participating universities are the Clemson University (South Carolina), James Madison University (Virginia), Kent State University (Ohio) and University of Alabama (Alabama).

Quote from: hubag bohol on January 08, 2012, 08:01:39 AM

So, this is not an original idea from the DOT. Kinopya sa old poster sa Switzerland.

Colorful Houses in Venice, Italy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYFqvXUwVjM#ws
Khan vs Maidana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=39btKqMiqiQ#!
2012 Predictions and Prophecy

Melchora Aquino was the image in the 5 centavos coin. Wala namay singko sentabos karon.

Padz, we already have a tourist police unit based in Panglao Island.

Tuna Fish Sold at P32 Million
by Associated Press

This tuna is worth savoring: It cost nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.

A bluefin tuna caught off northeastern Japan fetched a record 56.49 million yen, or about $736,000, on Thursday in the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. The price for the 593-pound (269-kilogram) tuna beat last year’s record of 32.49 million yen.

In pesos, that’s P32,479,680 based on a conversion rate of P44.130 to $1.

The price translates to 210,000 yen per kilogram, or $1,238 per poundâ€"also a record, said Yutaka Hasegawa, a Tsukiji market official.

Though the fish is undoubtedly high qua
lity, the price has more to do with the celebratory atmosphere that surrounds the first auction of the year.

by Tara Quismundo

Netizens did have fun either defending or (nit)picking apart the country’s newest tourism slogan, “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

Filipino humor quickly found a new target and went viral over the catchphrase, giving it different spins which may or may not help the cause of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.

Ideas fresh or farcical quickly sprouted on Facebook and Twitter pages: One user came up with a “poster” showing two men in a sing-along showdown and captioned “Death by ‘My Way’: It’s More Fun…”  It was a reference to that joke about the Frank Sinatra classic being the usual fuse of videoke bar violence in these parts.

Another user thought “Watering the Plants” would also be a source of fun worth promoting in the Philippines, posting a photo of a boy urinating against a wall. The image was apparently an expression of disgust over locals relieving themselves in public.

Another mock “fun” poster featured a unique Philippine “water sport,” showing people scampering away from giant, crashing waves on Manila Bay at the height of a storm.

One gave a lighter spin to the notorious traffic jams in Metro Manila, posting a photo of a traffic enforcer dressed as Santa Claus.

Others thought that the “fun” slogan should also apply to the country’s rambunctious and often controversial elections, as well as to the coming impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Still, there were also well-meaning suggestions: Have you tried local pastries like “fun de sal” and “fun de coco”?

Next: Funny in the Philippines.

Not catchy enough and it's too long.

by AP - A hot air balloon burst into flames and crashed to the ground in New Zealand on Saturday, killing all 11 people on board, after apparently hitting a power line.

The balloon came down in calm weather near Carterton, a small town north of the capital Wellington and a popular area for ballooning, in New Zealand’s worst aviation disaster in more than 30 years.

“It appears a fire has ignited on board, causing the hot air balloon to crash in farmland. Sadly, the pilot and 10 passengers onboard have not survived,” Wellington district police commander Mike Rusbatch said.

One witness, David McKinlay, told reporters he looked up to see one side of the basket on fire and “all of a sudden there was just 10 meters of flames”.

“It was like a rocket coming down; it was just unbelievable,” he said.

McKinlay, who alerted the emergency services, said the balloon was about 150 meters in the air when it suddenly plummeted to the ground.

Mayweather Jail Sentence Delayed So He Can Fight Pacquiao in May?
By LA Times

There've been no recent discussions to stage a blockbuster fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, according to Pacquiao's promoter, but a Nevada judge Friday allowed the unbeaten Mayweather to delay his scheduled 90-day jail sentence that was to begin this week so he can have what his advisor calls a "mega-fight."

"It seems to me to be bizarre, but who am I to say?" Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Friday after Clark County Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa ruled that Mayweather could delay serving his sentence for domestic violence misdemeanors until June 1.

Mayweather's attorney, Richard Wright, argued in court that Mayweather has reserved May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a major fight.

Saragosa said in court: "Mr. Mayweather has an obligation to this court. Given the fact that Mr. Mayweather has these obligations, I am going to grant your request."

Following the judge's ruling, Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe issued a statement: "We are pleased that the judge granted postponement of Floyd's surrender date so that he can fulfill his commitment to Las Vegas to deliver his promised mega-fight and the economic benefits it provides to the community."

mao niy talan-awon sa naghingaping kahubog?

Cafepress Ad Campaign

Godaddy Marketing Strategy

Gunting for King Kong.

The lola was just reminded of the good old days?

Akyat-bahay gang?

Is the University of Cebu using offering a maritime course?

Sigay Festival - Only in the Philippines
by April M. Montes

BINMALEY, Pangasinan, Jan. 6 (PIA) â€"- This town will hold its annual fiesta on February 1, coinciding with its 422nd founding anniversary and highlighted with the celebration of the much awaited 2nd Sigay Festival that established the town as the Seafood Capital of the North.

The Sigay Festival was initiated by Mayor Lorenzo Cerezo last year to promote the town in the tourism map of the Philippines as the Fishbowl of Pangasinan and as the undisputed seafood capital of Northern Luzon.

The fest is celebrated to give tribute to the aquaculture industry of the town, which is the number one source of livelihood in the community here. Sigay is a Pangasinan dialect word which means ‘to harvest from the sea’.

After its resounding success last year, the Sigay Festival will again kickoff on January 21 and will end on February 3. The two-week celebration shall feature varied activities that will be enjoyed not only by the Binmaleyans but also by tourists and “balikbayans” (returning Filipinos from abroad).

