The Philippines is moving in VERY RIGHT DIRECTION while China Going TOO WRONG

China Printed a passport map including the territory of India, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. China burn woods and throw the ashes and charcoal to the backyard and accused the Philippines for creating crime

The China.daily.com.cn  published Monday (January 14, 2013) an opinion accusing the Philippines as escalating tension and invading China's territory titled "Philippines moves in wrong direction."

As an editor of the Rebuilding for the Better Philippines, I am so excited to share my opinion backed with facts about the Twisted Publication of China. China now is in trouble with their Artificial Economic Growth by keep building Ghost Cities without inhabitants just to sustain their economic growths to boast to the world that they are still growing while hundreds of thousands of Chinese people suffering from poverty and living in a very small rooms as kitchen, living room, dining room as 1 place together while millions of high rise apartments built from the tax of their people are empty as Ghost Cities.

China's economy continues to grow artificially but how long would this china's artificial growth sustain? Millions of Apartment units built by the communist government rising in southern part of china but remains empty for already more than 16 years.

While China is suffering from their internal conflicts, injustice to their people, corruption from their high public officials, they burn woods and throw the ashes and the wood charcoals in the backyard and accused the neighbors of the crime. This is what's happening in the West Philippines Sea, the old Sultanate of Sulu Territory.

We back 12^th to 15^th Century; the old Sultanate of Sulu is extended from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, North Borneo, Palawan and the Spratly Islands. After the invasion of Spain the Sultanate of Sulu was deprived its power which forced them to turnover their rights to the Republic of the Philippines while Britain illegally took the North Borneo and ceded to Malaysia.

The painful history of the Spain's invasion to the Philippines is the root of all the conflicts in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea), that give china a chance to grab some portions of the territory. The loss of the old Sultanate of Sulu in 15^th century is the reason why China claimed the Spratly beginning the 15^th century. Though the Sultanate of Sulu ceded its territorial rights to the Republic of the Philippines, still the dispute exists as china is interested in the territory as it sit on the vast of Oil and Gas deposits which ranks as the largest deposits in the world.

Recently, China illegally established a sansha City in the Paracel, a 200 Nautcial miles Exclusive economic Zone of Vietnam close to Hainan Island and several hundreds of kilometers distance from the Spratly. The illegal establishment of china stirs the region. Later then china intensity the trouble by printing their passports including the territory of India, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei and announced that it would deploy the most advanced warship to the west Philippine waters which they claimed they owned, and giving authority to their police to board any ships entering the waters which triggers anger from Japan, India and USA calling for freedom of Navigation in the international waters in the West Philippine Sea.

With all the china's "IDIOT-KASI" it such called they burn woods and throw the ashes and charcoal to the backyard and accused the Philippines for creating crime.

The Philippines is no-matched with china in terms of war equipment but more-matched with china in terms of legality and ownership in the Philippine territory's   disputed islands because it is well within the 200 Nautical miles Exclusive economic Zone of the Philippines.

The tension is also a lesson to the Philippines to wake up and build up its armaments because china's leader the communist government with its brain is hanged in their butts believes that "What is mine is mine; and what is yours is mine too" and will not respect any international law.

Now, people in the World, read the China's accusation to the Philippines titled…

"Philippines moves in wrong direction."

.. here it goes… <China begin>

While the tree craves calm, the wind will not subside. This is a proverb the Chinese media frequently quoted last year when commenting on the rifts between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea. At the start of the New Year, the wind from Manila is again blowing in the wrong direction, as politicians in the country have made irresponsible remarks that will stir up new tensions in the disputed waters.

On Wednesday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario asked China to explain its deployment of a patrol ship to guard islands and waters in the South China Sea, saying the move has sparked new tensions over the disputed waters. This is a false accusation and Manila's top diplomat should not forget that his own country raised the tensions in the disputed waters in the first place last year.

In April, a Filipino warship harassed Chinese fishermen who were fishing around Huangyan Island, which belongs to China. China's marine surveillance fleet had to rescue them. The incident triggered a standoff between Chinese surveillance ships and Filipino vessels and drove Sino-Philippine ties to their lowest ebb for years.

The more frequent presence of Chinese marine surveillance ships in these waters since then has been a response to Manila's provocative moves. The State Oceanic Administration, which is responsible for overseeing and safeguarding national maritime rights and interests, said on Thursday that it will continue to carry out regular patrols in China's territorial waters in the East China and South China seas. It is a normal practice for a sovereign state to patrol its territorial waters. Instead of feeling uncomfortable about it, Manila had better get use to it.

Also on Wednesday, Del Rosario said the Philippine government is mulling turning some of the disputed Nansha Islands into tourist destinations. The Philippine military had already said that the country may build infrastructure on them. All these constitute an open defiance to China's sovereignty as China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters and opposes any move that could impair China's sovereignty.

