Manila Bulletin back issues from January 2009:
TransCo concessionaire unable to make $ 1-B up-front payment.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The winning concessionaire for the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) has failed to settle the $ 1.0 billion up-front payment as agreed, at the latest by December 30, 2008, due to "unresolved issues," the parties in the deal confirmed. The Power Sector Assets and ...
GSIS sees P50-B income, up 25%, in 2008.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) said yesterday it was looking forward to a stronger year ahead, banking on the numerous milestones it achieved in 2008. The pension fund, still the top-earning government enterprise in the country, expects the 2008 net income to ...
If gov't can lower ecozone land rental.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Taiwanese footwear manufacturers have agreed to relocate in the Philippines for as long as government can lower to $1 per square meter monthly land rental in an economic zone, ending a lengthy negotiation with government officials where Taiwanese firms included cheaper labor and power ...
Oil ends tumultuous year below $ 40/bbl.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... SINGAPORE, Dec. 31 (AFP) - Oil prices ended the year below US$ 40s Wednesday in Asian trade after a tumultuous 2008 which saw prices hit record peaks before plunging to multi-year lows. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, fell 62 cents to ...
CICT pushes 'green' computing initiative.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) is pushing for the implementation of green computing initiative to significantly reduce power cost that can help address the global climate change problem. CICT Commissioner Undersecretary Angelo Timoteo Diaz de ...
P/$ rate stands at P47.52/$ 1.(News In Brief)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The peso exchange rate closed at P47.52 to the US dollar last December 24, 2008, at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp., (PDEx). The weighted average rate stands at P47.647. $ 13-B trade gap seen in 2008 The government expects the trade deficit to widen to $ 13.1 ...
YEAR-END REPORT.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Philippines was not spared by the effects of the credit crunch which started with banks in the United States that extended too much loans to poor homeowners who could not repay their loans. The American sub-prime mortgage in August 2007 has spread across the US with banks ...
Cash-rich SMC changes tack, diversifies into new businesses.(Business News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Prompted by a need for growth when most of its products already enjoyed strong leads in a mature Philippine market, food and beverage giant San Miguel Corporation decided to look overseas and went on an investment spree to acquire food and beverage firms in Australia and Southeast Asia. ...
Angelica's secret to slimming safely.(Celebrity World)
Jan 01, 2009 ... From the pigeonhole: Whether they see her onscreen or off it, friends and fans alike have been noticing Angelica Panganiban's increasingly glowing appearance. "I guess that's my new found confidence they're seeing now that I'm able to regularly maintain my desired figure," the 22 year-old ...
Aquarela... Union of Love for Music.(Entertainment)(Sound recording review)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Singing is second nature to them. Rather than play golf or go ballroom dancing, they would prefer to sing. Music was also what brought them together, so it is not surprising that they thrive on making beautiful music. Since French singer-songwriter Miguel Juteau met ...
World welcomes New Year 2009.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The world welcomed the New Year on a high note and an air of hope and optimism that 2009 will bring peace and prosperity. Millions poured into the streets of cities around the world in an explosion of joy and bursts of firecrackers against a backdrop of cathedral bells pealing ...
Peace, prosperity for the people.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... For 2009, first and foremost, I wish for peace, progress, and prosperity for the people of the nation. The year 2008 was tumultuous for the world due to the global economic recession that, thankfully, has not become a crisis in the Philippines. So I pray for greater peace and stability. I ...
New Year brings fresh challenges.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The past year was a difficult one. We suffered through unprecedented increases in oil prices. We watched in confusion as global markets tumbled one after another. We read about the collapse of big and respected names in the international financial community. We went through a financial ...
Severe poverty threat to peace.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The First Day of the year is World Day of Peace, intended to emphasize the universal hunger for Peace among all peoples. However, people's quiet is endlessly threatened whenever they are victimized by injustice, lies and violence. Today the new threat to world peace is the ...
Fighting poverty to build peace.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... 1. Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace. Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World ...
We have resilience, indomitable spirit.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... My heart swells with joy as I greet you a very happy new year! I hope the New Year finds you in good health, buoyant spirits and hopeful hearts. We live in the most interesting times in our nation's history. The past year was replete with economic and political ...
Prevailing over all difficulties.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... First and foremost, we thank the Lord for all the strength and blessings He showered us even in the midst of these turbulent times. We were able to surmount and continue to prevail over all difficulties because of our faith in Him. The coming year should be a time for renewal ...