According to Gertrudes Reyes, executive chairperson of the affair, preparations are being done for the festivity. Tarpaulins of the calendar of activities were already posted all over the town inviting everyone to attend and be part of the festival. She added that they are working on the souvenir program of the event.

Mao ni usa sa problema sa atong society - walay respeto sa need of peace sa ubang tawo. One time niuli ko sa among barrio, alas singko pa sa kadlawon nakamata ko kay nagpatukar ug lanog kaayo nga disco ang silingan.

Mga Apo ni Tandang Sora Foundation
by Domingo B. Natividad V

Josephine Geronimo, chairperson of the “Mga Apo ni Tandang Sora Foundation,” requested President Benigno S. Aquino III and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte to set a national holiday for the “Ina ng Himagsikan,” Tandang Sora.

In her speech during the bicentennial celebration of the birth of Tandang Sora on Friday, Geronimo said she is happy that finally her grandmother’s remains have returned ‘home’ to a newly built Tandang Sora Shrine in Banlat, Quezon City â€" her birth and death place.

In the same speech, Geronimo formally conveyed the request of the heroine’s grandchildren, seeking for the declaration of January 6 every year as the “Tandang Sora Day.”

She told PIA-NCR, in an interview, that “maganda naman ang ginawa niya sa ating bayan (she did good deeds to help this country) that deserves a day of remembrance and enlistment in the Philippine calendar).”

Geronimo also pointed out that her grandmother is a “national heroine.” National heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, who were also instrumental to the nation’s freedom, both have their day of remembrance as national holidays.

Once in place, she also said the national holiday for Tandang Sora will usher in more people to the Shrine to celebrate her birthday.

Born on January 6, 1812 in Barrio Banlat, Balintawak, Caloocan (now Banlat, Quezon City), Tandang Sora, whose real name is Melchora Aquino, supported the revolutionaries by providing food, medicine, and shelter during the Philippine revolution.

She provided comfort and support to the Katipuneros, at the risk of courting the ire of authorities. She was arrested and exiled despite the fact that she was nearing 90 years old.She died at age 107 on February 20, 1919.

The “Mother of the Philippine Revolution” was buried at the Mausoleum of the Veteranos de la Revolucion in the Manila North Cemetery. Later, her remains were moved to Himlayang Pilipino Park in Quezon City and remained there for 42 years.

Tourist Police in the Philippines

Coinciding with the launching of the Philippine’s new tourism slogan, the Department of Interior & Local Government (DILG) created 25 additional tourist police units (TPUs) to ensure the safety and protection of both domestic and foreign tourists in the country.

In a news release, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has enjoined concerned police regional offices, DOT regional offices, and the local government units concerned to forge memorandum of agreement of cooperation, as well as to extend support to other administrative requirements for the full operation of identified TPUs.

The 25 new tourist police units are in addition to the 14 existing TPUs which were established in 2010 following a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and PNP, Robredo added.

The additional TPUs were established in Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (PPO), Cagayan, Cavite, Laguna, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Aklan, Cebu City and Province of Cebu, Negros Oriental, Tacloban City, Camiguin, Cagayan De Oro City, Davao City, General Santos City; Surigao del Norte, Baguio City, Manila Police District, Quezon City Police District, Eastern Police District, Northern Police District, and Southern Police District.

The creation of the additional 25 TPUs was made through a resolution issued by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) in keeping with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as the “The Tourism Act of 2009.”

The resolution stated that each TPU shall be headed by a police commissioned officer with the rank of Police Chief Inspector and shall perform the following functions: enforce laws and ordinances relative to the protection of lives, properties, and environment in area of responsibility; and exercise the general power to arrest, detain, search, and seize in accordance with existing laws. - PIA

Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora) - Grand Old Lady of the Katipunan
by Susan G. de Leon

The remains of the Grand Old Lady of the Katipunan, Melchora Aquino, were transferred to the Tandang Sora Shrine on Banlat Road Quezon City on Friday after 42 years of being buried at the Himlayang Pilipino.

President Benigno Aquino III led the re-interment rites which was also attended by other government officials and descendants of Tandang Sora.

In his speech, Aquino said Tandang Sora showed that neither age nor gender could stop a person who really wants to render service to the country.

Tandang Sora’s remains were exhumed Thursday from Himlayang Pilipino memorial park, also in Quezon City, where she had been buried for the last 42 years. Prior to this, she was interred at a mausoleum for Filipino revolutionary veterans at Manila North Cemetery.

Bishop Antonio Tobias of Novaliches blessed the crypt at the shrine, while soldiers fired 21-gun salute and a bugler played taps as Tandang Sora’s remains, placed in an urn, was placed inside a granite crypt at the base of brass statue of her at the shrine.

The shrine also features a six-panel mural depicting Tandang Sora’s life and heroism.

The city government purchased a 2,800-square-meter lot in Banlat for the shrine, according to the head of the parks and development office, Zaldy de la Rosa.

The Quezon City government also spent P3.2 million for the design and construction of a 3.5-m high bronze monument depicting Tandang Sora attending to wounded Katipuneros, De la Rosa disclosed.

Tandang Sora was born 200 years ago on Jan. 6, 1812, in Balintawak. She died on March 2, 1919 at the age of 107.

Philippines Underemployment Rate Drops
by Alice V. Sicat

According to the last quarter report of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the underemployment rate slightly dipped to 19.1 percent in October 2011 from the 19.6 percent in October 2010.

National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. said this could be attributed to the higher quality of jobs generated in the different sectors last year.

For example, some jobs in call centers require engineering or medical expertise and not only call-and-answer skills as many presume, Paderanga said.

This year, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is expected to continue to be major job provider in the country. At the same time, the tourism sector will be given priority as it can generate jobs that require various level of skills.

Agro-industrial processing and other allied industries will be intensified, especially for those living in the rural areas, so they will no longer have to transfer to the cities to look for jobs, he said.