If Manila takes further steps in this regard, it is sure to meet with strong opposition as well as countermeasures from China. It is now crystal clear that Manila is determined to play the role of a troublemaker and seeks every opportunity to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.

To confront China over the issue, Manila has painstakingly enlisted support from other countries, including some from outside the region. Last year, it took steps to strengthen its military alliance with the United States, with the intention that once its disputes with China slip out of control the sole superpower will be dragged into a head-on confrontation with China.

The Philippines has also pledged support to Japan, which wants to play a bigger role in the region, and has proposed bilateral maritime security cooperation. On Thursday, after a meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Del Rosario said they discussed Japanese help in improving the Philippines' coastguard capability.

According to Del Rosario, the Philippines is seriously considering acquiring 10 new patrol boats from Japan through soft loans or loans that have low interest rates with flexible payment terms under Japan's Official Development Assistance.

However, with Japan being involved in its own dispute with China over the Diaoyu Islands and the strong anti-Japanese sentiments in Philippine society, how far Manila and Tokyo can enhance their strategic partnership is open to question.

And neither country should make strategic misjudgment and underestimate China's determination to safeguard its territorial waters.

The author is a senior writer

China.daily.com.cn

======

Thank For reading folks.  Let,s make a fruitful discussion here how to ride or to stop the china's way of thinking, and How could this country become a leader if the Communist government is a brainless and lawless government. This is Dan We, one of the authors and editors of the Rebuilding for the Better Philippines.

I would like to remind all readers for the following:

The called Huangyan Island of China is the Scarborough Shoal or the Panatag Shoal in the Zambales province of the Philippines, a place close to where the USA set-up their largest Military base in Asia.

The so called disputed Nansha Islands of China is the Spratly islands or the Kalayaan Municipality in the Province of Palawan. Even idiot knows about this that the so called Nansha Islands is within 200 Nautical Miles exclusive economic Zone of the Philippines while thousand of kilometers far from China.

Reminders: China is currently maintaining a Military garrison in Palawan illegally, in the Mischief Reef or Panganiban reef which is only 75 Miles from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Continue reading

The Philippines will implement and Modernized Automated Digital Tax Revenue System

Reported in the Asia Pacific Future Gov, the PHILIPPINES TO MODERNISE REVENUE ADMINISTRATION article published Monday 14^th January 2013.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue is embarking on a US$54.3 million Revenue Administration Reform Project (RARP) which aims to increase tax revenues over time and address issues posed by corruption, tax administration inefficiencies and lack of transparency, by introducing state of the art technologies to enhance the country's overall tax administration system.

The project is funded by the Millennium Challenge Account – Philippines (MCA-P), an office of the independent US foreign aid agency created to help developing nations in their fight against poverty by way of implementing strategic threshold programs.

RARP is composed of the following sub-projects: Electronic Tax Information Systems (ETIS), Automated Auditing Tools (AATs), a Public Awareness Campaign, and an anti-graft investigation unit for the Department of Finance.

The ETIS aims to modernize BIR and provide an enhanced tax administration system that can be fully used by the agency nationwide.

According to MCA-P, this effort will improve the trustworthiness of actions and decisions based on tax data. These, in turn, will improve tax compliance monitoring, reduce client contact and opportunities for negotiated assessments, increase the detection of misreporting and enhance the value of reports. Improved compliance, audit and enforcement tools will contribute to a sustainable program of tax administration leading to increased tax revenue collection.

The bidding process for the implementation of the ETIS is currently underway after the MCA-P formally invited firms to submit their bid documents last November.

Meanwhile, AATs are computer software and hardware for the conduct of computer-assisted audits which promote proper taxpayer compliance in filing and paying taxes.

MCA-P will fund the purchase of software licenses, hardware and subscription to a database service. This initiative will make it possible for tax payers to submit tax records in digital form, thereby reducing by half the number of days it takes to complete a tax audit.

The reduction in man days per tax audit is expected to help BIR reduce its backlog of unfinished audits promote taxpayer satisfaction and ultimately leads to increased revenue collection.

Just recently, revenue officers at the BIR had undergone had a series of training courses to enhance their audit skills in a computerized accounting environment. The training was held at the newly-renovated and furnished Computer-Assisted Training Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) training facility, also part of the AATs sub-project.

This modern automated Tax Revenue system could be a step for a National ID system so every tax payer will pay their taxes automatically using ETIS system. 

Continue reading

U.S. anti-mine Warship to arrive in Subic - Palawan

USS Guardian (MCM-5), an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, is the second U.S. Navy ship of that name. Guardian was laid down on 8 May 1985 by the Peterson Builders Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.; launched on 20 June 1987; and commissioned on 16 December 1989.

The United States has sent another battleship to the country. The anti-mine vessel is expected to arrive in the Philippines on Sunday, the US Embassy in Manila said in statement released Saturday.