Be not afraid, God is for us.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The coming of a new year is like the dawning of a new day, the celebration of our country's centennial, or the arrival of the new millennium. It is a rallying point -- a place from where we mark the beginning of better times to come. One senses though that the celebration of ...
Do the right things for our country.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Manigong Bagong Taon sa inyong lahat! We have gone through difficult times this year, but the Filipino spirit, courage and indomitable strength have carried us through. We can look forward with hope because we have faith in God's abiding love and care for ...
Mobilizing national pride.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Recalling the 112th Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal's martyrdom at Bagumbayan last December 30, it is especially fitting to start the New Year with the mobilization of the Filipino spirit of patriotism and national pride in the face of the daunting challenges before the nation. No less than ...
Reform, rebuild our society.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Isang manigong bagong taon sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan! Kasama ng aking pamilya, nakikiisa ako sa pagsalubong sa bagong taon kalakip ang pag-asa na magbibigay ito ng magandang pagbabago sa ating pamumuhay. The year 2009 is anticipated to be another year of ...
RP ready to face challenges of 2009, says President Arroyo.(Main News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... BAGUIO CITY - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said here yesterday that the country is ready to face the challenges and serious negative effects of the current global food, financial and energy crisis due to the existence of a solid national government resiliency plan which would ...
Happy New Year to One and All!(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... THE year 2009 may see the continuation of the challenges of 2008. Still, we welcome the year with great expectation that is rooted in our unwavering faith in the goodness of God. On a day when we also celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of God, we recognize that amid the uncertainty that ...
First & last resolution.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... MOST of us can suggest a few basic resolutions to adopt and implement in 2009 beginning January 1. But the national and local governments have bigger problems to resolve such as: Smiling on billboards 1. Removing all billboards nationwide with large pictures of ...
Targets in personal governance.(Swimming Against the Current)
Jan 01, 2009 ... AFTER setting forth strategic priorities in one's personal road map, we should consider specifying measures and targets by which to move towards those priorities. This is where we begin operationalizing the road map, including at the personal level. How is this to be done? ...
Happy New Year!(At Issue)
Jan 01, 2009 ... WELL, it's New Year! The exclamation point is to reflect the excitement that the advent of New Year characteristically brings, this time, amid the scattered events happening in today's world. That's the magic of New Year: It brings hope, gives life, and breeds ...
New Thai PM third in 4 months.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... WHEN he was overthrown by a military coup in 2006, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the wildly popular prime minister of Thailand who had served two terms, but was now accused of corruption and abuse of the powers of his office, fled the country, with his powerful wife (who was also ...
Analysis.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Reuters) - China and the United States should be kicking off 2009 with a celebration of three decades' hard work building one of the world's most crucial diplomatic relationships. Instead the superpower and the rising power are fighting their way through an ...
Analysis.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... DHAKA, Dec. 31 (Reuters) -- An alliance led by Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina won a big parliamentary majority this week in the country's first polls in seven years. Following are answers to questions about what her victory means for the South Asian nation of ...
Analysis.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec. 31 (Reuters) - Few scenes better illustrate the dilemma facing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas than the sight of his West Bank security forces confronting Palestinians enraged by the bloodshed in Gaza. Israel's air attacks on the poor coastal ...
Power of words.(Medium Rare)
Jan 01, 2009 ... WHILE lawmakers and historians argue over the appropriate Rizal Day -- June 19 or Dec. 30, his birthday or his martyrdom? - how about a minor debate on the side concerning the last two lines of the national anthem? "Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi, Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ...
Feature.(Opinion and Editorial)
Jan 01, 2009 ... HONG KONG (dpa) - When James Christie held his first auction in 1776, bottles of wine were among the lots to go under the hammer. Even then, wine was more than just an accompaniment to fine food - it was a liquid asset. More than 200 years later, it's a view shared by ...
The visit of the shepherds.(Reflections Today)
Jan 01, 2009 ... HE shepherds went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, ...
CHED ready to push info drive on Cordillera autonomy.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... BAGUIO CITY -- The inter-agency approach to the drive for grassroots understanding of autonomy is fast gaining grounds as government and non-governmental organizations lead the crafting of an acceptable autonomy law for the Cordillera. This developed as officials of the ...