Paderanga said that in the previous years, most of the available jobs targeted individuals with higher education and skills. This year, they are planning to produce jobs that would require lower skills and training which will be offered throughout the country.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will also work hand-in-hand with different government agencies to conduct livelihood and skills training.

Tagalog News - Lack of Classrooms in Masbate
Patuloy na tinutugunan ng sangay sa Masbate ng Department of Public Works and Highways ang kakulangan sa silid-aralan sa mga pampublikong paaralan.

Ang pagtitiyak na ito ay ginawa ng DPWH District Engineering Office sa lungsod ng Masbate kasunod ng ginagawang open bidding sa walong proyektong imprastraktura sa lalawigan.

Ayon kay Isagani Andrade, ang chairman ng Bids and Awards Committee, lima sa walong proyekto ay gusaling pampaaralan at ang mga ito ay itatayo sa Floro Medina National High School sa bayan ng Mobo at Mataba Integrated School, Luy-a National High School, Tigbao Integrated School at Damaso Rubia National High School na pawang sa bayan ng Aroroy.

Isasagawa rin ang pagkumpuni sa apat na school buildings sa Maingaran Elementary School, Rene Malvar Elementary School, Capitolina Legaspi National High School, at Sinalongan Elementary School na pawang nasa lungsod ng Masbate.

Ug basin diay pud ang gikakuyog ig-agaw ba kaha nga dugay na niyang wa ikita ug miadto sa Cebu.

Hello Everyone,

If you type tubagbohol.com, you will now be redirected to http://feeds.feedburner.com/tubagbohol. From there, you will see the list of latest topics posted in our forum site. Just scroll down and click any of the topics you wish to read, then you'd land to our proper site.

This change will help us better organize the way we read our most recent topics here.

Feel free to share your thoughts.

Thank you,
Mike

Yes, Bran. Several times already. Generally, people there are "social."

I can't access aduity.com for several hours already. Maybe the site is hacked?

Bong Revilla has not been seen in Bohol since elected as senator. Maybe he is also not seen in most provinces in the country. Busy making Panday movies?

by PNA

The Department of Budget and Management (DMB) said it has resolved the technical glitch in its Electronic Transparency and Accountability Initiative for Lump Sum Funds(eTAILS) module, which was erroneously reported as Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Earlier, reports came out that Revilla received P210 million as his PDAF allocation for 2011.

Abad, however, said the Senator only received P100 million last year, citing that the higher figure was only due to the multiple identical entries for the acquisition of multicabs and patrol vehicles for the Cavite local government.

He said that the multiple identical entries were “reflected only in the web posting module, and not in the official release documents for Revilla's PDAF.”

“We apologize to the public and to Senator Revilla for the confusion caused by the error in our published report. We place a very high premium on the publication of accurate data in our website, and we have taken steps to fix the inaccuracies and ensure that similar mistakes do not happen in the future,” he said.

DBM uses eTAILS to automatically publish fund release reports to its official website. The system does not require the manual entry of data into the program.

“The release documents for Senator Revilla’s PDAF are unaffected by the technical glitch in our eTAILS module. We are now studying other reports published in the DBM website to check if they have also been hit by the system bug.” Abad said.

“Ultimately, however, we are pleased that the public remains deeply interested in the manner through which we manage the people’s funds. We enjoin all Filipinosâ€" particularly the media and other interested groups â€" to continue strengthening the feedback mechanism for our processes, so that we can boost efficiency, accuracy, and accountability in all levels of government,” he said.

The Budget and Management chief added that “all incumbent senators have already received their respective PDAF releases from the DBM, with the exception of Senator Joker Arroyo and Senator Panfilo Lacson, as neither of whom requested fund releases for their projects under the 2011 budget.”

With an innovative, easy-to-hold design, the Philips Norelco 1150X/40 SensoTouch uses GyroFlex 2D technology to offer a superior shaving experience. Powered by a lithium-ion battery for portable cordless operation, and packed with user-friendly features, the SensoTouch 2D makes shaving a pleasure, not a chore.

Customer Review in Amazon.com: Received this shaver yesterday, and had a chance to play around with it. It is very ergonomic, easy to hold. None of my other electrics have ever done well on my neck, yet this 1150x has no problem. The head does a wonderful job of adapting to your face to get as many hairs as possible; you can even use it in the shower! The shaver gets 5 stars. However, to plug it in, you must dock it in the cradle. This may make it hard to travel with, although this is somewhat mitigated by a 40min battery. It also doesn't come with a case. One other qualm is the trimmer. The head of the shaver pops out and can be replaced with a trimmer instead of the trimmer being on the back of the unit. This however does make it a bit easier to use the trimmer, since the unit is so easy to hold. I love this shaver so much I am contemplating getting another for travelling. You won't be disappointed with this shaver, and if you are, Norelco offers a 45 day guarantee.

Main Features:
    Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.7GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
    12.5" Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
    4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM), 320Gb hdd 7200rpm
    Fingerprint Reader, Bluetooth, 720p webcam, USB 3.0
    ThinkPad Battery 29   (9 cell), ThinkPad b/g/n

Customer Review:
It is the good quality as expected from a Thinkpad computer, but now with an efficient battery giving 7-8 hours with WiFi _and_ Flash running at the same time! This makes it usable for a full days work, and then to plug it in when getting home, ready for a new day next morning. On top of that, the adapter is smaller and easier to carry around if you are going away for 2 days or more at a time. If that is not enough, it's possible to upgrade the battery to get over 20 hours of running time: It's great that laptops have now actually become useful. This laptop hits a sweet spot between being portable and a very efficient machine. Incredible that such a small, power-saving, clean, environment-friendly, and rough'n'tough machine can actually give that much computing power. The only serious downside is the graphichs adapter, but I don't need graphics ability at the level of new games or very hard scientific computations, so for me at least it's not an issue with this machine. There are different models to pick among the X220s, in particular you might want to check out the models with tablets, which combines the best of 2 worlds: That of creative work with a keyboard and a trackpoint for precision work, and that of media-consumption with just fingers or a stylus. If I could afford it, that's what I would have bought, to have everything in one machine!