"[The] USS Guardian (MCM-5), a U.S. Navy Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, will arrive in Subic Bay on Sunday, January 13, for a routine fuel stop.  This visit will allow the ship to replenish supplies as well as give the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation.  After an overnight visit in Subic, the ship will proceed to Puerto Princesa for another brief visit," the embassy said.

It added: "The USS Guardian is assigned to the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet and is forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan.  Her crew of around 80 officers and enlisted personnel includes eight Filipino-Americans.  Notably, the ship's highest ranking Enlisted Sailor on board is a Filipino-American originally from Olongapo City."

U.S. battleships have been a common sight in the Philippines since last year after China renewed its aggressive claims over the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

Other countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also partly claim portions of the Spratlys.

China and the Philippines are also in dispute over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal about 198 kilometers west of Subic Bay. (http://bit.ly/RLMiir)

Interaksyon 

Continue reading

Philippines to host 2013 FIBA Asia Championship after 40 years

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time after 40 long years, the Asian basketball championship will be held in the country in August.

The FIBA Asia Executive Committee decided late yesterday to move the 27th FIBA Asia Championship from Beirut, Lebanon to Manila in view of the current situation in Lebanon and the rest of West Asia.

"Unfortunately, the current situation in the region and the on-going civil war in Syria, which has its indirect effect on the countries in the whole of West Asia, especially on Lebanon, creates doubts about the stability that we might not have, at least, till the fixed dates of our event," said FIBA Asia secretary general Hagop Khajirian in his official communiqué to FIBA Asia members.

"In view of these facts, the FIBA Asia Executive Committee decided to change the (tournament) venue from Beirut-Lebanon to Manila-Philippines," Khajirian further said.

The Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas welcomed the opportunity to host the event serving as the regional elimination for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. The top three in the Asian joust qualify for the world meet set in Spain.

"SBP is pleased to accept this rare privilege of hosting the FIBA Asia Championship – a similar event we last hosted 40 years ago. Much hard work lies ahead in organizing this event, but we will do our best to make it successful," said SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan.

"It is time to unite Philippine basketball to achieve our goal of entering the World Championship in Spain in 2014," Pangilinan added.

Remaining a big problem is the conflict of the FIBA Asia Championship schedule with that of the PBA third conference.

SBP has informed the PBA board of the situation but the two parties have yet to sit down together to figure out how to resolve the matter.

The PBA has earlier agreed to lend players to the national team for as long as it doesn't distract the PBA season. And that's the main reason why only Meralco's JayR Reyes and Ronjay Buenafe, and Air21's KG Canaleta were able to join Smart Gilas Pilipinas in its Dubai trip.

"It's official: Manila hosts 2013 FIBA Asia Championship! All d hardwork thru Xmas & New Year paid off. Now d really difficult work begins," said national coach Chot Reyes on his Twitter account from Dubai.

Reyes obviously has yet to figure out how can he get the players that he really wants for the team.

An option reportedly being looked at, if the problem is not ironed out, is just putting together the core of the Talk n Text and Meralco teams which are both owned by the MVP Group.

The Philippines narrowly missed the top three the last time out in Wuhan, China, placing fourth behind China, Jordan and Korea. It's the country's best finish in the biennial event since the Joe Lipa-mentored Phl team led by Benjie Paras, Alvin Patrimonio and Ronnie Magsanoc also placed third runner-up in 1987 in Bangkok, Thailand.

With five championships, the Philippines is the second most winningest team in the tourney behind China (15 crowns) but has not won one since Ron Jacobs steered Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Dennis Still, Jeff Moore and their group to the top in 1985 in Kuala Lumpur.

Before that, the country last won the Asian meet when it was last held in Manila in 1973. The Tito Eduque-coached team composed of Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Manny Panner, Abet Guidaben, Bogs Adornado, Tembong Melencio, Yoyong Martirez, Jimmy Mariano, Francis Arnaiz, Joy Cleofas, Dave Regullano and Big Boy Reynoso won the championship (then still called Asian Basketball Confederation championship) via a 10-game sweep.

The Philippines topped the inaugural tourney held in Manila in 1960, then repeated in 1963 in Taipei and in 1967 in Seoul.

The Philippines had been the region's most dominant team until the formation of a pro league in 1975. With the country's best players turning pros, China took over as the region's kingpin, ruling all but four of the next 19 editions of the championship. (http://bit.ly/VT14li)

philSTAR

Continue reading

Japan Philippines United for China; Coast Guard & Build Train System Offered

Bullet Train Technology Japan

To Counter China, Japan and Philippines Will Bolster Maritime Cooperation

TOKYO — In a telling sign of how China's rise has helped turn former wartime foes into allies, Japan and the Philippines agreed on Thursday to cooperate more closely on maritime security.