Bulacan group marks Rizal Day by helping poor, sick children.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan -- Bantay Kalikasan sa Bulacan (BKB), a non-governmental organization headed by Severino del Rosario, president, marked the 202nd death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal last Tuesday by conducting a medical mission benefiting sick people, particularly sick children. ...
GMA commends San Fernando City for its landfill project.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union -- President Arroyo commended Wednesday city officials here, led by Mayor Pablo Ortega, for the city's revolutionary sanitary landfill system designed to solve its waste problem. The President, together with Ortega, inspected the 10.6-hectare ...
Teams continue search, rescue for 6 missing fishers.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Coast Guard, Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippine Air Force teams continued yesterday their search and rescue operations (SARs) for six fishermen who have been missing since last Dec. 23 when their fishing boat conked out off the coast of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The missing ...
Two firecracker vendors arrested.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Two ambulant vendors were held the other day by the police for selling on the sidewalks powerful and oversized pyrotechnics. One of the arrested vendors was identified as Imelda Pacantes, 26, of Barangay Mapaco, Pinukpuk, Kalinga. The other vendor was not ...
LUZON NEWSBITS.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Coastal Road, STAR toll rates hiked starting today Higher toll rates greet motorists using the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) tollway this first day of 2009. The new toll rates at the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, better known as ...
Pag-Ibig Fund stable.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... CEBU CITY - Amid the economic meltdown, the Pag-IBIG Fund has assured its members that its financial condition is stable as it expressed optimism that it will remain strong and resilient. Pag-IBIG Fund Mandaue Branch Department Manager Victoria de la Pe reported that as of last ...
Traders optimistic on shipping firm's sale.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... CEBU CITY - Businessmen in Cebu expressed optimism that the local shipping industry will remain upbeat amid the plans of a full takeover of the Aboitiz Transport System Corp. (ATS) by Negros Navigation of the KGLI-NM Holdings Inc. (KGLI-NM). "The shipping industry will still be ...
Binibining Aklan pageant set Jan. 9.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... KALIBO, Aklan - To add color and pageantry to the 2009 Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival, 12 beautiful women will compete in the inaugural Binibining Aklan contest on Jan. 9, 2009. Pageant director and designer Edwin Autencio said the first Binibining Aklan beauty pageant to be held at ...
SC orders PNOC to pay P80 M to 2 Leyte landowners.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) to pay more than P80 million as just compensation to two landowners whose property was expropriated in 1994 for the construction of a 125-megawatt Upper Mahiao Geothermal Power Plant in Kananga, Leyte. In ...
Enforce strictly laws on environment, cops told.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... CEBU CITY - The Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 urged members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to strictly enforce environmental laws in the region. MGB Region 7 Director Roger de Dios said that deputized ...
VISAYAS NEWSBITS.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Demand for OFWs will remain -- DoLE 7 CEBU CITY - An official of the Region 7 office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE 7) is optimistic that despite the anticipated effects of economic meltdown early next year, the demand for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) will ...
Glan port upgrading to boost trade between Sulawesi and Sarangani.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... GLAN, Sarangani -- The upgrading of the port facility here, which costs some P20 million, is expected to boost trade activities between this town and North Sulawesi in Indonesia. Nenita Barroso, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) director for Sarangani Province, said they ...
150 Caraga stakeholders back 2020 dev't plan for Mindanao.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... BUTUAN CITY -- At least 150 regional stakeholders in Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga Region) joined the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) as an integral part in updating the Mindanao 2000 development framework plan and an initial step to the formulation of the Mindanao 2020 Peace ...
Soldiers share Yuletide cheer with Zambo orphans.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... ZAMBOANGA CITY -- In celebrating the Yuletide season, various units of the Western Mindanao Command (WMC) pooled their efforts to give a meaningful and cherished Christmas experience to the young boys and girls of St. Francis House Orphanage in this city. The event, dubbed ...
NFA Region 9 exceeds 2008 target.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The National Food Authority in Region 9 (NFA 9) yesterday said it has exceeded most of its goals for programs it implemented for the region last year. Citing a remarkable accom-plishment, NFA-9 said it has recorded a 115 percent accomplishment for its targeted ...
MINDANAO NEWSBITS.(Provincial News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... 1 dead, 1 hurt in Sultan Kudarat explosion KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A still unidentified tricycle driver was killed and a policeman was injured after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off just a few meters away from a police station in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, at 6:30 p.m ....