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By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net

The impeachment court should admonish not only the prosecutors but even the defense team for violations of rules when they publicly discussed the merits of the case against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Tuesday.

“As a senator judge, I cannot sit idly by and watch blatant violations of our Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials that unambiguously prohibits senator judges as well as prosecutors, the person impeached, their counsels, and witnesses from making any comments and disclosures in public pertaining to the merits of a pending impeachment trial,” Lacson, who is sitting as judge in the impeachment trial, said in a statement.

“If we allow such undisciplined public presentation of evidence by any party in utter disregard of the ethics of their legal profession to continue, the Senate may lose control of the situation and I am certain it will damage not just the Senate as an impeachment court but the sacredness of the whole impeachment process as well,” he said.

By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The 24-year-old Swiss student who was reported missing three months ago was found in a morgue in Antipolo City with a gunshot wound, a police official said Tuesday.

Alex Reich, a student of English language in a school in Cubao, Quezon City, had been the subject of an intensive police search that involved several local police units, Zurich police and the Interpol.

Chief Inspector Rodelio Marcelo, head of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said investigation showed the victim was shot and killed in a vacant lot in Loren’s Subdivision in Barangay (village) San Roque, Antipolo City.

His body was discovered by local police at least two hours after he was seen leaving his condominium unit in Torre Venezia in Quezon City past midnight on September 22 last year.

Marcelo said that based on the Antipolo police report, the body of Reich was found at 3 a.m. on the same day.

The CIDU chief said residents of the village had reported to the police about hearing a gunshot and the sound of a vehicle leaving the area. When the police got there, they reportedly found the body.

Atty. Luke Espiritu, lawyer of Janelle Manahan, expresses outrage over the sex video circulating on the Internet supposedly showing his client and her slain boyfriend, actor Ramgen Bautista, in an interview over Radyo Inquirer.

By Cynthia D. Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Documents concerning a 303.5-square meter unit at the plush The Bellagio in The Fort, Taguig City, may be used as evidence of graft and corruption in Chief Justice Renato Corona’s impeachment trial at the Senate.

The unitâ€"classified as a penthouse in The Bellagio websiteâ€"is one of four high-end properties purportedly owned by the Chief Justice and his wife, according to the panel of lawmakers from the House of Representatives who will serve as prosecutors at the impeachment trial scheduled to start on January 16.

At the panel’s news conference Tuesday, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., the chief prosecutor, said spouses Renato and Cristina Corona purchased Unit 38B at Tower I of The Bellagio from Megaworld on Dec. 16, 2009, at the  price of P14.51 million. The unit has three parking slots, each measuring 12.5 sq m.

A real estate expert whom the Philippine Daily Inquirer consulted estimated the property’s market value today at P30 million to P40 million.

The deed of absolute sale was signed by Megaworld finance director Giovanni Ng and the couple.

The unit was transferred to the name of the Coronas on Jan. 25, 2010, under Condominium Certificate of Title No. 164-2010000062 and the parking slots were covered by CCT Nos. 164-2010000063 to 65, according to a system-generated certified true copy of the deed of sale issued by the Registry of Deeds-Taguig City.

The Sandiganbayan has barred former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband and two of her former officials from leaving the country.

But the antigraft court also deferred the possible issuance of warrants for their arrest in connection with cases stemming from the controversial National Broadband Network deal (NBN) with China’s ZTE Corp.

Asked to comment, President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Malacañang considered the hold-departure order on Arroyo et al. a “further step toward the successful prosecution of justice.” - By Leila B. Salaverria, Philippine Daily Inquirer

by Reuters

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney squeaked out a victory in Iowa's first-in-the-nation nominating contest on Tuesday as little-known rival Rick Santorum rode lingering conservative unease to a surprise second-place finish.

Romney edged out Santorum by only eight votes, winning by 30,015 to 30,007, the state Republican Party announced.

As the Republicans headed for their next contest in Romney stronghold New Hampshire, the result solidified his frontrunner status in the battle to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama in November's election.

At the same time, it underscored Romney's inability so far to secure the trust of his party's conservative wing and consolidate support ahead of what is likely to be the most expensive presidential election campaign in history.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who until recently has been little more than an afterthought in the race, was the latest candidate to benefit from Romney's weakness, which has allowed a succession of rivals to challenge him.

"Game on!" Santorum declared to cheering supporters as votes trickled in after the agonizingly close contest. "People have asked me how I've done this," he said. "I survived the challenges so far by the daily grace that comes from God."

Santorum and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who has relentlessly attacked Obama for his "failed presidency" and touted his experience as a businessman, each took 25 percent of the vote. Ron Paul, a Texas congressman, came in third place with 21 percent of the vote.

After the bruising contest, at least one candidate, Texas Governor Rick Perry, indicated his presidential bid may be over.

"I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," Perry said after a disappointing fifth place finish.

With deep reserves of cash and a strong campaign infrastructure, Romney will emerge from Iowa in a stronger position than his rivals.

A favorite of the party's business wing, Romney holds a commanding lead in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and has the resources to compete in bigger states like Florida at the end of the month. A Republican official said Senator John McCain, the party's 2008 nominee, will endorse Romney on Wednesday.