During talks in Manila, the foreign ministers of Japan and the Philippines proclaimed their nations to be strategic partners that would collaborate more in resolving their separate territorial disputes with China, news reports said. They also expressed "mutual concern" over increasingly assertive claims by China that have embroiled both nations, according to Kyodo News.

Japan is in a tense showdown over islands in the East China Sea, while the Philippines has wrangled with China over control of islands and fishing grounds in the South China Sea. The two nations agreed to exchange information and discuss each other's strategies for responding to China, the ministers were quoted as saying. The Philippine minister, Albert del Rosario, said the discussion included a request by his country for 10 new patrol ships from Japan to strengthen the Filipino coast guard.

His Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, was appointed last month by Japan's new conservative Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. The decision to have Mr. Kishida visit the Philippines for his first trip was seen as a symbolic gesture by Mr. Abe, who has vowed to strengthen security ties with other democracies in the region in an effort to offset China's growing military and political clout.

Mr. Abe has also said he wants to work more closely with the United States and Australia to help bolster the capacity of less-developed nations like the Philippines to stand up to China. While long-pacifist Japan has restricted its aid to mostly nonmilitary purposes, like building up coast guards, its leaders have recently begun loosening some of the self-imposed restrictions. Japan is now in talks about providing training to submarine crews from Vietnam, and last year it gave its first limited military aid to East Timor and Cambodia.

Japan has long supplied development aid in the region, but it has operated carefully to avoid stirring bitter memories of its militarism during World War II, when its forces swept across much of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, then emerging from its colonial relationship with the United States. However, in recent years Japan's military has slowly raised its profile by joining regional training exercises and holding its first bilateral military maneuvers with Australia and India.

The building of regional military ties represents a significant strategic departure for the country, which after World War II relied for its defense on the United States and the roughly 50,000 military personnel it bases in Japan. For its part, China has pointed to the moves as proof of a resurgent militarism in Japan, which it says is swinging to the right.

News reports said Mr. del Rosario, the Philippine minister, called China's territorial claims in the South China Sea a threat to regional stability.

"We also need to be able to address the possibility that the freedom of navigation would be adversely affected," he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

The Japanese foreign minister agreed.

"As the strategic environment is changing, it is necessary for us as foreign ministers to share recognition of the situation," Mr. Kishida said after the talks, according to Kyodo News. Kyodo said that Mr. Kishida also offered development loans to help build a light-rail system and a new airport. (http://nyti.ms/13lTggC)

New York Times 

Continue reading

Deutsche Bank Says Philippine Economy Will Perform Well in 2013; Warns of ASEAN Overheating

The Philippine economy will likely continue performing well in 2013 on improving external demand, Deutsche Bank's chief economist for Asia-Pacific said Thursday, but warned that the Southeast Asian nation's economy could overheat given that it has been growing faster than its potential in the last three years.

The Philippine central bank, however, could be forced to raise overnight rates three times in 2013 to counter rising inflation, which could help cool the rapid growth, Michael Spencer told reporters at a press conference.

Mr. Spencer said the Philippine economy has grown at a faster clip than its long-run potential of 4.0%-4.5% over the last three years, which puts its gross domestic product level above the full employment potential.

"It has opened [up a] significant positive output gap...and what that implies is it is getting harder to find workers for your shops and factories...and leads to higher cost[s] for business," he said.

Mr. Spencer thinks the Philippines' employment situation--with the latest unemployment rate at 6.8% and underemployment rate at 19.0%--is already tight by the country's standards.

Deutsche Bank forecasts that the Philippines GDP growth rate will reach 5.5% this year and 5.0% in 2014, slower than 2012 mainly due to a higher base of comparison when it estimated growth at 6.3%.

The government is projecting growth of 6%-7% for 2013.

Mr. Spencer is also expecting inflation to accelerate this year due to higher food prices and a growth rate that is beyond its potential, which could prompt the central bank to raise overnight rates by a total of three-quarters of a percentage point in 2013.

This would come after four hikes last year totaling one percentage point. He also expects the central bank to raise rates by a further three-quarters of a percentage point in 2014 before it ends its rate-hiking cycle.

Deutsche Bank forecasts inflation will accelerate to an average 4.6% in 2013 and to 5% in 2014 after averaging 3.2% in 2012.

"We expect inflation to be at the higher end of the central bank's target by the end of this year," said Mr. Spencer, referring to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' 3%-5% target for 2013.

Mr. Spencer said, however, that if the peso appreciates further, it is possible the central bank wouldn't tighten monetary policy this year. An increase in domestic interest rates without an equal adjustment in the U.S. and other developed economies will further widen the interest rate differential and attract more capital flows. The local currency ended last year at PHP41.05 against the U.S. dollar after finishing at PHP43.84 in 2011.

Sameer Goel, head of Deutsche Bank's Asia rates and currency research, said the bank expects the peso to appreciate to PHP38 against the U.S. dollar by the end of this year and to PHP36.50 at the end of 2014.