Pacman proclaimed champ of champs.(Sports News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... SINGAPORE - World's best pound-for-pound boxer Manny Pacquiao ended 2008 with a bang as he was named ESPN STAR Sports' Champion of Champions yesterday after topping a month-long online poll that decided the sports personality of the year who made the biggest impact in the world of sport. ...
Hatton a dangerous foe - Roach.(Sports News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... This early, the man who will be tasked to whip Ricky Hatton into fighting form for a May 2 date with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas boasts that he holds the blueprint for the Filipino's destruction. Top trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. told fightnews.com that while he admits that ...
3-way race for Philippine Cup's best.(Sports News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Three former Best Player of the Conference winners are in a tight race for the same award in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup. Mark Cardona of Talk 'N Text, Willie Miller of Alaska and Kelly Williams of defending champion Sta. Lucia lead the race for the BPC plum based on their ...
Mavs stage club's biggest comeback.(Sports News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... DALLAS, Texas (AFP) -- The Dallas Mavericks staged the biggest comeback in franchise history Tuesday to beat a stunned Minnesota Timberwolves team 107-100 in a National Basketball Association contest. Minnesota led 70-41 early in the third quarter. But the Mavericks woke up just ...
RP chessers rip Singaporeans.(Sports News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... AL AIN, United Arab Emirates - The RP-Tagaytay team rode on the exploits of Grandmasters Wesley So, John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo to demolish Club Intchess (Singapore), 3.5-.5, and stay alive in the sixth and penultimate round of the 2008 Asian Club Cup chess team championship at the Al ...
Smart subscribers reach 35 M; rise in mobile Internet use cited.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... Despite stiff competition and an economic slowdown, Smart Communications, Inc. increased its subscriber base to 35 million as of end-2008, up 16% from end-2007. "Smart maintained its leadership in the mobile phone industry through innovative product offerings based on strategic ...
NPC bids out P33.6-B worth of fuel.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... State-run National Power Corporation (NPC) has auctioned some P33.57-billion worth of industrial fuel and diesel products as supply for its power plants from January to December 2009. The company has yet to announce the outcome of its December 24 public bidding as the process ...
DoF sees $ 500-M ODA this month.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... The Department of Finance (DoF) is disbursing $ 500-million worth of official development assistance (ODA) loans in January, National Treasurer Roberto Tan said. These are the $ 300-million judicial reform loan from the Asian Development Bank and the $ 200-million social ...
3 local firms to market GM eggplant.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... At least three Filipino companies may take to market what is expected to be an in-demand genetically-modified (GM) eggplant that may be released in 2010. The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSP) is programming the release of the fruit and shoot borer ...
Assures no disruptions to European states.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... MOSCOW/KIEV, Jan. 1 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it had completely cut gas to its neighbor Ukraine over a contract dispute but assured European states worried about disruptions to their supplies that gas was flowing to them as normal. European Union states, which receive ...
P/$ rate stands at P47.52/$ 1.(News In Brief)
Jan 02, 2009 ... The peso exchange rate closed at P47.52 to the US dollar last December 24, 2008, at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx). The weighted average rate stands at P47.647. Manufacturing sector hits 82% capacity The average capacity utilization of the ...
5 power assets up for sale in 2009.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... There are five more assets due for divestments next year to wind up the privatization program that shall totally dismantle the long monopolistic reign of state-run National Power Corporation (NPC). In an accomplishment report furnished by the Department of Energy (DoE) to the ...
ADB courts investors in clean energy.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... SINGAPORE (Dow Jones) - Investors in clean energy who are becoming more risk averse as the global economic downturn bites should work with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) rather than turn their back on the sector altogether, a senior ADB official said. The ADB's record of ...
YEAR-END REPORT.(Business News)
Jan 02, 2009 ... Government fiscal and budget planning officials had their hands full this past year as they struggle to protect the sustainability of the fiscal sector and to ensure that funding is available for social and development expenditures. "That's all that matters," said Finance ...
2008 MMFF is over, and here are the winners.(Celebrity World)
Jan 02, 2009 ... The much awaited Metro Manila Film Festival 2008 is over and now we look forward to the next December film festival, with the hope that the 2009 MMFF batch of official entries will be as good or much better than the eight official entries to the still ongoing 2008 filmfest.We the jurors ...