Technical Details

    Intel Core i5-2410M Processor (2.3GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
    Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 bit OS
    12.5" HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display
    Intel® HD Graphics 3000
    320 GB Hard Disk Drive at 7200rpm

Buyer's Review: First things first: this tablet is WACOM penabled!!! That means the tablet technology in it is powered by WACOM, the best in tablet technology right now. That also means this tablet has hovering capabilities, which means it can read the pen even if it isnt touching the screen which makes drawing and being precise in general so much easier. Also, pen sensitivity!!

That was the deciding factor for me. This computer runs adobe flash and adobe photoshop perfectly, and I've been able to fulfill my dream of working on cartoons or digital paintings on a plane or in bed. the battery life is astounding, I've used this thing for the complete 5 hour flight from Los Angeles to Florida. It doesn't run games so hot, but that's okay, I don't use it for gaming.

Buy it from Amazon

Cucusoft All Audio/Video to MP3/WAV Converter is powerful MP3/WAV creator from almost all kinds of windows Audio and Video media file. Media format include video and audio, including avi, mpeg, wma, asf, RM, RAM, RMVB and wave format. You can convert to MP3/WAV in batch mode. The converting speed is very quick. Convert approx 15 minutes of video or audio to the MP3 format in less than 1 minute. The most important is you can split your favorite music from long movie and save as mp3. Convert avi to mp3, mpeg to mp3, asf to mp3, rm to mp3, ram to mp3, rmvb to mp3, wma to mp3 and wave to mp3 in batch mode.

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Beautiful Women of Tagbilaran City, Bohol

Whale, Padz. Locally known in Anda as tiki-tiki because of its white spots (like tuko nga skin)

Cheap Intel Core i7 Lenovo Laptop

Technical Details

    Intel Core i7-2620M 2.70GHz Processor with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.40GHz
    Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64
    12.5" HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display
    4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
    320 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm

Don't use an English word. Use capitals and small letters plus special characters.

About Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson


Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two yearsâ€"as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleaguesâ€"Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Amazon Customer Review: I have lost far too much sleep because of this book! What I like most is how accessible and human it makes Steve Jobs. On one hand, it would be easy to put Jobs on a pedestal due to his incredible accomplishments (really enough for several lifetimes). But this book doesn't let you get away with that. It shows the remarkable human he was -- and how he repeatedly reinvented himself over the decades. While at the same time, one gets a glimpse of how difficult, strange, and prickly he could be. Oddly, seeing Jobs as fully human makes his life even more inspiring, illustrating the value of belief in one's vision, persistence, and importance of surrounding oneself with people who "complete" you -- and how utterly essential it is to remain true to oneself and one's vision.

KKK - Kinawat-kawat nga Kahidlaw

by Frances Sheridan Goulart

Reaching for an apple, some oatmeal, or an herb before you have to start taking an antibiotic is smart. Antibiotics are now the leading cause of adverse drug reactions in the United States and the cause of oft en deadly strains of resistant bacteria. In addition, antibiotics are commonly overprescribed. Even though, for example, most sore throats are viral and not bacterial in nature (therefore, resistant to antibiotics), 73 percent of viral sore throats are oft en treated with an antibiotic prescription, according to a yearlong study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

While super pills may help with super infections caused by bacteria, drugs such as penicillin and sulfur drugs can lower your resistance even as they help you fi ght back. In the process of killing those bad bugs, antibiotics deplete a wide spectrum of nutrients that are the foundation for immunity, including vitamin C, iron, zinc, and most of the B vitamins, plus bone-building vitamin K, calcium, and magnesium. In addition, antibiotics wipe out your good bacteria, so they are best used only when truly necessaryâ€"and even bett er, avoid them altogether with super immunity nutrition.

    Reads 'check engine' light warnings on all 1996 and newer cars, light trucks, SUVs and minivans, domestic and import -- including C.A.N. (Controller Area Network)
    Diagnoses ABS codes on most 1996 and newer GM, Ford & Chrysler vehicles.
    Features unique patented back-lit, all-in-one screen display which allows for simultaneous viewing of 25 data points without changing menus in low light conditions.
    Provides SAE enhanced Live Data (view, record and live PCM data plays back streams), displays freeze frame data, automatically refreshes updates data every 30 seconds when connected to the vehicle, and is flash updatable with a standard Windows PC.
    Comes with access to additional online vehicle diagnostics through CanOBD2.com's RepairSolutions program.

Amazon Customer Review: After months of researching for a scanner, ( which this is my first) I feel as if my patience has paid off. I searched between various brands like actron, and found this one to offer the best price & ease of use. I compared this scanner to the Actron 9580 which were identical by features with the the innova 3160, and found that the innova had a much simpler operation. The actron required to scroll through menu to get info like the emission status of the car, unlike the innova that already displayed that info in the LEDs. I also chose it for being 30 bucks less than the actron. Although the actron is smaller, i don't mind having the larger scanner at all, the actron losing ease of use for a more compact size.
Now for the scanner itself, I found it to be very useful in many different cars, like a 2001 sequoia, 2001 dodge ram van, 1999 venture, 2002 Isuzu rodeo, a 2006 GMC savana. It worked for all these cars, and I haven't found a car it doesn't scan. ABS is a bit harder, only on some cars did it function on. the best surprise was that I only had to open up the manual 2-3 times for some info on using it, to me that was a relief. The live data feed is another feature that helps you greatly when diagnosing, like sensor voltage, etc.
Bottom Line: you won't be disappointed, great buy for the money, and a steal at this price. ( saved 120 bucks compared to sears)

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy Tab


Technical Details
Size Name: 16GB

    Android Honeycomb 3.1
    Dual Core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM
    Wi-FiTM, 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4GHz, 5GHz
    Memory Capacity: 16GB
    Display: 10.1" WXGA (1280x800)

Technical Details

    Pre-set carbides sharpen very dull edges quickly.
    Specialy shaped ceramic slot to finish edges and sharpen serrated blades.
    Tapered diamond rod for sharpening serrated and standard edges.
    Very compact and lightweight.
    Lanyard hole for carrying.