Mr. Goel said the relatively high interest rate and the large current account surplus of the Philippines--which averaged 4% of GDP in the last six years and is likely to rise to 4.6% this year and 5% in 2014--are underpinning the strength of the peso.

Although the Philippines' equity market is still performing well in early 2013 following a 33% gain last year, Mr. Spencer warned that the stock market could likely end this year lower as developed markets such as the U.S. and Europe attract more funds due to their recovery, particularly toward end-2013. He said Philippine stocks' valuations are also stretched at this stage after last year's record run of the market.

Many analysts think Philippine stocks are already overvalued. (http://fxn.ws/11idsBC)

Fox Business 

Continue reading

Search launched for first Filipino astronaut

A model of the space ship that will carry a Filipino into space in 2014. Raffy Tima

After making significant contributions to the field of space exploration, the Philippines may now finally make its mark on space itself: a private company has announced an undertaking to select and train the first ever Filipino astronaut.

Men's personal care brand Axe is teaming with American space travel agency Space Expedition Corp. (Space XC) in a global project to send civilians to space.

"The program we've launched is an opportunity for our great nation to join the global community in taking the next big leap.  We're very excited to meet the first Pinoy astronaut.  It could be anyone," said Axe brand manager in the Philippines Gem Laforteza.

Dubbed "Axe Apollo Space Academy (AASA)," the marketing campaign involves a selection process to determine who the "First Filipino Astronaut" would be.

Initially, 10,000 people who sign up for the mission at www.AxeApollo.com will be invited to go through a series of challenges.

The two candidates found most fit will then undergo training at the Axe Apollo Global Space Camp in Orlando, Florida.

"After spending some time in space camp, one of the two Filipino representatives will be handed the mission to go where no Filipino has gone before," Axe Philippines said.

Filipinos in NASA

While this may be the first time for a Filipino to go into space, Pinoys have long been making their mark in space exploration.

In fact, Filipinos play key roles in various space-related projects and missions in NASA.

Some of the Filipino achievers working in the most well-known space agency are Filipino-American engineer Gregory Villar, and Lloyd Manglapus. Both are working in various capacities on the Mars mission Curiosity rover.

Another Pinoy in NASA, Dr. Ralph Basilio, is the lead person behind NASA's carbon dioxide research in space.

Philippine  Space Agency

Meanwhile, on Dec. 14, 2012, scientists and astronomy advocates united to push for the establishment of a Philippine Space Agency.

The proposed space agency "intends to conduct studies on space science and technologies, design, and develop satellites that will be launched in space, and possibly train astronauts," according to an earlier report.

The country used to have a research project with NASA in the 1990's but turned out to be unsuccessful, according to the report. (http://bit.ly/ZJmrez)

GMA News

Continue reading

Philippines plans to purchase 10 coast guard vessels from Japan: official

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said today that the plan to acquire 10 coast guard vessels from Japan would be among topics of his meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida Wednesday.

At a press briefing held in Manila today, del Rosario said he would also discuss with Kishida the expansion of the Light Rail Transit - South line from Baclaran to Cavite and East line from Marikina to Antipolo.

The two officials are also expected to finalize Manila's acquisition of 10 Multi-Role Response Vessels (MRRV).

Del Rosario said these projects will be implemented through soft loans or loans that have low interest rates with flexible payment terms under Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Kishida will kick off his two-day visit to the Philippines on Wednesday night, as the first leg of his first overseas trip after being appointed as Japan's top diplomat. (http://bit.ly/WNrXWX)

philSTAR

Continue reading

FMIC sees Philippine economy growing 7.5-8% in 2013

Photo: yahoo.com

The First Metro Investment Group sees 2013 to be another banner year for the Philippines, expecting the domestic economy to expand by 7.5-8 percent alongside a benign inflation environment, record-low interest rates and a bullish stock market.

The above-trend economic growth forecast for 2013 is seen supporting a 20-percent average growth in corporate earnings and, in turn, propelling the main-share Philippine Stock Exchange index toward 6,800 this year.

Heavy election spending, increased infrastructure projects, robust consumer and service sectors and stronger tourism and gaming are seen as supporting a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of above 7.5 percent in 2013, much higher than the country's trend growth of below 5 percent prior to the last presidential elections in 2010.

"With a 7.1 percent increase in GDP in the third quarter of 2012, a lower-than-expected inflation rate of 3.2 percent, gross international reserves rising rapidly that have reached $84.1 billion and a debt-to-GDP ratio that has fallen below 50 percent, the Philippines is definitely now on the rise," said FMIC chairman Francisco Sebastian.

"The economy is in an unprecedented growth momentum, supported by solid fundamentals," he said.

Interest rates are anticipated to further ease due to lower inflation, a much-awaited upgrade to a sovereign investment grade rating, massive liquidity and limited supply of Philippine debt papers.