By Julie Mollins

More than 10 million Facebook users play glitzy Diamond Dash each month, according to developer Wooga, making it one of the most popular games on the social networking site.

Now the game, which requires tapping on as many groups of gems of the same color as possible within 60 seconds to accumulate points, is also available on iPhone and iPad, as part of an increasing trend to make social games mobile.

"On mobile, most games have been for single players," Wooga co-founder and Chief Executive Jens Begemann told Reuters in an interview at LeWeb, a conference in Paris late last year where about 3,500 of the world's top digital experts and entrepreneurs from 60 countries meet each year to discuss the state of the tech industry.

Diamond Dash players can now compete with each other across mobile devices and desktop machines.

By Amanda Cooper
Reuters

Gold rallied on Tuesday, boosted by a rise in the euro against the dollar after the price hit its lowest in nearly six months last week in a flurry of year-end speculative selling.

Mounting tensions between Iran and the United States over a possible disruption to oil supply boosted crude oil futures but did little to elicit any safe-haven buying of gold, which remains tightly tethered to the ebb and flow of the euro.

Gold's correlation with the euro/dollar exchange rate is at its most positive in nearly two years, meaning the bullion price is more likely to move in lockstep with the euro than at any other time since January 2010.

German Bund futures slipped but the debt crisis was expected to limit falls as refinancing pressure grows on the bloc's lower-rated sovereigns, while the euro edged higher after better-than-expected Chinese data boosted riskier assets.

Speculators placed their heaviest bets ever against the single European currency last week, in light of the lack of a lasting solution to the euro zone debt crisis and the knock-on effect on the regional economy.

by Reuters

With time running out, rivals of surging Republican Rick Santorum raised doubts about his conservative record on Monday in hopes of heading off a last-minute victory by the former senator a day before Iowa kicks off the 2012 presidential election season.

Santorum, a second-tier candidate until a jump in the polls last week, claimed the momentum as he and the other Republican candidates barnstormed across Iowa making final arguments and trying to bolster turnout ahead of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and libertarian congressman Ron Paul are neck-and-neck in the lead in Iowa polls in the start of the fight to decide who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in next November's election.

But Santorum, uniting voters on the Christian right who have been divided for months, could pull off a surprise. The top three or four finishers will likely have momentum, and maybe more money, to go into next week's New Hampshire primary.

by Reuters - The roller-coaster ride for Asian currencies, which saw only the yen and yuan post significant gains for the year against the U.S. dollar, is set to continue in 2012.

While Japan actively sought to stem the yen's rise -- drawing U.S. criticism last week -- China intervened to ensure the yuan ended the year at a new high. Both currencies appreciated roughly 5 percent in 2011 against the dollar.

The opposite approaches illustrate a dilemma facing Asian policymakers as they try to smooth out foreign exchange rate volatility, which shows no sign of abating in the new year. If the currency is too strong, exports get more expensive. Too weak, and imported inflation spikes and domestic buying power fades.

Singapore and South Korea provide two examples of how inflation can stay surprisingly high, even as declining global demand curbs exports and saps growth. Both the Singapore dollar and the won slipped against the greenback in 2011.

For Japan, which has been battling deflationary forces for two decades, rising prices would be a welcome change. Three times in 2011, Tokyo intervened in the currency market to try to weaken the yen, once with the help of Group of 7 nations after the March earthquake and tsunami, and twice unilaterally.

by Reuters

Iran will take action if a U.S. aircraft carrier which left the area because of Iranian naval exercises returns to the Gulf, the state news agency quoted army chief Ataollah Salehi as saying on Tuesday.

"Iran will not repeat its warning ... the enemy's carrier has been moved to the Sea of Oman because of our drill. I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf," Salehi told IRNA.

"I advise, recommend and warn them (the Americans) over the return of this carrier to the Persian Gulf because we are not in the habit of warning more than once," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Salehi as saying.

Salehi did not name the aircraft carrier or give details of the action Iran might take if it returned.

Iran completed 10 days of naval exercises in the Gulf on Monday, and said during the drills that if foreign powers imposed sanctions on its crude exports it could shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world's traded oil is shipped.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, said it would not allow shipping to be disrupted in the strait.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appears set to win the nation's first 2012 primary vote in New Hampshire next week by a wide margin, according to two surveys released on Monday.

Romney, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts who has a vacation estate in New Hampshire, has 43 percent support among likely primary voters in a 7 News/Suffolk University daily tracking poll, and 41 percent in a survey by the polling firm Magellan Strategies.

He has a double-digit lead over his nearest rival Texas congressman Ron Paul, who polled at 21 percent in the Magellan Strategies survey and 17 percent in the 7 News/Suffolk University survey.

A large proportion of Romney supporters now say they are unlikely to change their minds, said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University's Political Research Center.

"Voters are becoming energized by a Romney candidacy, which is something that the campaign has lacked over the past year," he said. "Romney is closing the deal." - Reuters

Macau casino gambling revenue surged by nearly half last year as the world’s biggest gambling market continued to boom.

According to data posted on the gaming department’s website Tuesday, gross revenue from Macau’s 34 casinos in 2011 totaled 267.87 billion patacas ($33.5 billion). That’s 42 percent higher than the 188.34 billion patacas ($23.5 billion) in 2010.

Macau’s economic growth has rocketed since the government broke up a four-decade monopoly in 2002 and allowed foreign operators in.

The former Portuguese colony, now a special administrative region of China, overtook the Las Vegas Strip in 2006 as the world’s most lucrative gambling market. Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. - Associated Press

KKK, Nong. Kinawat-Kawat nga Kalipay

I've been there once, Bran. You will also find the Museum of the Gomburza. In that museum, you will find the original copy of Rizal's Noli Me Tangere.

Wa dihay maghanda ang asawa ug masima-sima para sa Bag-ong Tuig. Di ba kaha pud nga panagsa ra gihiling ang asawa mao lain nalang ang niutingkay. Duna pa seguroy laing mga gumonhap nga nagpaluyo niini.

No crime nga nabuhat sa bana nga gibudhian. Pait lang kay ig-agaw ang nakaako ug mansa sa kadungganan sa pamilya. Nahitabo pud ni sa amo. Nakalayat lang sa bintana kay kung wala pa, pikas unta pud kay naabtan man gyud nga gataroy pa si manoy.

Ngano uroy nga wa man kahuwat ug laing adlaw, bag-ong tuig dako man jud nagmilagro ang asawa.

I saw one image in which nagsuck ang man sa breast sa cow. Grabe gyud to ka fresh.

Unorthodox cupcake design.

Man vs Wild show? Is this a fresh frog?

Healthy if uyab or wife.

Yes, Bran, much better than Kopiko.

By: Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer

President Benigno Aquino has ordered the release of P1.6 billion to the Department of Science and Technology to enable it to tap “state of the art technology” and improve the accuracy of weather and disaster information-gathering and reporting in the country.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the funds taken from government savings in 2011 would be used for the DOST’s nationwide Disaster Risk Exposure, Assessment and Mitigation (Dream) program.

“The Aquino administration is beefing up its capacity for disaster planning and response. Through the use of the latest technologies, the DOST under the leadership of Secretary Mario Montejo is beefing up its capacity to produce weather information, flood maps and other critical data accurately and rapidly,” Abad said.

Under the Dream program, the DOST will acquire geospatial data gathering technologies, particularly the Light Intensity Detection and Ranging (Lidar) and Airborne Radar Interferometry (Insar) systems.

By Danny O. Calleja

While the tax exemption of Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) contributions has been affirmed and yet, its clients are faced with a separate burden â€" rates increase--starting this year.

Under PhilHealth Circular No. 22 s-2011 entitled New Premium Contributions to the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) in Support to the Attainment of Universal Health Care and Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the new premium rates take effect starting January 1.

PhilHealth regional director Veronica Mateum on Monday said the new rates affect contributions to sponsored, individually paying, overseas workers and employed programs that cover in Bicol over 3.7 million individuals or about 63 percent of the regional population of 5.9 million.

Under the sponsored program are those that are included in the National Household Targeting System - Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that are covered for two years. From P1,200, their annual premium would be P2,400 effective Jan. 1, 2012, Mateum said.

For individually paying members, the annual premium starting July, this year will be P2,400 or P200 monthly or an increase of 100 percent from the old rate of P100 per month. Self-employed professionals earning an average monthly income of more than P25,000, meanwhile will pay an annual rate of P3,600.

Premium contribution of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) starting this month had been increased from P900 to P1,200 up to June and starting on July 2012, their annual payments would become P2,400.

For the employed sector, contribution of each member is pegged at three percent of the basic salary shared equally by the employer and the monthly salary base is equal to P7,000 and salary ceiling, P50,000.

Mateum said the need of increasing the members' premium contribution had been explained by PhilHealth President Dr. Eduardo Banzon as necessary in sustaining the enhanced health benefits the PHIC is providing its members.

“Sa unang tingin ay medyo may kabigatan ito lalo na doon sa mga mahihirap na miembro, pero talagang kailangan para na rin sa kanilang kapakanan (At first glance, this may be heavy especially to indigent members but it is indeed necessary for their own benefits),” she said.

Mateum cited that PhilHealth benefit packages have been enhanced, mentioning among others the boosted newborn tests and care services worth P1,750 in addition to Normal Spontaneous Delivery (NSD) of P8,000 in Level One hospitals or P6,500 in Levels Two to Four hospitals, and the Indicated Caesarian Section (Cs) package of P19,000.

Also under the new procedure, rates for medical services and surgical procedures have been pre-fixed for 25 different cases that include dengue 1, P8,000; dengue 2, P16,000; pneumonia 1, P15,000; pneumonia 2, P32,000; essential hypertension, P9,000; cerebral infarction (CVA), 1, P28,000; cerebrovascular accident with hemorrhage (CVA) 2, P38,000; acute gastroenteritis, P6,000); asthma, P9,000 and; typhoid fever, P14,000.

New packages for surgical procedures are: radiotherapy, P3,000 per session; hemodialysis, P4,000 per session; appendectomy, P24,000; cholecystectomy, P31,000; dilatation and curettage; P11,000; thyroidectomy, P31,000; herniorrhaphy, P21,000; mastectomy, P22,000; hysterectomy, P30,000 and; cataract surgery, P16,000.

At the same time, she added PhilHealth contributions has been clarified by the BIR as exempted from its Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 53-2011 which states that voluntary contributions to the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Home Development Mutual Fund or Pagtutulungan sa kinabukasan Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya at Gobyerno ( Pag-IBIG Fund) are subject to tax.

The BIR considers as taxable “investments" the contributions made over and above those mandated by law, particularly because the benefits that members of these institutions are bound to receive â€" such as pension or loans extended â€" will be enhanced.

Mao ba, Padz. Kumusta ko ni Padre Ranoa. Batch 1996 ko sa High School. In 1980, one year old pa ko.

By Lito B. Zulueta
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) has denied it broke academic rules when it granted a doctorate in law, summa cum laude, to Chief Justice Renato Corona reportedly even without a dissertation and urged the press not to drag institutions like UST to the impeachment controversy.