"As a result of robust economic growth, the government's pungent anti-corruption stance that has improved tax administration and with new tax revenue sources, budget deficit will remain low and may not reach P200 billion or 1.5-1.6 percent of GDP," said FMIC president Roberto Juanchito Dispo.

Economist Victor Abola of the University of Asia and the Pacific, FMIC's partner in its monthly research publication, said public sector consolidation would be a necessary condition to the country's take-off. "It's a very important development that debt-to-GDP ratio falls below 50 percent this year and will progressively go down further. The debt-to-GDP ratio is below Malaysia's and by the end of this year, will be below Thailand's," he said.

With this fiscal consolidation, Abola said that public infrastructure spending could go full-blast while private sector and consumer spending as well as investments would likewise turn robust.

"For an economy growing at a fast pace, all engines must be in high speed and we're seeing both public and private sector doing that," he said. (http://is.gd/U6Gs2H)

Inquirer 

Continue reading

Crashed US reconnaissance drone Found Floating in Philippines

A US reconnaissance drone sits on the tarmac at Edwin Andrews Airbase in the Philippines. (File photo)

Philippine navy officials said Monday a suspected American drone has been found floating in the ocean off a central province, prompting them to deploy a ship with ordnance experts after fishermen reported the object may have been a bomb.

The 3-meter (10-foot) orange BQM-74e drone marked "Navy" was found by a Filipino diver and fishermen off Masbate Island on Sunday and has been turned over to local navy authorities, Philippine navy officer Capt. Jason Rommel Galang said, adding it was not clear why the unmanned aerial vehicle ended up off Masbate.

"We will first study this drone but initially it appears to be a UAV used largely in reconnaissance," he stated, adding that it was not clear why the BQM-74E drone had crashed.

The US embassy in Manila was informed of the discovery of the drone, which is expected to be turned over to US authorities.

The Philippines has seen a resurgence of US troops since late 2011, when the White House announced a turn in Washington's foreign, economic and security policy toward the region.

Some 600 US soldiers have been stationed in the southern Philippines since 2002 to train local troops there.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said last year that US drones were allowed to fly over the country for reconnaissance purposes.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Bettina Malone said efforts were under way to determine if the drone was one of those used in American military air target training exercises and why it was in the waters off Masbate, about 380 kilometers (235 miles) southeast of Manila. The type of drone found was not armed and not used for surveillance, she said.

Masbate is in a region where communist guerrillas have a presence. U.S. counterterrorism troops, who are barred from local combat, have used surveillance drones to help Filipino soldiers track down al-Qaida-linked extremists in the country's south. At least two U.S. drones have been reported to have crashed and were recovered by villagers in the past on southern Mindanao island. (http://is.gd/E2aW23 / http://is.gd/9IiAIa )

Press TV & ABC News 

Continue reading

TESDA Enhancing 1.7 Million TVET Filipinos Skills & Competencies 2013

Close to 300,000 out-of-school youth as well as unemployed graduates benefits from the Jobs Bridging and Internship Program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which set up 1,628 "Help Desks" nationwide. From January 2013 to November this year, 281,666 jobseekers assisted by the desks were hired, through referrals and job matching.

Through its jobs bridging event held in the regions, TESDA has helped to bridge the hiring gap for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates. Close to 1.7 million Filipinos are enrolled in various TVET programs in institutions, enterprises, and communities. Of these, about 1.5 million graduated. Of the 935,230 individuals assessed, 803,350 or 86 percent were certified. TESDA has a network of over 4,000 public and private institutions.

TESDA's Specialistas Technopreneurship Program (TSTP) assists unemployed TVET graduates find sustenance through entrepreneurial activity. Under the program, TVET graduates are formed into "TESDA Specialistas" who are on-call to provide skilled services-for-fee to community households, such as building/house repair and maintenance, beauty care and wellness, appliance repair, automotive/vehicle maintenance, tourism and health related, and computer hardware. TESDA also implements enterprise-based programs, such as "Kasanayan at Hanapbuhay" program which produced 69,192 graduates this year.

Technical-vocational (tech-voc) courses are becoming popular among young Filipinos. Public schools and government centers offer tech-voc courses for them as well as adults who may wish to acquire skills and technical knowhow. The government is encouraging sectoral participation in developing the potentials of the country's human resources. Popular courses for men are computer technology, cellphone repair, auto mechanic, electrical installation and maintenance, construction painting, masonry, heavy equipment servicing, and carpentry, while women prefer caregiving, dressmaking, beadmaking, culinary art, cosmetology, reflexology, and food technology.

We congratulate Department of Education Secretary Armin A. Luistro and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Joel J. Villanueva, all the best and success in their cooperative efforts to provide relevant vocational-technical training for Filipinos.