“There is no truth to the allegation that the University of Santo Tomas broke its rules to favor Chief Justice Renato Corona who graduated with the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University,” UST said in a statement. It added that Corona had enrolled in all of the requisite subjects leading to the doctorate, attended his classes, passed them and delivered a “scholarly treatise” for his dissertation in a public lecture.

UST said it had been declared by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) an “autonomous higher educational institution (HEI)” according to the following criteria: “long tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation, commitment to excellence, and sustainability and viability of operations.”

“As an autonomous university and no less than the cradle of higher education in the Philippines and the oldest university in Asia, the University of Santo Tomas knows academic rules and sees to their proper observance,” said UST, which is closing this month its yearlong quadricentenary celebration. It was founded by the Dominicans in 1611.

“As an autonomous HEI, the University of Santo Tomas enjoys an institutional academic freedom to set its standards of quality and excellence and determine to whom it shall confer appropriate degrees,” said UST.

By Christine O. Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Senate is not under any pressure to complete the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, which begins on January 16, within a certain time frame, or to deliver a specific verdict, according to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

In a radio interview Sunday, Enrile cautioned both Malacañang and the Supreme Court against meddling in the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice.

The Senate President said that no one could dictate terms on him, “only God and the people.”

But he conceded, “The only one that can stop us is the might of the military.”

He said he did not think the high court would heed a petition to issue a temporary restraining order against the Senate trial.

It is the Senate that is tasked to conduct the trial and neither the executive nor the judiciary could dictate the  outcome or time frame of the  exercise, declared Enrile.

The Senate President assured the public that he would “not side with anyone,” saying  he respected both the executive branch and the Supreme Court.

A ranking Catholic prelate has urged Filipinos not to believe in predictions for the new year but instead trust in "divine providence" in running their lives.

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said the faithful should not let feng shui and Chinese horoscopes rule their way of life.

“I think it’s a Chinese custom to put several years under some kind of protection or patronship of some animals kaya nga sinasabi nila na year of the dragon pero sa ating mga Katoliko, it’s year of the Lord," Lagdameo said.

" Sa ating mga Katoliko e wala naman tayong pinagkakatiwalaan para sa ating buhay kundi ang Diyos mismo. He is more powerful than any of those involved animals," he added. - PNA

OFW remittances, BPOs, tourism fuel Cebu’s real estate boom (Yearender)
By Eddie Barrita

Rising remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the burgeoning business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism sectors in Cebu are fueling a boom in Cebu’s real estate industry.

”Growth in Cebu’s real estate industry continued as is evident in the number of construction projects in the city,” said Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI) president Francis Monera.

He cited the accelerated development within the Ayala-owned Cebu Park District, which includes the Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park.

CHI, which runs the Cebu Park District, is an Ayala subsidiary.

Monera said construction in Cebu has become more dynamic and diversified.

”This reflects the increasing number of condominium units, which is expected to grow by 74 percent to over 5,000 units to complete in 2011, together with an expanding office space that may reach some 460,000 square meters of usable area or 15 percent more than in 2010 in Cebu,” Monera said.

Philippine Association of Realtors Board Inc. â€" Cebu Realtors Board Inc. (Pareb-Cereb) president Antonina Fritzche credited the growth of the industry to BPOs, foreign students like Koreans learning English in Cebu, foreign retirees, Cebu’s warmer climate, surge of overseas remittances and increased purchasing power.

OFW remittances went up by seven percent to USD16.534 billion in the first 10 months of the year from USD15.456 billion in the same period last year, according to the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Attractive financing schemes also boosted the housing sector.

According to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. first senior vice president and RBG deputy group head for VisMin sales Prudencio Gesta, lending activities this year increased because of the low interest environment. Car and home loans are also on the rise.

The Pag-ibig Cebu branch, meanwhile, reported releasing P688 million as of November this year to finance the home loan applications of 776 borrowers.

Pag-ibig estimated 70 percent of these home loans are for house and lot, 15 percent for lot only, and five percent for condominiums.

Anyone is using Apple Iphone 4S model?

Salamat islander for all the beautiful reminders of Christmas. God bless you!

by PNA

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 jolted a wide area in eastern and northeastern Japan on Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, issuing no tsunami warning.

The 2:28 p.m. quake measured an intensity of 4 on the Japanese scale of 7 in many locations in downtown Tokyo, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures, the agency said.

There was no immediate information about abnormalities at nuclear reactors, including those of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two mortar rockets into the Israeli territory from the enclave early Sunday, according to the army.

The bombs fell in an open area and there were no reports of damage or injury to residents in the area, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman's Office said in a statement.

The Israeli Air Force had quickly responded to several such attacks in recent weeks, hitting what the army said launching crews and related targets in the coastal enclave.

The IDF Home Front Command (HFC) plans to test out a new cellphone text message system meant to warn individuals in a specific area of an incoming missile attack.

The army said that the system will send short messages alerts in Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Russian to people in the center of the country.

When the GPS-linked "Deer Horn" system was first unveiled in early 2011, an IDF operations officer told Xinhua that it was capable of accurately figuring out where a rocket fired at Israel would land, alert the population in the specific area via map-referenced mobile phone numbers, send them an alert via SMS (short message service), and override television and radio broadcasts to warn the public at large before the rocket hit targets.

It's been a while nga wala naka-log-in si Lollapalooza. Hope all is well with her.

how about the current background color?

Jojie's Painitang Bol-anon, ICM Branch is now open. It's located at the ground floor of ICM. My favorite there is sekwate nga tabliya. It's pure tableya.

Hapit na pud ang birthday ni Padz chicogon.

Sold out na ba ni nga lot? Hope to hear again an update from the topic starter.

Islander and Hubag, wala na ba ni nga problem recently? I am confident the speed of web page load would improve this year.