Manila Bulletin 

Continue reading

Japan FM to visit Philippines for Coast Guard Ships in Spartlys

Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida 

Kyodo reported yesterday as Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida lining up visit to Philippines to meet his counterpart Foreign Secretary del Rosario.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida plans to go to the Philippines in his first overseas trip as a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet, government sources said.

His visit, which could begin as early as Wednesday, has been arranged as part of Abe's efforts to strengthen Japan's ties with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a time when China is asserting its territorial and other claims in the region with increasing forcefulness.

Kishida is expected to discuss bilateral cooperation on maritime security, including the possible provision of coast guard vessels, with his Philippine counterpart, Alberto del Rosario.

The two are also likely to discuss strengthening a regional network of countries calling for the observance of international rules, including free passage in sea lanes, in the face of China's growing military and diplomatic clout in the East and South China seas.

The Abe administration, which was launched in late December after the Liberal Democratic Party won the Dec. 16 general election, embraces Japan's alliance with the U.S. as the cornerstone of its foreign policy.

At the same time, however, one of its central strategies is to boost Japan's leverage with China by strengthening security and energy cooperation, among other areas, with countries in Southeast Asia. It is also eager to forge closer ties with such countries as India and Australia.

Meanwhile, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the foundation of exchanges between Tokyo and ASEAN, with preparations under way to hold a special summit of the heads of the regional bloc's 10 member countries — the first event of its kind in a decade — in Japan this December. Kishida is expected to help smooth arrangements for the gathering during his visit to the Philippines. (http://is.gd/kCUy78)

Kyodo

Continue reading

Philippines will phase-out 3.5 Million Tricycles to save EARTH & $5 Billion USD imported Gas yearly

Reported in the Environmental Protection Online, Philippine government will replace the Pedi-cab or the tricycles-taxis with Electronic Trikes.

The Philippines will be introducing electronic tricycle taxis to replace its petrol-fuelled models, which could cut carbon dioxide emissions by a quarter of million tons.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $300 million and The Philippines government will provide an additional $99 million to the project. Tricycle taxis are one of the Philippines' most widely used forms of transport for travelling short distances, but they are also responsible for more than two-thirds of air pollution.

The ADB estimates that there are 200,000 tricycles in the Manila metropolitan region alone, and about 3.5 million in the entire country. The tricycles use nearly $5 billion of imported fuel every year, produce about ten million tons of carbon dioxide, and are the biggest source of particulate pollution in urban areas. The World Bank estimates that the total economic burden of air pollution to the Philippines economy is more than $150 million each year.

The project aims to replace 100,000 petrol-fuelled tricycles with 'clean, energy efficient' electric tricycles (e-trikes) in a 'lease-to-own' arrangement.

'Every 20,000 e-Trikes that are introduced to Manila's streets will save the Philippines 100,000 liters of foreign fuel imports each day, worth US$35 million annually,' says the ADB's principal energy specialist, Sohail Hasnie

E-Trikes will use lithium-ion batteries, a form of battery widely used in consumer electronics such as mobile phones, which can be recharged 2,000 times before being replaced. A test run earlier this year showed that tricycle operators more than doubled their incomes when using e-Trikes.

'E-Trikes are a cleaner, greener transport solution for the Philippines and provide a better quality of life for tricycle drivers,' says Neeraj Jain, the ADB's country director for the Philippines. 'This project can help transform transportation in the Philippines and positions the country as a leader in electric vehicle development in Asia.'

Continue reading

Singapore will open Construction Jobs for the least priority Philippines and Sri Lanka workers

Gardens by the Bay Singapore Construction Work at July 2011. Photo: Wikipedia

As published today (January 1, 2013) in the  Channelnewsasia.com of the MediaCorp Pte Ltd Company,  Sri Lanka and the Philippines have been identified as new source countries for construction workers according to the Building and Construction Authority in Singapore .

it has been reported recently that China one of the biggest source of Construction workers in Singapore  said that recruiting workers for Singapore has become increasingly difficult over the past five years as the wage gap between the two countries has narrowed.

And the fallout from the recent illegal strike by SMRT bus drivers from China is now deterring some from applying to work in Singapore.

Unfair and unjust - these are just some of the comments posted by Chinese internet users on Weibo after a former Chinese SMRT bus driver received a six-week jail sentence for taking part in an illegal strike in Singapore.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) told MediaCorp that two test centers will be set up in Sri Lanka.

Approval is also being sought from the Philippine authorities to establish test centers but it would takes a little time as the Philippine government is also restricting for sending OFW abroadto make sure that the workers safety is given priority. Minimum compensation and other benefits are also part of the requirements.

The Philippines has a bit expensive construction workers compare to the other BCA sources because most Filipinos who are interested to work abroad are at least high school graduate, a level of educational attainment which are already qualified as office workers in other ASEAN countries.  

The BCA hopes to bring in skilled construction workers from Sri Lanka and Philippines to boost supply and diversify the source for foreign labor.

The main sources of foreign construction workers in Singapore are from China, India and Bangladesh. The authorities want to be less reliant on these countries as their recruits from the said countries are continue declining.  

Mr. Neo Choon Keong, BCA's group director of manpower and strategies policy, said: "What we are seeing now is that the major sources like China, India, because of the fast development the number of workers is actually coming down over time, because there are plenty of jobs there.

"So for resilience perspective, we are working with the industry to open up new sources to locate skilled workers, notwithstanding our efforts to reduce the numbers of foreign workers overall through the adoption of technology as well as better building designs."

Demand for foreign construction workers in Singapore is expected to remain strong in the years ahead, as the government is ramping up infrastructure development such as expanding the rail network and building more flats and health-care facilities.

In a recent report, the National Population and Talent Division expects the demand for foreign construction workers on low-skilled work permit holders to increase from some 250,000 in 2011 to about 280,000 in the next two to three years.

The BCA said most workers in Sri Lanka and Philippines speak English and this will help improve communication on the construction site.

Construction workers who want to work in Singapore have to go through a rigorous training regime in their country.

They have to stay in the training centre and undergo a full-time program lasting between 3  and 6 months.

Only seven out of 10 of these workers would eventually pass the test.

After the training, potential workers have to go through a five-hour practical test on essential craft skills as well as a one-hour theory test on trade knowledge.

Currently, there are 26 overseas testing centers in China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Myanmar.

Potential workers can choose to be tested in 29 construction skills.

Construction company Progressive Builders will be operating one of the two new test centers in Sri Lanka.

It's managing director Ng Yek Meng said for a start, workers will be tested in 12 construction skills such as steel reinforcement work, tiling and plastering.

He said these tests are to ensure workers coming to Singapore are of a certain standard and quality, and could in turn help raise productivity.

Mr. Ng said: "Some of the workers, especially if they come from agriculture (background), don't even know how to operate certain equipment. The test is quite stringent not only in Sri Lanka but for all source countries. Whoever can pass the test, I think they are of a certain quality. So this is how we can sieve the good ones and the bad ones."

The test centers in Sri Lanka are expected to be operational in six months' time.

Besides bringing in better quality construction foreign workers, the BCA also has a comprehensive training framework to continuously upgrade them.

Some 12,000 foreign construction foreign workers have upgraded their skills through these various programs. read more in  Channelnewsasia.com

Continue reading

Manila Government will award ₱10-Billion Mactan, Cebu International airport project in Sept 2013

The Aquino administration is set to award the ₱10-billion contract for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project in September to cope with the growing number of tourists using the gateway to enter the country.

The Department of Transportation and Communications and Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority has invited prospective bidders to apply to pre-qualify and bid for the construction of a new passenger terminal; rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal; operation, maintenance and management of the terminals.

The project involves the construction of the new passenger terminal, apron for the new passenger terminal, rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal, installation of all the required equipment and other associated facilities, installation of the required information technology and other equipment commensurate with the operations as well as operation and maintenance of both the new and existing passenger terminals.

The pre-qualification, bids, and awards committee (PBAC) is set to hold a pre-qualification conference on Jan. 28 and prospective bidders are required to submit their qualification documents on or before Feb. 28.

The PBAC would then require pre-qualified bidders to submit both technical and financial proposals, a bid security, as well as other supporting documents on Aug. 2 that would be evaluated by the committee.

The PBAC would first review the bidders' technical proposals after which the committee would then evaluate the financial proposals of bidders whose technical proposals were rated passed.

The committee would then issue the notice of award to the winning bidder in Sept. 17 and the winner would have to comply with all the requirements within 20 days from official receipt of the notice.

Based on a PPP Center briefing paper, the Mactan-Cebu airport project involves the construction of a world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers a year as well as the operation and maintenance of the old and new facilities.

The Mactan-Cebu international airport is situated in a 797-hectare property and has a single 3,300 meter runway that is complemented by a full-length taxiway.

The terminal building has a capacity of handling 4.5 million passengers annually on two wings, the domestic wing and the international wing. It is a major trade center in the south for both domestic and international traffic.

The passenger traffic for year 2011 was around 6.2 million passengers.  The deterioration in the level of convenience and lack of ability to handle more passengers may hinder further development  and growth of international airport.

To solve the problem, DOTC is set to bid a contract for the construction of a new world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of about eight million passengers per year; and the operation of the old and new facilities.

The construction of a new world-class passenger terminal, including all related facilities, is proposed to separately cater to domestic and international operations with an initial investment of ₱10.3 billion and a future expansion of ₱12 billion.

Several companies including diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., the tandem of Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. as well as Metro Pacific Investments Corp. have expressed interest in the airport project. (http://is.gd/RtTSaA)

philSTAR

Continue reading